Blog

By Xenia Shih Bion, California Health Care Foundation, February 3, 2020 In a 5-4 vote reflecting the ideological split among the justices, the US Supreme Court on January 27 decided to allow the Trump administration to commence enforcement (PDF) of its “public charge” rule nationwide. Only Illinois, where a statewide injunction is currently in effect, will not begin enforcing the rule. The regulation was slated to take effect last October, but federal judges in California, Illinois,...

By Active NorCal, January 22, 2020, for Active It’s been over a year since the Camp Fire completely destroyed the Butte County town of Paradise, and now residents of the town are about to see the premiere of Ron Howard’s documentary about the recovery efforts surrounding the fire. Eight Paradise residents, all of which were interviewed for the film, are traveling to Park City, Utah this week to see “Rebuilding Paradise” for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival. Locals are hopeful...

By Susan Hiland, Daily Republic, February 2, 2020 SafeQuest Solano Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Solano County by providing prevention education, advocacy and intervention services to those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. The organization was founded in 1976. It opened its first shelter a year later for survivors of domestic violence and their children. SafeQuest earned nonprofit status in 1983 under the name Solano Women’s Crisis Center. The...

Some of my colleagues and I have developed a process and program called, "Design Thinking Suicide Prevention," that we have been presenting at mental health conferences . The reason for it is that we have discovered that certain words scare too many people who don't have to deal with mental issues in their family (although that number is becoming smaller and smaller). In fact, just the word "mental" causes people to run for the hills unless it directly affects them or a family member. Design...

By Kyra Haas, Visalia Times-Delta, February 3, 2020 Late-morning coffee-seekers at one Visalia Starbucks Saturday might have walked away with more than a grande cup o' Joe. Starbucks and Clubhouse Visalia held their first "Time to Talk" from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning just outside the coffee shop near the corner of Goshen Avenue and Akers Street. The monthly event is aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues while providing wellness-focused activities and connections to local...

By Chuck Ingoglia (Guest), Cal Matters, February 2, 2020 It’s time to change the conversation in health care. Rather than asking, “What is wrong with this person?” medical professionals might ask, “What happened to this person?” California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris and an increasing number of practitioners are changing the conversation because they recognize that trauma early in life—child separation, racism, neglect, abuse or poverty, for instance—can manifest itself years later...

By Diana Hembree, San Francisco Bay View, February 1, 2020 If you experienced severe hardship as a child, are you more likely to have children with behavior or mental health problems? The short answer is yes. A recent UCLA study shows that the children of parents with four or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as abuse or neglect, are twice as likely to develop ADHD, which makes it more likely children will become hyperactive and unable to pay attention or control their...

Formation of task force follows Governor Newsom’s release of 2020-21 State Budget Proposal The Governor’s Budget includes $45.1 million General Fund for a Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program to build counties’ behavioral health service delivery systems in preparation for the launch of Medi-Cal Healthier California for All FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2020 CONTACT: (916) 654-3304 SACRAMENTO – Following the unveiling of his budget proposal with its robust focus on...

I’d like to take this opportunity to address some of the objections to screening for ACEs that I have come across. It is true that some areas of research are still emerging, such as protocols, but in other ways we are twenty years behind using the information we have to make a positive difference in our patients lives and in training new physicians to be more comfortable addressing social and experiential determinants of health.

Safeguards for Youth is a compilation of the latest data on promoting California children’s health and well-being. The data describe protective factors and supportive services, both of which are critical to building a solid foundation for life and addressing the effects of childhood adversity. Protective factors highlight the importance of preventive health care, a strong start in education, and a nurturing school community. Supportive services address adverse experiences such as health...

By Emily Underwood, Science, January 29, 2020 On 1 January, California became the first U.S. state to screen for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—early life hardships such as abuse, neglect, and poverty, which can have devastating health consequences in later life. The project is not just a public health initiative, but a vast experiment. State officials aim to cut the health impacts of early life adversity by as much as half within a generation. But critics say the health benefits of...

By Public Advocates, January 2020 In 2013, low-income communities of color and immigrant communities won the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a funding law that increases resources for high need students and gives more power to the community. The promise of LCFF has yet to be fully realized, but together, we can make it live up to its potential. That’s why we’re launching the #WeMakeLCFFWork community education campaign in February 2020 to make sure families know their rights, are fully...