Health

Community Seeks Emotional and Physical Wellness

Published

11 years ago

March 17, 2015

Oakland Post

Sledding (Wiley Price / St. Louis American)

by Sandra Jordan
Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American

“It’s the stress of what we are going through as a community that is making us unhealthy,” said St. Louis Regional Health Commission CEO Robert Freund.

Through the Gateway to Better Health Program, RHC has connected about half of the St. Louis area’s uninsured population to primary care doctors at Federally Qualified Health Centers.

RHC data indicates about 60 percent of those persons have chronic illnesses. They have diabetes, they have hypertension or both.

“We’re doing a great job of trying to get them into medical care and managing those diseases so they don’t spin out of control and turn into strokes, turn into amputations – diabetes turn into blindness,” Freund said. “The question we started asking was: is there a way we can get the numbers down from 60 percent of those folks having a chronic disease before we get to them – before they hit our health centers?”

And they started thinking about what was really driving the development of those chronic conditions, as well as ways to strengthen community engagement.

Freund said community was telling the RHC that it needed to get back to stressing the importance of mental health. People are stressed-out. And resources to help are scarce.

“A lot of what is driving the poor health …, it’s not necessarily lack of access or not necessarily lack of medicine, it’s stuff that’s going on in our everyday lives,” he said.

And there is scientific data to support it. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, conducted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, found a direct link between childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

“Your body just gets so worked up until ‘fight or flight response,’ which releases chemicals in your body. And if it’s always in a fight or flight response, it’s going to jack up your blood pressure; it’s going to jack up your blood sugar levels,” Freund said. “And you know what that gives you? Diabetes and hypertension.”

The RHC started a collective conversation about what it takes to become a healthier community through its effort, Alive and Well St. Louis. The first conversations were heard on local radio through a series of health messages based on the commission’s 10-year review health status report and hosted by Integrated Health Network CEO Bethany Johnson Javois (who is currently on hiatus from IHN while she serves as the managing director of the Ferguson Commission).

Conversations expanded from the airwaves to back to grassroots level, where behavioral health professionals are training community members to become ambassadors – who will help others learn how to fight toxic stress in their lives to create a community that is not merely existing – it’s Alive and Well.

There are tools and techniques that individuals can use for personal stress reduction, including talking about it.

“People who are in community with each other and are connected with one another are much more likely to deal with stress better,” Freund said. “If you are isolated or are alone, if you don’t have a natural support group … you won’t get through the stresses as well as others.”

Something as simple as exercising or taking walks help deal with stress levels; making a decision to have a positive attitude; taking a few minutes to reflect; taking a deep breath and meditating are useful tools, Freund said.

“When you really find yourself being anxious and worked up, step back, take deep breaths,” he said. “Sounds easy, but people don’t do it.”

Persons who are profoundly depressed or anxious should seek professional help.

“What we are finding is, it doesn’t take an acute crisis for people to make themselves sick over stress, and that’s where counseling agencies come in handy,” Freund reminded.

Provident Counseling, Hopewell Center and Lutheran Family Services are some of the agencies in the St. Louis area, as well as community health centers.

“Talk to your doctor and say, ‘I need some help.’”

Freund admits there are not enough mental health professionals for the amount of people who are stressed.

“If it reaches a tipping point, we need to get people help,” he said. “Before that, work with each other. Just talking about it with a friend can a lot of times be the thing that is the difference between getting people through it or not.”

The next Alive and Well training is scheduled for March 24. RHC said it will be conducted by the Department of Mental Health.

If you are interested in joining the conversation, download the Bonfyre app and search for Alive and Well, or find out more at http://www.aliveandwellstl.com.

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COMMENTARY: The Biases We Don’t See — Preventing AI-Driven Inequality in Health Care

For decades, medicine promoted false assumptions about Black bodies. Black patients were told they had lower lung capacity, and medical devices adjusted their results accordingly. That practice was not broadly reversed until 2021. Up until 2022, a common medical formula used to measure how well a person’s kidneys were working automatically gave Black patients a higher score simply because they were Black. On paper, this made their kidneys appear healthier than they truly were. As a result, kidney disease was sometimes detected later in Black patients, delaying critical treatment and referrals.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D (D-San Diego). File photo.

By Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D., Special to California Black Media Partners

Technology is sold to us as neutral, objective, and free of human flaws. We are told that computers remove emotion, bias, and error from decision-making. But for many Black families, lived experience tells a different story. When technology is trained on biased systems, it reflects those same biases and silently carries them forward.

We have seen this happen across multiple industries. Facial recognition software has misidentified Black faces at far higher rates than White faces, leading to wrongful police encounters and arrests. Automated hiring systems have filtered out applicants with traditionally Black names because past hiring data reflected discriminatory patterns. Financial algorithms have denied loans or offered worse terms to Black borrowers based on zip codes and historical inequities, rather than individual creditworthiness. These systems did not become biased on their own. They were trained on biased data.

Healthcare is not immune.

These biases were not limited to software or medical devices. Dangerous myths persisted that Black people feel less pain, contributing to undertreatment and delayed care. These beliefs were embedded in modern training and practice, not distant history. Those assumptions shaped the data that now feeds medical technology. When biased clinical practices form the basis of algorithms, the risk is not hypothetical. The bias can be learned, automated, and scaled.

For us in the Black community, this creates understandable fear and mistrust. Many families already carry generational memories of medical discrimination, from higher maternal mortality to lower life expectancy to being dismissed or unheard in clinical settings. Adding AI biases could make our community even more apprehensive about the healthcare system.

As a physician, I know how much trust patients place in the healthcare system during their most vulnerable moments. As a Black woman, I understand how bias can shape experiences in ways that are often invisible to those who do not live them. As a mother of two Black children, I think constantly about the systems that will shape their health and well-being. As a legislator, I believe it is our responsibility to confront emerging risks before they become widespread harm.

That is why I am the author of Senate Bill (SB) 503. This bill aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare by requiring developers and users of AI systems to identify, mitigate, and monitor biased impacts in their outputs to reduce racial and other disparities in clinical decision-making and patient care.

Currently under consideration in the State Assembly, SB 503 was not written to slow innovation. In fact, I encourage it. But it is our duty must ensure that every tool we in the healthcare field helps patients rather than harms them.

The health of our families depends on it.

About the Author

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D–San Diego) is a physician and public health advocate representing California’s 39th Senate District.

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As California Hits Aging Milestone, State Releases Its Fifth Master Plan for Aging

“California’s Master Plan for Aging started a powerful movement that is shaping the future of aging in our state for generations to come,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, calling the initiative a “future-forward” model delivering real results for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Jan. 27, California released its Fifth Master Plan for Aging Annual Report,titled “Focusing on What Matters Most,” outlining the state’s progress and priorities as its population rapidly grows older.

The report, issued by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), provides updates on the Master Plan for Aging’s “Five Bold Goals”: housing, health, inclusion and equity, caregiving, and affordability.

The report comes as Californians aged 60 and older now outnumber those under 18 for the first time, a demographic shift expected to accelerate over the next decade.

Launched in 2021, the Master Plan for Aging takes a “whole-of- government” and “whole-of-society” approach, coordinating state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and private partners. The annual report highlights significant milestones, including more than 100 California communities joining AARP’s Age-Friendly Network and $4 million in state funding awarded to local organizations to develop aging and disability action plans in 30 communities statewide.

The report also underscores California’s leadership at the national level, noting that dozens of states have followed its example and that federal legislation inspired by the plan was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate in December 2025.

CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson emphasized the plan’s focus on equity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.

“The Master Plan for Aging continues to provide a vision, a focus, and a platform for collaboration,” Johnson said. “Equity is at the center of all that we do.”

Looking ahead, the report notes that by 2030, one in four Californians will be age 60 or older, positioning the Master Plan for Aging as a central framework for meeting the state’s long-term social, economic, and health needs.

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Candidates Vying for Governor’s Seat Debate at Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera House in San Francisco

The gubernatorial debate participants included Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor; Matt Mahan, San Jose mayor; Betty Yee, former California state controller; Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and attorney general of California; Steve Hilton, political commentator and political adviser; Tom Steyer, entrepreneur, and Tony Thurmond, California’s superintendent of public instruction.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

The gubernatorial debate was hosted by KTVU’s Greg Lee, KTTV’s Marla Tellez and KTVU’s Andre Senior. The candidates are (l.-r.): Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee.

By Carla Thomas

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, seven candidates took the stage at the historic Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera House in San Francisco for the gubernatorial debate, hosted by the Black Action Alliance (BAA) in partnership with KTVU and sister station KTTV Fox 11 in Los Angeles.

For many voters, it marked a first opportunity to hear directly from several candidates seeking to lead the nation’s most populous state.

Crucial topics and issues addressed throughout the debate included housing, crime, immigration, climate change, health care and homelessness.

The debate was moderated by KTVU political reporter Greg Lee alongside KTVU’s Andre Senior and KTTV Fox 11’s Marla Tellez.

Candidates also addressed inflation and the rising costs across the state, impacting everything from groceries to childcare and health care.

Thurmond vowed to generate 2.3 million units of housing by placing 12 units on each parcel of available land in the 58 counties of California. Steyer agreed that billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes.

Hilton wanted to cut taxes, help working-class families, and end the Democrats “climate crusade and insane regulations.”

Yee offered a more transparent governmental approach with accountability, given the state’s debt.

Gonzalez said, “This debate was a great way to see who has great ideas and who has substance.”

“It’s important to have the debate within a community that requires the most,” said business leader Linda Fadekye.

Attendees included State Controller Malia Cohen, representatives of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the National Coalition of 100 Black Men, the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce, and Black Women Organized for Political Action, among others.

Event host, the Black Action Alliance (BAA) was established to amplify the voices of the Bay Area’s Black community, whose perspectives have too often been overlooked in politics and public policy.

Loren Taylor, CEO of BAA, said it was important to bring the event to the Bayview in San Francisco and shared his organization’s mission.

“The Black Action Alliance (BAA) stands for practical, community-driven solutions that strengthen public safety, address homelessness, support small businesses, expand affordable housing, and ensure access to quality education—issues at the heart of the Black experience in the Bay Area,” said Taylor.

California’s primary election will take place on June 2 and the general election will take place on Nov. 3.