Mental Health & Trauma

Hazel Su is one of several hundreds who have migrated from Myanmar to the Bay Area to seek political asylum to resettle in the U.S. As an asylum seeker, Su is so focused on paying living expenses and helping family back home that she doesn't prioritize her own health. Despite learning about Medi-Cal covering people like her, Su finds that her options are too confusing to navigate and there are not enough community workers who can help.

People don't get to choose the illnesses that render them too disabled to work, but insurance companies have the power to approve or deny claims based on where in the body their condition exists.

People diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness and trauma are more often denied disability coverage than those with physical impairments.

While insurance for physical ailments has improved steadily, coverage of mental health is decades out of step with the knowledge of its causes, impacts and treatment.

Teachers increasingly use discipline to deal with students’ mental health and behavioral issues.

"Learning to use sensitivity and trauma-informed approaches with my subjects became paramount," writers reporter Robert Hansen.

Service providers say the state’s programs need significant investment to make inroads on reduction.

The “food as medicine” movement is growing in popularity as more people look to plant-based solutions for ills that continue to plague the Black community at disproportionate rates.

Financial and structural inequities and challenges, including lack of affordable homes, discrimination in the mortgage lending process and limited access to credit, restrict Latinos’ housing options to less affluent neighborhoods.