In the News

In a victory for health and human rights, California Governor Gavin Newsome is preparing to sign a recent state bill to fund improvements to the state's drinking water system. In her op-ed in California Health Report, PI's Elva Yanez applauds the communities and policy advocates behind the bill while calling on the field of public health to take further action to make water safe and accessible for all communities.

In her article examining how policies that support economic security and gender equity can reduce domestic violence, Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil quotes Prevention Institute's Alisha Somji: 

“A lot of people see the immediate connection between how domestic violence can increase economic insecurity, but there tends to be less dialogue about how community economic security can help support safe relationships and prevent violence before it begins. What this means is that when we think about domestic violence prevention, it’s not just about some of the things we usually think about—teaching healthy behaviors and relationships—but it’s really thinking about more of our community environments. One example of this, is by supporting economic policies such as paid leave from work."

In honor of Men’s Health Awareness Month, which is June, Deidre Ashley writes that although men make up 80% of suicides in the United States, and men are just as likely to face mental heallth issues as women, men are far less likely to seek out help. She explains how traditional masculline norms for men leave them feeling isolated and unable to ask for help. She emphasizes the importance of initiatives working to change norms around masculinity, citing Prevention Institute's Making Connections community of practice.

In this Medium article by Laura Choi of the SF Federal Reserve, Choi writes about how historical policies like redlining have frayed social connections and other social determinants that protect against poverty and support mental health. She writes, "community development efforts can be designed to strengthen the mental health and well-being of the populations it serves," linking to PI's work on the pillars of wellbeing.