Crises Archives - Mediarabe

Vancouver police in pilot program that aims to address mental health crises

October 11, 2020

The Vancouver Police Department announced Friday that it is partnering with a community-based organization to start a pilot program aimed at improving access to mental health services and treatments.

The city will share grant funding with Sea Mar, a federally qualified health center, to add three full-time mental health responder positions to assist Vancouver police officers in the field “in an on-call capacity during peak (police response) hours,” the police department announced in a news release.

The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs awarded nearly $315,000 to Vancouver to establish the pilot program. The money is part of $2 million set aside by the Washington Legislature. Nine grants were awarded statewide.

Funds were originally received in September 2019 to share with Clark County and Sea Mar. The Vancouver City and Clark County councils and the health center approved agreements for the use of the money in the following months.

Community colleges are experiencing existential crises with more stimulus uncertain

October 10, 2020

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It’s not clear if U.S. colleges (or anyone) will be receiving getting more stimulus before the end of the year.

And several community college leaders told Yahoo Finance that if they don’t, many of these schools will struggle to survive in the years to come.

“The biggest concern is we’re going to find many institutions that are serving some students with the greatest need or the greatest barriers to persistence and completion may not have the financial viability to continue,” Carrie Welton, director of Policy and Advocacy at the Hope Center, told Yahoo Finance. “We’re actually risking taking those institutions off the table for students altogether. I think that’s probably the greatest restaurant, obviously institutions need to be available for students to be able to attend.”

‘We desperately need help’

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system oversees 17 institutions serving 85,000 students, and CSCU President Mark Ojakian

WFP fights hunger in food-deprived places, crises, war zones

October 9, 2020

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The World Food Program won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to combat hunger amid the coronavirus pandemic, recognition that shines light on vulnerable communities across the Middle East and Africa that the U.N. agency seeks to help, those starving and living in war zones that may rarely get the world’s attention.

From Yemen to South Sudan, food insecurity is a growing scourge, made worse by a mixture of military conflict, environmental disaster and the economic fallout of the pandemic. Last year alone, the Rome-based organization provided aid to almost 100 million people in 88 countries. Here’s a look at some of those places:

YEMEN

In war-torn Yemen, described as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, millions depend each month on WFP for survival. In the nearly six years of conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led military coalition, the

Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises? (ep. 122)

October 8, 2020

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MOLLY KAPLAN
[00:00:01] From the ACLU, this is At Liberty. I’m Molly Kaplan, your host.

Over the last months, we’ve explored different conversations on the subject of policing: abolition, violence and accountability, protest and activism. Today, we’re digging into a topic that has gained more attention in the wake of Daniel Prude’s death in March at the hands of the Rochester Police Department.

We will dig into the startling connection between mental health 9-1-1 calls and police brutality. Studies show that nearly 50% of police victims are living with a disability, predominantly a mental health disability. In many ways, 9-1-1 has become the only option for people looking for mental health crisis intervention. And police often arrive at the scene armed with deadly weapons and a lack of mental health training. The results are devastating.

But there is hope. There are new alternatives to policing that can provide real care

Experts: Tackling Poverty and Racism as Public Health Crises Requires Rapid Action | National News

October 2, 2020

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Late last month, the Healthcare Anchor Network, a coalition of more than three dozen health systems in 45 states and Washington, D.C., released a public statement declaring: “It is undeniable: Racism is a public health crisis.” In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in May, many states, cities and counties across the United States issued similar declarations, according to the American Public Health Association.

While it is becoming clear that ZIP code may matter more to longevity than genetic code, some public health experts have been sounding the alarm for decades. Indeed, poverty and racism have an enormous – and devastating – impact on health, according to a panel of experts brought together for a webinar hosted by U.S. News & World Report as part of the Community Health Leadership Forum, a new virtual event series.

In Chicago, as just one example, life expectancy between some

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