Finding the City of Lost Hills
California's agricultural Central Valley—so rich in output, so poor in median income—is the focal point of trends in immigration, in education, in political trends, in sustainability.
Health & Well-Being
11 posts
Local Action with Global Effects: the Saga of the Leaf Blower
We've just lived through 50 years of an invention that transformed neighborhood life in much of America, the gas-powered leaf blower. That era is coming to an end.
A Safe Place to Talk: Raising HIV Awareness through Barbershops
Barbershops are often hubs for conversation in Black and Latinx communities. DKBmed’s Fade Out HIV initiative strives to make use of these gathering spots to destigmatize HIV education and save lives.
American Institutions That Still Work
Everyone knows about the parts of America that are so polarized and divided that they have lost touch with their basic functions. Here’s a look at some of the people, institutions, and collaborative cultures that provide examples, and lessons, for the rest of us.
The 3 Weeks That Changed Everything
Imagine if the National Transportation Safety Board investigated America's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A Rural Health Center With a Pandemic Plan
The Rowland B. French Medical Center is the primary health-care facility for the residents of Eastport, Maine, a tiny Down East fishing town, population 1,400. Eastport was one of the…
A New Way for Californians to Serve
The coronavirus peril is global. Much of the response must, of course, be international or national if it is to matter at all. In the United States, only the federal…
The Surprising Rural Health-Care Legacy of the ’60s
Eastport Grapples with Health-Care
A Regional Approach to Rural Healthcare Challenges
God's Storehouse, a food pantry serving low-income people along this southernmost border where Virginia meets North Carolina.
A Good Start: Bobby’s Story
One of my favorite features of our American Futures project is the occasional serendipity of crossing the path of some surprising, remarkable person. Like Jerrie Mock, the Columbus, Ohio, housewife who was the…
Finding Health Care in the Desert
With the closest hospital 100 miles away, Ajo, Arizona's Desert Senita Health Center acts as the region's clinic