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Feeling sick? The lawyer will see you now.

Julia Hotz

May 25, 2023 |

The Boston Globe |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

The Child Health-Law Partnership (Child HeLP) is a collaboration between health and legal professionals to treat a patient’s “health-harming legal needs” together. The original medical-legal partnership began 30 years ago in Boston, but has since expanded to other cities to look at all aspects of a patient's health. To administer the best care, patients are asked questions about housing quality and stability, delays or denials of public benefits, unmet educational needs and mental health.

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Take this cash and call me in the morning

Julia Hotz

March 24, 2022 |

The Boston Globe |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Health professionals today routinely help patients access support services, like food and income assistance, that are crucial for their mental and physical health. Organizations, like Health Leads, have stepped in to manage some of this support. They encourage doctors and social workers to “prescribe” resources like food, and volunteers help by managing the logistics of things like transportation or application assistance.

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New York City Is Building a Wall of Oysters to Fend Off Floods

Julia Hotz

November 19, 2021 |

Bloomberg |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

From New York City to Texas, localities are using oysters to protect themselves from flooding. They are dropping oysters along the coast for baby oysters to grown on, ultimately leading to the creation of wall-like reefs. The oyster reefs mitigate the blow of big waves during hurricanes. A study showed that reef-protected areas dissipated waves and had 54% less erosion. Building oyster reefs form part of a larger movement known as "green infrastructure" to manage the effects of climate change, as opposed to building concrete infrastructure like sea walls and dikes.

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A radical plan to treat Covid's mental health fallout

Julia Hotz

August 18, 2021 |

Wired |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

“Social prescribing” is an increasingly popular approach to healthcare that addresses “social determinants” of health with non-pharmaceutical prescriptions for patients in the form of activities in their local community, such as exercise classes, gardening projects, and even help to get a job or housing. Pilots across the United Kingdom have shown the emotional and physical benefits to patients and the NHS England has committed to increasing the practice nationwide. It relies on decades of research showing people’s sense of self-worth and meaning in their lives play a big role in their physical health.

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What 'gentle parenting' can teach us about care, relationships, and communication

Julia Hotz

July 28, 2021 |

Popular Science |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Triple P is a public health intervention led by schools, clinics, and governments to make the key principles of “gentle parenting” accessible to parents around the world. Parents receive support and coaching to create a safe and engaging environment for their children, promote positive learning environments, maintain reasonable expectations, shift from coercive strategies to helping children understand appropriate behavior, and practice self-care. There are low cost and online versions of the program to increase accessibility and parents who have taken the course report positive outcomes.

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How to help someone struggling with mental illness

Julia Hotz

June 07, 2021 |

Popular Science |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The Mental Health First Aid course teaches people who are not mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis based on understanding rather than fear. Millions of people have taken the course in 24 countries since its introduction two decades ago. It has been shown to give trainees greater confidence in their ability to provide help, but its effects on the people receiving the care is less clear. The training can be particularly useful to healthcare and law enforcement workers who are more likely to encounter such scenarios.

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Can “democracy dollars” keep real dollars out of politics?

Julia Hotz

April 28, 2021 |

MIT Technology Review |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Democracy Vouchers, a tax-payer-funded program that sends four $25 certificates to residents to donate to local candidates, made Seattle the national leader by increasing the percent of the electorate donating to local campaigns to nearly 8%. They also allow more non-establishment candidates, who lack connections to wealthy donors, to run for office. Four of the nine 2019 city council candidates used vouchers to help fund their campaigns and the vouchers are being expanded to the city’s mayoral races. A national pilot program was also approved to try vouchers for congressional candidates in three states.

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These New York Neighbors Are Building Their Own Safety Net

Julia Hotz

April 27, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Astoria, New York

Neighborhoods throughout New York are banding together to create their own mutual aid networks to help their community members during the coronavirus pandemic. From grocery shopping to fundraising for resources such as diapers, these groups are filling gaps to help meet community needs.

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When money is running short, print your own

Julia Hotz

December 24, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkshire County, Massachusetts

A community currency was introduced to boost the local economy in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. $133,000 worth of BerkShares, as the currency is known, are in circulation and accepted by small businesses in town. The concept arose from the desire to support “a strong commitment to speak with buying choices.”

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Can an Algorithm Help Solve Political Paralysis?

Julia Hotz

September 18, 2020 |

Scientific American |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Citizen assemblies bring together residents for in-depth discussions about solutions to social issues. This alternative form of democracy led to policy changes in many countries, including legalizing abortion in Ireland. In the UK, an algorithm was applied to form a 110-person “climate assembly.” In a multistage process, the algorithm selected a representative sample of the U.K.’s population, sometimes oversampling harder to reach groups to ensure inclusion. A small stipend was also offered to offset costs for people with lower incomes. The group submitted a final report with climate policy recommendations.

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