• The Trace: September 11, 2020

    Are Cities Willing to Cut Police Spending and Invest in Community Violence Prevention?

    In their article in The Trace, Anthony Smith of Cities United and PI's Rachel Davis call for a public health approach to community violence. "Tactics like the ones we’re seeing federal agents carry out in Portland, Oregon, don’t make communities safer — they exacerbate the risk of violence... Rather than cut programs that save lives, we should listen to the demands from protesters who are calling for diverting funds from law enforcement to community resources that support safe and equitable communities in the first place."

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  • Health Promotion Practice: July 26, 2020

    Applying a Social Determinants of Health Approach to the Opioid Epidemic

    In July 2020, Prevention Institute’s Ruben Cantu, Dana Fields-Johnson, and Sheila Savannah authored “Applying a Social Determinants of Health Approach to the Opioid Epidemic” for the journal Health Promotion Practice. In it, they describe a community initiative they were involved in that applied upstream, primary prevention strategies to address the underlying causes of the opioid crisis.

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  • California Health Report: July 21, 2020

    Cannabis Tax Revenues Are Going to Police Budgets, Not Communities

    In their op-ed in California Health Report, Sarah-Michael Gaston of Youth Forward and PI's Juliet Sims explain how cities' taxes on marijuana are going toward funding for the police instead of the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs. They offer recommendations for how cities can shift these funds from the criminal justice system back into the communities they were intended to benefit in the first place.

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  • The Hill: May 15, 2020

    Bankruptcy and privatization will not lead us to recovery

    In her op-ed in The Hill, PI's Rachel A. Davis makes the case that if states and local governments begin to declare bankruptcy—as recommended by some members of congress—or privatize services, this would endanger all communities, and particularly vulnerable communities, by slashing funding for public resources, exacerbating inequities, and reducing transparency and accountability.

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  • California Health Report: May 7, 2020

    Opinion: Society Designed the Systems That Created COVID-19 Inequalities — We Can Redesign Them

    In their op-ed in California Health Report, Chrissie Juliano and PI's Rachel A. Davis applaud legislation introduced by California Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Robin Kelly of Illinois to address the root of the reasons COVID-19 is taking a heavier toll on low-income communities and communities of color. They champion a system-level transformation of community conditions that we can redesign through policy and advocacy. "The data tell us that the systems that shape lives and determine the opportunity to be healthy — from housing and transportation to education and economic...

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  • Healthy Living, Healthy Planet Radio: May 4, 2020

    Podcast: Sustainable Communities

    PI's Manal J. Aboelata joined Amanda Eaken and Jason Babbie from NRDC for a conversation on Healthy Living, Healthy Planet Radio about how we can sustain healthy and resilient communities during COVID-19. Listen to Episode 30 to hear their discussion.

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  • STAT: April 20, 2020

    Farmers markets provide healthy food and support local economies. Keep them open during Covid-19 lockdowns

    In her op-ed featured in STAT, PI's Leslie Mikkelsen explains the many reasons why it's crucial to keep farmer's markets open during COVID-19. "As a nutritionist and advocate for sustainable local food systems, I believe that we need to do everything we can to ensure that all members of our communities can access fresh and healthy food, support their local food economies, and keep the vision of a sustainable food system alive in spite of Covid-19."

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  • CalMatters: March 31, 2020

    If we can safely distance at the grocery store, surely we can do the same at parks

    CalMatters features PI's Manal J. Aboelata's piece, which explains why it is especially important to keep public parks open as we respond to coronavirus. 

    "With many outdoor recreation facilities now off-limits, I fear that the health protection and police powers of the state are set to converge in ways that could be especially dangerous for boys and men of color — the people most likely to be over-policed in public spaces."

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