Published Articles.

Latino Teens Are Deputized as Health Educators to Sway the Unvaccinated

Some community health groups are training Latino teens to conduct outreach and education, particularly in places where covid vaccine fears linger. (Read the full story - The Sacramento Bee)

For Medically Vulnerable Families, Inflation’s Squeeze Is Inescapable

Inflation hasn’t hit Americans like this in decades. And families living with chronic diseases have little choice but to pay more for the medicine, supplies, and food they need to stay healthy. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

Exits by Black and Hispanic Teachers Pose a New Threat to Covid-Era Education

Schools that serve poor and disadvantaged kids have taken a series of hits during the pandemic. Now, teachers of color are leaving the profession at higher rates than white teachers. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

Etching the Pain of Covid Into the Flesh of Survivors

Memorial tattoos have grown more popular in recent years. Since parlors reopened after the lockdown, inkers have found that many people are eager to memorialize relatives and friends lost to covid. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

No Papers, No Care: Disabled Migrants Seek Help Through Lawsuit, Activism

A class action lawsuit seeks better care for immigrants with physical disabilities or mental illness who were detained after trying to enter the country, while other disabled immigrants are finding it difficult to get care. (Read the full story - KCET)

Covid Fears Keep Many Latino Kids out of Classrooms

Latinos got hit disproportionately hard by covid-19. When faced with the choice of sending their kids back to school or keeping them in online classes, many Latino parents say their kids are safer at home. (Read the full story - PBS NewsHour)

Dispelling Vaccine Misinformation and Myths in California’s Breadbasket

Even though farmworkers are vulnerable to covid, many hesitate to get the vaccine, worried the shot could have severe side effects or signal their whereabouts to immigration officials. Immigrant advocates are visiting workers to try to allay their fears. (Read the full story - KCET)

Isolation, Disruption and Confusion: Coping With Dementia During a Pandemic

COVID-19 has upended the lives of people with dementia, limiting their interactions with others and complicating matters for their caregivers. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

Children in Northern California Learn to Cope With Wildfire Trauma

Doctors and health officials say more children in the state are growing up with wildfire, which can cause stress, depression, anxiety, and other lasting trauma. (Read the full story - The Sacramento Bee)

Sharing Covid Vax Facts Inside ICE Detention, One Detainee at a Time

Thousands of ICE detainees nationwide have tested positive for covid. Medical providers in California are volunteering to educate immigrants awaiting trial or deportation about covid treatment and vaccination. (Read the full story - KCRW)

Vaccine Promoters Struggle to Get People Boosted in California’s Fields

Stressed vaccine communicators battle anti-vaccine propaganda and misinformation while seeking to persuade Latino and immigrant farmworkers in California to get covid boosters. (Read the full story - KCET)

Children With Disabilities Face Special Back-to-School Challenges

Nearly 7 million American children and youth, ages 3 to 21, with special needs have faced physical and mental challenges to return to school. Mask-wearing is the least of their troubles. (Read the full story - KHN)

‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border

Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of asylum seekers waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments. (Read the story - KCET)

Role Reversal: Covid Increases Ranks of Child Caregivers

Millions of teens help care for ill parents or grandparents. The pandemic has boosted their numbers while making it harder for them to get social and emotional support outside the home. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

In the Face of COVID Threat, More Dialysis Patients Bring Treatment Home

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more patients are administering dialysis to themselves at home rather than receiving it in a clinic. Although home dialysis limits exposure to the virus, it comes with its own challenges. (Read the full story - The Los Angeles Times)

The Other Victims: First Responders To Horrific Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude

Some first responders say recent mass shootings and other calamities have brought to the surface trauma buried over years on the job. (Read the full story - NPR)