• Los Angeles Times: March 24, 2020

    Letters to the Editor: Closed parks and closed schools -- what could possibly go wrong?

    A letter to the editor by PI’s Manal Aboelata ran in this week’s LA Times, calling for safe management of parks and other outdoor recreation, rather than closures and criminalization of use: “My teenage sons, like other Los Angeles Unified School District students, are stuck at home. They don’t just want to go for a walk. They should be able to go to one of our local parks to exercise. (“No, seriously. Stay home,” editorial, March 23). But I’m scared about their safety now that golf courses and basketball and tennis courts are off-limits. I fear that the health protection and police powers of the state are set to converge in a way that will be especially dangerous for boys and men of color — the people most likely to be over-policed in our public spaces. The benefits of regular physical activity are real and long-lasting. Does the risk of illness and death from COVID-19 for the general population outweigh the benefits of exercise, nature contact and fresh air? A singles match of tennis easily meets “social distancing” recommendations. Can’t we find ways to manage recreation facilities without outlawing their use? Parks are public health.”

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  • Meeting of the Minds: February 25, 2020

    Stormwater Management is an Equity Issue

    In their recent article featured in Meeting of the Minds, PI’s Manal J. Aboelata and Elva Yañez write about stormwater management as a health equity issue, and the need to clean and save stormwater for future use.

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  • Build Healthy Places Network: January 13, 2020

    Want to prevent violence? Go green.

    In our new blog featured in BHP Network, Prevention Institute's Danielle Bowen-Gerstein and Christine Williams explore how greening can be a crucial part of community violence prevention.

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  • The Guardian: January 13, 2020

    Changing violence requires the same shift in understanding given to AIDS

    In his article in The Guardian about the need to shift our understanding of violence from a moral to a public health perspective, Gary Slutkin mentions PI's Rachel Davis. "The main key to changing this situation is for us to shift our understanding of violence in this new way – as a preventable epidemic health problem. As with AIDS, this effort needs to be spearheaded by real leaders, and many in the Bay Area have stepped up, including Anne Marks from Youth Alive!, Devone Boggan from Advanced Peace, Rachel Davis from the Prevention Institute, and many others including the mayors of these cities who have also really stepped up."

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  • Center for Health Journalism: December 13, 2019

    Staying flexible proves key for story on junk food in LA’s afterschool programs

    In her article about trying to improve the quality of snacks in after school programs in LA, Alyssa Perry mentions that after bringing up PI's 2005 Child Nutrition Policy (which was not being enforced) to city council members, the Rec and Parks agreed to "re-issue the policy to staff and encourage staff to serve healthier options." 

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  • Block Club Chicago: December 4, 2019

    West Side Mentors Are Showing Teens Masculinity Does Not Need To Be Toxic: ‘Vulnerability Is Not A Weakness’

    In this article, Pascale Sabino describes the work of Legends of Lawndale, one of Prevention Institute's Making Connections sites. "The program encourages emotional intelligence and promotes a modern idea of masculinity that lets go of a lot of gendered expectations of manhood that leads to men bottle up their feelings, struggle with silent insecurity and sometimes lash out on friends, peers, partners and family."

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  • Blue Shield of California Foundation: October 29, 2019

    From McKinleyville to San Diego, five communities redefine intimate partner violence prevention

    In their blog, the Blue Shield of California Foundation features this piece about the Safety Through Connections Initiative by PI's Alisha Somji, Abena Asare, and Lisa Fujie Parks. The initiative, funded by Blue Shield of California Foundation, and organized by PI is made of five community collaboratives that have worked on issues like immigrant rights, worker rights, community violence prevention, and mental health. Through Safety Through Connections, they are broadening their focus to include the prevention of partner violence and developing strategies to address the root causes of violence, such as harmful gender norms, the social attitudes that enable violence, and economic insecurity.

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  • NACCHO Voice: October 24, 2019

    Opioid Settlement Funds Must Go Where They’re Needed Most—Treatment and Prevention

    In this op-ed featured in NACCHO Voice, PI's Dana Fields-Johnson and Sarah Mittermaier write about the spate of recent opioid settlements, what has and hasn’t worked in past public health settlements, and the need to fund prevention. "As thousands of cities and counties hard-hit by the opioid crisis move closer to settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, it’s time to talk about how communities can use these funds to meet urgent needs for treatment and invest in what it will truly take to stop this epidemic: preventing people from becoming addicted to opioids in the first place.

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