Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing, Social Services

San Francisco Cut Longstanding Legal Aid, Then Gave One Nonprofit Millions Without Bids

As San Francisco moves to slash longstanding funding for legal aid that helps low-income residents avoid homelessness, the city granted up to $5.68 million for homelessness-prevention legal services to a single nonprofit without opening the opportunity to other providers. The award, which was approved by the department and the Homelessness Oversight Commission in February, will dispense […]

Posted inCommunity, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Social Services

Kẻ Giết Người Thầm Lặng: Viêm Gan B Ảnh Hưởng Nặng Nề Đến Người Mỹ Gốc Á

Phóng sự này được hỗ trợ bởi California Health Equity Fellowship từ USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism và một khoản tài trợ từ Pulitzer Center. Nếu không nhờ vợ khuyên đi khám sức khỏe trước khi cưới, có lẽ Tony Lau – một nhà thầu dọn đến San Francisco từ thời thiếu niên – […]

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 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 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 in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Homelessness, Law & Justice, Public Safety, Social Services

Visible Progress or Political Theater? Factions Disagree on How to Clean Up Street Conditions

In February, the San Francisco Police Department converted a Sixth Street parking lot in South of Market to what it called a triage center — a fenced-off area where police could connect people to social services or put them in a van bound for jail.

According to a city staff report, in the first month of the triage center’s operation, police made 350 arrests, three-quarters of them drug related. Triage personnel connected 275 people to shelter and 408 people to health care.

Advocates for people struggling with homelessness or substance use disorder say the city’s approach is unnecessarily punitive, but some business owners and community members say they approve of what the mayor and Police Department are doing.

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