As a rehabilitation clinician and director working directly with older adults, I see how effective early mobility support can be. Mild losses in leg strength or balance respond well to structured, simple routines when they are addressed early. The greatest need is access.
Several programs across California demonstrate how this access can be expanded.
State leaders estimate that the federal Medicaid cuts will force 3.4 million Californians out of our version of the program, known as Medi-Cal. But we do not have to sit idly by and wait for the fallout. In fact, states and communities still hold real power to blunt the worst outcomes and protect coverage for millions.
California can implement the law in the least harmful way: creating broad exemptions, simplifying paperwork and deploying technology to reduce administrative friction.
As the federal government continues Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Southern California and across the country, mental health professionals are seeing a heightened need for their services, as they work to help clients cope with stress, anxiety and the loss of normalcy.
The situation is difficult, but there are mental health resources available. Our reporter compiled resources and spoke with therapists who offer guidance.
Seeking to serve Oakland’s urban Indigenous population, Native American Health Center is building a community facility with 76 affordable apartments as well as dental clinics.
Housing advocates say the housing will provide much-needed relief to Oaklanders as the city, and wider Bay Area, grapples with rising income inequality and skyrocketing housing prices.
When dialing 911 for a medical emergency, the expectation is clear: Licensed health care providers, typically paramedics and emergency medical technicians, will arrive within minutes at your location, any time of the day or night.
Despite these responsibilities, emergency medical services are often overlooked in health care reform discussions. A compelling opportunity exists to shift lower-acuity and preventive care services from expensive medical clinics and hospitals to community-based EMS care.
The Affordable Care Act has saved countless families with medically complex children, including columnist Jennifer McLelland’s. Her son was born without a functional airway and quickly racked up more than $1 million in medical bills. The ACA protected her family– but these protections are not guaranteed.
The California Health Report spoke with disability rights experts and parent advocates about what families who speak a language other than English need to know about their rights when accessing health care and special education services, and tips on how to advocate for themselves.
Almost half of California residents speak a language other than English at home, most often Spanish.
California’s expansions of Medi-Cal to cover most low-income children and adults are a major step towards health equity in California.
But expanding health coverage is only the beginning. Now it’s time for California to lead the way again by shoring up quality and access within the system.
Black Californians have one of the lowest life expectancies in California. This is despite the fact that the vast majority of these residents have some form of insurance coverage and consistently demonstrate a strong interest in taking care of their health.
This contradiction begs the question: What is wrong with health care for Black Californians?
COVID-19’s overall effects on unemployment has received a lot of attention. But there hasn’t been enough focus on the devastation of the health care workforce.
More than 3,600 frontline health care workers died in the United States due to COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic. Few new workers are available to fill those positions.