Health

Volunteers spread open a panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt during an opening ceremony on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park. This was the largest display of the quilt since it was shown in Washington, D.C., in 2012.

After SF Visit, AIDS Quilt Heads to South to Raise Awareness

07.05.2022

By Mel Baker

The AIDS Memorial Quilt was unfurled recently in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for its largest display in a decade, marking the start of a campaign to educate the public about a disease that, since 1981, has infected 1.2 million people nationwide.

While new HIV infections in the United States have been in decline, the disease continues to take a disproportionate toll on racial and ethnic minorities, men who identify as gay or bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The highest rates of new infections and numbers of untreated people are found in the South.

Organizers estimated that 20,000 people visited the San Francisco quilt display June 11 and 12. This fall, sections of the quilt will be taken on a tour of the South for “large displays in city centers, as well as smaller displays in rural, non-metro areas,” said Dafina Ward, executive director of the Southern AIDS Coalition. New names will be added to the 35-year-old quilt during the tour, she said.

Harold Phillips, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, says the Biden administration is boosting HIV prevention and treatment initiatives after two years of concentrating public health resources on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden Administration Refocuses National HIV Response

Dafina Ward is the executive director of the Southern AIDS Coalition, an organization that for more than 20 years has used policy and advocacy work in its mission to end the HIV and sexually transmitted infection epidemics in the South by addressing the disproportionate impact they have on southern communities.

San Francisco Rent Relief Tracker

Activists and healthcare providers gather on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall on March 21 during a die-in rally to demand renewed efforts in the public health fight against HIV.

While SF Fought COVID, HIV Prevention Stalled

Harm Reduction Critical to Addressing Overdose Crisis, Local Experts Say

Health

Surge in Overdose Deaths Is a Puzzle Public Health Experts Are Desperate to Solve

03.30.2022

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

In San Francisco, drug overdoses killed more people than did COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic — 711 deaths in 2020, and 645 in 2021. These figures are troubling, even without counting nonfatal overdoses and other suffering associated with this crisis. While fentanyl is often cited for the rapid increase, many factors contribute to this trend both in San Francisco and nationally.

Housing

A "For Rent" sign is taped above a doorway in San Francisco's Mission District, next to a retailer. San Franciscans in need of rent relief could get a reprieve if a law proposed March 24 passes -- but only if they act fast.

California Bill Would Give Tenants 3-Month Eviction Reprieve — but Only to Those Who Act Fast

03.25.2022

By Madison Alvarado

A bill introduced Thursday in the California Assembly would extend eviction protections by three months for tenants who have applied for emergency rent relief related to the coronavirus pandemic. The catch: To qualify, tenants who haven’t yet asked for help would need to submit applications by the end of March, giving them less than a week to get their requests in the queue.

Coronavirus

Case Rates Should Drive Risk Mitigation Behavior, Doctor Says

01.13.2022

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

Dr. Kim Rhoads, who has been working on community-led responses to the pandemic, says what should drive decision making and risk mitigation is simply how much virus is in the community.

Community

A utility pole and power lines are seen from below. For years, residents of San Francisco’s Treasure Island have faced frequent power outages that complicated daily life.

Despite Upgrades, Treasure Island Power Outages Persist

12.15.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

Residents of San Francisco’s Treasure Island suffered half a dozen power outages in the three months after electrical upgrades were completed this July. That’s just the latest episode in what’s been an ongoing problem for the island.

Health

Mental Health Advocates Call for Voluntary Treatment as Spears Conservatorship Ends

11.18.2021

By Laura Wenus, Reporter & Host for "Civic"

As a judge in Los Angeles was deciding to end pop singer Britney Spears’ conservatorship, a small group of mental health activists staged a demonstration in front of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Many said they want to the practice of conservatorship to be abolished.

Housing

A "check cashing" sign hangs above a storefront. While San Franciscans who owe COVID-19-related rent debt are eligible for relief from the government, those who borrowed from friends, family, and other sources are stuck with that debt.

Thousands in SF Saddled With Rent Debt but Ineligible for Government Help

10.07.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

Thousands of San Franciscans who borrowed money to pay rent during the pandemic are stuck with that debt, making them worse off than those who let the bills lapse.

Federal relief funds cover only unpaid housing expenses. That leaves tenants vulnerable if they made good-faith efforts to pay those costs by taking on thousands of dollars of debt to credit card companies, payday lenders, relatives or friends — especially if they later seek different housing.

Coronavirus

A gloved provider holds a needle to a person's shoulder in preparation for a vaccine injection.

Low Vaccination Rates in Parts of Bayview Could Be Driving High COVID-19 Infections

09.16.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

Low vaccination rates in several pockets of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood could help explain persistently high cases of COVID-19 in San Francisco’s southeast, recently released data indicates.

Climate Change

Wildfires, like the 2018 Carr Fire pictured, are one of the climate threats California may increasingly face in the coming years and that climate action plans are meant to address.

Battling Despair Over a New Climate Change Reality

09.14.2021

By Mel Baker

As wildfires rage, unprecedented heat waves kill and cities are drowned in heavy rain, climate dread is turning to climate grief for many people.

Land use

A map of San Francisco shows central and southern neighborhoods marked in red. In the early 20th century, San Francisco’s central and southeastern neighborhoods were redlined, meaning designated as high risk, leaving their residents less likely to obtain government-backed mortgage loans than residents of other areas. A recent study suggests their residents now face higher risks from pollution.

State Report Links Redlining and Pollution Threats

09.01.2021

By Noah Arroyo, Assistant Editor

San Francisco neighborhoods the federal government targeted with racist lending practices face the greatest health threats from pollution, a recent state study found. The California Environmental Protection Agency analyzed the latest pollution data in historically redlined neighborhoods, where people of color were denied mortgage loans under federal policies, in the report finalized in August.

Coronavirus

Two doctors protest outside Mayor London Breed's house on April 30, 2020, calling for more hotel rooms to be opened for people experiencing homelessness to safely shelter during COVID-19. The one in front holds a sign reading "this is a public health nightmare."

As COVID Cases Surge Among SF’s Homeless, Shelter Options Narrow

08.18.2021

By Nuala Bishari, Contributor

As cases of COVID-19 surge in San Francisco, advocates question whether the city can prevent another outbreak in the homeless community. Between June 30 and July 31, confirmed cases among homeless people quadrupled from 18 to 78. But as the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the city, there is a growing shortage of safe places for homeless people to go.