Insights

You learn a lot when you spend months reporting on a given issue or community, as our fellows can attest. Whether you’re embarking on a big new story or seeking to go deeper on a given issue, it pays to learn from those who’ve already put in the shoe leather and crunched the data. In these essays and columns, our community of journalists steps back from the notebooks and tape to reflect on key lessons, highlight urgent themes, and offer sage advice on the essential health stories of the day. 

Author(s)
By Maria Ortiz-Briones

In a region hobbled by the country's worst air pollution, high obesity rates, and lack of culturally sensitive doctors, Vida en el Valle will take a look at what immediate impacts the Affordable Care Act will have in the San Joaquin Valley.

Author(s)
By Jondi Gumz

As the March 15 deadline approaches to buy a 2014 health plan at the state exchange, Santa Cruz County residents are on their own to figure out which doctors are in the three Covered California plans available to them.

Author(s)
By Karina Dalmas

Driving around South Central or East Los Angeles, it's common to see young crowds gathering outside mortuaries. Some call the area the "gang capital" of the United States, with more than 450 gangs with at least 45.000 active gang members, according to the LAPD.

Author(s)
By Robert Fulton

Imperial County is a rural farming community tucked into the southeast corner of the state along the border with Mexico. According to the 2008 Imperial County Health Status report, the incidence rate of cancer in there has been consistently lower than state-wide rates.

Author(s)
By Alicia Chang

The Affordable Care Act promises to expand health coverage to millions of Americans who would otherwise go without. Excluded are people living in the U.S. illegally who are barred from signing up and who won't be penalized for not carrying insurance.

Author(s)
By Ezra David Romero

Central California wasn't always the mecca of U.S. agriculture. Historically millions of acres of wetlands shrouded the region, but river diversion for irrigation dried all but five percent of the rivers and streams in the area. We question whether a change in waterways will impact community health.

Author(s)
By Raheem Hosseini

Not everyone who passes through Sacramento County's version of juvenile hall may be there for primarily criminal issues.