Small Rural Community Has Third-Highest Suicide Rate In State, And People Want To Know Why
There's a combination of factors -- rural areas tend to skew to an older population, many veterans have settled in the area -- that make the suicide rate in Amador County more than twice Sacramento’s.
Capital Public Radio:
A Problem, A Movement: What We’re Learning About Suicide In Amador County
A crowd of nearly 50 people from Amador County and surrounding communities gathered in Sutter Creek last month to discuss suicide risk in rural California and what community members can do. It was a conversation that residents said would not have happened a few years ago, and would still be considered taboo in most circles. (Caiola, 7/17)
In other public health news —
East Bay Times:
Major Racial Inequity Exists In Oakland, Report Shows
A first-of-its kind report on racial equity in Oakland highlights some unsettling realities for African-Americans in the city, including that they are 12.95 times more likely than whites to be arrested for a felony, 8.6 times more likely than whites to be jailed and 23.68 times more likely than whites to have force used against them by a law enforcement officer. In addition to gauging public safety inequities in Oakland, the study issued last week by the City University of New York highlighted racial inequities in economy, education, public health, housing, and neighborhood and civic life categories. (Tadayon, 7/17)
KQED:
Wildfire Smoke Continues To Impact Health, Travel In And Around Yosemite
Hot and dry conditions are hindering efforts to slow the growth of a deadly wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park, and some tourists are cutting their trips to the park short as smoke fills the air. The U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday that the Ferguson Fire — which ignited late Friday evening in the Sierra National Forrest — has scorched more than 12,000 acres of dry brush and timber. (Siegel, 7/17)
PolitiFact California:
Pot 101 Update: Are There Limits On Smoking Pot At Home Near Kids? Where Else Is It Legal To Smoke?
With the start of California’s retail recreational marijuana sales in January 2018, PolitiFact California published Pot 101, a guide to what’s legal and what’s not under the state’s landmark cannabis law. (Nichols, 7/17)