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As Covid-19 tears through Navajo Nation, young people step up to protect their elders
https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/26/navajo-nation-covid-19-youth-response-elders-health
Mona Gable
STAT
26 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Across Navajo Nation, young people are coming together to protect their elders through grassroots efforts and campaigns. They’ve created online campaigns, like Protect the Sacred and #NavajoStrong to help provide accurate information, collect donations, deliver medical supplies, and recruit medical professionals. They’ve come together on-the-ground, creating the Northern Dine Covid-19 Relief Effort to get clearing products, fresh food, and other supplies to households on the reservation.
How Orange County's Visual Arts World is Coping with the Coronavirus
https://voiceofoc.org/2020/05/how-orange-countys-visual-arts-world-is-coping-with-the-coronavirus
Richard Chang
Voice of OC
22 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Some arts organizations in Orange County, CA have found creative ways to deal with Covid-19 closures by bringing their collections online, creating digital programming, and reaching out to new audiences. For example, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center hands out weekly art kits to kids and seniors and reports donation support from an entirely new group of donors. Others have taken the opportunity to create new content and bring their collections online to engage with those stuck at home of all ages. Not all have been able to withstand the Covid-related closures and many art galleries have closed down for good.
The Pandemic Has Changed Addiction Treatment, Some Hope For Good
https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/05/21/coronavirus-addiction-treatment-changes
Deborah Becker
WBUR
21 May 2020
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
When the pandemic hit, substance abuse centers had to quickly adapt and determine how they would stay in touch with patients who may be more likely than ever to use. Around-the-clock phone lines, telehealth, and take-home drugs to treat addiction without the requirement of daily check-ins have changed the treatment landscape and, pending impact data, could be instated permanently once the pandemic is over. "We've basically started to treat substance use disorder like other diseases and normalize it somewhat," the director of Boston Medical Center's addiction treatment program said.
New York City Pilots Mobile Methadone Program to Help Treat Addiction
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/new-york-city-pilots-mobile-methadone-program-to-help-treat-addiction
Roshan Abraham
Next City
20 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
New York City is piloting a methadone distribution system for residents struggling with opioid addiction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially intended to avoid unnecessary visits to medical centers, the model is now championed by policy experts as a permanent solution for reaching more patients. “It’s amazing, unprecedented, ground-breaking, and will be something that we’ll continue to fight to make sure that it stays in place after COVID has passed,” one proponent said.
Sweden's Coronavirus Strategy Should Not Be the World's
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/sweden/2020-05-20/swedens-coronavirus-strategy-should-not-be-worlds
Josh Michaud
Foreign Affairs Magazine
20 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Others can learn from the so-called Swedish model for managing the pandemic, while at the same time should be wary of adopting its undeclared mission to achieve herd immunity. From the start of the crisis, Sweden has placed the responsibility for risk reduction on individuals and businesses rather than through government mandates. The gamble appears to have paid off, as people for the most part behaved responsibly and cautiously, suggesting a less damaging approach for the long haul. But whatever progress the country has made toward widespread immunity carries a big health cost.
Powwows move online to keep Indigenous communities together
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2020/05/19/powwows-online-indigenous
Dylan Simard
Jennifer Alvarez
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
19 May 2020
Broadcast TV News / 3-5 Minutes
Powwow season has been curtailed by the social distancing mandates set by the coronavirus, but a Facebook group called Social Distance Powwow is allowing tribes all over the world to participate in a virtual multi-tribal powwow. The group now has over 180,000 members and serves as a space for Indigenous people to share personal stories, sell Indigenous-made artwork, or celebrate their heritage. Nearly 60,000 people participated in one early online powwow, and the co-founders talk about how pleasantly surprised they were to form a space for healing.
Helping Tenants and Landlords Resolve Issues — Before Going to Court
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/helping-tenants-and-landlords-resolve-issues-before-going-to-court
Jared Brey
Next City
19 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The city of Philadelphia piloted a mediation program that showed how landlord-tenant disputes could be resolved short of an eviction lawsuit. Though the program only lasted two months and heard just a handful of cases, it demonstrated that landlords will participate voluntarily in a system that can equalize a power imbalance and resolve disputes in ways that prove less damaging to both parties. Demand for the mediation program could ramp up if an expected wave of evictions hits because of the pandemic's effects on the economy.
More Productive from Home: Governments Learn to Love Remote Work
https://www.governing.com/work/More-Productive-from-Home-Governments-Learn-to-Love-Remote-Work.html
Alan Greenblatt
Governing
18 May 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Many local government employees have shifted to remote work as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite previous resistance to remote work, employers are finding that workers are more efficient at home and even working longer hours. Managers needed to develop new measures of productivity for remote work. While there may not be a widespread or permanent shift to remote work, some of the adaptations might persist and the success of the remote shift will make it easier for governments to shift their operations for social distancing moving forward.
The doctor is online: Telehealth may become big part of new normal
https://vtdigger.org/2020/05/17/the-doctor-is-online-telehealth-may-become-big-part-of-new-normal
Katie Jickling
VT Digger
17 May 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The move to telemedicine was made necessary due to the coronavirus outbreak, but in Vermont, many health clinics are planning to continue incorporating the practice even after the pandemic dissipates. Although there are limitations to telehealth such as connectivity issues, many health care providers in the state are reporting that the elimination of barriers for their patients are still significant successes.
Jail-based Competency Restoration
https://vimeo.com/419678311
Josh Hinkle
KXAN-TV
17 May 2020
Video / 3-5 Minutes
Experts, advocates, and lawmakers are working within the Texas prison system to help individuals experiencing incarceration access mental health care. A promising practice has been the use of telepsychiatry, or virtual therapy, which has seen a nearly 50% success rate. While efforts are being made, it’s being done in pieces and without scaled, statewide support.
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