A group of West Oakland organizations is getting $800,000 to plant 1,500 trees in empty tree wells and front yards. But getting trees in the ground and keeping them alive has demanded intricate coordination among local stakeholders and is pushing local leaders to imagine new systems for community care of street trees.
Category: Health
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’
Health Organizers in SF Build Model of Care for People Living With Chronic Hepatitis B
This episode of our “Civic” podcast explores the history of health professionals, city leaders and community advocates in San Francisco working together to improve education and outreach around hepatitis B, including how to reduce transmission and treat chronic infection.
Posted inAging, City Hall, Health, HIV & AIDS, LGBTQ+
Medicaid and Other Cuts Threaten Older LGBTQ+ Adults in SF
The Trump administration is attacking LGBTQ+ rights nationwide, and San Francisco has declared itself sanctuary city for transgender people. But even as the city anticipates an influx of newcomers, older trans adults already living here face discrimination and threats to their health as the federal government cuts funding for crucial programs and erases data about their demographic groups.
Advocates expect LGBTQ+ seniors in particular to be negatively affected by the gutting of Medicaid, funding cuts at every level, and the erasure of key data focused on gender identity and sexual orientation. San Francisco’s population of older adults has been growing rapidly, which strains limited resources.
Posted inCommunity, Environment, Health
New Air Quality Monitoring App Aims to Protect Students in Polluted Bay Area Communities
A new app aims to provide school administrators and teachers in these communities with real-time data that can help them protect students from harmful air pollution. When air quality is especially poor, teachers might keep kids inside during recess or a coach might cancel or move a sports team practice, said Kristina Hill, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Hill developed the tool in collaboration with Charisma Acey, also an associate professor at UC Berkeley, and a focus group of advocates from five Bay Area communities with high levels of air pollution.
The app offers an interactive map where Bay Area residents can see hourly readings of the air quality in their area. It draws on the existing PurpleAir monitor network but adds key improvements like correcting for errors caused by fog and combining data from multiple monitors to paint a clearer picture of air quality in a neighborhood.
Posted inCommunity, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Social Services
Researchers Seek Hepatitis B Cure as Trump Slashes Health Agency Funding
The Trump administration’s efforts to slash medical research funding threaten progress toward a cure for hepatitis B. Its proposed budget calls for $1.8 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of all federal funding for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, along with additional cuts to the Food and Drug Administration, which has final say on approving new drugs and treatments. The cuts are just the latest in a series of hurdles that researchers and clinicians face in managing hepatitis B infections in the United States.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Health, Homelessness
SF Has a Chance to Reinvent Its Mental Health Care System
Over the next year, San Francisco must examine and potentially redesign its system of behavioral health care, with input from the public. Some experts see this as an opportunity to improve services.
Posted inCommunity, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Social Services
Stigma, Insufficient Screening Keep Hepatitis B in the Shadows
Commonly known as a “silent killer” because it can have few symptoms, chronic hepatitis B can lead to liver damage or cancer, is not well studied and as a research area remains underfunded. Many living with it face significant social stigma, which discourages getting tested and leaves patients isolated and unwilling to open up about their experiences.
The silence hits immigrant communities the hardest, a phenomenon advocates have spent decades trying to fix. Asian Americans are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B, especially by chronic infections. Years of community work have led to better outreach, and new efforts like universal screening are starting to build momentum.
Posted inCommunity, Environment, Health
‘Forever Chemicals’ Threaten Community of Bay Fishers
It’s long been risky to eat fish from San Francisco Bay because pollutants like mercury build up in their bodies, and new research shows they are also contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” including one never before detected in marine fish. High levels of these chemicals are found in 10 species of fish frequently caught in San Francisco Bay, according to a study that the San Francisco Estuary Institute published in May. The newly detected contamination threatens anglers’ health and what many of them consider a way of life.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are colloquially called “forever chemicals” because they are notoriously difficult to eliminate or break down. PFAS can cause cancers, thyroid and hormone disruption, and developmental delays, and can weaken the immune system, said study author Rebecca Sutton.
Posted inHealth, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Immigration, Social Services
Poorly Tracked Virus Is a ‘Silent Killer’ Affecting Asian Americans Most
Hepatitis B is widely misunderstood, a problem worsened by insufficient screening and detection. Chronic hepatitis B isn’t as consistently detected as are acute cases, allowing the disease to frequently progress unchecked and do more damage. According to the World Health Organization, only 13% of those living with the virus know they have it, leaving many, especially in immigrant and marginalized communities, undiagnosed and without access to timely treatment.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Health, Homelessness
Homelessness Challenges Persist in SF Despite City Following Newsom Policy Lead
Gov. Newsom says repeatedly that the state is “flooding the zone” with mental health, substance use and homelessness resources. Amid a slew of press conferences and announcements last week on the release of new mental health funding and a push to make homeless encampments illegal statewide, Newsom repeatedly called on local governments to take charge. San Francisco is engaging in many of the initiatives Newsom cited, but still faces considerable challenges in addressing homelessness, behavioral health issues and substance abuse.