February 2016

Men and women are subject to different vulnerabilities when it comes to health and disease. More men than women are diagnosed with autism, for example, while women tend to experience different heart attack symptoms from men. With support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through a new program at Penn called Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH), two junior faculty members are venturing into unexplored scientific territory to elucidate some...

A month after tornadoes ravaged North Texas, mental health experts are warning survivors to be on the alert for another problem: post-traumatic stress disorder. Though many people associate that syndrome with soldiers who have been through combat, PTSD can affect about one-fifth of people who were directly affected by a natural disaster, medical studies show. After an ordeal like a tornado or hurricane, people often have trouble sleeping and concentrating, feel jumpy and may be easily...

Whether poverty is caused by behaviour or economic factors is an ongoing debate, with the Right usually supporting the former, and the Left the latter. Drawing on a recent study ,  Glen Bramley  explains why structure, rather than behaviour, is the major factor behind disadvantaged individuals in England. Yet he also writes that many of those included in the research had adverse childhood experiences, and so the Left is also wrong to completely dismiss any suggestions of...

A hidden gem is quietly at work in Burlington’s Old North End, helping heal and promote healthy young families. The Janet Munt VNA Family Room has been working its magic over the past 27 years, playing a vital role in the lives of thousands of families and children, fostering strong parenting, caring families, and a supportive community. I have had the good fortune to be a volunteer at the Family Room, and witness firsthand the healing and connections made by the many families that...

Leaders from across the political spectrum are taking the state’s drug epidemic more seriously than ever before, and rightfully so. According to Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, more than five deaths per week in our state are attributable to heroin and other opioids. Counties and municipalities are stretched beyond their breaking points. Consider this: According to Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton, the Penobscot County jail is built to hold 157 inmates but as recently as...

I have been advocating for changes in suicide prevention in Indian Country (areas in the U.S. with high populations of American Indians have very high rates). As a member of the American Indian/Alaska Native Task Force on Suicide Prevention and a presenter at conferences and task force meetings, I present a rather targeted approach to identification of potential suicide victims using the ACE criteria. If you look at the number of Kaiser Permanente subjects in the ACE Study, about 6% of the...

Three young men in recovery reflect on their youth and how their addictions were mishandled by their mentors, teachers and coaches. They spoke at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's Youth Substance Use Prevention and Early Intervention Strategic Initiative Annual Convening in Washington, D.C. in late 2015. [Watch the video at http://jjie.org/if-they-had-asked-young-people-in-recovery-reflect-on-what-could-have-been/184016/]

New Jersey just became the 17th state to allow minors to seek mental health treatment without their parents consent. Called the Boys & Girls Clubs Keystone Law, it was proposed in 2014 by legislators Carmelo Garcia and Raj Mukherji in response to the demand posed by 15 members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County (BGCHC). The coalition was led by then-17-year-old Jordan Thomas, whose request to see a counselor about domestic abuse was rejected because he didnt...

When Cassandra Arthur reached a crisis point as a teenager because of episodes of severe depression, she ended up at a hospital emergency department because neither she nor those trying to help her knew where else to seek help. The first time, at age 17, Arthur's depression had driven her to the point of suicide, but her high school psychologist got wind of her plan to take her own life and contacted her parents. She was taken to the emergency department of a Toronto hospital and admitted to...

A targeted effort by the Obama administration as the new year opened to remove undocumented families with children has prompted renewed protests from educators and fears in immigrant communities, particularly in Southern California. Nearly 300 educators nationwide, some lawmakers and the country’s largest teachers unions are condemning the stepped-up enforcement actions that occurred in several states during the first weekend in January. Among the 121 individuals taken into custody...

The Central Iowa ACEs Coalition has just released a four-page executive summary sharing some initial findings from analyzing three years of ACEs data (2012-2014). The report is centered around hope and resiliency with a focus on opportunities to respond to the ACEs findings. The report also features a story of how little nudges along the way helped a mother find a new path for her future. View the executive summary here . View other resources on our Iowa ACEs 360 website . The four-page...

Rooftop “parasite homes” might just be an answer to Paris’s affordable housing drought—at least that’s the hope of developers behind the 3BOX project about to begin construction. The three upcoming apartments, just off the canal near the city’s Quai de Valmy , have found an ingenious way of freeing up more space in a densely built city: they’re perched on top of existing buildings. As a result, the developers hope the homes will ultimately sell at 40...