‘We Are Living In Communities That Are Like War Zones’: The Mental Health Fallout From Stephon Clark’s Death
Experts say people who live in neighborhoods impacted by violence often cope with “toxic stress,” due to the constant feeling of being threatened. But oftentimes they're unable to get mental health help.
Capital Public Radio:
Why Stephon’s Clark Death Is Having Serious Mental Health Impacts — Especially On His Brother Ste’Vante
Flojaune Cofer, an epidemiologist with Davis-area nonprofit Public Health Advocates, studies trauma and the brain. She said safety is as essential to health as food and water. Without it, the brain shifts into “fight or flight” mode: Cortisol levels rise, heart rates increase, and defensive strategies go full-throttle while other functions, like memory and processing, take a backseat. (Caiola, 4/10)
In other news from across the state —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Wound Botulism Hospitalizes Three Black Tar Heroin Users
Three recent wound botulism cases are linked to black tar heroin use, according to an alert issued Tuesday by the county Health and Human Services Agency. In the past month, public health investigators have confirmed two cases and are in the process of confirming a third among men age 28, 42 and 67. Though the trio did not appear to know each other, each used black tar heroin. They were hospitalized after experiencing a range of symptoms including double vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech and generalized weakness. (Sisson, 4/10)
Ventura County Star:
Audit Of VCMC Financial Safeguards Ahead If Funding Gets Approved
County Auditor-Controller Jeff Burgh is asking for $100,000 to hire an external auditor to look at the fiscal safeguards at Ventura County Medical Center. “I want to do a deep dive,” Burgh said Tuesday.Burgh said he is seeking the investigation based on problems discovered in doctors’ timesheets and an independent annual audit for county government presented Tuesday to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors. Although the board has the final say-so, County Executive Officer Mike Powers plans to recommend the funding in Burgh’s budget for the next fiscal year. (Wilson, 4/10)