By Dianne Anderson Apparently, voters are not slacking off as drop boxes have sprung up across the nation and are getting a lot of action. As of Tuesday, over nine million early votes have already been cast. By now, everyone should have their ballot with pre-printed barcode, ready to walk it into their County Registrar ...

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media  In the wake of recent calls to shift responsibility for non-violent intervention away from police departments, lawmakers and community advocates around California are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2054, also known as the CRISES Act.  CRISES is an acronym for Community Response Initiative to Strengthen Emergency ...

By Dianne Anderson Add scorching heat of the past week to the COVID crisis fatigue, and bills piling up from recent job losses and potential massive evictions on the near horizon. It’s all keeping community mental health professionals bombarded lately with calls for help. Local advocate Linda Hart said a lot of the problem is ...

To better meet the needs of patrons of the Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) who may be experiencing homelessness, mental illness or have substance use challenges, LBPL is partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to explore models of integrating social work into its existing services. With support from the Health Department’s Trauma ...

The National Newspaper Publishers Assn. is taking a closer look at the stigma of mental illness in the African American community. This is the first in a series. By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Historically, seeking psychotherapy has been difficult for African Americans, said Dr. Viola Drancoli, a licensed clinical psychologist who wrote a master ...

By Dianne Anderson Awards are paying off for one local nonprofit in its quest to move women in crises, caught deep in the system, to a place that they now call home. Time for Change Foundation recently won a federal grant for $425,000 per year for the next five years, totaling $2.1 million that will ...

By Dianne Anderson Getting mental health services before it’s too late has been a personal calling for community outreach advocate Linda Hart, something that she has felt compelled to deal with starting within her own family. Everyone missed the first signs of distress, it went unnoticed as sometimes happens to people in crisis. The odd ...

By Dianne Anderson No one wants to think about child and youth suicide, but ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Kids are starting early, considering taking their own lives or actually following through from as young as five years old, and Black kids are particularly not immune. At last count in ten years ...

A new mental health urgent care center has opened in Perris and its doors will remain open around the clock to offer voluntary mental health support to people in crisis. Riverside University Health System—Behavioral Health has engaged the Telecare Perris-Mental Health Urgent Program to provide the community-based mental health and recovery services. Steve Steinberg, director ...