By Barbara DiPietro, PhD, Senior Director of Policy I can’t stop thinking about Jordan Neely—who was killed by another rider on a New York City subway car in the middle of the day on May 1 in full view of others. One witness joined in the killing, while others stood by and filmed it. No […]
Three Kinds of Murder… Read More >>
Question: Why are there four times as many left-handed people in the U.S. as there were ~100 years ago? Answer: Historic stigma and discrimination. Prominent criminologists and psychologists in the early 1900s considered left-handed people “primitive and abnormal,” “stubborn, rebellious, rigid people,” and people who “may signify homosexuality, incest, and perversion.” Did you know that schools used
Are Left-Handed People ‘Perverts’ and ‘Abnormal’? Read More >>
President Biden issued his budget on March 9, which outlined the Administration’s policy priorities and vision for federal spending in the next year. Important for the HCH Community, the HHS and HUD budgets include significant expansions to health care and housing programs, largely paid by making the rich pay their fair share in taxes. Key take-aways from our recently updated Appropriations chart and fact sheet of the
Budgets Are Moral Documents Read More >>
Untreated mental illness On Nov. 29, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan aimed at people with severe mental illness (SMI). Mayor Adams said New Yorkers had a “moral obligation” to act when they saw people with SMI living on the streets in the throes of their illness. This directive allows New York Police
Committed to Each Other Read More >>
Reproductive Health Kentucky voted against an anti-abortion constitutional amendment that would have stated that there was no right to abortion in the state. Montana voted against criminalizing providers who do not assist a “born alive” infant after an abortion. Vermont, California, and Michigan enshrined abortion rights in their constitution. Harm Reduction Health Policy If you
Since the 2020 elections, 42 restrictive voting laws have been passed in 21 states. Many of these laws implemented voter ID requirements, which disproportionately disenfranchise people of color and people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Obtaining an ID can be a near insurmountable obstacle for PEH: You need ID to obtain ID, and many PEH have lost all of their vital records when evicted
Voting Is Our Right! Read More >>
Medicaid requirements and flexibilities during the COVID-19 public health emergency have protected the most vulnerable populations in our country. Lack of medical treatment is often a cause of homelessness, and continued barriers to care perpetuate suffering and poverty. Medicaid opens the door for our patients to receive wraparound care for physical and social determinants of health. In
Medicaid and the End of the Public Health Emergency Read More >>
Primary audience: health care organizations and providers The new mental health hotline — 988 — has been heralded as a major step forward in responding to mental health crises without police involvement and the use of force. However, the program does not yet live up to its promises to stop a law enforcement response to a medical need.
The 988 Mental Health Hotline and Involuntary Commitment Read More >>
