According to ThinkProgress, federal immigration agents arrested an undocumented transgender woman in Texas “just moments after she obtained a protective order against her alleged abuser — and her abuser may have tipped off the agents… The arrest of the alleged domestic violence victim comes amid nationwide deportation raids that are terrifying the immigrant community. ICE agents say they arrested nearly 700 immigrants over the past week in what the agency is characterizing as a routine operation. Immigrant advocates, on the other hand, say that the aggressive enforcement actions are targeting people who aren’t usually considered to be deportation priorities.” Historically, ICE has been barred from using information supplied by an abusive partner to detain a victim of domestic violence.
In her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, CMS nominee Seema Verma declined to answer questions about mental health, stating she was advised by the Office of Government Ethics not to discuss issues regarding mental health services because her husband is a child psychiatrist, according to Politico (full article behind a paywall).
Young Survivors: The Unspoken Trauma Of Gun Violence, produced by WLRN News in Miami, offers a multimedia exploration of the “other trauma” that gunshot victims experience—depression and other mental health challenges—through the story of Aaron Willis, a high school student who was paralyzed after being caught in gunfire while riding his bike.
New Haven, Connecticut psychologist Maysa Akbar talks about her work with children and families affected by what she describes as “urban trauma,” including racial injustice, oppression and discrimination, in a profile in the New Haven Register. Her programs include Veterans Empowering Teens Through Therapeutic Support (VETTS), which connects youth with veterans who serve as role models.
Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, Minnesota, is bringing together community leaders to address what Essentia executives described as an “absolute crisis” across the state—lack of mental health care and high rates of opioid misuse, the Brainerd Dispatch reports. Adam Rees, Essentia Central Region president, said the most important step for addressing the crisis is “to de-stigmatize mental illness.” Meanwhile, LimaOhio.com reports the Allen County [Ohio] Action Commission for the Opiate Epidemic is developing a communitywide action plan that includes a “’Let’s Talk’ campaign for parents, emphasizing the need to talk with their children about drugs and suicide while also giving them positive reinforcement.”
The Atlantic profiles “The Pharmacies Thriving in Kentucky's Opioid-Stricken Towns: In a year, one county filled enough prescriptions for 150 doses of painkillers per resident.”
ThinkProgress reports on anxiety and distress among school children, especially school children from immigrant backgrounds. “Since the travel ban was announced, “crying is a regular thing,” Brown said. “Kids were sobbing, especially immigrant children, saying they were going to get sent back to Guinea, Senegal, Yemen. They were totally distraught. And then one kid would try to explain to another kid about deportation and it would turn into an argument about, ‘You’re going to get deported.’ ‘No, you are.”… She said children who may not understand the legal details can pick up the underlying debate about to what extent immigrants and Muslims are welcome in the United States — and, more importantly, the uncertainty and the fear of what could come next…. Whether or not the ban ultimately passes legal muster, its unsubtle message about the place of immigrants and Muslims in this country has shaken many children in a way no court’s ruling will be likely to undo.”
Thursday was a “day without immigrants,” a nationwide strike organized by immigrants and immigration activists to underline the contributions immigrants make to US society.
On Tuesday, Trump signed a resolution to repeal a rule that mandated resource extraction companies to disclose any payments made to a foreign government.
This week, Trump signed a resolution to repeal an Obama-era climate change regulation that required oil and gas companies to disclose any payments made to foreign governments to ensure access or favorable treatment.
The Truth campaign to prevent young people from starting to smoke has taken on a social justice angle in new ads launched during the Grammys, drawing attention to the fact that black neighborhoods have 10X more tobacco advertisements than white neighborhoods and accusing the tobacco industry of profiling communities of color. (via BMSG)
So far, 16 (out of an original 20) members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have resigned to protest Trump’s policies and rhetoric: “We can no longer serve a president whose policies aim to create outcomes that are diametrically opposite to our principles, goals, and charge. In addition…we object to your portrayal of immigrants, refugees, people of color and people of various faiths as untrustworthy, threatening, and a drain on our nation… We have and will always strive to ensure that America, our America, will never go back to the days of exclusion, segregation, and internment.”
CityLab reports on a new study finding that nine out of 10 US cities who accepted the highest share of refugees (based on population size) saw crime decrease.
A Texas state representative and a senator from the Houston area are pushing a bill to raise the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.
House Republicans voted to overturn President Obama’s effort to protect federal funding for family planning services like Planned Parenthood.
John Auerbach wrote an opinion piece for The Hill noting that discussion of preserving the PPHF is absent in talks about repealing the ACA. He follows with a vigorous defense of the fund and of supporting local, state and national public health departments.
The American Hospital Association 2016 Committee on Research released a new report, Next Generation of Community Health. The report notes, “…poverty may negatively affect an individual’s ability to access healthy foods; higher levels of crime, violence and traumas are linked to increased use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco; and a poor education system directly influences health literacy and employment opportunities. The connection between these factors is what impacts both an individual’s health as well as the health of a certain population. As health care providers, public health professionals and policymakers become allies in working to make the United States healthier, interventions must take place among the continuum of care and must target multiple determinants of health beyond providing traditional medical care.”
Politico reports that the GOP’s ACA repeal effort is “on life support”, and it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the Senate will come up with anything that could actually pass.
A study by NYU and Harvard Medical School finds that repealing the ACA would cut $5.5 billion for substance abuse and mental health treatment, causing a 50% increase in people unable to address opioid dependence, McClatchy reports.
A survey conducted in January by the American Psychological Association found that two-thirds of Americans are “stressed about the future of our nation.” The survey report, “Stress in America,” also indicated that more people are reporting that concerns about acts of terrorism, police violence toward minorities, and personal safety are adding to their feelings of stress. The Washington Post’s report on the survey is here and NPR’s report is here.
STAT reports that voices of color are noticeably absent as more people speak out about opioid addiction. The report suggests that one reason for this may be that overdose deaths have been rising more steadily among white Americans, but that other factors also are contributing to the silence, including stigma, shame, and denial.
A new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center calls 2016 a “banner year for hate,” with a spike in hate crimes following Trump’s win, a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hate groups, and the deadliest mass shooting in US history at an LGBTQ nightclub frequented by young people of color.