window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"stateofhealth_164616": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_164616",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "164616",
"found": true
},
"parent": 0,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 640
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-1440x960.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-1180x787.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 787
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18861_IMG_9436-qut-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1458973792,
"modified": 1459468906,
"caption": "Cassandra Steptoe, 59, rehearses for a performance with fellow actresses at The Medea Project in San Francisco. Steptoe wrote an autobiographical monologue about being HIV positive.",
"description": "Cassandra Steptoe, 59, rehearses for a performance with fellow actresses at The Medea Project in San Francisco. Steptoe wrote an autobiographical monologue about being HIV positive.",
"title": "RS18861_IMG_9436-qut",
"credit": "Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_159714": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_159714",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "159714",
"found": true
},
"parent": 159708,
"imgSizes": {
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda.jpg",
"width": 770,
"height": 514
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-768x513.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 513
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/amanda-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1457973382,
"modified": 1457973401,
"caption": "Pam and Amanda Lipp on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 ",
"description": null,
"title": "Pam and Amanda Lipp on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 (Heidi de Marco/KHN).",
"credit": "Heidi de Marco/KHN",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_155379": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_155379",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "155379",
"found": true
},
"parent": 155373,
"imgSizes": {
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3.jpg",
"width": 770,
"height": 514
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-768x513.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 513
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-3-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1456856604,
"modified": 1456856669,
"caption": "Eric Waters, coordinator for the behavioral health program at the Life Academy High School leads a discussion with Fernanda May, 17, and Graciela Perez, 17, at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The program provides training in mental health first aid and places students in internships with mental health organizations. ",
"description": "Eric Waters, coordinator for the behavioral health program at the Life Academy High School leads a discussion with Fernanda May, 17, and Graciela Perez, 17, at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The program provides training in mental health first aid and places students in internships with mental health organizations. ",
"title": "latino-kids-3",
"credit": "Heidi de Marco/KHN",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_153284": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_153284",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "153284",
"found": true
},
"parent": 153172,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 640
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-e1456466241655.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-1440x960.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1280
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-1180x786.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 786
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000064068497_Large-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1456466230,
"modified": 1456466263,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "iStock_000064068497_Large",
"credit": "iStockphoto",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_152655": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_152655",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "152655",
"found": true
},
"parent": 152649,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-400x312.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 312
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-960x750.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 750
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-e1456343181421.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1499
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-1440x1124.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1124
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-800x625.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 625
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-1920x1499.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1499
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-1180x921.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 921
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-768x600.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/02/iStock_000023517659_Large-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1456343169,
"modified": 1456343196,
"caption": null,
"description": "gavel",
"title": "iStock_000023517659_Large",
"credit": "iStockphoto",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_142898": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_142898",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "142898",
"found": true
},
"parent": 142897,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-400x228.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 228
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-960x548.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 548
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-e1453833844404.jpg",
"width": 1919,
"height": 1095
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-1440x822.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 822
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-800x456.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 456
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-1920x1095.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1095
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-1180x673.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 673
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-768x438.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 438
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/01/istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1453833513,
"modified": 1453833881,
"caption": "Untreated depression can harm the health of mothers and their children.\n",
"description": "Untreated depression can harm the health of mothers and their children.",
"title": "istock_000041147720_full_custom-9801c91b21d3e01cd07b772df1e239477e139204",
"credit": "Gazi Alam/iStockphoto",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_119820": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_119820",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "119820",
"found": true
},
"parent": 119817,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-960x640.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 640
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55.jpg",
"width": 1500,
"height": 1000
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-1440x960.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 960
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-1180x787.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 787
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/12/Black-Mental-Health-at-Church-55-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1449514726,
"modified": 1449514756,
"caption": "Rev. Donna Allen leads a sermon at New Revelation Community Church. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Black Mental Health at Church-55",
"credit": "Alyssa Kapnik Samuel",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_109972": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_109972",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "109972",
"found": true
},
"parent": 109971,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-400x199.png",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 199
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-960x478.png",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 478
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM.png",
"width": 1918,
"height": 956
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-1440x718.png",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 718
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-96x96.png",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-800x399.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 399
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-64x64.png",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-32x32.png",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-280x150.png",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 150
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-1180x588.png",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 588
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-75x75.png",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/Screen-Shot-2015-11-17-at-2.43.17-PM-128x128.png",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1447805793,
"modified": 1447894142,
"caption": "The Old Coast Hotel building (L) sits at the edge of downtown Fort Bragg. It is now home to the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. Many local residents oppose a social services agency in the downtown business district. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 2.43.17 PM",
"credit": "Google Street View",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_107021": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_107021",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "107021",
"found": true
},
"parent": 107020,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-400x266.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 266
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-960x639.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 639
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1332
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-1440x959.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 959
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-1920x1279.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1279
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-1180x786.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 786
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/depression-1_enl-8de00bd92873f38cf9e6e92c3fd2c098036440ab-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1447347770,
"modified": 1447347770,
"caption": null,
"description": "For it to work, you have to do it. And doing can be difficult when depressed.",
"title": "For it to work, you have to do it. And doing can be difficult when depressed.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_1538": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_1538",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "1538",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1527,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-400x299.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 299
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-320x240.jpg",
"width": 320,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 240
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-640x372.jpg",
"width": 640,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482.jpg",
"width": 640,
"height": 479
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2011/12/NapaStateHospital_LisleBoomer_Flickr-e1397583444482-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1324403672,
"modified": 1445634445,
"caption": "Napa State Hospital where a staff member was murdered by a patient in 2010. (Lisle Boomer: Flickr)",
"description": "Napa State Hospital",
"title": "Napa State Hospital where a health care worker was murdered, allegedly by a patient in 2010. (Lisle Boomer: Flickr)",
"credit": "Lisle Boomer via Flickr",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_96497": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_96497",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "96497",
"found": true
},
"parent": 96363,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-400x267.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 267
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-960x642.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 642
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1283
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-1440x962.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 962
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-800x535.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 535
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-1920x1283.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1283
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-1180x789.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 789
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/NapaHospitalGrossMemorial-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1445556402,
"modified": 1445564145,
"caption": "Nearly 200 Napa State Hospital workers demonstrate for safer conditions in 2010, in the wake of the killing of staff member Donna Gross at the hands of a patient.",
"description": "Nearly 200 Napa State Hospital workers demonstrate for safer conditions in 2010, in the wake of the killing of staff member Donna Gross at the hands of a patient.",
"title": "NapaHospitalGrossMemorial",
"credit": "Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"stateofhealth_94946": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "stateofhealth_94946",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "94946",
"found": true
},
"parent": 94876,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-400x336.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 336
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-960x807.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 807
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-e1445298258648.jpg",
"width": 1919,
"height": 1614
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-1440x1211.jpg",
"width": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1211
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-800x673.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 673
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"jmtc-small-thumb": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-280x150.jpg",
"width": 280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-1920x1614.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1614
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-1180x992.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 992
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-75x75.jpg",
"width": 75,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 75
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/iStock_000001434408_Large-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1445298248,
"modified": 1459267015,
"caption": null,
"description": "jail, mental health",
"title": "iStock_000001434408_Large",
"credit": "iStockphoto",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_stateofhealth_159708": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_stateofhealth_159708",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_stateofhealth_159708",
"name": "Jenny Gold\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_stateofhealth_155373": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_stateofhealth_155373",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_stateofhealth_155373",
"name": "Jocelyn Wiener, California Healthline",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_stateofhealth_142897": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_stateofhealth_142897",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_stateofhealth_142897",
"name": "Joanne Silberner",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_stateofhealth_119817": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_stateofhealth_119817",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_stateofhealth_119817",
"name": "Leila Day",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_stateofhealth_107020": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_stateofhealth_107020",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_stateofhealth_107020",
"name": "Lynne Shallcross",
"isLoading": false
},
"lisaaliferis": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "240",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "240",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lisa Aliferis",
"firstName": "Lisa",
"lastName": "Aliferis",
"slug": "lisaaliferis",
"email": "laliferis@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lisa Aliferis is the founding editor of KQED's \u003cem>State of Health\u003c/em> blog. Since 2011, she's been writing and editing stories for the site. Before taking up blogging, she toiled for many years (more than we can count) producing health stories for television, including\u003cem> Dateline NBC\u003c/em> and San Francisco's CBS affiliate, KPIX-TV. She also wrote up a \u003ca title=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/health/obamacare/obamacare-guide.jsp\" href=\"http://www.kqed.org/news/health/obamacare/obamacare-guide.jsp\">handy guide to the Affordable Care Act\u003c/a>, especially for Californians. Her work has been honored for many awards. Most recently she was a finalist for \"Best Topical Reporting\" from the Online News Association. You can follow her on Twitter: \u003ca title=\"https://twitter.com/laliferis\" href=\"https://twitter.com/laliferis\">@laliferis\u003c/a>",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/86c339d5cdcb0dcd2b6cf5d7c3f5886b?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twitter": "laliferis",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": []
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lisa Aliferis | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/86c339d5cdcb0dcd2b6cf5d7c3f5886b?s=600&d=mm&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/86c339d5cdcb0dcd2b6cf5d7c3f5886b?s=600&d=mm&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lisaaliferis"
},
"scottshafer": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "255",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "255",
"found": true
},
"name": "Scott Shafer",
"firstName": "Scott",
"lastName": "Shafer",
"slug": "scottshafer",
"email": "sshafer@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Scott Shafer is the senior politics correspondent with the KQED Politics and Government desk. He is co-host of \u003cem>Political Breakdown\u003c/em>, the award-winning radio show and podcast with a personal take on the world of politics. Scott came to KQED in 1998 to host the statewide \u003cem>California Report\u003c/em>. Prior to that he had extended stints in politics and government. He uses that inside experience at KQED in his, reporting, hosting and analysis for the politics desk. Scott recently completed a 5-part podcast titled \u003cem>The Speaker\u003c/em>, examining Rep. Nancy Pelosi's life and legacy. Previously he collaborated on \u003cem>Political Breakdown\u003c/em> and on \u003cem>The Political Mind of Jerry Brown\u003c/em>, an eight-part series about the life and extraordinary political career of the former governor. For fun, he plays water polo and swims with the San Francisco Tsunami.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a269f2db8e99b39bacd3dfb517e1aea56c8d9706cde1d375abfd9fba57eede2c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "scottshafer",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Scott Shafer | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a269f2db8e99b39bacd3dfb517e1aea56c8d9706cde1d375abfd9fba57eede2c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a269f2db8e99b39bacd3dfb517e1aea56c8d9706cde1d375abfd9fba57eede2c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/scottshafer"
},
"adembosky": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "3205",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "3205",
"found": true
},
"name": "April Dembosky",
"firstName": "April",
"lastName": "Dembosky",
"slug": "adembosky",
"email": "adembosky@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "KQED Health Correspondent",
"bio": "April Dembosky is the health correspondent for KQED News and a regular contributor to NPR. She specializes in covering altered states of mind, from postpartum depression to methamphetamine-induced psychosis to the insanity defense. Her investigative series on insurance companies sidestepping mental health laws won multiple awards, including first place in beat reporting from the national Association of Health Care Journalists. She is the recipient of numerous other prizes and fellowships, including a national Edward R. Murrow award for investigative reporting, a Society of Professional Journalists award for long-form storytelling, and a Carter Center Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism.\r\n\r\nDembosky reported and produced \u003cem>Soundtrack of Silence\u003c/em>, an audio documentary about music and memory that is currently being made into a feature film by Paramount Pictures.\r\n\r\nBefore joining KQED in 2013, Dembosky covered technology and Silicon Valley for \u003cem>The Financial Times of London,\u003c/em> and contributed business and arts stories to \u003cem>Marketplace \u003c/em>and \u003cem>The New York Times.\u003c/em> She got her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Smith College and her master's in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a classically trained violinist and proud alum of the first symphony orchestra at Burning Man.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d6593cd737b732102fe0b6250b5351c2d3bc9b2987566514aa3c9a106494d684?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "adembosky",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "April Dembosky | KQED",
"description": "KQED Health Correspondent",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d6593cd737b732102fe0b6250b5351c2d3bc9b2987566514aa3c9a106494d684?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d6593cd737b732102fe0b6250b5351c2d3bc9b2987566514aa3c9a106494d684?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/adembosky"
},
"fjhabvala": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "8659",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "8659",
"found": true
},
"name": "Farida Jhabvala Romero",
"firstName": "Farida",
"lastName": "Jhabvala Romero",
"slug": "fjhabvala",
"email": "fjhabvala@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Farida Jhabvala Romero is a Labor Correspondent for KQED. She previously covered immigration. Farida was \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccnma.org/2022-most-influential-latina-journalists\">named\u003c/a> one of the 10 Most Influential Latina Journalists in California in 2022 by the California Chicano News Media Association. Her work has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists (Northern California), as well as a national and regional Edward M. Murrow Award for the collaborative reporting projects “Dangerous Air” and “Graying California.” Before joining KQED, Farida worked as a producer at Radio Bilingüe, a national public radio network. Farida earned her master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "FaridaJhabvala",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/faridajhabvala/",
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Farida Jhabvala Romero | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/fjhabvala"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"stateofhealth_tag_mental-health": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_68",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "68",
"score": 8.286121
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Mental Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Mental Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 68,
"slug": "mental-health",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Mental Health",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "stateofhealth",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 3
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/stateofhealth?tag=mental-health",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 3
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://hls.kqed.org/hls/kqed_app/playlist.m3u8",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stateofhealth_166815": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_166815",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "166815",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1459532331000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth",
"term": 2363
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1459532331,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "How Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives",
"title": "How Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives",
"headTitle": "Vital Signs | State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>For decades, Cassandra Steptoe felt like she couldn’t talk about her HIV diagnosis with anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I couldn't forgive myself for getting HIV,\" says Steptoe, who spent much of her early adult life in and out of jail for shoplifting and burglaries linked to her IV drug use. \"But someone told me a long time ago, if you are looking for a reason to feel shame, you can always find it. I learned to look for something else: forgiveness.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Steptoe, now 59 and a grandmother, it wasn't until her 40s -- after decades of struggling with addiction -- that she finally completed a rehab program and committed to ongoing HIV treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today she talks openly about that experience onstage, as part of a theater project aimed at inspiring others. The quote about learning to forgive herself is part of an autobiographical monologue Steptoe wrote and performs in a San Francisco theater production of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/MedeaProject/\" target=\"_blank\">The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women/HIV Circle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Steptoe's physician, \u003ca href=\"http://whp.ucsf.edu/about/team-members/edward-machtinger-m-d\">Dr. Edward Machtinger\u003c/a>, who first told her about the project. Established by playwright and director \u003ca href=\"http://www.culturalodyssey.org/v2/aboutus/rhodessa_bio.html\" target=\"_blank\">Rhodessa Jones\u003c/a> in 2008 as an extension of an improvisational production that draws on and explores the \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15146105\" target=\"_blank\">experiences of jailed women\u003c/a>, the \"HIV Circle\" focuses on the experiences of women living with the AIDS virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The therapeutic aspect of the performance workshop is called \u003ca href=\"http://rtc.umn.edu/docs/pep_facguide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">peer empowerment\u003c/a>, explains Machtinger, an internist and director of the Women's HIV Program at the University of California, San Francisco. The strength and healing Steptoe and others have gained from processing and sharing their stories this way is profound, he says — and can serve as a model for helping other patients deal with psychological trauma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_164615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-164615\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Cassandra Steptoe at the apartment she shares with her 8-year-old granddaughter in San Francisco. She credits The Medea Project with helping her improve her overall well-being.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cassandra Steptoe at the apartment she shares with her 8-year-old granddaughter in San Francisco. She credits The Medea Project with helping her improve her overall well-being. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Medications 'Not Enough'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the theater group, Steptoe began writing about her experiences and sharing them with a small group of women, some of whom had gone through similar struggles of addiction and histories of incarceration. The process of uncovering her past and making sense of her experiences in a cathartic, supportive environment helped Steptoe end her feelings of isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Having these women that really love you and support you ... it feels good to have some real friends, 'cause I never had that before,\" Steptoe says. \"We're all sharing something together 'cause we all get something out of everybody's story.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The potential of peer empowerment is not just anecdotal. Machtinger has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055329014000971\" target=\"_blank\">studied\u003c/a> the Medea Project's life-saving impact on his patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256844757\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Machtinger says the patients in the Medea Project followed by his research team went through an extraordinary transformation. Many who had barely disclosed their HIV status to anyone when they began, became activists and leaders in their communities, helping to destigmatize HIV while pursuing personal goals and leading productive lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"For them to develop what they described as \"sisterhood\" was the most important and most profound type of healing that I ever witnessed,\" Machtinger says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He began seeking alternative methods to help his patients after increasingly noticing that a large proportion were successfully receiving antiretroviral treatment, but still dying from reasons that had \"nothing to do with HIV,\" such as murder, suicide or drug overdose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They could have their HIV under control, (but) their lives were not getting better,\" Machtinger says. \"That was because their core issue -- a life of trauma and the impacts of depression, isolation and shame -- wasn’t being effectively addressed. And to us, that's not acceptable.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Machtinger's experience is reverberating beyond the Medea Project. He says witnessing and studying the impact of peer empowerment has helped inform a broader role. He is part of an advisory group helping to develop new guidelines for trauma-informed primary care for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new guidelines will likely include a substantial focus on interventions with peer empowerment as one ingredient to help people with severe trauma heal, says Machtinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The core elements of the Medea Project are really lessons for other interventions to help people overcome trauma and other stigmatizing situations and conditions,\" says Machtinger, adding that childhood and adult trauma have been linked to a variety of illnesses, such as hepatitis C, heart disease and diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He expects the new guidelines for primary care clinics and other health providers to be finalized and published later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trauma at the Root of HIV Diagnosis\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe now realizes she was infected with HIV through unprotected sex and sharing needles. She used to be addicted to heroin and cocaine. During a decades-long period of her life, she was in and out of the criminal justice system. She worked as a prostitute and survived abusive relationships -- getting beat up so badly one time that she spent three months recovering at a hospital, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe says experiencing sexual abuse repeatedly as a child and teen led her on the path that eventually resulted in HIV infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Sexual abuse came from family,\" she says. \"And I guess I was kind of covering all that up by choosing the drugs. It kind of took me out there into the street, looking for love in the wrong places because I didn't have it at home. I started shooting drugs and that led into prostitution and to prison.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2012/03/20/trauma-fuels-hiv-epidemic-among-women/http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2012/03/20/trauma-fuels-hiv-epidemic-among-women/\">Recent studies\u003c/a> show that HIV-positive women suffer disproportionately from high rates of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. The high rates of trauma also lead to increased risk of further spreading HIV, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transforming Her Life\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Steptoe is busy and full of energy. She takes antiretroviral medication religiously every morning, eats a healthy diet and works out by taking Zumba fitness classes at her gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe, a mother of three and grandmother of nine has also taken full custody of her 8-year-old granddaughter, who frequently accompanies her to rehearsals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"She teaches me how to love, and she gives me patience,\" says Steptoe, who also cares for other kids in her Mission apartment building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rhodessa Jones, the Medea Project's dynamic and energetic director, says Steptoe has flourished since she joined the organization, becoming a leader and inspiration to other women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"She’s so powerful, positive and forceful. She gets it,\" says Jones, who founded Medea more than 23 years ago. \"Theater has really been expressive therapy for her. It gives her a space to speak her truth.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_164614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-164614\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut.jpg\" alt='Performers at The Medea Project rehearse in San Francisco. Founder and director Rhodessa Jones, uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Performers at The Medea Project rehearse in San Francisco. Founder and director Rhodessa Jones, uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories.\" \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Medea Project uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories,\" says Jones, who asked Steptoe to imagine going back in time to age 14 and write the lessons she would give herself. The result was Steptoe's piece \"Younger Self.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe wrote the piece, performed in January in San Francisco, about the moment in 1987 when she first found out she was HIV-positive. She was serving time in jail and received a health checkup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My world crashed. I didn't have no education of what I had, I didn't have no support,\" says Steptoe, adding that she considered her condition \"a death sentence\" at the time. \"I had to relive that again by writing this because I needed to heal.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>'HIV is a Health Condition, Not a Crime'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After receiving the diagnosis, she remembers crying at night with a pillow over her head so others wouldn't hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe then kept her HIV status a secret for many years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, years later, the key for her to find and use her voice was becoming a part of The Medea Project, she says. The main motivation for telling her story? She wants to give hope to others, and help them feel they are not alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Now I can tell the world that HIV is just a health condition, not a crime,\" says Steptoe, who doesn't hesitate to share her story as a lead actress for Medea in front of audiences of hundreds of people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't have shame around it no more,” Steptoe says. “I let my grandkids know that even if you go the wrong way, you can still turn your life around.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "166815 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=166815",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/04/01/how-theater-helped-hiv-positive-grandmother-health-medea-project/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1455,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 41
},
"modified": 1461177250,
"excerpt": "Cassandra Steptoe is one of many women living with HIV whose lives have been changed working with The Medea Project.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Cassandra Steptoe is one of many women living with HIV whose lives have been changed working with The Medea Project.",
"title": "How Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives",
"datePublished": "2016-04-01T10:38:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2016-04-20T11:34:10-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-theater-helped-hiv-positive-grandmother-health-medea-project",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/166815/how-theater-helped-hiv-positive-grandmother-health-medea-project",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For decades, Cassandra Steptoe felt like she couldn’t talk about her HIV diagnosis with anyone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I couldn't forgive myself for getting HIV,\" says Steptoe, who spent much of her early adult life in and out of jail for shoplifting and burglaries linked to her IV drug use. \"But someone told me a long time ago, if you are looking for a reason to feel shame, you can always find it. I learned to look for something else: forgiveness.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Steptoe, now 59 and a grandmother, it wasn't until her 40s -- after decades of struggling with addiction -- that she finally completed a rehab program and committed to ongoing HIV treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today she talks openly about that experience onstage, as part of a theater project aimed at inspiring others. The quote about learning to forgive herself is part of an autobiographical monologue Steptoe wrote and performs in a San Francisco theater production of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/MedeaProject/\" target=\"_blank\">The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women/HIV Circle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Steptoe's physician, \u003ca href=\"http://whp.ucsf.edu/about/team-members/edward-machtinger-m-d\">Dr. Edward Machtinger\u003c/a>, who first told her about the project. Established by playwright and director \u003ca href=\"http://www.culturalodyssey.org/v2/aboutus/rhodessa_bio.html\" target=\"_blank\">Rhodessa Jones\u003c/a> in 2008 as an extension of an improvisational production that draws on and explores the \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15146105\" target=\"_blank\">experiences of jailed women\u003c/a>, the \"HIV Circle\" focuses on the experiences of women living with the AIDS virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The therapeutic aspect of the performance workshop is called \u003ca href=\"http://rtc.umn.edu/docs/pep_facguide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">peer empowerment\u003c/a>, explains Machtinger, an internist and director of the Women's HIV Program at the University of California, San Francisco. The strength and healing Steptoe and others have gained from processing and sharing their stories this way is profound, he says — and can serve as a model for helping other patients deal with psychological trauma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_164615\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-164615\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Cassandra Steptoe at the apartment she shares with her 8-year-old granddaughter in San Francisco. She credits The Medea Project with helping her improve her overall well-being.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18863_IMG_9455-qut-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cassandra Steptoe at the apartment she shares with her 8-year-old granddaughter in San Francisco. She credits The Medea Project with helping her improve her overall well-being. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero / KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Medications 'Not Enough'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the theater group, Steptoe began writing about her experiences and sharing them with a small group of women, some of whom had gone through similar struggles of addiction and histories of incarceration. The process of uncovering her past and making sense of her experiences in a cathartic, supportive environment helped Steptoe end her feelings of isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Having these women that really love you and support you ... it feels good to have some real friends, 'cause I never had that before,\" Steptoe says. \"We're all sharing something together 'cause we all get something out of everybody's story.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The potential of peer empowerment is not just anecdotal. Machtinger has \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055329014000971\" target=\"_blank\">studied\u003c/a> the Medea Project's life-saving impact on his patients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256844757&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/256844757'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Machtinger says the patients in the Medea Project followed by his research team went through an extraordinary transformation. Many who had barely disclosed their HIV status to anyone when they began, became activists and leaders in their communities, helping to destigmatize HIV while pursuing personal goals and leading productive lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"For them to develop what they described as \"sisterhood\" was the most important and most profound type of healing that I ever witnessed,\" Machtinger says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He began seeking alternative methods to help his patients after increasingly noticing that a large proportion were successfully receiving antiretroviral treatment, but still dying from reasons that had \"nothing to do with HIV,\" such as murder, suicide or drug overdose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They could have their HIV under control, (but) their lives were not getting better,\" Machtinger says. \"That was because their core issue -- a life of trauma and the impacts of depression, isolation and shame -- wasn’t being effectively addressed. And to us, that's not acceptable.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Machtinger's experience is reverberating beyond the Medea Project. He says witnessing and studying the impact of peer empowerment has helped inform a broader role. He is part of an advisory group helping to develop new guidelines for trauma-informed primary care for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new guidelines will likely include a substantial focus on interventions with peer empowerment as one ingredient to help people with severe trauma heal, says Machtinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The core elements of the Medea Project are really lessons for other interventions to help people overcome trauma and other stigmatizing situations and conditions,\" says Machtinger, adding that childhood and adult trauma have been linked to a variety of illnesses, such as hepatitis C, heart disease and diabetes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He expects the new guidelines for primary care clinics and other health providers to be finalized and published later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trauma at the Root of HIV Diagnosis\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe now realizes she was infected with HIV through unprotected sex and sharing needles. She used to be addicted to heroin and cocaine. During a decades-long period of her life, she was in and out of the criminal justice system. She worked as a prostitute and survived abusive relationships -- getting beat up so badly one time that she spent three months recovering at a hospital, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe says experiencing sexual abuse repeatedly as a child and teen led her on the path that eventually resulted in HIV infection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Sexual abuse came from family,\" she says. \"And I guess I was kind of covering all that up by choosing the drugs. It kind of took me out there into the street, looking for love in the wrong places because I didn't have it at home. I started shooting drugs and that led into prostitution and to prison.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2012/03/20/trauma-fuels-hiv-epidemic-among-women/http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2012/03/20/trauma-fuels-hiv-epidemic-among-women/\">Recent studies\u003c/a> show that HIV-positive women suffer disproportionately from high rates of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. The high rates of trauma also lead to increased risk of further spreading HIV, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transforming Her Life\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Steptoe is busy and full of energy. She takes antiretroviral medication religiously every morning, eats a healthy diet and works out by taking Zumba fitness classes at her gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe, a mother of three and grandmother of nine has also taken full custody of her 8-year-old granddaughter, who frequently accompanies her to rehearsals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"She teaches me how to love, and she gives me patience,\" says Steptoe, who also cares for other kids in her Mission apartment building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rhodessa Jones, the Medea Project's dynamic and energetic director, says Steptoe has flourished since she joined the organization, becoming a leader and inspiration to other women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"She’s so powerful, positive and forceful. She gets it,\" says Jones, who founded Medea more than 23 years ago. \"Theater has really been expressive therapy for her. It gives her a space to speak her truth.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_164614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-164614\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut.jpg\" alt='Performers at The Medea Project rehearse in San Francisco. Founder and director Rhodessa Jones, uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-400x267.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/RS18862_IMG_9445-qut-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Performers at The Medea Project rehearse in San Francisco. Founder and director Rhodessa Jones, uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories.\" \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Medea Project uses Greek, Roman and African mythology to introduce \"the universality of all of our stories,\" says Jones, who asked Steptoe to imagine going back in time to age 14 and write the lessons she would give herself. The result was Steptoe's piece \"Younger Self.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe wrote the piece, performed in January in San Francisco, about the moment in 1987 when she first found out she was HIV-positive. She was serving time in jail and received a health checkup.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My world crashed. I didn't have no education of what I had, I didn't have no support,\" says Steptoe, adding that she considered her condition \"a death sentence\" at the time. \"I had to relive that again by writing this because I needed to heal.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>'HIV is a Health Condition, Not a Crime'\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After receiving the diagnosis, she remembers crying at night with a pillow over her head so others wouldn't hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steptoe then kept her HIV status a secret for many years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, years later, the key for her to find and use her voice was becoming a part of The Medea Project, she says. The main motivation for telling her story? She wants to give hope to others, and help them feel they are not alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Now I can tell the world that HIV is just a health condition, not a crime,\" says Steptoe, who doesn't hesitate to share her story as a lead actress for Medea in front of audiences of hundreds of people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't have shame around it no more,” Steptoe says. “I let my grandkids know that even if you go the wrong way, you can still turn your life around.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/166815/how-theater-helped-hiv-positive-grandmother-health-medea-project",
"authors": [
"8659"
],
"series": [
"stateofhealth_2363"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_13"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_2598",
"stateofhealth_313",
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_164616",
"label": "stateofhealth_2363"
},
"stateofhealth_159708": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_159708",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "159708",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1457973674000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1457973674,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Help is Scarce, Expensive as Family Struggles With Daughter's Mental Illness",
"title": "Help is Scarce, Expensive as Family Struggles With Daughter's Mental Illness",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>In March 2010, Pam Lipp received the call she’d been dreading for months. She figured it would come from one of three places: the police, the hospital or the morgue. Instead, it was her husband, Doug, saying that he’d just received word that their 18-year-old daughter, Amanda, a freshman at Chico State University in California, was being held at a psychiatric crisis center after trying to throw herself in front of a moving car. Amanda had lost her grip on reality and fallen into a state of psychosis. She’d started selling off her belongings and believed that cameras were following her everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doug was away at a speaking engagement, so Pam jumped in the car with a friend and raced to the crisis center two hours away. When they arrived, they found Amanda, curled up in a ball on the floor in a fetal position, sobbing. “I was hallucinating. I thought I was a doctor. When my mom got there, I realized I was the one in trouble,” says Amanda. “Nothing prepares you for seeing your child in such turmoil. I felt helpless,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">The mental health parity law helps guarantee consumers fair access to mental health care. If you believe you’ve been unfairly denied or charged for treatment, you can start by reaching out to a consumer advocacy organization. Two resources to try: \u003ca href=\"https://www.paritytrack.org/\" target=\"_blank\">ParityTrack\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://parityispersonal.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The Parity Implementation Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Amanda was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by manic highs, depressive lows and possible periods of psychosis. Although the diagnosis provided a new direction to what had been an all-consuming journey for the Lipp family, it was just one stop on the bumpy road to navigating the mental health system. The Lipps are not alone: Nearly one in five Americans experiences a mental illness in any given year, but fewer than half of them receive treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Early Signs\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda first started acting out when she was in middle school in Fair Oaks, California. She had extreme mood swings and explosive arguments with her parents. Pam and Doug, who run a small business together, hoped it was typical adolescent drama that would soon fade. “We never knew which Amanda we were going to get,” Pam recalls — the edgy Amanda looking for a heated debate, or the down, depressed Amanda who would retreat to her room. Eventually, the intensity and unpredictability of her moods made them realize she needed professional help.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">When you break a leg, you get a cast and people sign it and put smiley faces on it. When you’re given a mental illness diagnosis, you’re cast out.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>They took her to the family doctor, who agreed that Amanda required more help but said that she didn’t have anyone to refer her to. Instead, the doctor recommended that Pam request a copy of all the therapists in her zip code who worked with her insurance company and call down the list. Pam called dozens of practitioners, leaving message after message. Not only was the list outdated, but most were too busy to even see her daughter and the ones who were highly recommended didn’t accept her insurance anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For her part, Amanda was reluctant about seeing a therapist. She worried about what other people might think, and that it would change the image she had of herself. “I was the popular kid who people looked up to,” says Amanda. “I thought that if my friends saw me as someone to be pitied, they wouldn’t lean on me anymore. Part of me wanted to get help, yet the other part of me didn’t want to admit I needed it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She agreed to give therapy a try and Pam found someone Amanda was comfortable with. Yet, at an out-of-pocket rate of $120 per hour, the Lipps just couldn’t afford the amount of care she needed, which was about three sessions per week. She visited a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression and put on an antidepressant. Despite the treatment, Amanda continued to spiral downward — staying out late, self-medicating with drugs and arguing with her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During those years, Pam says, she and Doug were living one exhausting day to the next. They had three children to raise, but taking care of Amanda consumed their lives. “We felt like we were in prison in our own home with all the hostility and upheaval.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time Amanda headed to college, she was barely speaking to her parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Fighting For Care\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda’s bipolar diagnosis was a turning point — it meant that she could begin to receive the treatment she desperately needed. But it wasn’t easy to find at first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crisis center would only hold her for a maximum of 72 hours, and Amanda needed much more treatment than that. When Pam asked where her daughter would be sent next, the doctor told her Amanda would be discharged and likely end up back in the center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Pam spent the next day in the crisis center waiting room, desperately calling one psychiatric hospital after another to find a place to send Amanda. They were all full. She begged them to call her back when they had an opening, but they told her they couldn’t reserve a spot. Instead, they told her to call every half hour in the hope that she’d be able to grab the next available bed. Pam plugged her cellphone into the waiting room wall and repeatedly called each one on speed dial. “You go into mother-bear mode, where you dig in and do what you have to do to protect your cub. I knew I couldn’t stop until Amanda had the help she needed,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After eight hours of continuous dialing, Pam finally found Amanda an open bed at a hospital near their home. For Pam, it was a huge relief that her daughter was safe. “We felt like we were finally entering a new phase of tackling her condition. In the hospital, at least we knew where she was and that she was under a watchful eye. We felt safest knowing she didn’t have a choice to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Amanda had a different perspective. She didn’t see her psychosis as a disease — she saw it as a transformation where she was finally able to face her vulnerability and deal with her issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the hospital, I felt like a prisoner,” she says. “I felt trapped in a space where people were always watching me and monitoring my behavior.” Amanda is an artist who finds solace in creativity, but she says the staff in the hospital was more focused on trying to treat her medically and didn’t seem to value what she was doing with her art. “Trying to express myself and heal felt impossible,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Figuring Out Finances\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Amanda was in the hospital, Pam was gripped with fear over the coverage of the treatment. “I was terrified that insurance would run out and we’d lose our savings and everything we’d worked for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, a federal law passed in 2008 guarantees that mental illnesses be covered “at parity” with any other disease, without special limitations. Her insurer informed Pam that any care Amanda needed would be covered. “I was so relieved,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a month in the hospital, two months of a full-time outpatient program, the temporary help of an antipsychotic medication and years of therapy with a new psychologist, Amanda made an impressive recovery, learning to manage her condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key point for her was a change in perspective. She went from seeing her symptoms as evidence of illness to seeing them as strengths that she could use to her benefit. For example, she could turn a period of introspection that she might have previously seen as “depression” into a piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Living Out Loud\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many families end up running into similar obstacles — they don’t know where to go for proper care or they’re worried about the cost. But there’s also the stigma of mental illness that prevents people from reaching out because they fear judgment or worry that it might affect their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you break a leg, you get a cast and people sign it and put smiley faces on it. When you’re given a mental illness diagnosis, you’re cast out,” says Amanda, who is now a 24-year-old college graduate and member of the board of California’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, Pam wasn’t afraid of the stigma, having learned from her own family’s mistakes. “I grew up in an environment where everything was pushed under the rug,” she says. “People were suffering from mental illness, but they blamed it on other things like migraines. In reality, they needed therapy. I wasn’t going to let that happen with Amanda.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pam faced the stigma head-on and was completely open with her friends about what was happening. While this didn’t help the Lipps crack the code on their daughter’s illness earlier, it gave them strength when they needed it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental illness is not usually a casserole disease — when you tell your friends that a family member is suffering from a mental illness, they don’t deliver a lasagna. But in our case, our friends did because we were open about it,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People rallied around her. In particular, Pam was already part of a monthly mothers’ group that got together to make care packages for their children in college. The other women urged her to keep coming to the group and making care packages for Amanda throughout her illness. “They were my rock of friendship. It truly took a village and a community of friends to help Amanda heal,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Finding Hope\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hard-won strides in the area of mental illness like the parity law helped Pam and her family get through the crisis intact, but it was a difficult road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re so proud of Amanda and everything she’s overcome,” says Pam. That doesn’t mean she’s stopped worrying. “We experienced a mental health emergency, an illness and a recovery, and now we’re stable. But every day I wake up and worry, could she relapse?” For anyone with a history of psychosis, another breakdown is always a possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now armed with knowledge and experience, Pam feels more confident. And in the meantime, both mother and daughter are dedicated to raising awareness and helping other families find the hope and the care they need in a system that often seems to be working against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For women facing similar situations, Pam has this advice: “Treat mental health concerns like you would any condition. Don’t let the stigma be a roadblock to getting yourself and your family the care that’s needed. If your gut tells you there’s something going on with your child, look the issue in the face and get the help you need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article is part of an editorial partnership between Woman’s Day and Kaiser Health News and is the first in a series focusing on mental health.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "159708 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=159708",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/03/14/with-help-scarce-and-expensive-family-struggles-with-daughters-mental-illness/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1978,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 37
},
"modified": 1458054921,
"excerpt": "One Californian's struggle with bipolar disorder illustrates the difficulties families face when mental health care is needed.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "One Californian's struggle with bipolar disorder illustrates the difficulties families face when mental health care is needed.",
"title": "Help is Scarce, Expensive as Family Struggles With Daughter's Mental Illness | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Help is Scarce, Expensive as Family Struggles With Daughter's Mental Illness",
"datePublished": "2016-03-14T09:41:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2016-03-15T08:15:21-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "with-help-scarce-and-expensive-family-struggles-with-daughters-mental-illness",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Jenny Gold\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>",
"path": "/stateofhealth/159708/with-help-scarce-and-expensive-family-struggles-with-daughters-mental-illness",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In March 2010, Pam Lipp received the call she’d been dreading for months. She figured it would come from one of three places: the police, the hospital or the morgue. Instead, it was her husband, Doug, saying that he’d just received word that their 18-year-old daughter, Amanda, a freshman at Chico State University in California, was being held at a psychiatric crisis center after trying to throw herself in front of a moving car. Amanda had lost her grip on reality and fallen into a state of psychosis. She’d started selling off her belongings and believed that cameras were following her everywhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doug was away at a speaking engagement, so Pam jumped in the car with a friend and raced to the crisis center two hours away. When they arrived, they found Amanda, curled up in a ball on the floor in a fetal position, sobbing. “I was hallucinating. I thought I was a doctor. When my mom got there, I realized I was the one in trouble,” says Amanda. “Nothing prepares you for seeing your child in such turmoil. I felt helpless,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">The mental health parity law helps guarantee consumers fair access to mental health care. If you believe you’ve been unfairly denied or charged for treatment, you can start by reaching out to a consumer advocacy organization. Two resources to try: \u003ca href=\"https://www.paritytrack.org/\" target=\"_blank\">ParityTrack\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://parityispersonal.org/\" target=\"_blank\">The Parity Implementation Coalition\u003c/a>.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Amanda was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental illness characterized by manic highs, depressive lows and possible periods of psychosis. Although the diagnosis provided a new direction to what had been an all-consuming journey for the Lipp family, it was just one stop on the bumpy road to navigating the mental health system. The Lipps are not alone: Nearly one in five Americans experiences a mental illness in any given year, but fewer than half of them receive treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Early Signs\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda first started acting out when she was in middle school in Fair Oaks, California. She had extreme mood swings and explosive arguments with her parents. Pam and Doug, who run a small business together, hoped it was typical adolescent drama that would soon fade. “We never knew which Amanda we were going to get,” Pam recalls — the edgy Amanda looking for a heated debate, or the down, depressed Amanda who would retreat to her room. Eventually, the intensity and unpredictability of her moods made them realize she needed professional help.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">When you break a leg, you get a cast and people sign it and put smiley faces on it. When you’re given a mental illness diagnosis, you’re cast out.”\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>They took her to the family doctor, who agreed that Amanda required more help but said that she didn’t have anyone to refer her to. Instead, the doctor recommended that Pam request a copy of all the therapists in her zip code who worked with her insurance company and call down the list. Pam called dozens of practitioners, leaving message after message. Not only was the list outdated, but most were too busy to even see her daughter and the ones who were highly recommended didn’t accept her insurance anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For her part, Amanda was reluctant about seeing a therapist. She worried about what other people might think, and that it would change the image she had of herself. “I was the popular kid who people looked up to,” says Amanda. “I thought that if my friends saw me as someone to be pitied, they wouldn’t lean on me anymore. Part of me wanted to get help, yet the other part of me didn’t want to admit I needed it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She agreed to give therapy a try and Pam found someone Amanda was comfortable with. Yet, at an out-of-pocket rate of $120 per hour, the Lipps just couldn’t afford the amount of care she needed, which was about three sessions per week. She visited a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression and put on an antidepressant. Despite the treatment, Amanda continued to spiral downward — staying out late, self-medicating with drugs and arguing with her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During those years, Pam says, she and Doug were living one exhausting day to the next. They had three children to raise, but taking care of Amanda consumed their lives. “We felt like we were in prison in our own home with all the hostility and upheaval.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time Amanda headed to college, she was barely speaking to her parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Fighting For Care\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amanda’s bipolar diagnosis was a turning point — it meant that she could begin to receive the treatment she desperately needed. But it wasn’t easy to find at first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crisis center would only hold her for a maximum of 72 hours, and Amanda needed much more treatment than that. When Pam asked where her daughter would be sent next, the doctor told her Amanda would be discharged and likely end up back in the center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Pam spent the next day in the crisis center waiting room, desperately calling one psychiatric hospital after another to find a place to send Amanda. They were all full. She begged them to call her back when they had an opening, but they told her they couldn’t reserve a spot. Instead, they told her to call every half hour in the hope that she’d be able to grab the next available bed. Pam plugged her cellphone into the waiting room wall and repeatedly called each one on speed dial. “You go into mother-bear mode, where you dig in and do what you have to do to protect your cub. I knew I couldn’t stop until Amanda had the help she needed,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After eight hours of continuous dialing, Pam finally found Amanda an open bed at a hospital near their home. For Pam, it was a huge relief that her daughter was safe. “We felt like we were finally entering a new phase of tackling her condition. In the hospital, at least we knew where she was and that she was under a watchful eye. We felt safest knowing she didn’t have a choice to leave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Amanda had a different perspective. She didn’t see her psychosis as a disease — she saw it as a transformation where she was finally able to face her vulnerability and deal with her issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the hospital, I felt like a prisoner,” she says. “I felt trapped in a space where people were always watching me and monitoring my behavior.” Amanda is an artist who finds solace in creativity, but she says the staff in the hospital was more focused on trying to treat her medically and didn’t seem to value what she was doing with her art. “Trying to express myself and heal felt impossible,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Figuring Out Finances\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Amanda was in the hospital, Pam was gripped with fear over the coverage of the treatment. “I was terrified that insurance would run out and we’d lose our savings and everything we’d worked for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, a federal law passed in 2008 guarantees that mental illnesses be covered “at parity” with any other disease, without special limitations. Her insurer informed Pam that any care Amanda needed would be covered. “I was so relieved,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a month in the hospital, two months of a full-time outpatient program, the temporary help of an antipsychotic medication and years of therapy with a new psychologist, Amanda made an impressive recovery, learning to manage her condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key point for her was a change in perspective. She went from seeing her symptoms as evidence of illness to seeing them as strengths that she could use to her benefit. For example, she could turn a period of introspection that she might have previously seen as “depression” into a piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Living Out Loud\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many families end up running into similar obstacles — they don’t know where to go for proper care or they’re worried about the cost. But there’s also the stigma of mental illness that prevents people from reaching out because they fear judgment or worry that it might affect their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you break a leg, you get a cast and people sign it and put smiley faces on it. When you’re given a mental illness diagnosis, you’re cast out,” says Amanda, who is now a 24-year-old college graduate and member of the board of California’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, Pam wasn’t afraid of the stigma, having learned from her own family’s mistakes. “I grew up in an environment where everything was pushed under the rug,” she says. “People were suffering from mental illness, but they blamed it on other things like migraines. In reality, they needed therapy. I wasn’t going to let that happen with Amanda.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pam faced the stigma head-on and was completely open with her friends about what was happening. While this didn’t help the Lipps crack the code on their daughter’s illness earlier, it gave them strength when they needed it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental illness is not usually a casserole disease — when you tell your friends that a family member is suffering from a mental illness, they don’t deliver a lasagna. But in our case, our friends did because we were open about it,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People rallied around her. In particular, Pam was already part of a monthly mothers’ group that got together to make care packages for their children in college. The other women urged her to keep coming to the group and making care packages for Amanda throughout her illness. “They were my rock of friendship. It truly took a village and a community of friends to help Amanda heal,” says Pam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Finding Hope\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hard-won strides in the area of mental illness like the parity law helped Pam and her family get through the crisis intact, but it was a difficult road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re so proud of Amanda and everything she’s overcome,” says Pam. That doesn’t mean she’s stopped worrying. “We experienced a mental health emergency, an illness and a recovery, and now we’re stable. But every day I wake up and worry, could she relapse?” For anyone with a history of psychosis, another breakdown is always a possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now armed with knowledge and experience, Pam feels more confident. And in the meantime, both mother and daughter are dedicated to raising awareness and helping other families find the hope and the care they need in a system that often seems to be working against them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For women facing similar situations, Pam has this advice: “Treat mental health concerns like you would any condition. Don’t let the stigma be a roadblock to getting yourself and your family the care that’s needed. If your gut tells you there’s something going on with your child, look the issue in the face and get the help you need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article is part of an editorial partnership between Woman’s Day and Kaiser Health News and is the first in a series focusing on mental health.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/159708/with-help-scarce-and-expensive-family-struggles-with-daughters-mental-illness",
"authors": [
"byline_stateofhealth_159708"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_12"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_274",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_159714",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_155373": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_155373",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "155373",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1456858397000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1456858397,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Big Rise in Psychiatric Hospitalizations for California's Latino Youth",
"title": "Big Rise in Psychiatric Hospitalizations for California's Latino Youth",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Psychiatric hospitalizations of Latino children and young adults in California are rising dramatically — at a much faster pace than among their white and black peers, according to state data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While mental health hospitalizations of young people of all ethnicities have climbed in recent years, Latino rates stand out. Among those 21 and younger, they shot up 86 percent, to 17,813, between 2007 and 2014, according to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. That’s compared with a 21 percent increase among whites and 35 percent among African Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'Everybody’s trying to hire Spanish-speaking clinicians. There’s just not enough to meet that demand.”\u003ccite>Leslie Preston, the behavioral health director of La Clínica de La Raza \u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>No one knows for certain what’s driving the trend. Policymakers and Latino community leaders offer varying and sometimes contradictory explanations. Some say the numbers reflect a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services for Latinos and a pervasive stigma that prevents many from seeking help before a crisis hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Often, they wait until they are falling apart,” said Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, a professor at the University of California, Davis Medical School and director of the university’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others blame stress from the recent recession, family disintegration and an influx of traumatized children fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still others suggest the trend might actually be positive, reflecting an increasing willingness among Latino parents to seek treatment for themselves and their children, at least when they are in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among Latino adults, psychiatric hospitalizations rose 38 percent during the same period. Similar hospitalizations of black adults increased 21 percent, while hospitalizations of white adults remained flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Margarita Rocha, the executive director of the nonprofit Centro la Familia in Fresno, said mental health issues are starting to be discussed more publicly in the Latino community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s helping people to come forward,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155389\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/nubia-flores-4-e1456857767311.jpg\" alt=\"Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, works part-time at Family Paths, a counseling and mental health organization in Oakland. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she started experiencing depression and anxiety her freshman year at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, works part-time at Family Paths, a counseling and mental health organization in Oakland. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she started experiencing depression and anxiety her freshman year at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ken Berrick, CEO of the Seneca Family of Agencies, which serves children with emotional disturbances in a dozen counties, agreed. Because more Latinos are now getting mental health services, children are more likely to be identified as requiring hospitalization, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know for a fact that access to service is better now,” said Berrick, whose operation has a crisis stabilization unit in Alameda County, Calif.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids’ psychiatric hospitalizations overall rose nearly 45 percent between 2007 and 2014, regardless of ethnicity, a pattern experts attribute to various factors including a shortage of intensive outpatient and in-home services, schools’ struggles to pay for mental health services through special education and a decline in group home placements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those kids have to be treated somewhere,” said Dawan Utecht, Fresno County’s mental health director, of the move to keep kids out of group homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t get those services in a community setting, they’re going to go into crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rise among Latino youths is remarkable in part because hospitalization rates for that population historically have been relatively low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Latino children remain much less likely to receive mental health treatment through Medi-Cal, the state and federal coverage program for poor and disabled residents. Between 2010 and 2014, less than 4 percent of Latino children received specialty mental health services through the traditional Medi-Cal program. That’s compared with 7 percent of eligible black and white children, according to state data. The numbers don’t include those enrolled in managed care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155378\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 370px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155378\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-1.jpg\" alt=\"Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, at her home in Oakland. After participating in the mental health program at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, Miranda decided to major in psychology at San Francisco State University. \" width=\"370\" height=\"554\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, at her home in Oakland. After participating in the mental health program at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, Miranda decided to major in psychology at San Francisco State University. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>(Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders seek treatment at a rate even lower than Latinos. Although hospitalizations are also increasing rapidly among that population, the raw numbers remain relatively small.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leslie Preston, the behavioral health director of La Clínica de La Raza, in East Oakland, says that the shortage of bilingual, bicultural mental health workers limits Latino kids’ access to preventive care, which could lead to crises later on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody’s trying to hire the Spanish-speaking clinicians,” she said. “There’s just not enough clinicians to meet that demand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Access to care can be even harder for recent immigrants. Spanish-speaking children who have been referred for a special education assessment, which can help them become eligible for mental health services, sometimes wait months or years before someone tests them, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The families don’t know the system,” she added. “They don’t know their rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other clinicians point to relatively low health insurance coverage among Latinos, particularly those without legal status, and a cultural resistance to acknowledging mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Alok Banga, medical director at Sierra Vista Hospital in Sacramento, said some immigrant parents he encounters don’t believe in mental illness and have not grasped the urgency of their children’s depression and past suicide attempts. Many are working two or three jobs, he said. Some are undocumented immigrants afraid of coming to the hospital or having any interaction with Child Protective Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the biggest problem, from his perspective, is the shortage of child psychiatrists and outpatient services to serve this population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The default course for treatment falls on institutions: hospitals, jails and prisons,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeff Rackmil, director of the children’s system of care in Alameda County, said sheer population growth — particularly, an increase in Latino children insured under Medi-Cal — may also be part of the explanation for the rise in hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the state’s Latino population aged 24 and under increased less than 8 percent between 2007 and 2014, which doesn’t nearly explain an 86 percent increase in hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155384\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-4-e1456857496239.jpg\" alt=\"Elizabeth Ochoa, 17, and Victor Ramirez, 17, work on an assignment during their behavioral health training at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elizabeth Ochoa, 17, and Victor Ramirez, 17, work on an assignment during their behavioral health training at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some California communities are working to bring more Latino children into care and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, a small, mostly Latino high school in East Oakland, students grow up amid pervasive violence and poverty. “We’re just told to hold things in,” said 17-year-old Hilda Chavez, a senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students often don’t seek help because they fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy,” Chavez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the school, in conjunction with the Oakland-based La Clínica de La Raza, started a program to interest students in careers in mental health care. The program provides training in “first aid” instruction to help people in crisis, and places students in internships with mental health organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, participated in the program last year and now is majoring in psychology at San Francisco State University. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she experienced depression and anxiety during her freshman year at Life Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeing a school counselor “changed my life around,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she saw that her peers were wary of seeking help from counselors at the school, most of whom were white and lived in wealthier, safer neighborhoods. Once, when a classmate started acting out at school, Miranda suggested she talk to someone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She told me she didn’t feel like she could trust the person — they wouldn’t understand where she was coming from,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-8-e1456857368930.jpg\" alt=\"Graciela Perez, 17, and Nayely Espinoza, 17, hold up their group assignment during a class presentation at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The students are preparing for their mental health internships. \" width=\"1921\" height=\"1282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graciela Perez, 17, and Nayely Espinoza, 17, hold up their group assignment during a class presentation at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The students are preparing for their mental health internships. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The shortage of services is especially evident in the Central Valley, where many agricultural workers are Latino. Juan Garcia, an emeritus professor at California State University, Fresno, who founded a counseling center in the city, says the drought and economic downturn have exacerbated depression, anxiety, substance abuse and psychotic breaks among Latinos of all ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The services to this population lag decades behind where they should be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Fresno County, psychiatric hospitalizations of Latino youth more than tripled, to 432, between 2007 and 2014. Hospitalizations of their white and black peers about doubled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liliana Quintero Robles, a marriage and family therapy intern in rural Kings County, also in the state’s Central Valley, said she sees children whose mental health issues go untreated for so long that they end up cutting themselves and abusing alcohol, marijuana, crystal meth and OxyContin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some really, really deep-rooted suffering,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out in the unincorporated agricultural community of Five Points, about 45 minutes from Fresno, almost all of the students at Westside Elementary School are low-income Latinos. When principal Baldo Hernandez started there in 1981, he’d see maybe one child a year with a mental health issue. These days, he sees 15 to 30, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He blames dry wells and barren fields, at least in part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had parents crying at school, begging me to find them a home, begging me to find them a job,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some parts of the Valley and other places, the closest hospitals that accept children in psychiatric crises are hours away. Children can be stuck in emergency room hallways for days, waiting for a hospital bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It makes for a very traumatized experience for both families and children,” said Shannyn McDonald, the chief of the Stanislaus County behavioral health department’s children’s system of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, the county expanded its \u003cem>promotora\u003c/em> program, which enlists members of the Latino community to talk to their peers about mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the small town of Oakdale, a slim, energetic 51-year-old \u003cem>promotora\u003c/em> named Rossy Gomar spends 60 to 70 hours a week serving as cheerleader, educator and sounding board for many of the Latino women and children in the town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155382\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-155382\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-9-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"Hilda Chavez, 17, at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Chavez says students fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy.” \" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hilda Chavez, 17, at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Chavez says students fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy.” \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gomar’s office in the Oakdale Family Support Network Resource Center is cluttered with open boxes of diapers and donated children’s toys and clothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at my office,” she laughs. “We don’t fit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomar says many of the women she works with don’t recognize that they are depressed or abused. Children see their parents’ problems and don’t know where to turn for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are many young people who don’t have any hope,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But little by little, she has seen some good results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One 17-year-old client is a student at Oakdale High School. The girl, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, said that earlier this year, problems at school and a break-up with her boyfriend had her struggling to get out of bed each morning. She began drinking, using drugs and thinking about suicide. She was scared to talk to her parents, she said, and kept everything inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day, she walked into Gomar’s office and started crying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She told me ‘Everything is ok. We want you here,’” the girl said. “When I was talking with her, I felt so much better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, an editorially independent program of the \u003ca href=\"http://kff.org/\" target=\"\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "155373 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=155373",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/03/01/big-rise-in-psychiatric-hospitalizations-for-californias-latino-youth/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2058,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 58
},
"modified": 1456859666,
"excerpt": "No one knows for sure what's driving the trend.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "No one knows for sure what's driving the trend.",
"title": "Big Rise in Psychiatric Hospitalizations for California's Latino Youth | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Big Rise in Psychiatric Hospitalizations for California's Latino Youth",
"datePublished": "2016-03-01T10:53:17-08:00",
"dateModified": "2016-03-01T11:14:26-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "big-rise-in-psychiatric-hospitalizations-for-californias-latino-youth",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Jocelyn Wiener, California Healthline",
"path": "/stateofhealth/155373/big-rise-in-psychiatric-hospitalizations-for-californias-latino-youth",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Psychiatric hospitalizations of Latino children and young adults in California are rising dramatically — at a much faster pace than among their white and black peers, according to state data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While mental health hospitalizations of young people of all ethnicities have climbed in recent years, Latino rates stand out. Among those 21 and younger, they shot up 86 percent, to 17,813, between 2007 and 2014, according to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. That’s compared with a 21 percent increase among whites and 35 percent among African Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'Everybody’s trying to hire Spanish-speaking clinicians. There’s just not enough to meet that demand.”\u003ccite>Leslie Preston, the behavioral health director of La Clínica de La Raza \u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>No one knows for certain what’s driving the trend. Policymakers and Latino community leaders offer varying and sometimes contradictory explanations. Some say the numbers reflect a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services for Latinos and a pervasive stigma that prevents many from seeking help before a crisis hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Often, they wait until they are falling apart,” said Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, a professor at the University of California, Davis Medical School and director of the university’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others blame stress from the recent recession, family disintegration and an influx of traumatized children fleeing poverty and violence in Central America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still others suggest the trend might actually be positive, reflecting an increasing willingness among Latino parents to seek treatment for themselves and their children, at least when they are in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among Latino adults, psychiatric hospitalizations rose 38 percent during the same period. Similar hospitalizations of black adults increased 21 percent, while hospitalizations of white adults remained flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Margarita Rocha, the executive director of the nonprofit Centro la Familia in Fresno, said mental health issues are starting to be discussed more publicly in the Latino community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s helping people to come forward,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155389\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155389\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/nubia-flores-4-e1456857767311.jpg\" alt=\"Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, works part-time at Family Paths, a counseling and mental health organization in Oakland. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she started experiencing depression and anxiety her freshman year at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, works part-time at Family Paths, a counseling and mental health organization in Oakland. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she started experiencing depression and anxiety her freshman year at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ken Berrick, CEO of the Seneca Family of Agencies, which serves children with emotional disturbances in a dozen counties, agreed. Because more Latinos are now getting mental health services, children are more likely to be identified as requiring hospitalization, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know for a fact that access to service is better now,” said Berrick, whose operation has a crisis stabilization unit in Alameda County, Calif.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kids’ psychiatric hospitalizations overall rose nearly 45 percent between 2007 and 2014, regardless of ethnicity, a pattern experts attribute to various factors including a shortage of intensive outpatient and in-home services, schools’ struggles to pay for mental health services through special education and a decline in group home placements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those kids have to be treated somewhere,” said Dawan Utecht, Fresno County’s mental health director, of the move to keep kids out of group homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t get those services in a community setting, they’re going to go into crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rise among Latino youths is remarkable in part because hospitalization rates for that population historically have been relatively low.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Latino children remain much less likely to receive mental health treatment through Medi-Cal, the state and federal coverage program for poor and disabled residents. Between 2010 and 2014, less than 4 percent of Latino children received specialty mental health services through the traditional Medi-Cal program. That’s compared with 7 percent of eligible black and white children, according to state data. The numbers don’t include those enrolled in managed care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155378\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 370px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155378\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/latino-kids-1.jpg\" alt=\"Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, at her home in Oakland. After participating in the mental health program at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, Miranda decided to major in psychology at San Francisco State University. \" width=\"370\" height=\"554\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, at her home in Oakland. After participating in the mental health program at Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, Miranda decided to major in psychology at San Francisco State University. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>(Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders seek treatment at a rate even lower than Latinos. Although hospitalizations are also increasing rapidly among that population, the raw numbers remain relatively small.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leslie Preston, the behavioral health director of La Clínica de La Raza, in East Oakland, says that the shortage of bilingual, bicultural mental health workers limits Latino kids’ access to preventive care, which could lead to crises later on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everybody’s trying to hire the Spanish-speaking clinicians,” she said. “There’s just not enough clinicians to meet that demand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Access to care can be even harder for recent immigrants. Spanish-speaking children who have been referred for a special education assessment, which can help them become eligible for mental health services, sometimes wait months or years before someone tests them, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The families don’t know the system,” she added. “They don’t know their rights.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other clinicians point to relatively low health insurance coverage among Latinos, particularly those without legal status, and a cultural resistance to acknowledging mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Alok Banga, medical director at Sierra Vista Hospital in Sacramento, said some immigrant parents he encounters don’t believe in mental illness and have not grasped the urgency of their children’s depression and past suicide attempts. Many are working two or three jobs, he said. Some are undocumented immigrants afraid of coming to the hospital or having any interaction with Child Protective Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the biggest problem, from his perspective, is the shortage of child psychiatrists and outpatient services to serve this population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The default course for treatment falls on institutions: hospitals, jails and prisons,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jeff Rackmil, director of the children’s system of care in Alameda County, said sheer population growth — particularly, an increase in Latino children insured under Medi-Cal — may also be part of the explanation for the rise in hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the state’s Latino population aged 24 and under increased less than 8 percent between 2007 and 2014, which doesn’t nearly explain an 86 percent increase in hospitalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155384\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155384\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-4-e1456857496239.jpg\" alt=\"Elizabeth Ochoa, 17, and Victor Ramirez, 17, work on an assignment during their behavioral health training at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. \" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elizabeth Ochoa, 17, and Victor Ramirez, 17, work on an assignment during their behavioral health training at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some California communities are working to bring more Latino children into care and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, a small, mostly Latino high school in East Oakland, students grow up amid pervasive violence and poverty. “We’re just told to hold things in,” said 17-year-old Hilda Chavez, a senior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students often don’t seek help because they fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy,” Chavez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the school, in conjunction with the Oakland-based La Clínica de La Raza, started a program to interest students in careers in mental health care. The program provides training in “first aid” instruction to help people in crisis, and places students in internships with mental health organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nubia Flores Miranda, 18, participated in the program last year and now is majoring in psychology at San Francisco State University. Miranda said she became interested in a career in mental health after she experienced depression and anxiety during her freshman year at Life Academy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seeing a school counselor “changed my life around,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she saw that her peers were wary of seeking help from counselors at the school, most of whom were white and lived in wealthier, safer neighborhoods. Once, when a classmate started acting out at school, Miranda suggested she talk to someone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She told me she didn’t feel like she could trust the person — they wouldn’t understand where she was coming from,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1921px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-155383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-8-e1456857368930.jpg\" alt=\"Graciela Perez, 17, and Nayely Espinoza, 17, hold up their group assignment during a class presentation at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The students are preparing for their mental health internships. \" width=\"1921\" height=\"1282\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graciela Perez, 17, and Nayely Espinoza, 17, hold up their group assignment during a class presentation at La Clínica de la Raza in Oakland. The students are preparing for their mental health internships. \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The shortage of services is especially evident in the Central Valley, where many agricultural workers are Latino. Juan Garcia, an emeritus professor at California State University, Fresno, who founded a counseling center in the city, says the drought and economic downturn have exacerbated depression, anxiety, substance abuse and psychotic breaks among Latinos of all ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The services to this population lag decades behind where they should be,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Fresno County, psychiatric hospitalizations of Latino youth more than tripled, to 432, between 2007 and 2014. Hospitalizations of their white and black peers about doubled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liliana Quintero Robles, a marriage and family therapy intern in rural Kings County, also in the state’s Central Valley, said she sees children whose mental health issues go untreated for so long that they end up cutting themselves and abusing alcohol, marijuana, crystal meth and OxyContin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s some really, really deep-rooted suffering,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out in the unincorporated agricultural community of Five Points, about 45 minutes from Fresno, almost all of the students at Westside Elementary School are low-income Latinos. When principal Baldo Hernandez started there in 1981, he’d see maybe one child a year with a mental health issue. These days, he sees 15 to 30, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He blames dry wells and barren fields, at least in part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had parents crying at school, begging me to find them a home, begging me to find them a job,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some parts of the Valley and other places, the closest hospitals that accept children in psychiatric crises are hours away. Children can be stuck in emergency room hallways for days, waiting for a hospital bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It makes for a very traumatized experience for both families and children,” said Shannyn McDonald, the chief of the Stanislaus County behavioral health department’s children’s system of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, the county expanded its \u003cem>promotora\u003c/em> program, which enlists members of the Latino community to talk to their peers about mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the small town of Oakdale, a slim, energetic 51-year-old \u003cem>promotora\u003c/em> named Rossy Gomar spends 60 to 70 hours a week serving as cheerleader, educator and sounding board for many of the Latino women and children in the town.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_155382\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-155382\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/03/students-9-400x267.jpg\" alt=\"Hilda Chavez, 17, at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Chavez says students fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy.” \" width=\"400\" height=\"267\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hilda Chavez, 17, at La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland. Chavez says students fear discussing mental health problems will earn them a label of “crazy.” \u003ccite>(Heidi de Marco/KHN)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gomar’s office in the Oakdale Family Support Network Resource Center is cluttered with open boxes of diapers and donated children’s toys and clothing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at my office,” she laughs. “We don’t fit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomar says many of the women she works with don’t recognize that they are depressed or abused. Children see their parents’ problems and don’t know where to turn for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are many young people who don’t have any hope,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But little by little, she has seen some good results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One 17-year-old client is a student at Oakdale High School. The girl, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, said that earlier this year, problems at school and a break-up with her boyfriend had her struggling to get out of bed each morning. She began drinking, using drugs and thinking about suicide. She was scared to talk to her parents, she said, and kept everything inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day, she walked into Gomar’s office and started crying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She told me ‘Everything is ok. We want you here,’” the girl said. “When I was talking with her, I felt so much better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was produced by \u003ca href=\"http://khn.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Kaiser Health News\u003c/a>, an editorially independent program of the \u003ca href=\"http://kff.org/\" target=\"\">Kaiser Family Foundation\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/155373/big-rise-in-psychiatric-hospitalizations-for-californias-latino-youth",
"authors": [
"byline_stateofhealth_155373"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_325",
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_155379",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_153172": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_153172",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "153172",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1456466940000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "transgender-children-living-openly-are-doing-well-study-shows",
"title": "Transgender Children Living Openly Are Doing Well, Study Shows",
"publishDate": 1456466940,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Transgender Children Living Openly Are Doing Well, Study Shows | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"content": "\u003cp>New research finds that young transgender children who have “socially transitioned” — living their lives under the gender they identify with — had positive mental health outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘Crucially important’ research\u003ccite>Dr. Ilana Sherer, UCSF\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Until now, studies had shown significantly higher rates for depression and anxiety in transgender children. \u003ca href=\"http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nearly half attempt suicide \u003c/a>by age 24.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the University of Washington looked at 73 children ages 3-12 living as their identified gender and compared those children against two control groups — their own siblings and another group. They found average scores for depression and only slightly elevated anxiety rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It puts out the possibility that being a transgender child doesn’t have to be associated with negative mental health outcomes in the way that to date the research has suggested,” said \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/transyp/people/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kristina Olson\u003c/a>, Ph.D., lead author of the study and director of the university’s TransYouth Project. She hopes to follow these children for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is the first analysis of mental health outcomes in a group of socially transitioned transgender children. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents who had suspected their children might be transgender and began research on their own would find depressing mental health outcomes, until now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those felt like terrifying statistics to hold as a parent,” said one mother (who did not want to be identified by name out of concern for her child’s privacy), 42, of Oakland, one of the families in the study. She and her partner have two children, an older girl and a second child, now 6, born as a boy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By age 3 and a half “it became increasingly clear,” she said said, “that there was something going on … that was pulling him into the realm of traditional girliness, and as it continued, it grew in intensity and grew in its consistency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intensity of gender identity was true of most kids in the study, “These are kids who are very persistent and insistent about their gender identity,” said Olson, “and those are the only kids that experts working in this area have advised that these social transitions might be useful for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mother and her partner began researching on their own and later with experts. While she knew adults who had transitioned, “I had never heard of transgender children. I didn’t know it had the capability of dating back to such early childhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just before his 5th birthday her son asked to be called a girl. The Oakland mother and her partner supported their child’s choice to live as girl. She already had a gender neutral name and began dressing as a girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now having a child who has lived in their identified gender for a year and a half, I have no doubt that we’re making the right decision,” she said, adding that her daughter is well-adjusted at school and is accepted as a girl by her peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the children in the study had any medical or surgical treatments. “No one in the country does medical or surgical interventions with kids this young,” said Olson. Estimates of the rate of transgender children range from 0.3 to 0.8 percent of the population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group of children Olson is studying, initially 73, has now grown to 153. None has transitioned back. She said her project \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/transyp/participate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">welcomes additional participants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an accompanying editorial, Ilana Sherer a pediatrician and assistant medical director of UC San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/clinics/child_and_adolescent_gender_center/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Child and Adolescent Gender Center\u003c/a> called the research “crucially important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“Olson and her colleagues give supporters of social transition evidence of what we have suspected all along: that socially transitioned children are doing fine, or at least as well as their age-matched peers and siblings. This finding is truly stunning in light of the numerous studies that show depression and anxiety … up to 3 times higher for non-socially transitioned children.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>For the children in this study, family support appears to be key. But Olson pointed out that it’s a big decision for a family to take the step of supporting a socially-transitioned child, and not all families today are likely to make this decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Probably there are some attributes about the families who have done this that are unique to them,” Olson said. She stressed the need for more research to illuminate whether it’s those “other qualities” or the social transition itself that promotes the positive mental health outcomes seen in this analysis.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "It's the first study to look at \"socially transitioned\" transgender children. They had good mental health outcomes. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1717537043,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 20,
"wordCount": 795
},
"headData": {
"title": "Transgender Children Living Openly Are Doing Well, Study Shows",
"description": "It's the first study to look at "socially transitioned" transgender children. They had good mental health outcomes. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Transgender Children Living Openly Are Doing Well, Study Shows",
"datePublished": "2016-02-25T22:09:00-08:00",
"dateModified": "2024-06-04T14:37:23-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/stateofhealth/153172/transgender-children-living-openly-are-doing-well-study-shows",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>New research finds that young transgender children who have “socially transitioned” — living their lives under the gender they identify with — had positive mental health outcomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">‘Crucially important’ research\u003ccite>Dr. Ilana Sherer, UCSF\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Until now, studies had shown significantly higher rates for depression and anxiety in transgender children. \u003ca href=\"http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nearly half attempt suicide \u003c/a>by age 24.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at the University of Washington looked at 73 children ages 3-12 living as their identified gender and compared those children against two control groups — their own siblings and another group. They found average scores for depression and only slightly elevated anxiety rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It puts out the possibility that being a transgender child doesn’t have to be associated with negative mental health outcomes in the way that to date the research has suggested,” said \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/transyp/people/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kristina Olson\u003c/a>, Ph.D., lead author of the study and director of the university’s TransYouth Project. She hopes to follow these children for 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is the first analysis of mental health outcomes in a group of socially transitioned transgender children. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents who had suspected their children might be transgender and began research on their own would find depressing mental health outcomes, until now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those felt like terrifying statistics to hold as a parent,” said one mother (who did not want to be identified by name out of concern for her child’s privacy), 42, of Oakland, one of the families in the study. She and her partner have two children, an older girl and a second child, now 6, born as a boy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By age 3 and a half “it became increasingly clear,” she said said, “that there was something going on … that was pulling him into the realm of traditional girliness, and as it continued, it grew in intensity and grew in its consistency.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intensity of gender identity was true of most kids in the study, “These are kids who are very persistent and insistent about their gender identity,” said Olson, “and those are the only kids that experts working in this area have advised that these social transitions might be useful for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mother and her partner began researching on their own and later with experts. While she knew adults who had transitioned, “I had never heard of transgender children. I didn’t know it had the capability of dating back to such early childhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just before his 5th birthday her son asked to be called a girl. The Oakland mother and her partner supported their child’s choice to live as girl. She already had a gender neutral name and began dressing as a girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now having a child who has lived in their identified gender for a year and a half, I have no doubt that we’re making the right decision,” she said, adding that her daughter is well-adjusted at school and is accepted as a girl by her peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the children in the study had any medical or surgical treatments. “No one in the country does medical or surgical interventions with kids this young,” said Olson. Estimates of the rate of transgender children range from 0.3 to 0.8 percent of the population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group of children Olson is studying, initially 73, has now grown to 153. None has transitioned back. She said her project \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/transyp/participate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">welcomes additional participants\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an accompanying editorial, Ilana Sherer a pediatrician and assistant medical director of UC San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/clinics/child_and_adolescent_gender_center/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Child and Adolescent Gender Center\u003c/a> called the research “crucially important.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“Olson and her colleagues give supporters of social transition evidence of what we have suspected all along: that socially transitioned children are doing fine, or at least as well as their age-matched peers and siblings. This finding is truly stunning in light of the numerous studies that show depression and anxiety … up to 3 times higher for non-socially transitioned children.”\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>For the children in this study, family support appears to be key. But Olson pointed out that it’s a big decision for a family to take the step of supporting a socially-transitioned child, and not all families today are likely to make this decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Probably there are some attributes about the families who have done this that are unique to them,” Olson said. She stressed the need for more research to illuminate whether it’s those “other qualities” or the social transition itself that promotes the positive mental health outcomes seen in this analysis.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/153172/transgender-children-living-openly-are-doing-well-study-shows",
"authors": [
"240"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_13"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_96",
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519",
"stateofhealth_501"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_153284",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_152649": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_152649",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "152649",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1456343409000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1456343409,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "California Regulator Sued over Delayed Mental Health Appeals",
"title": "California Regulator Sued over Delayed Mental Health Appeals",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Let’s say you have a son who develops a drug problem or becomes suicidal. His doctor says he needs extensive treatment at a residential mental health center. But your insurance company denies the coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumers\u003ca href=\"https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/FileaComplaint/IndependentMedicalReviewComplaintForm.aspx#.Vs4EhfkrKUk\" target=\"_blank\"> can appeal those decisions \u003c/a>to California’s Department of Managed Health Care, which will review the insurance company’s decision and either uphold it or overturn it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under law, the agency has six days to complete an urgent review, upon receipt of a complete application. \u003ca href=\"http://www.psych-appeal.com/california-dmhc-sued-for-unlawful-handling-of-mental-health-appeals/\" target=\"_blank\"> A lawsuit \u003c/a>filed late Tuesday alleges that the agency routinely violates review deadlines, sometimes taking weeks or longer to render a decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The consequences of not receiving a timely decision can be devastating,\" says Meiram Bendat, an attorney for the plaintiffs and president of Psych-Appeal, a mental health advocacy law firm. \"Patients must decide whether to pay for costly treatments out of pocket, with the very real possibility of not getting reimbursed – or simply say ‘no’ and forego the care they desperately need.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Managed Health Care regulates health insurance plans that cover 25 million Californians. The number of people affected by the urgent review process addressed in the lawsuit is relatively few. Last year, the agency reviewed 1,789 insurance denials for care; 508 were handled on a expedited basis; and 15 percent of those (78 cases) were for mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department would not comment on the lawsuit directly, but said its top priority is to protect the health care rights of consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We take our responsibility very seriously in assisting health care consumers to receive medically necessary care when they need it,\" said Rachel Arrezola, deputy director of communications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Evolve Growth Initiatives, which operates adolescent mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities in California and New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evolve CEO Mendi Baron says delays in rendering appeal decisions put mental health providers in an awkward position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental health providers often delay or terminate care instead of taking on the risks associated with these delayed appeals” Baron says. “While Evolve does not discharge patients pending appeals, we find that if they can’t pay for treatment themselves, many patients simply won’t stay in treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit filed against the Department of Managed Health Care is unusual. Consumer health advocates recently applauded the agency for taking a hard line on enforcing \u003ca href=\"http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/mentalhealthparity/\" target=\"_blank\">mental health parity regulations \u003c/a>–- which require health insurers to provide mental health benefits equal to medical care. The agency fined Kaiser Permanente $4 million in 2013 for not providing patients timely access to mental health appointments and for effectively dissuading individual therapy. In 2014, Kaiser agreed to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2014/09/09/kaiser-agrees-to-pay-4-million-fine-over-mental-health-care-drops-lawsuit/\" target=\"_blank\">pay the fine\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“DMHC may tout mental health parity,” Baron said, “but its practices are making a mockery of actual mental health care.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "152649 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=152649",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/02/24/california-regulator-sued-over-delayed-mental-health-appeals/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 496,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 14
},
"modified": 1456360819,
"excerpt": "Under law, the state has six days for an urgent review of denial of coverage. The lawsuit alleges the state takes weeks or longer.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Under law, the state has six days for an urgent review of denial of coverage. The lawsuit alleges the state takes weeks or longer.",
"title": "California Regulator Sued over Delayed Mental Health Appeals | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "California Regulator Sued over Delayed Mental Health Appeals",
"datePublished": "2016-02-24T11:50:09-08:00",
"dateModified": "2016-02-24T16:40:19-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-regulator-sued-over-delayed-mental-health-appeals",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/152649/california-regulator-sued-over-delayed-mental-health-appeals",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Let’s say you have a son who develops a drug problem or becomes suicidal. His doctor says he needs extensive treatment at a residential mental health center. But your insurance company denies the coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consumers\u003ca href=\"https://www.dmhc.ca.gov/FileaComplaint/IndependentMedicalReviewComplaintForm.aspx#.Vs4EhfkrKUk\" target=\"_blank\"> can appeal those decisions \u003c/a>to California’s Department of Managed Health Care, which will review the insurance company’s decision and either uphold it or overturn it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under law, the agency has six days to complete an urgent review, upon receipt of a complete application. \u003ca href=\"http://www.psych-appeal.com/california-dmhc-sued-for-unlawful-handling-of-mental-health-appeals/\" target=\"_blank\"> A lawsuit \u003c/a>filed late Tuesday alleges that the agency routinely violates review deadlines, sometimes taking weeks or longer to render a decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The consequences of not receiving a timely decision can be devastating,\" says Meiram Bendat, an attorney for the plaintiffs and president of Psych-Appeal, a mental health advocacy law firm. \"Patients must decide whether to pay for costly treatments out of pocket, with the very real possibility of not getting reimbursed – or simply say ‘no’ and forego the care they desperately need.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Managed Health Care regulates health insurance plans that cover 25 million Californians. The number of people affected by the urgent review process addressed in the lawsuit is relatively few. Last year, the agency reviewed 1,789 insurance denials for care; 508 were handled on a expedited basis; and 15 percent of those (78 cases) were for mental health conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The department would not comment on the lawsuit directly, but said its top priority is to protect the health care rights of consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We take our responsibility very seriously in assisting health care consumers to receive medically necessary care when they need it,\" said Rachel Arrezola, deputy director of communications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Evolve Growth Initiatives, which operates adolescent mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities in California and New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evolve CEO Mendi Baron says delays in rendering appeal decisions put mental health providers in an awkward position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental health providers often delay or terminate care instead of taking on the risks associated with these delayed appeals” Baron says. “While Evolve does not discharge patients pending appeals, we find that if they can’t pay for treatment themselves, many patients simply won’t stay in treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lawsuit filed against the Department of Managed Health Care is unusual. Consumer health advocates recently applauded the agency for taking a hard line on enforcing \u003ca href=\"http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/mentalhealthparity/\" target=\"_blank\">mental health parity regulations \u003c/a>–- which require health insurers to provide mental health benefits equal to medical care. The agency fined Kaiser Permanente $4 million in 2013 for not providing patients timely access to mental health appointments and for effectively dissuading individual therapy. In 2014, Kaiser agreed to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2014/09/09/kaiser-agrees-to-pay-4-million-fine-over-mental-health-care-drops-lawsuit/\" target=\"_blank\">pay the fine\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“DMHC may tout mental health parity,” Baron said, “but its practices are making a mockery of actual mental health care.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/152649/california-regulator-sued-over-delayed-mental-health-appeals",
"authors": [
"3205"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_2442",
"stateofhealth_14"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_152655",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_142897": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_142897",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "142897",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1453833901000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1453833901,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Depression Screening Recommended For All Pregnant Women, New Mothers",
"title": "Depression Screening Recommended For All Pregnant Women, New Mothers",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Pregnant women and new mothers need more attention when it comes to screening for depression, according to recommendations issued Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That came as part of the panel's recommendation that all adults should be screened, in a situation where they can be provided or referred for treatment if they are clinically depressed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.18392\" target=\"_blank\">announcement \u003c/a>follows similar recommendations in 2002 and 2009. What's new this time is the special shout-out for pregnant women and new moms. They need special recognition, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/\" target=\"_blank\">task force\u003c/a> says, because of evidence showing that they can be accurately diagnosed and successfully treated, and because untreated depression harms not only the mother, but her child as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depression is the leading cause of disease-related disability in women around the world. Nine percent of pregnant women and 10 percent of new moms will go through a major depressive episode, according to evidence cited by the task force. And studies have shown that babies and toddlers with depressed moms are subject to lots of problems. They may be more difficult to console, be less likely to interact or have more sleeping problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The independent panel's recommendations are influential — many health insurers and health systems follow their suggestions. But the announcements often come with controversy. Recent and recurring \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/11/462693737/federal-panel-finalizes-mammogram-advice-that-stirred-controversy\" target=\"_blank\">recommendations\u003c/a> against automatic annual mammograms for women in their 40s have generated multiple headlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But concerns among mental health researchers who got an early glimpse of the advice about testing for depression have been mild — mostly questions about the best depression screening test to use and the importance of emphasizing more research on treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's no argument about the task force's call for recognizing the needs of pregnant women and new moms. \"Historically, depression in these populations has been underrecognized and undertreated,\" says \u003ca href=\"https://www.grouphealthresearch.org/our-research/our-scientists/ludman-evette-j/\" target=\"_blank\">Evette Ludman\u003c/a>, a clinical psychologist who studies behavioral science for Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most important, she says, is the recommendation that there be access to some sort of effective care when someone is diagnosed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heidi Koss got no screening with the birth of her first child 20 years ago, not even an open ear when she mentioned symptoms of depression to her obstetrician at her six-week checkup. \"He said 'Oh, this is typical of a lot of moms; perhaps you should get out more, maybe buy a new dress.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It just added to a sense of helplessness, hopelessness and isolation,\" she says now. In 2011, she \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2011/08/01/138830120/stigma-hinders-treatment-for-postpartum-depression\" target=\"_blank\">told NPR \u003c/a>about several attempts to commit suicide before finally finding a sympathetic mental health counselor about a year after her first child was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her experience with postpartum depression inspired Koss to get a degree in counseling. She now practices in Kirkland, Wash., and is on the board of directors of a nonprofit education group, \u003ca href=\"http://www.postpartum.net/\" target=\"_blank\">Postpartum Support International\u003c/a>. \"Pregnancy is not from the neck down,\" she says, pointing to studies that show that more women suffer from mental illness during pregnancy and after pregnancy than develop gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia, or go into preterm labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she singles out a small British \u003ca href=\"http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/67/1/219.full.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study\u003c/a> done in the late 1990s that claimed that psychiatric disorders, and suicide in particular, were the leading cause of maternal death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task force report notes that one of the biggest challenges is treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Because hopelessness and inertia are often part and parcel of depression, it can be challenging for persons living with depression to keep at it until finding the treatment that is right for them,\" says Ludman of Group Health Research Institute. The task force notes that talk therapy (specifically a kind called \u003ca href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/basics/definition/prc-20013594\" target=\"_blank\">cognitive behavioral therapy\u003c/a>), drug therapy or a combination of medication and therapy may be necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the group backs off on recommending drug treatment for pregnant women with depression because of the possibility of problems associated with certain drugs called SSRIs. Some \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/09/421203272/some-antidepressants-may-pose-increased-risk-of-birth-defects\" target=\"_blank\">studies\u003c/a> have shown a small risk of increased problems that include miscarriage and preterm birth. Instead, the suggestion for pregnant or breastfeeding women is for cognitive behavioral therapy or some form of counseling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task force's \u003ca href=\"http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.18392\" target=\"_blank\">recommendations\u003c/a> for pre- and post-term moms appear in the current issue of \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em>, the journal of the American Medical Association. They track with advice from other groups, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislation introduced in Congress last July would \u003ca href=\"https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr3235\" target=\"_blank\">authorize\u003c/a> the federal government to fund screening and treatment for pregnant women or women who have given birth within the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Joanne Silberner, a former health policy correspondent for NPR, is an \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://www.com.washington.edu/silberner/\" target=\"_blank\">artist in residence\u003c/a> \u003cem>at the University of Washington's department of communication. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Depression+Screening+Recommended+For+All+Pregnant+Women%2C+New+Mothers&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "142897 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=142897",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2016/01/26/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 799,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1453833901,
"excerpt": "Depression is common in women during pregnancy and postpartum, posing risks to both mother and child. More effort is needed to get women screened and treated, a federal advisory panel says.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Depression is common in women during pregnancy and postpartum, posing risks to both mother and child. More effort is needed to get women screened and treated, a federal advisory panel says.",
"title": "Depression Screening Recommended For All Pregnant Women, New Mothers | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Depression Screening Recommended For All Pregnant Women, New Mothers",
"datePublished": "2016-01-26T10:45:01-08:00",
"dateModified": "2016-01-26T10:45:01-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/26/464415212/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=464415212&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Joanne Silberner",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:06:00 -0500",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:55:40 -0500",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/26/464415212/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers?ft=nprml&f=464415212",
"nprImageAgency": "iStockphoto",
"nprImageCredit": "Gazi Alam",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "464415212",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 26 Jan 2016 11:55:00 -0500",
"path": "/stateofhealth/142897/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Pregnant women and new mothers need more attention when it comes to screening for depression, according to recommendations issued Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That came as part of the panel's recommendation that all adults should be screened, in a situation where they can be provided or referred for treatment if they are clinically depressed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.18392\" target=\"_blank\">announcement \u003c/a>follows similar recommendations in 2002 and 2009. What's new this time is the special shout-out for pregnant women and new moms. They need special recognition, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/\" target=\"_blank\">task force\u003c/a> says, because of evidence showing that they can be accurately diagnosed and successfully treated, and because untreated depression harms not only the mother, but her child as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depression is the leading cause of disease-related disability in women around the world. Nine percent of pregnant women and 10 percent of new moms will go through a major depressive episode, according to evidence cited by the task force. And studies have shown that babies and toddlers with depressed moms are subject to lots of problems. They may be more difficult to console, be less likely to interact or have more sleeping problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The independent panel's recommendations are influential — many health insurers and health systems follow their suggestions. But the announcements often come with controversy. Recent and recurring \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/11/462693737/federal-panel-finalizes-mammogram-advice-that-stirred-controversy\" target=\"_blank\">recommendations\u003c/a> against automatic annual mammograms for women in their 40s have generated multiple headlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But concerns among mental health researchers who got an early glimpse of the advice about testing for depression have been mild — mostly questions about the best depression screening test to use and the importance of emphasizing more research on treatments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's no argument about the task force's call for recognizing the needs of pregnant women and new moms. \"Historically, depression in these populations has been underrecognized and undertreated,\" says \u003ca href=\"https://www.grouphealthresearch.org/our-research/our-scientists/ludman-evette-j/\" target=\"_blank\">Evette Ludman\u003c/a>, a clinical psychologist who studies behavioral science for Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most important, she says, is the recommendation that there be access to some sort of effective care when someone is diagnosed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heidi Koss got no screening with the birth of her first child 20 years ago, not even an open ear when she mentioned symptoms of depression to her obstetrician at her six-week checkup. \"He said 'Oh, this is typical of a lot of moms; perhaps you should get out more, maybe buy a new dress.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It just added to a sense of helplessness, hopelessness and isolation,\" she says now. In 2011, she \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2011/08/01/138830120/stigma-hinders-treatment-for-postpartum-depression\" target=\"_blank\">told NPR \u003c/a>about several attempts to commit suicide before finally finding a sympathetic mental health counselor about a year after her first child was born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her experience with postpartum depression inspired Koss to get a degree in counseling. She now practices in Kirkland, Wash., and is on the board of directors of a nonprofit education group, \u003ca href=\"http://www.postpartum.net/\" target=\"_blank\">Postpartum Support International\u003c/a>. \"Pregnancy is not from the neck down,\" she says, pointing to studies that show that more women suffer from mental illness during pregnancy and after pregnancy than develop gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia, or go into preterm labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she singles out a small British \u003ca href=\"http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/67/1/219.full.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study\u003c/a> done in the late 1990s that claimed that psychiatric disorders, and suicide in particular, were the leading cause of maternal death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task force report notes that one of the biggest challenges is treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Because hopelessness and inertia are often part and parcel of depression, it can be challenging for persons living with depression to keep at it until finding the treatment that is right for them,\" says Ludman of Group Health Research Institute. The task force notes that talk therapy (specifically a kind called \u003ca href=\"http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/basics/definition/prc-20013594\" target=\"_blank\">cognitive behavioral therapy\u003c/a>), drug therapy or a combination of medication and therapy may be necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the group backs off on recommending drug treatment for pregnant women with depression because of the possibility of problems associated with certain drugs called SSRIs. Some \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/09/421203272/some-antidepressants-may-pose-increased-risk-of-birth-defects\" target=\"_blank\">studies\u003c/a> have shown a small risk of increased problems that include miscarriage and preterm birth. Instead, the suggestion for pregnant or breastfeeding women is for cognitive behavioral therapy or some form of counseling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The task force's \u003ca href=\"http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.18392\" target=\"_blank\">recommendations\u003c/a> for pre- and post-term moms appear in the current issue of \u003cem>JAMA\u003c/em>, the journal of the American Medical Association. They track with advice from other groups, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legislation introduced in Congress last July would \u003ca href=\"https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr3235\" target=\"_blank\">authorize\u003c/a> the federal government to fund screening and treatment for pregnant women or women who have given birth within the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Joanne Silberner, a former health policy correspondent for NPR, is an \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://www.com.washington.edu/silberner/\" target=\"_blank\">artist in residence\u003c/a> \u003cem>at the University of Washington's department of communication. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Depression+Screening+Recommended+For+All+Pregnant+Women%2C+New+Mothers&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/142897/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers",
"authors": [
"byline_stateofhealth_142897"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_12"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_397"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_142898",
"label": "source_stateofhealth_142897"
},
"stateofhealth_119817": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_119817",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "119817",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1449515018000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1449515018,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Oakland Minister Inspires Churchgoers to Address Mental Health",
"title": "Oakland Minister Inspires Churchgoers to Address Mental Health",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>For Rev. Donna Allen’s congregation in West Oakland, the New Revelation Community Church is a place to share with other African-Americans and to find support when facing life’s small and big crises. And for Allen, one of the most important messages is that their community has too often ignored the scourge of mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ll describe being very depressed, like ‘I don’t want to go on. I don’t want to get out of bed, I don’t want to live anymore,’ ” said Allen. “They’re really describing things that are mental health issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is trying to strengthen the community response to the needs of others and make sure church members understand that it’s not just faith that they can lean on when facing mental health problems. It’s an effort promoted by Alameda County, which has invested more than $1 million to help faith communities and other groups to bring mental health services to underserved communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen’s church has secured nearly $5,000 of that money to train congregants about how to help their peers with mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you talk to people and say who is the leader in your community, typically they say the ‘faith leaders,’ ” said Gigi Crowder, the ethnic services manager at Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the county has focused specifically on churches, inviting religious leaders to roundtable discussions about mental health and funding workshops to help congregants reach out to one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Churches can be particularly helpful in African-American communities where the need for mental health services is great but access often is limited. In general, African-Americans are \u003ca href=\"http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=24\" target=\"_blank\">20 percent more likely\u003c/a> to experience serious mental health problems than non-Hispanic whites, yet only 7.6 percent of black people sought treatment for mental health concerns, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://archive.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11MH_FindingsandDetTables/2K11MHFR/NSDUHmhfr2011.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Health and Human Services\u003c/a>. That contrasts with 13.6 percent of the general population that has received treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a year ago, the American Psychological Association published a \u003ca href=\"http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ser-a0038122.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study \u003c/a>that found “significant barriers to mental health services” remain for minority populations, even though the problem has been studied for more than a decade. Dr. David Satcher, while surgeon general, issued a \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44243/\" target=\"_blank\">landmark report\u003c/a> in 2001 that found minority groups generally had poorer quality mental health care than whites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen said she is hoping that by talking about mental health issues and helping to get members of her congregation trained, people “will be less likely to ignore, less likely to walk away, to minimize.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen knows firsthand how debilitating that can be. “I’m up front with them that I see a therapist,” she said. “I share with them that I’ve had periods of depression — not saying that I’m going through what you’re going through, but I at least can identify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hugs her congregants, she visits their houses, she offers her support. She gives them an opportunity to open up about very personal things that affect mental health, something she says the black church has not always embraced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it helps, especially if I don’t have the stigmas and I don’t have issues with someone having a mental health condition,” she says. “The next step is connecting them with resources and following up with them, encouraging them” to get treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, her church has held two training sessions for interested congregants on how to handle a mental health crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the day-long sessions, church members learn how to recognize and assist someone who needs help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental disorders can cause disability across a person’s life span and this is why it’s important to detect problems early and ensure the person is properly treated,” says Naki-Ta Thomas, a church member and co-facilitator for the workshop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their latest training session last summer, the group divided into groups of three for an exercise designed to show what experiencing a schizophrenic episode could be like. One of the participants asked another a constant barrage of basic questions, such as what is your name, where do you work. At the same time, another participant said distracting things through a funnel positioned in the ear of the person trying to answer the questions. “Don’t trust him!” the woman with the funnel said. “He’s looking at you, why is he looking at you? Why would he want to talk to you? He’s looking at you!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later in the session, Allen points out to the participants that the first instinct when dealing with a person affected by a mental health crisis might be to call the police. Unless there is an immediate threat, that may not be the best choice, she said, because it could “escalate the situation.” That can be especially dangerous in minority communities where distrust and fear on both sides can lead to violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It leads people of color to some dire consequences, in terms of being killed, injured or incarcerated as opposed to them getting the treatment that they need for the mental disorder,” Allen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an alternative, she suggested to people being trained that they should consider a 24-hour crisis prevention telephone hotline or a suicide hotline phone number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yvette Frazier, one of Allen’s congregants in the training, put those numbers on her cellphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that it’s important to recognize,” she said, “that when someone is having some difficulties in church we don’t get scared and run away, regardless of whatever their disorders may be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was produced as a project for the California Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the Center for Health Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "119817 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=119817",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/12/07/oakland-minister-inspires-churchgoers-to-address-mental-health/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1027,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 24
},
"modified": 1449515241,
"excerpt": "The New Revelation Community Church is funded by Alameda County to train congregants how to help people with mental health issues.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The New Revelation Community Church is funded by Alameda County to train congregants how to help people with mental health issues.",
"title": "Oakland Minister Inspires Churchgoers to Address Mental Health | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Oakland Minister Inspires Churchgoers to Address Mental Health",
"datePublished": "2015-12-07T11:03:38-08:00",
"dateModified": "2015-12-07T11:07:21-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oakland-minister-inspires-churchgoers-to-address-mental-health",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://khn.org/news/oakland-minister-stripping-away-churchs-knowledge-gap-on-mental-health/",
"nprByline": "Leila Day",
"source": "Kaiser Health News",
"path": "/stateofhealth/119817/oakland-minister-inspires-churchgoers-to-address-mental-health",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For Rev. Donna Allen’s congregation in West Oakland, the New Revelation Community Church is a place to share with other African-Americans and to find support when facing life’s small and big crises. And for Allen, one of the most important messages is that their community has too often ignored the scourge of mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ll describe being very depressed, like ‘I don’t want to go on. I don’t want to get out of bed, I don’t want to live anymore,’ ” said Allen. “They’re really describing things that are mental health issues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She is trying to strengthen the community response to the needs of others and make sure church members understand that it’s not just faith that they can lean on when facing mental health problems. It’s an effort promoted by Alameda County, which has invested more than $1 million to help faith communities and other groups to bring mental health services to underserved communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen’s church has secured nearly $5,000 of that money to train congregants about how to help their peers with mental illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you talk to people and say who is the leader in your community, typically they say the ‘faith leaders,’ ” said Gigi Crowder, the ethnic services manager at Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the county has focused specifically on churches, inviting religious leaders to roundtable discussions about mental health and funding workshops to help congregants reach out to one another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Churches can be particularly helpful in African-American communities where the need for mental health services is great but access often is limited. In general, African-Americans are \u003ca href=\"http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=24\" target=\"_blank\">20 percent more likely\u003c/a> to experience serious mental health problems than non-Hispanic whites, yet only 7.6 percent of black people sought treatment for mental health concerns, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://archive.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11MH_FindingsandDetTables/2K11MHFR/NSDUHmhfr2011.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Health and Human Services\u003c/a>. That contrasts with 13.6 percent of the general population that has received treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just a year ago, the American Psychological Association published a \u003ca href=\"http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ser-a0038122.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">study \u003c/a>that found “significant barriers to mental health services” remain for minority populations, even though the problem has been studied for more than a decade. Dr. David Satcher, while surgeon general, issued a \u003ca href=\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44243/\" target=\"_blank\">landmark report\u003c/a> in 2001 that found minority groups generally had poorer quality mental health care than whites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen said she is hoping that by talking about mental health issues and helping to get members of her congregation trained, people “will be less likely to ignore, less likely to walk away, to minimize.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen knows firsthand how debilitating that can be. “I’m up front with them that I see a therapist,” she said. “I share with them that I’ve had periods of depression — not saying that I’m going through what you’re going through, but I at least can identify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She hugs her congregants, she visits their houses, she offers her support. She gives them an opportunity to open up about very personal things that affect mental health, something she says the black church has not always embraced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it helps, especially if I don’t have the stigmas and I don’t have issues with someone having a mental health condition,” she says. “The next step is connecting them with resources and following up with them, encouraging them” to get treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, her church has held two training sessions for interested congregants on how to handle a mental health crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the day-long sessions, church members learn how to recognize and assist someone who needs help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mental disorders can cause disability across a person’s life span and this is why it’s important to detect problems early and ensure the person is properly treated,” says Naki-Ta Thomas, a church member and co-facilitator for the workshop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their latest training session last summer, the group divided into groups of three for an exercise designed to show what experiencing a schizophrenic episode could be like. One of the participants asked another a constant barrage of basic questions, such as what is your name, where do you work. At the same time, another participant said distracting things through a funnel positioned in the ear of the person trying to answer the questions. “Don’t trust him!” the woman with the funnel said. “He’s looking at you, why is he looking at you? Why would he want to talk to you? He’s looking at you!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later in the session, Allen points out to the participants that the first instinct when dealing with a person affected by a mental health crisis might be to call the police. Unless there is an immediate threat, that may not be the best choice, she said, because it could “escalate the situation.” That can be especially dangerous in minority communities where distrust and fear on both sides can lead to violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It leads people of color to some dire consequences, in terms of being killed, injured or incarcerated as opposed to them getting the treatment that they need for the mental disorder,” Allen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an alternative, she suggested to people being trained that they should consider a 24-hour crisis prevention telephone hotline or a suicide hotline phone number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yvette Frazier, one of Allen’s congregants in the training, put those numbers on her cellphone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that it’s important to recognize,” she said, “that when someone is having some difficulties in church we don’t get scared and run away, regardless of whatever their disorders may be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was produced as a project for the California Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the Center for Health Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/119817/oakland-minister-inspires-churchgoers-to-address-mental-health",
"authors": [
"byline_stateofhealth_119817"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519",
"stateofhealth_145"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_119820",
"label": "source_stateofhealth_119817"
},
"stateofhealth_109971": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_109971",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "109971",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1447920726000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1447920726,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Tiny Fort Bragg Bitterly Divided over Downtown Homeless Center",
"title": "Tiny Fort Bragg Bitterly Divided over Downtown Homeless Center",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Kevin Scanlon walks out of the main coffee shop in downtown Fort Bragg. One block to the left is the ocean, and miles of trails along the Mendocino coastline. Scanlon turns right, toward the four-block stretch of small shops selling socks, books and tchotchkes.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'We didn't say we're against it. We said we're against it here. ... And that's not being prejudiced, just pragmatic.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Kevin Scanlon, Fort Bragg resident\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“We’re a tourist town now. Logging’s done. Fishing’s done,” says Scanlon, a general contractor who has worked on many of the local buildings. “So we've got to keep the integrity of downtown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not only tourists who have taken a liking to Fort Bragg. So have the homeless. And this worries Scanlon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have a lot of transitional people coming, it just turns tourists off,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scanlon stops outside the historic Old Coast Hotel. It was vacant for years, until the city approved a grant to the nonprofit Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to buy it. The agency moved in this summer and began providing case management and mental health services to the homeless. It will eventually use the hotel rooms as transitional housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plans threw the town into an uproar. Scanlon, and more than 1,000 other local residents and business owners, signed a petition to keep the homeless out of the hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn't say we're against it. We said we're against it here,” Scanlon says. “And that's not being prejudiced, just pragmatic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hotel sits at the gateway to the burgeoning downtown commercial district. Scanlon and other opponents say the building should go to a thriving business. Like a hotel, or a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could get bed tax. You could get the food tax,” Scanlon says. “That could be a financial gain for the city, as opposed to a financial drain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_110517\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/IMG_1412-e1447893339603.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-110517 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/IMG_1412-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Debbie Gibney, 58, is a client and staff member at the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. She says has bipolar disease and suffers from post-traumatic stress. \" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Debbie Gibney, 58, is a client and staff member at the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. She says she has bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. \u003ccite>(April Dembosky/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Opponents feel so strongly about the hotel that they filed a lawsuit to block the sale. It failed. They threatened to recall the mayor for supporting the project. That didn’t work. Now they’ve put \u003ca href=\"https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=4120775&GUID=6C84559B-06CF-4C7D-8958-387E87390BFE\" target=\"_blank\">a measure on next June's ballot\u003c/a> that would ban all social services from downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of the hospitality center say there’s been community pushback at every location they considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Part of it is simply that 'not in my backyard,' ” says Executive Director Anna Shaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they landed at the Old Coast Hotel, it really hit a nerve. Shaw says people have nostalgia for watching sports at the polished wood bar, and seeing their teams win. One man proposed to his wife here 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think some people have a feeling that it’s kind of too good for the homeless and the mentally ill,” Shaw says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"JhJk4DEgS1JJjSpPiBVLsdj0rZNQHVRL\"]The building is more than 100 years old and is considered an architectural gem. The hallway walls are pressed tin. The hotel rooms upstairs still have Victorian details -- layered window dressings, wainscoting, marble fireplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shaw says that when homeless people have a nice place to stay like this, they do better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because people's self-esteem is higher. It’s much harder to throw trash on the floor when the room looks beautiful like this,” Shaw says. “If it’s really squalid, there’s no incentive to behave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says being downtown is also important. It’s easier for people to get to appointments, and it helps reduce stigma when people are integrated into the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lots of homeless people and people impaired with mental illness feel marginalized,” she says. “It’s important that folk get to come to a place where the value we place on them is expressed through the building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Anne Marie Cesario, a retired social worker, says that’s not the way to combat stigma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s like using people as guinea pigs in order to further some liberal’s idea about consciousness raising,” she says. “It's inappropriate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cesario is one of several mental health professionals opposed to the downtown location. She says it’s not private enough, especially for people who suffer from paranoia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don't want to be seen when they go to the doctor. They don't want to be seen when they go to the therapist,” she says. “That building is on one of the busiest corners in town, and it's a four-way stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She, and other members of the Concerned Citizens of Fort Bragg, believe a more appropriate location would be the former social services building on the edge of town, near the hospital and police station. Or an old motel on Highway 1. Or a building 3 miles north of Fort Bragg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_110518\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/SocisalSign-e1447893767971.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-110518\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/SocisalSign-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Signs in the window of a downtown Fort Bragg business urge residents to sign a petition for a ballot measure that would prohibit social service agencies in the downtown area. \" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs in the window of a downtown Fort Bragg business urge residents to sign a petition for a ballot measure that would prohibit social service agencies in the downtown area. \u003ccite>(April Dembosky/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Hospitality Center declined all those properties. And now the Concerned Citizens group is hoping voters will pass their ballot measure prohibiting social services in the downtown commercial district, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even if the measure does pass, it’s unclear what impact it will have on the Old Coast Hotel. An analysis from the city attorney’s office says that, under legal precedents, the Hospitality Center would most likely be allowed to continue operating at the hotel. It would be grandfathered in under any new zoning rules as a “non-conforming use.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will result in nothing but lawsuits,” says Scott Menzies, who runs a tai chi studio in town, and helped organize another group of small business owners, called Go Fort Bragg, who are against the ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The measure is so broad-reaching, it will cause far more collateral damage,” he says. “They’re using a cannon that targets every other social services organization in the business district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the tension and fighting is frustrating for Debbie Gibney, a client of the Hospitality Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m bipolar and I have post-traumatic stress syndrome, from being an abused wife,” she says. “I take medication and I see a therapist regularly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gibney is 58. A few years ago, she was forced to retire early from her job. Then she lost her home. She got help at the Hospitality Center, and now she’s back on her feet, helping other homeless people at the Old Coast Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud to walk in here,” she says. “Because of the beauty of the building, and the reception that we get here, and the way the staff accepts us and loves us unconditionally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the agency’s previous location, in a strip mall near the DMV, clients had to wait in an alleyway for appointments. But since moving to the Old Coast Hotel, Gibney notices the clients are more relaxed and more respectful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel like we're part of the city now,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "109971 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=109971",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/11/19/fort-bragg-bitterly-divided-downtown-homeless-center/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1266,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 36
},
"modified": 1448047064,
"excerpt": "The Mendocino Coast town will soon vote on whether to ban mental health services in downtown shopping district.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The Mendocino Coast town will soon vote on whether to ban mental health services in downtown shopping district.",
"title": "Tiny Fort Bragg Bitterly Divided over Downtown Homeless Center | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Tiny Fort Bragg Bitterly Divided over Downtown Homeless Center",
"datePublished": "2015-11-19T00:12:06-08:00",
"dateModified": "2015-11-20T11:17:44-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "fort-bragg-bitterly-divided-downtown-homeless-center",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/109971/fort-bragg-bitterly-divided-downtown-homeless-center",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Kevin Scanlon walks out of the main coffee shop in downtown Fort Bragg. One block to the left is the ocean, and miles of trails along the Mendocino coastline. Scanlon turns right, toward the four-block stretch of small shops selling socks, books and tchotchkes.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'We didn't say we're against it. We said we're against it here. ... And that's not being prejudiced, just pragmatic.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Kevin Scanlon, Fort Bragg resident\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>“We’re a tourist town now. Logging’s done. Fishing’s done,” says Scanlon, a general contractor who has worked on many of the local buildings. “So we've got to keep the integrity of downtown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not only tourists who have taken a liking to Fort Bragg. So have the homeless. And this worries Scanlon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have a lot of transitional people coming, it just turns tourists off,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scanlon stops outside the historic Old Coast Hotel. It was vacant for years, until the city approved a grant to the nonprofit Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to buy it. The agency moved in this summer and began providing case management and mental health services to the homeless. It will eventually use the hotel rooms as transitional housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plans threw the town into an uproar. Scanlon, and more than 1,000 other local residents and business owners, signed a petition to keep the homeless out of the hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn't say we're against it. We said we're against it here,” Scanlon says. “And that's not being prejudiced, just pragmatic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hotel sits at the gateway to the burgeoning downtown commercial district. Scanlon and other opponents say the building should go to a thriving business. Like a hotel, or a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You could get bed tax. You could get the food tax,” Scanlon says. “That could be a financial gain for the city, as opposed to a financial drain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_110517\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/IMG_1412-e1447893339603.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-110517 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/IMG_1412-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Debbie Gibney, 58, is a client and staff member at the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. She says has bipolar disease and suffers from post-traumatic stress. \" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Debbie Gibney, 58, is a client and staff member at the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center. She says she has bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. \u003ccite>(April Dembosky/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Opponents feel so strongly about the hotel that they filed a lawsuit to block the sale. It failed. They threatened to recall the mayor for supporting the project. That didn’t work. Now they’ve put \u003ca href=\"https://cityfortbragg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=4120775&GUID=6C84559B-06CF-4C7D-8958-387E87390BFE\" target=\"_blank\">a measure on next June's ballot\u003c/a> that would ban all social services from downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But leaders of the hospitality center say there’s been community pushback at every location they considered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Part of it is simply that 'not in my backyard,' ” says Executive Director Anna Shaw.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when they landed at the Old Coast Hotel, it really hit a nerve. Shaw says people have nostalgia for watching sports at the polished wood bar, and seeing their teams win. One man proposed to his wife here 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think some people have a feeling that it’s kind of too good for the homeless and the mentally ill,” Shaw says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>The building is more than 100 years old and is considered an architectural gem. The hallway walls are pressed tin. The hotel rooms upstairs still have Victorian details -- layered window dressings, wainscoting, marble fireplaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shaw says that when homeless people have a nice place to stay like this, they do better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because people's self-esteem is higher. It’s much harder to throw trash on the floor when the room looks beautiful like this,” Shaw says. “If it’s really squalid, there’s no incentive to behave.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says being downtown is also important. It’s easier for people to get to appointments, and it helps reduce stigma when people are integrated into the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lots of homeless people and people impaired with mental illness feel marginalized,” she says. “It’s important that folk get to come to a place where the value we place on them is expressed through the building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Anne Marie Cesario, a retired social worker, says that’s not the way to combat stigma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s like using people as guinea pigs in order to further some liberal’s idea about consciousness raising,” she says. “It's inappropriate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cesario is one of several mental health professionals opposed to the downtown location. She says it’s not private enough, especially for people who suffer from paranoia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They don't want to be seen when they go to the doctor. They don't want to be seen when they go to the therapist,” she says. “That building is on one of the busiest corners in town, and it's a four-way stop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She, and other members of the Concerned Citizens of Fort Bragg, believe a more appropriate location would be the former social services building on the edge of town, near the hospital and police station. Or an old motel on Highway 1. Or a building 3 miles north of Fort Bragg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_110518\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/SocisalSign-e1447893767971.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-110518\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/11/SocisalSign-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Signs in the window of a downtown Fort Bragg business urge residents to sign a petition for a ballot measure that would prohibit social service agencies in the downtown area. \" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs in the window of a downtown Fort Bragg business urge residents to sign a petition for a ballot measure that would prohibit social service agencies in the downtown area. \u003ccite>(April Dembosky/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Hospitality Center declined all those properties. And now the Concerned Citizens group is hoping voters will pass their ballot measure prohibiting social services in the downtown commercial district, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even if the measure does pass, it’s unclear what impact it will have on the Old Coast Hotel. An analysis from the city attorney’s office says that, under legal precedents, the Hospitality Center would most likely be allowed to continue operating at the hotel. It would be grandfathered in under any new zoning rules as a “non-conforming use.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This will result in nothing but lawsuits,” says Scott Menzies, who runs a tai chi studio in town, and helped organize another group of small business owners, called Go Fort Bragg, who are against the ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The measure is so broad-reaching, it will cause far more collateral damage,” he says. “They’re using a cannon that targets every other social services organization in the business district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the tension and fighting is frustrating for Debbie Gibney, a client of the Hospitality Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m bipolar and I have post-traumatic stress syndrome, from being an abused wife,” she says. “I take medication and I see a therapist regularly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gibney is 58. A few years ago, she was forced to retire early from her job. Then she lost her home. She got help at the Hospitality Center, and now she’s back on her feet, helping other homeless people at the Old Coast Hotel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m proud to walk in here,” she says. “Because of the beauty of the building, and the reception that we get here, and the way the staff accepts us and loves us unconditionally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the agency’s previous location, in a strip mall near the DMV, clients had to wait in an alleyway for appointments. But since moving to the Old Coast Hotel, Gibney notices the clients are more relaxed and more respectful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We feel like we're part of the city now,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/109971/fort-bragg-bitterly-divided-downtown-homeless-center",
"authors": [
"3205"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_109972",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_107020": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_107020",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "107020",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1447348074000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1447348074,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Depressed? Look For Help From A Human, Not A Computer",
"title": "Depressed? Look For Help From A Human, Not A Computer",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Almost 8 percent of Americans 12 and older dealt with depression at some point between 2009 and 2012. With that many of us feeling blue, wouldn't it be nice if we could simply hop on the computer in our pajamas, without any of the stigma of asking for help, and find real relief?\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\n\"It's an important, cautionary note that we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists.\"\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Dr. Christopher Dowrick, University of Liverpool \u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available, and while they sound efficient and cost-saving, a study out of the U.K. reports that they're not effective, primarily because depressed patients aren't likely to engage with them or stick with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.h5627\" target=\"_blank\">study\u003c/a>, which was published in \u003cem>The BMJ\u003c/em> on Wednesday, looked at computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy and found that it was no more effective in treating depression than the usual care patients receive from a primary care doctor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered an effective form of talk therapy for depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. Online CBT programs have been \u003ca href=\"http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/depressed-try-therapy-without-the-therapist/\" target=\"_blank\">gaining popularity\u003c/a>, with the allure of providing low-cost help wherever someone has access to a computer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a randomized control trial with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. The patients were split into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs, either \"Beating the Blues\" or \"MoodGYM.\" Participants were balanced across the three groups for age, sex, educational background, severity and duration of depression, and use of antidepressants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs, or cCBT, had no improvement in depression levels over the patients who were only getting usual care from their doctors. \"Uptake and use of cCBT was low, despite regular telephone support,\" the study authors wrote. Almost a quarter of participants dropped out within four months, and patients noted the \"difficulty in repeatedly logging on to computer systems when they are clinically depressed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's an important, cautionary note that we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists,\" says \u003ca href=\"https://www.liv.ac.uk/psychology-health-and-society/staff/christopher-dowrick/\" target=\"_blank\">Christopher Dowrick\u003c/a>, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool, who wrote an accompanying \u003ca href=\"http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h5942\" target=\"_blank\">editorial\u003c/a>. \"We do still need the human touch or the human interaction, particularly when people are depressed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of patient engagement in this study means these programs aren't the panacea that busy doctors and cost-conscious health care officials might be hoping for, Dowrick wrote in the editorial. Yet it's important to note that the study was conducted in a primary care setting, he says, because many other studies on cCBT that show some benefit have been conducted in psychological settings, where patients might be more motivated to engage with these kinds of online programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the unenthusiastic findings of the study, Dowrick says that do-it-yourself treatments like cCBT can still be effective. But they're more likely to succeed when people have relatively mild symptoms of depression or are in a recovery stage – the participants in this study were mostly in the category of moderate to severe depression, he says. Computerized CBT is also more likely to succeed, he adds, if the patients are open to seeking help on a computer and when they have a \"reasonable amount\" of guidance as they go through the program, preferably from a therapist. In this study, he says, participants each totaled roughly six minutes of telephone support and guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being depressed can mean feeling \"lost in your own little small, negative, dark world,\" Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in combating that sense of isolation. \"When you're emotionally vulnerable, you're even more in need of a caring human being,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2015 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\">http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Depressed%3F+Look+For+Help+From+A+Human%2C+Not+A+Computer&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "107020 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=107020",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/11/12/depressed-look-for-help-from-a-human-not-a-computer/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 710,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 12
},
"modified": 1447351660,
"excerpt": "Researchers asked people with depression to use an online cognitive behavioral therapy program at home. It helped no more than primary care visits. Most said they were too depressed to use it.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Researchers asked people with depression to use an online cognitive behavioral therapy program at home. It helped no more than primary care visits. Most said they were too depressed to use it.",
"title": "Depressed? Look For Help From A Human, Not A Computer | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Depressed? Look For Help From A Human, Not A Computer",
"datePublished": "2015-11-12T09:07:54-08:00",
"dateModified": "2015-11-12T10:07:40-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "depressed-look-for-help-from-a-human-not-a-computer",
"status": "publish",
"sourceUrl": "http://khn.org",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=455743090&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Lynne Shallcross",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:24:00 -0500",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:26:36 -0500",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/11/12/455743090/depressed-look-for-help-from-a-human-not-a-computer?ft=nprml&f=455743090",
"source": "Kaiser Health News",
"nprStoryId": "455743090",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:24:00 -0500",
"path": "/stateofhealth/107020/depressed-look-for-help-from-a-human-not-a-computer",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Almost 8 percent of Americans 12 and older dealt with depression at some point between 2009 and 2012. With that many of us feeling blue, wouldn't it be nice if we could simply hop on the computer in our pajamas, without any of the stigma of asking for help, and find real relief?\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">\n\"It's an important, cautionary note that we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists.\"\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Dr. Christopher Dowrick, University of Liverpool \u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available, and while they sound efficient and cost-saving, a study out of the U.K. reports that they're not effective, primarily because depressed patients aren't likely to engage with them or stick with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.h5627\" target=\"_blank\">study\u003c/a>, which was published in \u003cem>The BMJ\u003c/em> on Wednesday, looked at computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy and found that it was no more effective in treating depression than the usual care patients receive from a primary care doctor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered an effective form of talk therapy for depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. Online CBT programs have been \u003ca href=\"http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/depressed-try-therapy-without-the-therapist/\" target=\"_blank\">gaining popularity\u003c/a>, with the allure of providing low-cost help wherever someone has access to a computer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a randomized control trial with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. The patients were split into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs, either \"Beating the Blues\" or \"MoodGYM.\" Participants were balanced across the three groups for age, sex, educational background, severity and duration of depression, and use of antidepressants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs, or cCBT, had no improvement in depression levels over the patients who were only getting usual care from their doctors. \"Uptake and use of cCBT was low, despite regular telephone support,\" the study authors wrote. Almost a quarter of participants dropped out within four months, and patients noted the \"difficulty in repeatedly logging on to computer systems when they are clinically depressed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's an important, cautionary note that we shouldn't get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists,\" says \u003ca href=\"https://www.liv.ac.uk/psychology-health-and-society/staff/christopher-dowrick/\" target=\"_blank\">Christopher Dowrick\u003c/a>, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool, who wrote an accompanying \u003ca href=\"http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h5942\" target=\"_blank\">editorial\u003c/a>. \"We do still need the human touch or the human interaction, particularly when people are depressed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lack of patient engagement in this study means these programs aren't the panacea that busy doctors and cost-conscious health care officials might be hoping for, Dowrick wrote in the editorial. Yet it's important to note that the study was conducted in a primary care setting, he says, because many other studies on cCBT that show some benefit have been conducted in psychological settings, where patients might be more motivated to engage with these kinds of online programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the unenthusiastic findings of the study, Dowrick says that do-it-yourself treatments like cCBT can still be effective. But they're more likely to succeed when people have relatively mild symptoms of depression or are in a recovery stage – the participants in this study were mostly in the category of moderate to severe depression, he says. Computerized CBT is also more likely to succeed, he adds, if the patients are open to seeking help on a computer and when they have a \"reasonable amount\" of guidance as they go through the program, preferably from a therapist. In this study, he says, participants each totaled roughly six minutes of telephone support and guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being depressed can mean feeling \"lost in your own little small, negative, dark world,\" Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in combating that sense of isolation. \"When you're emotionally vulnerable, you're even more in need of a caring human being,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2015 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\">http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Depressed%3F+Look+For+Help+From+A+Human%2C+Not+A+Computer&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\" alt=\"\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/107020/depressed-look-for-help-from-a-human-not-a-computer",
"authors": [
"byline_stateofhealth_107020"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_2407",
"stateofhealth_13"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_2582",
"stateofhealth_68"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_107021",
"label": "source_stateofhealth_107020"
},
"stateofhealth_96393": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_96393",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "96393",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1445700922000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1445700922,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Deep Dive into California's Mental Hospitals Reveals More Questions Than Answers",
"title": "Deep Dive into California's Mental Hospitals Reveals More Questions Than Answers",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>My nine-month investigation into California's state mental hospitals began with a simple question: \"What happens to people found 'not guilty by reason of insanity' or 'incompetent to stand trial'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out the answers -- and the issues raised -- are complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week marks a grim anniversary for Napa State Hospital. Five years ago Saturday, hospital psychiatric technician Donna Gross was murdered by a patient there. I focused my reporting in Napa, as opposed to the other four state mental hospitals (Atascadero, Coalinga, Metropolitan and Patton) because I wanted to know what impact Gross's murder had on the hospital and how security and policies have changed since then. I needed to talk to hospital staff, patients and their families to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn't easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways Napa is a very troubled institution. And the trouble started long before Donna Gross was murdered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2004, the hospital denied access to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which was investigating conditions at the hospital. The DOJ was looking at potential violations of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.justice.gov/crt/civil-rights-institutionalized-persons\" target=\"_blank\">Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act\u003c/a>. Denying the U.S. Attorney General access -- that's rather astonishing. Despite this lack of access, the DOJ interviewed hospital staff and others and \u003ca href=\"http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2010/12/15/napa_findlet_6-27-05.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">found\u003c/a>, among other things, failure \"to protect patients from harm and abuse.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"6PLenFAZTbDgeJeArqVR3exzy3n7xR8d\"]In 2010, a few months before \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Napa-State-Hospital-psychiatric-worker-slain-3248688.php\" target=\"_blank\">Donna Gross \u003c/a>was murdered, the hospital's executive director Claude E. Foulk was \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/25/local/la-me-hospital-director25-2010feb25\" target=\"_blank\">fired\u003c/a> after being arrested and charged with child molestation. He was later \u003ca href=\"http://www.presstelegram.com/technology/20110223/foulk-gets-248-years-for-sex-crimes\" target=\"_blank\">sentenced to 248 years in prison\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His replacement, Dolly Matteucci, was soon confronted with Gross's brutal murder by a patient, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Napa-mental-patient-pleads-no-contest-to-murder-2336565.php\" target=\"_blank\">Jess Massey\u003c/a>, who had been allowed to walk around unattended on hospital grounds even though he had a history of violence. He later pleaded no contest to one count of murder and is now in Corcoran State Prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than two months later another hospital therapist was severely beaten as he escorted a different patient on the grounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">I reported earlier this week \u003c/a>that since these incidents, there have been many changes at the Napa hospital:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Personal distress alarms with GPS replaced the old alarms, which didn't work outside where Gross was murdered\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>More hospital police have been hired\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Policies have been changed to protect vulnerable staff, and\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gov. Jerry Brown signed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1340\" target=\"_blank\">AB 1340\u003c/a>, which will allow Napa and other state hospitals to segregate the most dangerous patients and give them \"enhanced treatment\" -- including risk assessment for violent behavior and concentrated clinical therapy -- in a secure setting. Construction has not yet started on this additional housing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>It was in this context that I asked to interview hospital director Matteucci. At first I was told \"maybe,\" then I was told she could only do the interview on the phone. After pushing, I was granted an in-person interview with her in the administration building \"outside the security fence.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hospital had more than 1,800 physical assaults last year. To be fair, \"assault\" can be anything from pushing away the hand of a nurse who's giving out medication to getting punched or worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet it is patients, not staff, who are usually the victims of this violence from other patients. A small number of them cause most of the problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted to visit the hospital and talk with a patient. The public information officer for the Department of State Hospitals told me I was free to write to any patient I knew was there (such as perpetrators of very high profile crimes, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/should-it-matter-that-the-shooter-at-oikos-university-was-korean.html\" target=\"_blank\">One L. Goh\u003c/a>, the shooter at Oikos University in Oakland in 2013) to ask if they would talk to me. I knew this would be a long shot, so instead I reached out to the hospital's family support group. Eventually I visited Napa with Frank and Barbara Brackin, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/23/violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families/\" target=\"_blank\">as I described in my story on Friday.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their son Shawn ended up in Napa after a tragic incident in a Roseville. During an attempt by Shawn of \"suicide by cop,\" he walked into a police station waving a gun. In the melee, a police officer shot and killed another policeman by mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to time in a state mental hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nearly 20 years he's been there, Shawn has been brutally assaulted, most recently in 2014 when another patient slammed his head into a wall so hard his hair was stuck in the wall. The Brackins are suing the hospital for failing to protect him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing emphasized to me over and over is that people sent to state mental hospitals are patients, not prisoners. That means they have certain rights and privileges, even if they're violent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'll never forget my visit to Napa with the Brackins. It felt like I had entered a kind of \"forbidden zone\" where outsiders rarely went. And meeting Shawn after hearing so much about him from his parents was very poignant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On my visit, we were met in the parking lot by a media representative from the Department of State Hospitals. We were warned not to videotape or photograph the barbed-wired security fence, the tight security at the main gate, or people coming and going (including reporters, like me).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We passed through multiple locked gates, doors and a metal detector before we were told to surrender cell phones and wallets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was warned not to talk to or interview any other patients. I was asked to turn over my audio recordings of Shawn Brackin so the Department of State Hospitals could review them to make sure he didn't say anything compromising the privacy of other patients. I negotiated a much more narrow accommodation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was also denied any access to record audio of music therapy classes. I was told this could jeopardize patient privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I found all these requests to be overly strict. I've been to numerous state prisons, including San Quentin. The Department of Corrections has allowed me to freely photograph the gate, inmates, the cell blocks -- pretty much anything except Death Row. I have attended classes, religious services and therapy classes and was allowed to record, videotape and take photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep us away from other patients at Napa (who were meeting with family members nearby) the four of us were escorted to a tiny (perhaps 10 feet by 10 feet) room with no air conditioning and no apparent ventilation. (I was told this is where attorneys can meet privately with patients and their families.) At one point Shawn, who appears to have severe brain damage from assaults he suffered at Napa, asked to open the door to let some air in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all families criticize Napa. Some say their loved ones are finally getting the treatment they should have gotten in the community before they committed tragic crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even strong critics acknowledge there’s a role for state hospitals to play in our criminal justice system, especially for violent defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some advocates for the mentally ill say we need to make more treatment available in the community whenever possible -- rather than in locked state hospitals like Napa.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "96393 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=96393",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/24/deep-dive-into-californias-mental-hospitals-reveals-more-questions-than-answers/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1231,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 30
},
"modified": 1445786866,
"excerpt": "Scott Shafer reflects on the challenges he faced in his nine-month investigation of Napa State Hospital, five years after a staff member was murdered by a patient.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Scott Shafer reflects on the challenges he faced in his nine-month investigation of Napa State Hospital, five years after a staff member was murdered by a patient.",
"title": "Deep Dive into California's Mental Hospitals Reveals More Questions Than Answers | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Deep Dive into California's Mental Hospitals Reveals More Questions Than Answers",
"datePublished": "2015-10-24T08:35:22-07:00",
"dateModified": "2015-10-25T08:27:46-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "deep-dive-into-californias-mental-hospitals-reveals-more-questions-than-answers",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/96393/deep-dive-into-californias-mental-hospitals-reveals-more-questions-than-answers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>My nine-month investigation into California's state mental hospitals began with a simple question: \"What happens to people found 'not guilty by reason of insanity' or 'incompetent to stand trial'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out the answers -- and the issues raised -- are complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week marks a grim anniversary for Napa State Hospital. Five years ago Saturday, hospital psychiatric technician Donna Gross was murdered by a patient there. I focused my reporting in Napa, as opposed to the other four state mental hospitals (Atascadero, Coalinga, Metropolitan and Patton) because I wanted to know what impact Gross's murder had on the hospital and how security and policies have changed since then. I needed to talk to hospital staff, patients and their families to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn't easy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some ways Napa is a very troubled institution. And the trouble started long before Donna Gross was murdered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2004, the hospital denied access to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which was investigating conditions at the hospital. The DOJ was looking at potential violations of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.justice.gov/crt/civil-rights-institutionalized-persons\" target=\"_blank\">Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act\u003c/a>. Denying the U.S. Attorney General access -- that's rather astonishing. Despite this lack of access, the DOJ interviewed hospital staff and others and \u003ca href=\"http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2010/12/15/napa_findlet_6-27-05.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">found\u003c/a>, among other things, failure \"to protect patients from harm and abuse.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>In 2010, a few months before \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Napa-State-Hospital-psychiatric-worker-slain-3248688.php\" target=\"_blank\">Donna Gross \u003c/a>was murdered, the hospital's executive director Claude E. Foulk was \u003ca href=\"http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/25/local/la-me-hospital-director25-2010feb25\" target=\"_blank\">fired\u003c/a> after being arrested and charged with child molestation. He was later \u003ca href=\"http://www.presstelegram.com/technology/20110223/foulk-gets-248-years-for-sex-crimes\" target=\"_blank\">sentenced to 248 years in prison\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His replacement, Dolly Matteucci, was soon confronted with Gross's brutal murder by a patient, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Napa-mental-patient-pleads-no-contest-to-murder-2336565.php\" target=\"_blank\">Jess Massey\u003c/a>, who had been allowed to walk around unattended on hospital grounds even though he had a history of violence. He later pleaded no contest to one count of murder and is now in Corcoran State Prison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than two months later another hospital therapist was severely beaten as he escorted a different patient on the grounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">I reported earlier this week \u003c/a>that since these incidents, there have been many changes at the Napa hospital:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Personal distress alarms with GPS replaced the old alarms, which didn't work outside where Gross was murdered\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>More hospital police have been hired\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Policies have been changed to protect vulnerable staff, and\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gov. Jerry Brown signed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1340\" target=\"_blank\">AB 1340\u003c/a>, which will allow Napa and other state hospitals to segregate the most dangerous patients and give them \"enhanced treatment\" -- including risk assessment for violent behavior and concentrated clinical therapy -- in a secure setting. Construction has not yet started on this additional housing.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>It was in this context that I asked to interview hospital director Matteucci. At first I was told \"maybe,\" then I was told she could only do the interview on the phone. After pushing, I was granted an in-person interview with her in the administration building \"outside the security fence.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hospital had more than 1,800 physical assaults last year. To be fair, \"assault\" can be anything from pushing away the hand of a nurse who's giving out medication to getting punched or worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet it is patients, not staff, who are usually the victims of this violence from other patients. A small number of them cause most of the problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted to visit the hospital and talk with a patient. The public information officer for the Department of State Hospitals told me I was free to write to any patient I knew was there (such as perpetrators of very high profile crimes, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/magazine/should-it-matter-that-the-shooter-at-oikos-university-was-korean.html\" target=\"_blank\">One L. Goh\u003c/a>, the shooter at Oikos University in Oakland in 2013) to ask if they would talk to me. I knew this would be a long shot, so instead I reached out to the hospital's family support group. Eventually I visited Napa with Frank and Barbara Brackin, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/23/violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families/\" target=\"_blank\">as I described in my story on Friday.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their son Shawn ended up in Napa after a tragic incident in a Roseville. During an attempt by Shawn of \"suicide by cop,\" he walked into a police station waving a gun. In the melee, a police officer shot and killed another policeman by mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to time in a state mental hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nearly 20 years he's been there, Shawn has been brutally assaulted, most recently in 2014 when another patient slammed his head into a wall so hard his hair was stuck in the wall. The Brackins are suing the hospital for failing to protect him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing emphasized to me over and over is that people sent to state mental hospitals are patients, not prisoners. That means they have certain rights and privileges, even if they're violent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'll never forget my visit to Napa with the Brackins. It felt like I had entered a kind of \"forbidden zone\" where outsiders rarely went. And meeting Shawn after hearing so much about him from his parents was very poignant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On my visit, we were met in the parking lot by a media representative from the Department of State Hospitals. We were warned not to videotape or photograph the barbed-wired security fence, the tight security at the main gate, or people coming and going (including reporters, like me).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We passed through multiple locked gates, doors and a metal detector before we were told to surrender cell phones and wallets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was warned not to talk to or interview any other patients. I was asked to turn over my audio recordings of Shawn Brackin so the Department of State Hospitals could review them to make sure he didn't say anything compromising the privacy of other patients. I negotiated a much more narrow accommodation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was also denied any access to record audio of music therapy classes. I was told this could jeopardize patient privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I found all these requests to be overly strict. I've been to numerous state prisons, including San Quentin. The Department of Corrections has allowed me to freely photograph the gate, inmates, the cell blocks -- pretty much anything except Death Row. I have attended classes, religious services and therapy classes and was allowed to record, videotape and take photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To keep us away from other patients at Napa (who were meeting with family members nearby) the four of us were escorted to a tiny (perhaps 10 feet by 10 feet) room with no air conditioning and no apparent ventilation. (I was told this is where attorneys can meet privately with patients and their families.) At one point Shawn, who appears to have severe brain damage from assaults he suffered at Napa, asked to open the door to let some air in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all families criticize Napa. Some say their loved ones are finally getting the treatment they should have gotten in the community before they committed tragic crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even strong critics acknowledge there’s a role for state hospitals to play in our criminal justice system, especially for violent defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some advocates for the mentally ill say we need to make more treatment available in the community whenever possible -- rather than in locked state hospitals like Napa.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/96393/deep-dive-into-californias-mental-hospitals-reveals-more-questions-than-answers",
"authors": [
"255"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_13"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2550",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_1538",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_96363": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_96363",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "96363",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1445583685000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1445583685,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Violence and Healing at Napa State Hospital: A Tale of 2 Families",
"title": "Violence and Healing at Napa State Hospital: A Tale of 2 Families",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>At California's five state psychiatric hospitals, patients are mostly criminal defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial. They've been sent to these institutions for psychiatric care. But sometimes the patients can be violent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years ago this week, a \u003ca href=\"http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/police-employee-at-psychiatric-hospital-killed-patient-arrested/article_c6428892-dfac-11df-805a-001cc4c03286.html\" target=\"_blank\">staff member was murdered\u003c/a> by a patient at Napa State Hospital. In the time since, the hospital has tried to improve safety. While the majority of patients are not violent, sometimes those who are target not just staff, but other patients as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it's rare for members of the media to gain access to the hospital, I was invited by Frank and Barbara Brackin to join them in visiting their 45-year-old son, Shawn, who has been a patient at Napa State for nearly 20 years. I met up with Shawn's parents in the parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229804825\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Sometimes he says he can't sleep when he's expecting a visit because he's so excited,\" Barbara Brackin tells me as we walk to the hospital's front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Our main concern now is for Shawn's safety,\" her husband says. \"He was not given the death sentence, (but) he's almost had it twice in the past three years,\" Frank adds, in reference to assaults Shawn has suffered at the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96504\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-96504\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog-800x643.jpg\" alt=\"Shawn Brackin during junior high school in 1983.\" width=\"800\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog-400x322.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shawn Brackin during junior high school in 1983. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After passing through a number of locked gates and surrendering our driver's licenses, we pass through several locked doors and then a metal detector, where we also surrender our cellphones and wallets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last, we're ushered into a tiny room to visit with Shawn Brackin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm glad to see you,\" he says, shuffling toward us with difficulty. He's wearing a blue helmet to protect his head in case he falls -- which happens somewhat frequently -- or is pushed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn wasn't always in this condition, his parents had explained to me earlier. His life took a bad turn at age 6, when he was struck by a car and had a severe head injury. That accident began a slow descent that ended in tragedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After graduating from high school, Shawn became increasingly depressed and withdrawn. In 1995, he took a small gun and walked into a local police station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Brackin says that was an attempt at \"suicide by cop.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He was wanting to die,\" Frank Brackin says. \"And so he put himself before the firing squad, and he had no idea the firing squad would turn on themselves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On that day, when he was 25 years old, Shawn was shot by police but survived. In the mayhem, an officer shot and killed another cop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn Brackin was charged with six felonies. As part of a plea deal, he was found \"not guilty by reason of insanity.\" And that plea -- with its diagnosis of mental illness -- is what led him to Napa State Hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We had no choice, really,\" Shawn's father says. \"We wanted to protect him and make sure he had a safe environment. We thought a hospital would be a safe environment.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96499\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-96499 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-800x757.jpg\" alt=\"Napa State Hospital patient Shawn Brackin spent 17 days in the ICU at UC San Francisco Medical Center after being severely beaten by a fellow patient in 2014.\" width=\"800\" height=\"757\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-800x757.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-400x378.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-1440x1362.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-1180x1116.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-960x908.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Napa State Hospital patient Shawn Brackin spent 17 days in the ICU at UCSF Medical Center after being severely beaten by a fellow patient in 2014. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But over the years, Shawn Brackin has been assaulted by several patients. Last year he suffered a particularly brutal assault when a patient turned on him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And he slammed Shawn into the wall so hard that it buried his head into the wall and left hair in the wall,\" Frank Brackin says. \"And then he hit him. And then Shawn hit that concrete floor.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn needed emergency brain surgery. He was left with severe disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day I visited Shawn, his hair was damp from sweat. It was a hot day in Napa, and the tiny room had no air conditioning or ventilation. I ask him if feels he's gotten well while at the hospital, if he thinks he's better off for having been sent there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm better off,\" he says. \"I'm pretty good right now.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But his mother says things are not good. Before he entered the state hospital system, Shawn was able to drive and hold a job, Barbara Brackin says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He interacted with the family, laughed and joked, played cards. And he was the Uno champ,\" she says, and laughs. \"Nobody else could usually beat him.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toward the end of our 45-minute visit, Frank Brackin reads a Bible verse, and then they say their goodbyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96507\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-96507\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily-800x568.jpg\" alt=\"Shawn Brackin (top middle) celebrating Christmas with his family at Napa State Hospital in December, 2011.\" width=\"800\" height=\"568\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily-400x284.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shawn Brackin (top middle) celebrating Christmas with his family at Napa State Hospital in December 2011. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"We'll visit you again on Sunday, Shawn,\" Frank says. \"We'll have time to play some cards if you want. I love you. You're my main man, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Yes sir,\" Shawn says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest assault on Shawn Brackin was just one of 1,800 at Napa State Hospital last year. To be fair, most of those assaults are very minor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Brackins don't dismiss what their son did 20 years ago in that police station, they feel he's had to pay too high a price and have filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging negligence in failing to keep their son safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Napa has made many changes since psychiatric technician \u003ca href=\"http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/police-employee-at-psychiatric-hospital-killed-patient-arrested/article_c6428892-dfac-11df-805a-001cc4c03286.html\" target=\"_blank\">Donna Gross was murdered by a patient \u003c/a>five years ago, but mostly \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">those changes\u003c/a> are intended to protect staff. While a new law took effect in July that will allow the hospital to isolate the most dangerous patients, hospital Executive Director Dolly Matteucci says more needs to be done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We have made tremendous progress in safety improvements and in mitigating violence at the hospital,\" she tells me. \"But sadly it continues to be a part of our environment and our shared experience as patients and employees. And it is unacceptable.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-96512 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-800x573.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Matteucci became executive director of Napa State Hospital after Donna Gross's murder. She stands in a conference room decorated with paintings created by psychiatric patients.\" width=\"800\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-800x573.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-400x286.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-1440x1031.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-1180x845.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-960x688.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dolly Matteucci became executive director of Napa State Hospital after the killing of Donna Gross. She stands in a conference room decorated with paintings created by psychiatric patients. \u003ccite>(Scott Shafer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not all families are critical of Napa. Many say they enjoy the visits with their loved ones -- who they say are finally getting the kind of treatment they should have gotten before the tragedy that sent them there happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candace and Hans -- they’ve asked that we just use their first names to protect their privacy -- say their son has been at Napa for 3½ years. At their request, we’re not using his name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I met with them in their home in Alameda, where Hans showed me his son's high school trophies from basketball and football.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He loved fishing, so we have pictures of him catching a 32-pound salmon,\" says Hans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"z3MoWy1s3a0uaqzle3WibjbVXxDDGFT2\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candace says that when their son was in high school, he started changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He couldn't organize his homework. He couldn't turn in assignments,\" she says. \"And he was becoming very quiet around the house, and also talked about feeling spirits and things around him.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was the early signs of schizophrenia. The symptoms got worse, and his behavior escalated. Hans and Candace were so worried their son would hurt himself or someone else that they had him confined against his will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When police come into the house and handcuff your kid and take him out of the house, in the same house he grew up in sprawled across the floor, it's quite an experience,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They called the police many times, but authorities could not hold him indefinitely, so he was always released. Candace and Hans tried repeatedly to get their son psychiatric help, but as an adult he had the right to refuse treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, in 2012 while suffering delusions, their son killed someone in the Berkeley Hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Napa State Hospital, where his mother says he is slowly getting better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It has taken this long to see real results of recovery,\" she says, \"in little bits and pieces along the way. It was only because of the sustained treatment we had through Napa.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the complaints and problems at California’s state mental hospitals, there’s\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\"> a long waiting list \u003c/a>to get into them -- and many of those waiting spend their time in jail.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "96363 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=96363",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/23/violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1441,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 46
},
"modified": 1445642518,
"excerpt": "For one family, a son's safety was compromised in an attack at the psychiatric facility. For another, a son has begun recovering from violent schizophrenia.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "For one family, a son's safety was compromised in an attack at the psychiatric facility. For another, a son has begun recovering from violent schizophrenia.",
"title": "Violence and Healing at Napa State Hospital: A Tale of 2 Families | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Violence and Healing at Napa State Hospital: A Tale of 2 Families",
"datePublished": "2015-10-23T00:01:25-07:00",
"dateModified": "2015-10-23T16:21:58-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/96363/violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>At California's five state psychiatric hospitals, patients are mostly criminal defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial. They've been sent to these institutions for psychiatric care. But sometimes the patients can be violent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Five years ago this week, a \u003ca href=\"http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/police-employee-at-psychiatric-hospital-killed-patient-arrested/article_c6428892-dfac-11df-805a-001cc4c03286.html\" target=\"_blank\">staff member was murdered\u003c/a> by a patient at Napa State Hospital. In the time since, the hospital has tried to improve safety. While the majority of patients are not violent, sometimes those who are target not just staff, but other patients as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although it's rare for members of the media to gain access to the hospital, I was invited by Frank and Barbara Brackin to join them in visiting their 45-year-old son, Shawn, who has been a patient at Napa State for nearly 20 years. I met up with Shawn's parents in the parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229804825&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229804825'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Sometimes he says he can't sleep when he's expecting a visit because he's so excited,\" Barbara Brackin tells me as we walk to the hospital's front door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Our main concern now is for Shawn's safety,\" her husband says. \"He was not given the death sentence, (but) he's almost had it twice in the past three years,\" Frank adds, in reference to assaults Shawn has suffered at the hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96504\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-96504\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog-800x643.jpg\" alt=\"Shawn Brackin during junior high school in 1983.\" width=\"800\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWithDog-400x322.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shawn Brackin during junior high school in 1983. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After passing through a number of locked gates and surrendering our driver's licenses, we pass through several locked doors and then a metal detector, where we also surrender our cellphones and wallets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last, we're ushered into a tiny room to visit with Shawn Brackin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm glad to see you,\" he says, shuffling toward us with difficulty. He's wearing a blue helmet to protect his head in case he falls -- which happens somewhat frequently -- or is pushed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn wasn't always in this condition, his parents had explained to me earlier. His life took a bad turn at age 6, when he was struck by a car and had a severe head injury. That accident began a slow descent that ended in tragedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After graduating from high school, Shawn became increasingly depressed and withdrawn. In 1995, he took a small gun and walked into a local police station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Brackin says that was an attempt at \"suicide by cop.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He was wanting to die,\" Frank Brackin says. \"And so he put himself before the firing squad, and he had no idea the firing squad would turn on themselves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On that day, when he was 25 years old, Shawn was shot by police but survived. In the mayhem, an officer shot and killed another cop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn Brackin was charged with six felonies. As part of a plea deal, he was found \"not guilty by reason of insanity.\" And that plea -- with its diagnosis of mental illness -- is what led him to Napa State Hospital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We had no choice, really,\" Shawn's father says. \"We wanted to protect him and make sure he had a safe environment. We thought a hospital would be a safe environment.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96499\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-96499 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-800x757.jpg\" alt=\"Napa State Hospital patient Shawn Brackin spent 17 days in the ICU at UC San Francisco Medical Center after being severely beaten by a fellow patient in 2014.\" width=\"800\" height=\"757\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-800x757.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-400x378.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-1440x1362.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-1180x1116.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnBrackinICU-960x908.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Napa State Hospital patient Shawn Brackin spent 17 days in the ICU at UCSF Medical Center after being severely beaten by a fellow patient in 2014. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But over the years, Shawn Brackin has been assaulted by several patients. Last year he suffered a particularly brutal assault when a patient turned on him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And he slammed Shawn into the wall so hard that it buried his head into the wall and left hair in the wall,\" Frank Brackin says. \"And then he hit him. And then Shawn hit that concrete floor.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shawn needed emergency brain surgery. He was left with severe disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day I visited Shawn, his hair was damp from sweat. It was a hot day in Napa, and the tiny room had no air conditioning or ventilation. I ask him if feels he's gotten well while at the hospital, if he thinks he's better off for having been sent there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I'm better off,\" he says. \"I'm pretty good right now.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But his mother says things are not good. Before he entered the state hospital system, Shawn was able to drive and hold a job, Barbara Brackin says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He interacted with the family, laughed and joked, played cards. And he was the Uno champ,\" she says, and laughs. \"Nobody else could usually beat him.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toward the end of our 45-minute visit, Frank Brackin reads a Bible verse, and then they say their goodbyes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96507\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-96507\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily-800x568.jpg\" alt=\"Shawn Brackin (top middle) celebrating Christmas with his family at Napa State Hospital in December, 2011.\" width=\"800\" height=\"568\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/ShawnWFamily-400x284.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shawn Brackin (top middle) celebrating Christmas with his family at Napa State Hospital in December 2011. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Brackin Family)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\"We'll visit you again on Sunday, Shawn,\" Frank says. \"We'll have time to play some cards if you want. I love you. You're my main man, you know?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Yes sir,\" Shawn says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest assault on Shawn Brackin was just one of 1,800 at Napa State Hospital last year. To be fair, most of those assaults are very minor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Brackins don't dismiss what their son did 20 years ago in that police station, they feel he's had to pay too high a price and have filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging negligence in failing to keep their son safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Napa has made many changes since psychiatric technician \u003ca href=\"http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/police-employee-at-psychiatric-hospital-killed-patient-arrested/article_c6428892-dfac-11df-805a-001cc4c03286.html\" target=\"_blank\">Donna Gross was murdered by a patient \u003c/a>five years ago, but mostly \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">those changes\u003c/a> are intended to protect staff. While a new law took effect in July that will allow the hospital to isolate the most dangerous patients, hospital Executive Director Dolly Matteucci says more needs to be done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We have made tremendous progress in safety improvements and in mitigating violence at the hospital,\" she tells me. \"But sadly it continues to be a part of our environment and our shared experience as patients and employees. And it is unacceptable.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_96512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-96512 size-medium\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-800x573.jpg\" alt=\"Dolly Matteucci became executive director of Napa State Hospital after Donna Gross's murder. She stands in a conference room decorated with paintings created by psychiatric patients.\" width=\"800\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-800x573.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-400x286.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-1440x1031.jpg 1440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-1180x845.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/27/2015/10/DollyM-960x688.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dolly Matteucci became executive director of Napa State Hospital after the killing of Donna Gross. She stands in a conference room decorated with paintings created by psychiatric patients. \u003ccite>(Scott Shafer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not all families are critical of Napa. Many say they enjoy the visits with their loved ones -- who they say are finally getting the kind of treatment they should have gotten before the tragedy that sent them there happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candace and Hans -- they’ve asked that we just use their first names to protect their privacy -- say their son has been at Napa for 3½ years. At their request, we’re not using his name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I met with them in their home in Alameda, where Hans showed me his son's high school trophies from basketball and football.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He loved fishing, so we have pictures of him catching a 32-pound salmon,\" says Hans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candace says that when their son was in high school, he started changing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"He couldn't organize his homework. He couldn't turn in assignments,\" she says. \"And he was becoming very quiet around the house, and also talked about feeling spirits and things around him.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was the early signs of schizophrenia. The symptoms got worse, and his behavior escalated. Hans and Candace were so worried their son would hurt himself or someone else that they had him confined against his will.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When police come into the house and handcuff your kid and take him out of the house, in the same house he grew up in sprawled across the floor, it's quite an experience,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They called the police many times, but authorities could not hold him indefinitely, so he was always released. Candace and Hans tried repeatedly to get their son psychiatric help, but as an adult he had the right to refuse treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, in 2012 while suffering delusions, their son killed someone in the Berkeley Hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Napa State Hospital, where his mother says he is slowly getting better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It has taken this long to see real results of recovery,\" she says, \"in little bits and pieces along the way. It was only because of the sustained treatment we had through Napa.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the complaints and problems at California’s state mental hospitals, there’s\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\"> a long waiting list \u003c/a>to get into them -- and many of those waiting spend their time in jail.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/96363/violence-and-healing-at-napa-state-hospital-tale-of-two-families",
"authors": [
"255"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2550",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_96497",
"label": "stateofhealth"
},
"stateofhealth_94876": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stateofhealth_94876",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "94876",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1445324869000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "stateofhealth"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1445324869,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Long, Dangerous Wait for Hospital Beds for Those Incompetent to Stand Trial",
"title": "Long, Dangerous Wait for Hospital Beds for Those Incompetent to Stand Trial",
"headTitle": "State of Health | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>In 2010, Rodney Bock was arrested for carrying a loaded gun into a restaurant in Yuba City, north of Sacramento. Bock had severe mental illness and was later found incompetent to stand trial. He was released on bail, but was rearrested after he failed to appear at a court hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bock, 56, was placed in the Sutter County jail, awaiting transfer to a state hospital. While there, he began suffering hallucinations. After more than two weeks in jail, Bock hanged himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'Jail is simply too dangerous a place for these most vulnerable defendants.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Micaela Davis, ACLU attorney\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Mentally ill defendants declared incompetent to stand trial, as Bock was, are supposed to be transferred to state mental hospitals for treatment within two or three months. But more than 300 of them statewide are languishing in county jails because there’s simply no bed space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bock's daughters are now plaintiffs in \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclunc.org/news/aclu-sues-state-hospital-system-failing-mentally-ill-developmentally-disabled-criminal\" target=\"_blank\">a lawsuit\u003c/a> filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, charging two state agencies, including the Department of State Hospitals, with denying mentally ill inmates their right to due process -- and the treatment they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Jail is simply too dangerous a place for these most vulnerable defendants,\" said Micaela Davis, lead attorney in the lawsuit. \"We have inmates that are waiting eight, nine months and sometimes over a year before being transferred to a facility for treatment.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229285297\" params=\"color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" iframe=\"true\" /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's new state budget includes more than $17 million to add beds for defendants declared incompetent to stand trial. But not everyone agrees that's the best approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephen Manley is a mental health court judge in Santa Clara County. His court helps defendants struggling with severe mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, find alternatives to incarceration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manley doesn't want more psychiatric hospital beds; he wants to reserve state hospitals for the most violent defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\"\u003c/i>We send far too many people to state hospitals who do not pose a risk to public safety,\" he says. \"Because we don’t work with them to figure out if there isn’t a local alternative.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manley believes the psychiatric hospitals are already overcrowded -- and understaffed. \"As long as we keep overcrowding the hospitals, all we do is feed the fire,\" he says, referring to violence within the hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were more than 1,800 physical assaults at Napa State Hospital last year alone. Hospital officials say patients who are there to have their sanity restored for trial inflict the most serious injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"666xBwWJElI4zsw4g0a4Y9yXz6yonNLT\"]Ryan Navarre, with the organization representing Napa Hospital police, says that even officers are at risk. He recalled one patient specifically who put rocks into his socks and then spun them around \"violently,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State psychiatric hospitals continue \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">working to find a balance \u003c/a>between treatment and security for patients and staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Manley thinks the best solution for nonviolent offenders is to create more community-based treatment facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If we add another 500 beds people to a state hospital, all we do is make the problem worse,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But funding is already inadequate for mental health treatment. And creating more community-based programs raises new challenges -- including resistance from neighbors who don’t really want to live near facilities whose clients are mentally ill criminal defendants.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "94876 http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/?p=94876",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/20/long-dangerous-wait-for-hospital-beds-for-those-incompetent-to-stand-trial/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 583,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 19
},
"modified": 1445363595,
"excerpt": "Hundreds of mentally ill defendants statewide are housed in county jails, because there's no room for them at state hospitals.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Hundreds of mentally ill defendants statewide are housed in county jails, because there's no room for them at state hospitals.",
"title": "Long, Dangerous Wait for Hospital Beds for Those Incompetent to Stand Trial | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Long, Dangerous Wait for Hospital Beds for Those Incompetent to Stand Trial",
"datePublished": "2015-10-20T00:07:49-07:00",
"dateModified": "2015-10-20T10:53:15-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "long-dangerous-wait-for-hospital-beds-for-those-incompetent-to-stand-trial",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/stateofhealth/94876/long-dangerous-wait-for-hospital-beds-for-those-incompetent-to-stand-trial",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2010, Rodney Bock was arrested for carrying a loaded gun into a restaurant in Yuba City, north of Sacramento. Bock had severe mental illness and was later found incompetent to stand trial. He was released on bail, but was rearrested after he failed to appear at a court hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bock, 56, was placed in the Sutter County jail, awaiting transfer to a state hospital. While there, he began suffering hallucinations. After more than two weeks in jail, Bock hanged himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignright\">'Jail is simply too dangerous a place for these most vulnerable defendants.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>Micaela Davis, ACLU attorney\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Mentally ill defendants declared incompetent to stand trial, as Bock was, are supposed to be transferred to state mental hospitals for treatment within two or three months. But more than 300 of them statewide are languishing in county jails because there’s simply no bed space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bock's daughters are now plaintiffs in \u003ca href=\"https://www.aclunc.org/news/aclu-sues-state-hospital-system-failing-mentally-ill-developmentally-disabled-criminal\" target=\"_blank\">a lawsuit\u003c/a> filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, charging two state agencies, including the Department of State Hospitals, with denying mentally ill inmates their right to due process -- and the treatment they need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Jail is simply too dangerous a place for these most vulnerable defendants,\" said Micaela Davis, lead attorney in the lawsuit. \"We have inmates that are waiting eight, nine months and sometimes over a year before being transferred to a facility for treatment.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='100%' height='166'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229285297&visual=true&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229285297'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California's new state budget includes more than $17 million to add beds for defendants declared incompetent to stand trial. But not everyone agrees that's the best approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephen Manley is a mental health court judge in Santa Clara County. His court helps defendants struggling with severe mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, find alternatives to incarceration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manley doesn't want more psychiatric hospital beds; he wants to reserve state hospitals for the most violent defendants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\"\u003c/i>We send far too many people to state hospitals who do not pose a risk to public safety,\" he says. \"Because we don’t work with them to figure out if there isn’t a local alternative.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Manley believes the psychiatric hospitals are already overcrowded -- and understaffed. \"As long as we keep overcrowding the hospitals, all we do is feed the fire,\" he says, referring to violence within the hospitals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were more than 1,800 physical assaults at Napa State Hospital last year alone. Hospital officials say patients who are there to have their sanity restored for trial inflict the most serious injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>Ryan Navarre, with the organization representing Napa Hospital police, says that even officers are at risk. He recalled one patient specifically who put rocks into his socks and then spun them around \"violently,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State psychiatric hospitals continue \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/10/19/five-years-after-brutal-murder-napa-hospital-seeks-to-balance-treatment-with-security/\" target=\"_blank\">working to find a balance \u003c/a>between treatment and security for patients and staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Manley thinks the best solution for nonviolent offenders is to create more community-based treatment facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If we add another 500 beds people to a state hospital, all we do is make the problem worse,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But funding is already inadequate for mental health treatment. And creating more community-based programs raises new challenges -- including resistance from neighbors who don’t really want to live near facilities whose clients are mentally ill criminal defendants.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/stateofhealth/94876/long-dangerous-wait-for-hospital-beds-for-those-incompetent-to-stand-trial",
"authors": [
"255"
],
"categories": [
"stateofhealth_11",
"stateofhealth_13"
],
"tags": [
"stateofhealth_68",
"stateofhealth_2550",
"stateofhealth_2519"
],
"featImg": "stateofhealth_94946",
"label": "stateofhealth"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/stateofhealth?tag=mental-health": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 24,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 98,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"stateofhealth_166815",
"stateofhealth_159708",
"stateofhealth_155373",
"stateofhealth_153172",
"stateofhealth_152649",
"stateofhealth_142897",
"stateofhealth_119817",
"stateofhealth_109971",
"stateofhealth_107020",
"stateofhealth_96393",
"stateofhealth_96363",
"stateofhealth_94876"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth_tag_mental-health": {
"isLoading": true
},
"stateofhealth_68": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_68",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "68",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Mental Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Mental Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 68,
"slug": "mental-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/mental-health"
},
"source_stateofhealth_142897": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_stateofhealth_142897",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"link": "http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/01/26/464415212/depression-screening-recommended-for-all-pregnant-women-new-mothers",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_stateofhealth_119817": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_stateofhealth_119817",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Kaiser Health News",
"link": "http://khn.org/news/oakland-minister-stripping-away-churchs-knowledge-gap-on-mental-health/",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_stateofhealth_107020": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_stateofhealth_107020",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Kaiser Health News",
"link": "http://khn.org",
"isLoading": false
},
"stateofhealth_2363": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2363",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2363",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Vital Signs",
"description": "What does health look like for you, your family, and your neighborhood? Share your story about what your community needs to be healthy.\r\n\r\nIf you would like to learn more, please contact KQED's \u003ca href=\"mailto:fjhabvala@kqed.org\" target=\"_blank\">Farida Jhabvala Romero.\u003c/a>",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "What does health look like for you, your family, and your neighborhood? Share your story about what your community needs to be healthy. If you would like to learn more, please contact KQED's Farida Jhabvala Romero.",
"title": "Vital Signs Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 722,
"slug": "vital-signs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/series/vital-signs"
},
"stateofhealth_11": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_11",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "11",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Community Health",
"description": "\r\n\r\nFrom rural California to urban neighborhoods, where you live affects your health",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "From rural California to urban neighborhoods, where you live affects your health",
"title": "Community Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 11,
"slug": "place-matters",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/place-matters"
},
"stateofhealth_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Tests & Treatments",
"description": "Information and new research about advances in discovering and treating diseases and conditions.",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Information and new research about advances in discovering and treating diseases and conditions.",
"title": "Tests & Treatments Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"slug": "tests-treatments",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/tests-treatments"
},
"stateofhealth_2598": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2598",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2598",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2607,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/arts"
},
"stateofhealth_313": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_313",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "313",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "HIV/AIDS",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "HIV/AIDS Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 314,
"slug": "hivaids",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/hivaids"
},
"stateofhealth_2519": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2519",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2519",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2528,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/news"
},
"stateofhealth_12": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_12",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "12",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Living Healthy",
"description": "Health is about much more than medicine. We show you what's new to help you attain and maintain a healthy life",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Health is about much more than medicine. We show you what's new to help you attain and maintain a healthy life",
"title": "Living Healthy Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 12,
"slug": "living-healthy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/living-healthy"
},
"stateofhealth_274": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_274",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "274",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Mental Illness",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Mental Illness Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 274,
"slug": "mental-illness",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/mental-illness"
},
"stateofhealth_325": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_325",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "325",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Latino Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Latino Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 326,
"slug": "latino-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/latino-health"
},
"stateofhealth_96": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_96",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "96",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Children's Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Children's Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 96,
"slug": "childrens-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/childrens-health"
},
"stateofhealth_501": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_501",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "501",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Transgender Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Transgender Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 502,
"slug": "transgender-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/transgender-health"
},
"stateofhealth_2442": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2442",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2442",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health Insurance",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Insurance Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2453,
"slug": "health-insurance",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/health-insurance"
},
"stateofhealth_14": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_14",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "14",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Policy",
"description": "Actions by people in power – lawmakers, regulators and the like – can make a difference to your health, for better or for worse. We keep you informed",
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Actions by people in power – lawmakers, regulators and the like – can make a difference to your health, for better or for worse. We keep you informed",
"title": "Policy Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14,
"slug": "policy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/policy"
},
"stateofhealth_397": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_397",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "397",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Women's Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Women's Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 398,
"slug": "womens-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/womens-health"
},
"stateofhealth_145": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_145",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "145",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 145,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/oakland"
},
"stateofhealth_2407": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2407",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2407",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Digital Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Digital Health Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2418,
"slug": "digital-health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/category/digital-health"
},
"stateofhealth_2582": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2582",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2582",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Depression",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Depression Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2591,
"slug": "depression",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/depression"
},
"stateofhealth_2550": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth_2550",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "stateofhealth",
"id": "2550",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Napa State Hospital",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Napa State Hospital Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2559,
"slug": "napa-state-hospital",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/stateofhealth/tag/napa-state-hospital"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}