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In this video, Jenée Johnson explains how healing trauma and mindfulness go hand in hand. San Francisco is in the midst of probably the worst housing crisis in the country, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health is tasked with stewarding the health of the city and county’s population, and inside of that we have recognized that the way we function is often trauma-inducing not only to the communities that we serve. but to the workforce. That we are often bureaucratic, siloed, that...

“You must find a way to get in the way. You must find a way to get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.” — Rep. John Lewis Illness and death are a part of life. Violence, unfortunately, is too. We grieve. We suffer. Any other year, I might have said these are all a part of the natural order of being human. But this year has been excruciating. For 10 consecutive months, nearly every person in this country, and most people around the world, have experienced grief and suffering so...

While many of us are still processing the domestic terrorism organized by white supremacists and incited by the outgoing president last week, we are already being bombarded by calls for healing, reuniting, and peace. Bipartisan initiatives are emerging, roundtable discussions are being organized, and think pieces asking, “How did this happen?” continue to circulate through social media. These calls for peace and healing often come from the grasstops of elected officials or wealthy people in...

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to declare “racism a public health crisis,” passing policies to combat racism locally and create equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chair Nathan Fletcher and Vice Chair Nora Vargas introduced the resolution to address systemic racism last week. "In declaring racism as a public health crisis, we are acknowledging that racism underpins the health inequities throughout the region," said Fletcher. According to the supervisors,...

A national, ongoing survey explores deep-rooted views of those with low and middle incomes, with a focus on people of color, on health, equity and race. COVID-19 has upended the lives of people living in the United States, but some groups are facing more challenges than others. This ongoing survey from RAND Corporation attempts to understand the views and values of those who are most at risk to the adverse impacts of COVID-19 by surveying people with lower and middle incomes with a focus on...

By Ashley Burnside, The Center for Law and Social Policy, January 6, 2021 The latest COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress will allow college students with low incomes to more easily access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits – temporarily removing strict work and eligibility requirements for students. This is especially important given that unemployment rates are high, especially in the restaurant and entertainment sectors, and that many students are learning...

By Jessica Pryce and Amelia Franck Meyer, The Imprint, January 4, 2021 Although child welfare reform has been a topic of conversation for many years, what is often meant by “reform” is evolutionary or incremental change, which are efforts to make the current system better, but not fundamentally different. But many systems leaders who operate significantly improved versions of the current system agree that it still falls short of meeting the needs of families. The Biden administration...

While the 5,000-page $900 billion COVID Relief Bill ( H.R. 133, Div. M and N) fell short on some fronts (e.g., did not provide direct fiscal relief to cash-strapped states and localities), it does provide $82 billion in Education Stabilization Funds for states, school districts, and higher education institutions—crucial support for education as students return to school after the holiday. Funding of this magnitude makes a trauma-informed COVID response possible, giving advocates the...

Ernest Skelton, an appliance technician, was answering a routine call to Caroline Brock’s home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when they shared a conversation about racial inequality that would resonate across the U.S. and around the world. During his visit, Brock ventured to ask Skelton how he was doing. At first, he thought she was talking about the coronavirus, but she specified that she was curious about his experience as a Black man in the U.S. She posted about their interaction on...

A group of police chiefs, activists and policymakers gathered to debate how to reform law enforcement in America in a time of unrest and upheaval. The topic of police reform became a matter of popular debate, with one phrase in particular inflaming passions. As part of the DealBook D.C. Policy Project, The New York Times convened activists, academics, law enforcement officials and politicians to discuss public safety, racism and the different things people mean when they say “defund the...

The virus infecting thousands of Americans a day is also attacking the country's social fabric. The coronavirus has exposed a weakness in many rural communities, where divisive pandemic politics are alienating some of their most critical residents — health care workers. A wave of departing medical professionals would leave gaping holes in the rural health care system, and small-town economies, triggering a death spiral in some of these areas that may be hard to stop. More than a quarter of...

Why are some racial and ethnic minority groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19? Introduction Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 Risk of Severe Illness or Death from COVID-19 Disparities in COVID-19 Illness Disparities in COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Disparities in COVID-19 Deaths Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies What We Can Do to Move Towards Health Equity Click each link above to learn about underlying health and social inequities that put many racial and...