The Rainbow Connection

A two-hour investigation places America’s heroin crisis in a fresh and provocative light -- telling the stories of individual addicts, but also illuminating the epidemic's years-in-the-making social context, deeply examining shifts in U.S. drug policy, and exploring what happens when addiction is treated like a public health issue, not a crime.

A Boston suburb combined its high school and senior center to create a hub for the community. The result has saved space and forged interesting friendships.

More than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s or similar illnesses, and that number is growing as the population ages - without any immediate prospect of a cure, advocacy groups have begun promoting ways to offer people with dementia a comfortable decline instead of imposing on them a medical model of care, which seeks to defer death through escalating interventions. An Arizona nursing home offers new ways to care for people with dementia.

Not all seniors need the various discounts they receive. The Boomerang Giving project allows them to donate back the difference of the discounts on things like movie tickets to a charity of their choice, benefiting not only a community cause but also their own mental and physical health. Various services also assist them in selecting and investing wisely in different nonprofits.

Cities tend to be dangerous and difficult places to live for older residents. A private public partnership in New York is catering to seniors through small changes in the city such as para-transit options and seniors-only hours at public establishments.

In San Francisco, 23 percent of homeless people return to the street after transitional housing programs. A New York program gives the mentally ill and homeless individual apartments alongside average New Yorkers and has had an 84 percent retention rate.

The living conditions in refugee camps in the Middle East are very poor. Architects are piloting the Re:Build construction system that utilizes materials in the natural environment to construct homes, schools, and clinics. The system engages refugees in the process of building so that they can take ownership of their success and develop skills to integrate in returning to their home country.

Solitary confinement has long been shown to exacerbate mental health problems and is considered to be inhumane for long periods of time. Colorado is taking steps to reduce the amount of time prisoners spend in isolation, and Wisconsin is looking to do the same.

Some inner city schools, nonprofits, and businesses in New York lack the staff to make their organizations function for the people they serve. ReServe is a program that links retired professionals with part-time jobs in schools, libraries, hospitals and other city agencies to help fil this gap.

American humanitarian aid and programs by the United Nations have proved beneficial to equip Middle Eastern refugees with resources for self-settlement outside of camps. The self-settlement model has empowered refugees to become more productive members of society when they return home.