$1.3M investment expands services for children, families and caregivers The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department), in partnership with local early childhood organizations, has launched the Early Childhood Mental Health Program. The program will support the emotional wellbeing of young children by providing resources, training and guidance for families and childcare ...

By Dianne Anderson Growing up low-income in Los Angeles, April Watkins knows firsthand about the impact of poverty on young children, remembering what it was like worrying whether there would be enough to eat or how the rent would be paid. When she participated in a health program about a year ago, even health providers ...

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) has announced a citywide expansion of the Community Crisis Response (CCR) team, which responds to a subset of calls-for-service where mental health support, health education and resource navigation could support the safety and health outcomes for community members at the center of calls. The ...

By Dianne Anderson Ever since January, the big buzzword is uncertainty –  in housing, anticipated spikes in food and daily cost of living, threats to medical coverage and proper health care, education and access to vital resources. If mental health wasn’t already a crisis, many are now questioning the widely recognized “Trump Slump” and whether ...

By Dianne Anderson With the mad rush to keep up with festivities, bundles for the best online deals, and the blur of dazzling lights and delectables –  it can be a tough time of year. But more than likely than not, many parents are in survival mode, scraping together a few small presents, keeping a ...

By Dianne Anderson Lots of relatives will choose their words carefully over the holidays, wearing kid gloves in this era of blended families of mixed racial and political backgrounds at the family feast. For those who are blessed enough to have a feast, it could get next level. Local marriage and family therapist, Marty Sellers, ...

On Saturday, August 10, Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) hosted his annual Back to School Resource Fair and Backpack Giveaway at Compton College. The event distributed more than 1,400 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to local students. “Education is one of the most powerful tools for progress that a society has,” Senator Bradford said. “But ...

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Sr Natl Correspondent   Black adults in the United States often develop distinctive coping skills by adulthood to handle the chronic stress of racism, according to a new survey by Duke University researchers. The study, as reported by Duke Today, suggests that these coping mechanisms are not typically found in ...

By Dianne Anderson Black men may need that strong shoulder to cry on –  but naturally suspicious of healthcare providers – can now take heart knowing that therapists who look like them are just around the corner. With nine therapy local locations, and another Colton Wellness Center coming soon, Marty Sellers is gaining mental health ...

By Dianne Anderson Issues of mental health and transformative justice connected community and professionals recently around staying engaged, and keeping calm despite life’s innumerable stressors. With her three decades serving in areas of Black health, Ernesta Wright said their last virtual town hall is one of several collaborative efforts looking at how to restore balance ...