Blog

May is mental health awareness month. In honor of such an important cause, I wanted to write a post directly to those struggling with mental health issues. So often mental illness is stigmatized, leading those that struggle with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, or eating disorders to name a few, to feel isolated and alone. Let's work together towards eliminating the stigma, creating means for open communication, and letting go of judgement towards...

This story is based on my dear friend Opal Fleming born in 1931. I promised her before she died that I would get her story published. She wanted children to know about the schools for the deaf and how American Sign Language became a well-known language today by being passed on by other deaf people. Opal was taken to the Oklahoma School for the Deaf by her father after he had learned about the school from a young deaf man he had met on a train. The young man explained how he learned to read...

The teen birth rate in the United States has reached an all-time low, driven by dramatic declines among black and Hispanic teens, according to a new government report. Overall, the birth rate for teens aged 15 to 19 declined 41 percent between 2006 and 2014 -- dropping from 41.1 live births per 1,000 females down to 24.2, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The greatest declines occurred for Hispanic teens and black teens, where the rates fell by 51 percent and...

States would be prohibited from terminating Medicaid coverage for incarcerated juveniles under legislation introduced today in the House and Senate. States could suspend coverage while juveniles were in custody rather than cutting off their coverage, a change the bill’s sponsors said would ensure a smooth transition for youth as they re-enter the community. States would be required to automatically restore Medicaid enrollment when a juvenile was released. Many juveniles rely on Medicaid...

Former offenders need timely, individualized reentry paths that focus on career development, a new report by ICF International says. Too often, the hundreds of thousands of people returning from prison each year are unable to find employment, a situation compounded by trouble securing housing, health care and transportation — all factors that increase the likelihood of recidivism. “All they’ve got is a criminal record. That’s all anyone can see,” said Brent Orrell, a family and economic...

Portraits of Professional Caregivers: Their Passion Their Pain is an award winning documentary film that is enjoying screenings at a number of community and professional events, including The ACES Film Festival, and state and national conferences, such as the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The film illustrates the impact of secondary traumatic stress or “compassion fatigue”. through a series of first person stories of social...

Last week, the Hamilton Project, a policy initiative spinoff of the Brookings Institution, hosted a conversation with United States’ Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on food insecurity. The event was accompanied by the Hamilton Project’s new report on the topic, which makes for mostly grim reading. The report finds that, though food insecurity, which increased sharply during the Great Recession, has declined, it still hasn’t returned to pre-recession levels. In fact, in states with...

As the knowledge economy becomes increasingly spiky, concentrated, and urban, some of America’s most expensive cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston have become even more unaffordable. But the burden of escalating housing costs is not spread evenly, hitting some groups harder than others. As the affluent and the talented crowd into these urban centers, less advantaged families, those who don’t yet own a home, and younger people have trouble staying in...

A&Q is a special series that inverts the classic Q&A , taking some of the most frequently posed solutions to pressing matters of policy and exploring their complexity. America is a world leader in incarceration. The U.S. locks up more people than any other country, the University of London’s Institute for Criminal Policy Research reports. An estimated 1.6 million individuals were held in state and federal prisons at the end of 2014, while roughly 1 out of every 36 adults fell under...

A 38-year-old woman living in Everett, Washington recently told me that nine years ago, she had a well-paying job, immaculate credit, substantial savings, and a happy marriage. When her first daughter was born, she and her husband decided that she would quit her job in publishing to stay home with the baby. She loved being a mother and homemaker, and when another daughter came, she gave up the idea of going back to work. Seven years later, her husband told her to leave their house, and filed...

Many of us can remember at least one childhood friend who made growing up slightly easier with jokes and playtime adventures. Even as adults, friendships play an important role in our lives. By bringing laughter and camaraderie, their mere presence can buffer stress as well as the effects of negative experiences. Furthermore, they can help alleviate despair or emotional turmoil. New research published in Scientific reports suggests a better pain threshold may be another benefit of having...

It’s the week before Christmas and the Brighthaupt family is in its weekly therapy session. Kecia Brighthaupt, 37, grabs a piece of paper from the center of the dining room table in her apartment and reads the word on it. “Hopeful,” Kecia Brighthaupt says. “I feel hopeful that Jamari is going to graduate.” She, her 15-year-old son Jamari, and their counselor, Ayize Ma’at, sit at one end of the glass rectangular table. A tan carpet covers the floor. Photos of relatives, including Kecia’s...