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SolutionsU connects you to solutions stories about responses to the world’s challenges.
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LGBTQ-focused therapy center offers scholarships for transpeople of color
http://www.epgn.com/news/local/14820-lgbtq-focused-therapy-center-offers-scholarships-for-transpeople-of-color
Laura Smythe
Philadelphia Gay News
20 June 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
There are many factors that prohibit people from being able to attend mental health counseling including financial reasoning and difficulty finding the right therapist. This is often even more difficult for the LGBTQ community, but in Philadelphia, the LGBTQ-focused Walnut Psychotherapy Center is helping to eliminate some of these barriers by creating a wellness fund that distributes therapy scholarships.
When There's No Doctor Nearby, Volunteers Help Rural Patients Manage Chronic Illness
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/20/733788467/when-theres-no-doctor-nearby-volunteers-help-rural-patients-manage-chronic-illne
Maggie Mullen
NPR
20 June 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Wyoming, volunteers are given health care trainings to help them as caregivers to those with chronic illnesses who are too far away from a doctor to receive adequate care. That curriculum, along with support groups, is helping those in rural communities practice chronic disease self management to improve quality of life.
Forgotten Landscapes: Bringing Back the Rich Grasslands of the Southeast
https://e360.yale.edu/features/forgotten-landscapes-bringing-back-the-rich-grasslands-of-the-southeast
Janet Marinelli
Yale E360
20 June 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
A little known fact about the southeastern United States is that it used to be home to millions of acres of prairies and grasslands, and it remains one of the most biodiverse places in America. The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative is taking on the responsibility of documenting little-known species to better preserve species and educate others about the region.
For-profit philanthropy: Portland labor supply business expanding to other states
https://wgme.com/news/working-solutions/for-profit-philanthropy-the-portland-labor-supply-biz-expanding-to-other-states
David Singer
WGME
20 June 2019
Broadcast TV News / Under 3 Minutes
A company in Portland, Maine works to "dignify temp-work" through the employment of former convicts, addicts, and other individuals in rough transitional phases of life. The company operates as a for-profit business working for social good and facilitates a daily meeting for workers to check in with each other and form a supportive community.
German patients get the latest drugs for just $11. Can such a model work in the U.S.?
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-lower-drug-prices-germany-20190619-story.html
Noam N. Levey
Los Angeles Times
19 June 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The United States is currently facing a rise in the cost of specialty drugs, but the nation may be able to learn from Germany's successful approach to a drug pricing initiative. Based on keeping government involvement to a minimum, new drugs must go through a series of evaluations with a non-governmental agency before entering the market to prove that the new drug has an added benefit compared to the existing drug therapies.
Portugal, drugs and decriminalisation
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07dclrq
Kathleen Hawkins
Hannah McNeish
BBC
18 June 2019
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
In 2001, facing a 20-year opioid epidemic, Portugal decriminalized all personal drug use, meaning people carrying drugs for personal use could no longer face prosecution or jail. The approach, met with public support, offered people access to services like safe injection sites and counseling and showed demonstrable success in declining opioid related deaths, the spread of infectious diseases, and drug use all together. As the rest of the world faces a similar crisis, Portugal could be a model response.
Finally, an Intervention That Might Have Helped Keep High-Risk Teens Alive
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/preventing-teen-suicide-clinical-trial-reduces-deaths/591793
Jill U. Adams
The Atlantic
16 June 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
To prevent suicide amongst youth, research has shown that there's a simple strategy to get people the supports they need: training the adults in their lives on how to recognize warning signs and provide help. While the research is still preliminary, it highlights one more intervention technique to prevent teen suicide by helping youth in recovery stick to their treatment plans.
Building Resilience and Preserving History in Charleston
https://shelterforce.org/2019/06/14/building-resilience-and-preserving-history-in-charleston
Betsey Russell
Shelterforce
14 June 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Charleston, South Carolina's Eastside neighborhood takes strides towards building efficient infrastructure by implementing a weatherization and flood protection plan. The plan, though in early stages, has included community voices and feedback to ensure disenfranchised populations in the area are heard.
One surprising barrier to success in college: Understanding higher education lingo
https://hechingerreport.org/one-surprising-barrier-to-success-in-college-understanding-higher-education-lingo
Andy Johnston
The Hechinger Report
14 June 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Many financial aid and orientation papers are written at the reading level of college seniors and graduate students, posing barriers for students trying to navigate the college application process and beyond. The University of Georgia and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte are two universities that have taken steps to translate their documentation and websites away from academic jargon and into plain language.
Black People Are Charged at a Higher Rate Than Whites. What if Prosecutors Didn't Know Their Race?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/us/prosecutor-race-blind-charging.html
Timothy Williams
The New York Times
12 June 2019
800-1500 Words
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office has been instituting “blind charging,” making it impossible to see someone’s name, race, and other demographics before deciding to charge them with a crime. This new practice comes as a response to accusations of racial bias and profiling when deciding whether to pursue a charge – citing that black people are disproportionately targeted within the criminal justice system.
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