Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 179 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old—And Hanging by a Thread

    The federal Voting Rights Act required states to ensure access to the polls for Black voters and created federal enforcement mechanisms. The law worked well in the Jim Crow South, but it wasn't built to deal with racial disenfranchisement more broadly. Congress and the courts have stripped important provisions from the bill over time, like those ensuring enforcement. A 2013 Supreme Court ruling dismissed the need for preemptive measures to protect Black voters, which created an opening for states to pass more restrictive voting laws that have created unfair burdens for Black, Latino, and Indigenous voters.

    Read More

  • The Unlikeliest Pandemic Success Story

    Despite being a small and historically underresourced nation, Bhutan has managed to contain the spread of the coronavirus and avoid all but one death from the virus during the entire duration of the pandemic thus far. Government officials acted swiftly when news of the novel coronavirus became public and implemented immediate testing, contact tracing, and quarantine measures that were well-received by citizens. According to a local journalist, "I don’t think any other country can say that leaders and ordinary people enjoy such mutual trust. This is the main reason for Bhutan’s success.”

    Read More

  • An Alternative to Police That Police Can Get Behind

    A street-level view of White Bird Clinic's CAHOOTS program in Eugene explains its appeal as a cost-saving, humane alternative to sending the police to 911 calls concerning mostly minor problems involving homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse. From the decades-old program's countercultural beginnings to today's 24/7 presence, the private agency's publicly funded teams of a medic and crisis worker have helped keep problems from escalating into violence and jail time. But a number of factors call into question how scalable this approach would be in larger, more diverse cities.

    Read More

  • How the Pandemic Defeated America

    The U.S. has recorded a worldwide record number of COVID-19 cases after missteps and overall lack of action from the federal government limited the nation's response, but in some areas of the country where local institutions and communities enacted their own safety measures, lessons have emerged despite the national failure. Additionally, early surveys have indicated that the majority of Americans are still practing social distancing and support mask-wearing, even without the federal guidance.

    Read More

  • What the Coronavirus Proved About Homelessness

    Britain's response to curbing the spread of coronavirus included the "Bring everyone in" operation which brought people experiencing homelessness off the streets and into accommodation - typically empty hotel rooms. Temporary shelter proved effective with only 16 deaths among those who were brought indoors. People were also given services that could lead to a life off the streets. The success demonstrated the ability of the government to quickly house people when political will and money were put toward solving the problem.

    Read More

  • The Pandemic Proved That Cash Payments Work

    American households were able to avoid income loss when the federal government implemented an extra $600 a week for anyone facing unemployment in addition to $1200 for those who qualified, regardless of their employment status. Despite an almost total economic shutdown, the universal payments have kept poverty rates from increasing. The money has provided a security net for households while also preventing a collapse by generating economic activity.

    Read More

  • Shop Class, Over Zoom

    What happens when vocational education goes online? In Danvers, Massachusetts, one high school is pioneering creative solutions such as dropping off mannequin heads for cosmetology students, setting students up with a zoo webcam to practice their veterinary observational skills, and assigning environmental science students to pick up litter in their neighborhoods and analyze its impact on marine life.

    Read More

  • America's Other Epidemic: A new approach to fighting the opioid crisis as it quietly rages on

    To close a gap in drug treatment that often denies help to people who end up jailed, a hospital employee schooled in the strong evidence of effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment cobbled together a program using Medicaid funding and the cooperation of the courts and medical community. The program is rare in rural America. Though still small, the Courts Addiction & Drug Services program ended its first year with no overdoses, and only a handful of relapses, among its dozens of participants. In a region where MAT drugs are nearly impossible to get, the program is now working to expand its services.

    Read More

  • The City That Has Flattened the Coronavirus Curve

    Early data is showing that San Francisco's proactive and aggressive approach to containing the spread of COVID-19 is working. Once regarded as overly aggressive and premature, the mayor's decision to declare a state of emergency and ban gatherings of groups of more than 1,000 people prior to the confirmation of any cases in the area, is now emerging as a model for how to handle a public health crisis.

    Read More

  • Denmark's Idea Could Help the World Avoid a Great Depression

    The government of Denmark is taking drastic measures to stem the tide of economic depression already hitting parts of the world in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government told companies affected by the economic downturn that it would pay 75 percent of their employees’ salaries to avoid mass layoffs, with the price tag of 13 percent of the national economy in three months.

    Read More