Doctors Are On Front Lines Of Dealing With Deep Economic Disparities In California
Many of the state's children are coping with chronic diseases that are preventable in third-world countries and severe trauma that has lasting psychical symptoms.
Los Angeles Times:
They're Sick, Traumatized, Malnourished And Transient — What Child Poverty Looks Like In Los Angeles
California, home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, has the dubious paradoxical distinction of unmatched wealth and nation-leading poverty rates. In one of the most recent studies, the California Budget & Policy Center reported that more than 20% of the state’s children live in families who can’t afford basic necessities, thanks in part to the state’s housing crisis and high cost of living. (Lopez, 6/9)
In other news from across the state —
KPBS:
New Initiative Aims To Help Family Caregivers In San Diego
Now there's a new place family caregivers can turn to for help. The San Diego Union-Tribune has launched CaregiverSD.com, a new website with information, resources and support for family caregivers. (St John and Cabrera, 6/8)
East Bay Times:
‘We Serve Everyone’: Tzu Chi Foundation Free Medical Clinic Offers Help, Hope
Those coming into the clinic Sunday had the opportunity to get basic services like blood pressure and blood sugar tests, but also eye and dental checkups and treatments, and they could see a chiropractor or acupuncturist, as well. While the foundation is a Buddhist organization, the periodic outreach clinics serve all people regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or income level, according to Sherry Shih, the foundation’s local spokesperson. ...The foundation also hosts a dental and acupuncture services clinic at the Milpitas center on the second and fourth Mondays of every month, for qualifying low-income people. (Geha, 6/10)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Parents Want Answers Following Son's Death After Jail Release
After spending about five months in San Diego County jail, where he was undergoing psychiatric treatment and facing vandalism charges, Brian Dubrasky was released the early morning of Feb. 15. About six hours later, he was dead from an apparent suicide after falling several floors from a scaffolding. He was 33. ...The letter claimed that Brian Dubrasky, who was arrested in September on suspicion of vandalizing cars, came out of jail in a depressed state because he had been mistreated in jail and prescribed Zyprexa, a drug used to treat certain mental conditions and has been linked to suicides, his mother said. (Warth, 6/10)