Category: Health

Health
Kathleen Untalan

The Imported Doctors

Kern County built its healthcare system on foreign medical talent. What happens if the international pipeline breaks?

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Black Babies Used for Medical Trials by Feds, Lawsuit Filed

A federal lawsuit filed by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleges that two Black infants were used as subjects in a government-sponsored experimental vaccine study without their parents’ knowledge or consent, resulting in tragic consequences that continue to reverberate decades later.

Arts & Culture
Stefi Mar

COMMENTARY: Using Art, Healing, And Community to Transform Mental Health Dialogue

Music filled the air as families danced through the crowd, children gathered around activity stations, and community members explored wellness resources from local organizations. Black-owned businesses lined the streets while people stopped for chair massages, conversations, and moments of connection inside the wellness suite.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Ashley Bolden Built Lynnmonade on Mindset and Mission

It started with a simple question from a child: Mom, how can I make some money? Ashley Bolden gave her son a choice, mow lawns or sell lemonade. He chose lemonade. What followed was a journey that would transform a backyard hustle into Lynnmonade, a beverage brand rooted in holistic wellness, mental health and the kind of quiet determination that defines Black entrepreneurship in the Twin Cities.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

California First Partner Champions Mental Wellness With Sports‑Focused Events

To close out Mental Health Awareness Month, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom hosted hundreds of families, youth athletes, coaches, educators, and mental health advocates at the Street Soccer USA facility in downtown Sacramento on May 29 for the fourth annual “Movement and Mindfulness: Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day” — a statewide event promoting physical activity, social connection, and emotional well-being.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

As US Birth Rate Falls, Feds’ Response May Make Pregnancy More Dangerous

The number of babies born in the United States fell again last year. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 3.6 million births in 2025, a 1% decline from 2024. The fertility rate dropped to 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, down 23% since 2007.

Health
Kathleen Untalan

Our genes can shape our health: The importance of early diagnosis and a fighting chance.

When I was rushed to the hospital in 2020 for heart-related concerns, I was initially diagnosed with hypertensive kidney disease—meaning the cause of my kidney damage was high blood pressure. In May 2021, my kidney function dropped to less than 15%. I immediately began dialysis treatments, and today, I continue to receive in-center hemodialysis three times a week.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Sickle-Cell-Advocates-Sound-Alarm as Georgia Bill Advances

As momentum builds around new sickle cell legislation in Georgia, advocates say a deeper issue continues to threaten the very communities the disease impacts most. Black-led organizations on the front lines are still being shut out of critical funding.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Bonta and Weber Pierson Lead on State Health Policy as Disparities Persist

Nearly 6 in 10 Californians delayed or skipped medical care in the past year because of cost, and 4 in 10 reported their conditions worsened as a result — trends that disproportionately affect communities already facing disparities, including Black Californians.

African Americans
Kathleen Untalan

A Casualty of the War on Drugs and Two Decades After His First Arrest, Charles Finally Received Help

Charles found himself on the receiving end of one of the most punitive periods in U.S. legal history: the War on Drugs. What began in part as an attempt by then-President Richard Nixon to get reelected, ended up accelerating during the crack-cocaine epidemic of the 1980s that affected millions. During this time, federal and state lawmakers across the country defaulted to punishment, creating and passing laws with draconian penalties for drug possession and sales.