The new treatment center
Guilty of mental illness
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Alex Bailey has cycled in and out of Cook County Jail his entire adulthood. His life shows how mental illness has been criminalized, especially for black men.
Immigration
Advocates urge more mental health services for unaccompanied immigrant children
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Unaccompanied minors face temporary displacement, language barriers and other challenges that can lead to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health problems, according to research. Advocates say more services, such as talk therapy and support groups, are needed to help them deal with the stress and trauma they have experienced.
Government and Politics
Too far from the pharmacy
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About 1million Chicagoans live in a ‘pharmacy desert,’ and underserved residents in many South and West Side neighborhoods could stay sick longer without better access.
Health
Uninsured in Illinois: Obamacare by the numbers
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On the eve of the second enrollment period for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, there is good news, bad news and still many unknowns about the federal law’s impact. In 2010, President Obama signed legislation, widely known as “Obamacare,” into law with the goal of improving access to health care for millions of Americans. State and federal officials began working toward that goal in earnest in October 2013, when Americans could begin signing up for health insurance, for the first time, on the marketplaces created by the law. But one year later, we don’t know exactly how many uninsured Americans signed up for health insurance and, more importantly, who is still without coverage. The good news: Rates of uninsured people have dropped in every state.
Editor's Blog
Ebola scare triggers symptoms of racism
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The hysteria about Ebola takes the focus away from public-health problems such as influenza, which poses a real threat to Americans.
Criminal Justice
NFL, get your game face right
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While the NFL scrambles to investigate incidents of domestic violence within the league, it should rethink its own visual portrayals of women in ads that objectify and dehumanize them.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Progress in home care hinges on Supreme Court case
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With the Supreme Court set to rule on Harris v. Quinn, a case that could limit the collective bargaining rights of 20,000 home care workers in Illinois, we wondered what difference union representation has made in their lives. It comes down to much better wages, health insurance, and professional training, longtime homecare workers told us. And across the board, they say, these improvements mean a higher quality of care for their clients, thousands of seniors and people with disabilities. In many cases it means people are able to stay in their own homes and live independently, rather than being forced in to nursing homes. That translates into huge savings for the state.
Child and Family
TCR Talks: Empowering young girls with ‘wisdom’
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Charlene Davis is teaching young girls to respect themselves and learn to walk away from bad situations.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Petcoke controversy a sign of environmental racism
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The petcoke controversy on Chicago’s Southeast Side is another example of the heightened environmental costs of every stage of tar sands oil production — and yet another case of low-income communities of color bearing the brunt of those hardships.
Health
Study finds US Latinos at high risk for diabetes
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Chicago officials say a new study of Latinos by the National Institutes of Health can help inform health policy in the city.