‘Visibility matters’: LGBTQ care coordinator aims to improve care for Phoenix-area veterans
PHOENIX – There are an estimated 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans in the U.S., many of whom are more likely to report chronic physical or mental health conditions. The Veterans Health Administration launched its LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator Program to address these disparities.
Healing through culture: Increasing access to Native American practices to treat mental health
HOUCK – Traditional healing has always been a part of Indigenous culture, and it’s especially useful for treating mental health. But access often is limited. Arizona and other states are seeking authorization from the federal government to cover these services under Medicaid.
Tucson woman arrested in abortion-rights protest during Supreme Court hearing
WASHINGTON - A Tucson woman was one of three people arrested Wednesday after they disrupted a Supreme Court hearing with a protest over the court's decision to reverse its 1973 ruling that had recognized a right to an abortion.
Yoga for addiction recovery and mental health expands among care providers
Within the past decade, behavioral and mental health providers have adopted yoga as a supplemental treatment tool for addiction recovery. With overdose deaths up by 30% in 2020, people are turning to less traditional methods, like practicing yoga, to get and stay clean.
‘Urgent crisis:’ School districts stockpile Narcan as fentanyl kills more students
LOS ANGELES – School districts are stocking up on drug overdose drug Narcan as fentanyl claims the lives of more students. Seven students have died in the LA school district alone. Downey Unified School District began training and planning for emergency administrative response to the Fentanyl crisis over the summer before the 2022-23 school year. Each of their schools has several dosages of Narcan and several faculty and staff members trained to administer doses in the case of a drug-related health emergency.
Prop 209 would limit medical debt collection; critics say it’s too broad
WASHINGTON - Backers of Proposition 209 say the ballot measure will protect Arizona residents from crushing medical debt when they're struggling keep a home and a job so they can pay their debts, but critics say the proposal is too broad and will reward the wrong people.
‘Fresh food, fresh start’: Tucson cafe doubles as training program for people with mental illness
TUCSON – Café 54 serves as an employment training program for people with mental health conditions. Trainees work as cashiers, cooks, dishwashers and servers. The goal is to help them gain new skills and land a permanent job in the workforce.
‘Would he be forgotten?’ How a niece’s crusade and military scientists led to ID of Korean War vet
TUCSON – More than seven decades after his death in the Korean War, an Army private from Douglas has finally been identified and laid to rest. Military scientists and the niece of Felix Yanez worked for years to put a name to this unknown soldier and bring him home.
Empty Bowls event raises money to combat food insecurity, cut food waste
PHOENIX – Arizona nonprofit organization Waste Not raises funds to help food insecurity through its annual Empty Bowls event by selling handcrafted clay bowls. Proceeds go toward rescuing perishable foods from local businesses and delivering it to agencies that feed the hungry.
Court order brings abortions back, for now, but providers take it day by day
WASHINGTON - Clinics across Arizona have largely resumed offering abortions after a court last week blocked a ruling that briefly outlawed the procedure, but providers said they are taking abortion's future in the state day by day.
‘We can figure this out’: Police, public and policymakers work to improve responses to mental health crises
SALT LAKE CITY – Police have become the de facto mental health responders across the country, often with tragic results. Most strategies to deal with mental health calls focus on shifting funds to social services, creating diversion programs and better training for officers. Experts say the solution relies on a combination of efforts.
Amid high inflation, St. Mary’s Food Bank serves a record number of people in need
PHOENIX – A record-breaking 50,000 families visited the Phoenix and Surprise locations of St. Mary’s Food Bank just in August. With the cost of living on the rise, Arizonans in need are turning to the food bank to help make ends meet.
