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Health on Wheels: Tricked-Out RVs Deliver Addiction Treatment to Rural Communities

Markian Hawryluk

September 28, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sterling, Colorado

Because access to addiction treatment is difficult in rural communities, a state program in Colorado has allowed for RV's to be turned into mobile clinics, which has proved especially useful during the coronavirus pandemic. Not only do the mobile clinics offer services such as testing, but they also provide internet access for patients who need to connect with a doctor.

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Mutual aid groups rushed to the rescue during COVID-19

Elizabeth M. Miller

September 28, 2020 |

New Mexico In Depth |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

Mutual aid groups in New Mexico are packing and delivering groceries and other staples to New Mexicans in need during the pandemic who have not been adequately served by existing social safety nets. Groups like Albuquerque Mutual Aid, McKinley Mutual Aid, and Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network accept cash donations and donated goods. Volunteers then distribute the goods to people whose immigration status, health risks, or lack of transportation block them from receiving traditional government aid. The groups are planning to coordinate their work to be more efficient so they can continue after the immediate crisis.

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State of Texas: Lawmakers weigh ‘solutions' proposed for education equity during pandemic

Arezow Doost Josh Hinkle Jennifer Sanders Laney Valian Tahera Rahman John Thomas

September 27, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Texas

In Texas, 2 million households in the state don’t have high speed internet, affecting students of color at a greater rate. Some districts have also had problems with chronic absenteeism. This segment explores creative solutions enacted by different schools in Texas. In Lockhart ISD the district built seven cell phone towers to provide high speed internet to rural students who lived in dead zones. In Leander ISD, a librarian and a parent when door knocking to reconnect with absent bilingual students. In Manor ISD, a digital tracking system helped boost the rate of contactable students from 91 percent, to 99.

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For One Community, a Simple Hearse Has Profound Effect

Merveille Kavira Luneghe

September 27, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kirumba

A public hearse, donated by a National Assembly member, helps around three families a day carry their deceased relatives to burial grounds. The minivan, with no seats and a siren on top, has had a profound effect in the area, which is often dealing with disease and occasional armed conflict. Previously, families carried bodies on foot or strapped to a motorcycle, and often had to pay someone to do it. The public service is overseen by a hearse management committee and the city’s 90,000 residents are charged a mandatory fee of about $1.28 per household to cover repairs, gas, and payments to the driver.

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Harvard medical student knocks down a big barrier to COVID-19 info

Julia Sklar

September 26, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

A volunteer organization is helping to address a language barrier as it pertains to COVID-19 by translating and distributing public health information in the native languages of tribes. Although this is not as simple as translating word-for-word since some of the words do not exist in the local dialects and because some of the guidelines are not practical for the communities, the organization has translated the health sheets into 45 different languages and has worked with "schoolchildren in the tribe to act as conduits for the information."

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A parent-led effort to close the digital divide

Javeria Salman

September 24, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Nevada

When Clark County School District moved to an all-remote plan for school, it distributed 10,000 devices, close to 20,000 students had no way to connect their online classes. A parent, with the help of a SCSD teacher and a board of education member, created a Facebook group to help spanish-speaking families express if they needed a device for their kids and help fill those needs. The group gained traction and attention and has since received 550 device requests, fulfilling 162. The group relies on monetary and computer donations from individuals and businesses.

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How Detroit chefs reinvented their food businesses to survive the pandemic

Dorothy Hernandez

September 24, 2020 |

Planet Detroit |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

When the coronavirus pandemic caused restaurants to close their doors due to safety and health concerns, some Detroit restaurant owners pivoted their businesses into food delivery services and community grocery store operations. Although not all solutions have been profitable, some businesses are finding that they could be sustainable even after the pandemic.

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In New Zealand, Police Work and Social Work Can Go Together

Serena Solomon

September 22, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, South Auckland

In South Auckland, epicenter of New Zealand's high rates of domestic violence, police respond to calls for help but instantly call in Te Taanga Manawa, a Māori-led team of multiple, culturally appropriate social-services agencies to guide families toward fixing the root of their problems. In the past, police may have made referrals to services agencies. But the Māori's distrust and the time lag in getting offers of help meant that families often rejected it, having papered over their conflict for a time. Now, nearly all accept the help offered while the crisis is still hot.

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Soap on tap? A startup arrives in NYC with a plan to take the plastic out of cleaning products.

Claire Elise Thompson

September 21, 2020 |

Grist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To make food and cleaning products more accessible to those experiencing economic hardship, the startup Algramo has installed more than 2,500 automated bulk-dispensing systems throughout Chile where people can purchase an item and come back to refill it using the same container. Instead of competing against other consumer good companies, Algramo works with them to help change their packaging practices to reduce their plastic waste. Algramo is scaling the service to New York City and Indonesia to help cash-strapped and eco-friendly shoppers.

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No Problems Expected For Hawaii's New Vote-By-Mail System For The Nov. 3 Election

Blaze Lovell

September 21, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

Election officials in Hawaii made adjustments to their election regulations for the August 2020 primary that resulted in the highest voter turnout for a primary in two decades. The state offered multiple ways to return ballots and created a new system to help voters with special needs. They also implemented security measures, including unique bar codes and signature verification, to deter fraud. The state earned an “A” in the Brookings Institution’s ranking of states’ preparedness to vote during a pandemic and will use insights from the primary to increase access even more during the general election.

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