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Before he nearly starved to death, Malik Staton was a goofy, charming 12-year-old with an infectious smile, good grades and the kind of potential that teachers get excited about. But life at home was difficult. His parents got divorced. His father went to prison, and Malik took on the role of the man of the house. Malik was stoic at first, telling his mom that he would help her with his five younger siblings. But the self-imposed pressure was too much. Malik stopped eating. As his weight...

Multiple new research studies indicate that there are many physical and mental health benefits to gain from taking a holiday, some reportedly remaining even two months after we have returned to the daily grind. However, research also shows that certain habits and attitudes can neutralize these benefits, and even leave you more tired, stressed out, unhealthy and overwhelmed than how you started out. With the average vacation time a year typically being less than 20 days per year, thankfully...

Philadelphia has plenty of primary-care providers overall, but there is far less access to care in communities with the highest concentrations of African American residents, according to a new study. [For more of this story, written by Don Sapatkin, go to http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20160809_Study_of_Phila__neighborhoods_finds_big_disparities_in_health-care_access_by_race.html]

Effective education 'reform' is student-centered

All too often, patients in psychiatric crisis end up in a hospital emergency room where they have to wait sometimes for hours to receive care. Once there, they get checked out by doctors and nurses and often wait to either receive treatment, sometimes resulting in admission to psychiatric department, or get discharged to go home. With that in mind, Billings Clinic announced Monday that its Clinic Classic fundraiser would go toward expanding its psychiatric department while building a new...

When music artist Kehlani posted photos of herself after her suicide attempt on Instagram , she was bombarded with backlash on the post itself as well as on Twitter and other social media outlets. Some users, mainly those of her primarily black fan base, called her “selfish” and an “attention-seeker.” Singer Chris Brown tweeted that “there is no attempting suicide. Stop flexing for the gram.” This aggression is the result of a stigmatized, biased understanding of mental health in the black...

Kofi Annan, the seventh U.N. secretary general, knew empowerment was key in 2005 when he said, “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.” Turns out it’s good tool for girls in 2016, too. At least this is what For Girls Global Leadership , or 4GGL, found in its Women’s Empowerment Global Survey. The results, “Voice & Choice: What Young Women Want,” were released this spring. The survey found that 60 percent of the young women interviewed see...

For all the superstar athletes at the Rio Olympics — the ones with cushy endorsement deals and worldwide fame — there are many more who never find the limelight, who will never even come close to getting a medal. They compete for the sheer honor of it. For national pride. And for reasons all their own. Among that group is a hurdler with a remarkable backstory. I happened to find Maoulida Daroueche at the Olympic athletes village. He was wearing a green and white track suit with "Comoros" in...

Dear Sugar Radio is a weekly podcast from member station WBUR. Hosts Steve Almond and Cheryl Strayed offer "radical empathy" and advice on everything from relationships and parenthood to dealing with drug problems or anxiety. This time the Sugars consider a letter from a woman who says she is in love with a man who had a difficult childhood. She worries that problems from his earlier life may cause problems in their relationship. [For more of this story go to ...

Editor’s note: At 32 years old, Tennessee Watson reported to police that her gymnastics coach had sexually abused her as a child. This is the story of her experience, in her own words. The first time I ever talked about it was in second grade. We were having “a good touch, bad touch” presentation – talking about what to do if someone made us feel uncomfortable. I raised my hand, then fumbled my way through describing how my gymnastics coach had touched me. Was that the kind of bad touch they...

Call for Applications We recognize the impact of communities that have placed a priority on health and are creating powerful partnerships and deep commitments that will enable everyone, especially those facing the greatest challenges, with the opportunity to live well. Apply now to receive up to $25,000 and have your stories and successes celebrated broadly to inspire others toward locally-driven change. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? There is no single path forward to building a Culture of...

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the movement in Philadelphia, PA to become a trauma-informed city? The Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF) has a new web resource for you! On Monday, August 15th, the PATF launched its new website, www.philadelphiaACEs.org , to keep you informed about our current and past projects, events, and resources for families, community members, providers, and policy makers. Website Highlights Learn about the Philadelphia Expanded ACE Survey, the first ACE...