In the ongoing fight against California’s interwoven homelessness and mental health crises, a novel tool is showing promise: long-acting injectable drugs. These monthly doses, which treat severe mental diseases such as schizophrenia, are having a huge impact on some of the state’s most vulnerable inhabitants. On the front lines: street medicine teams Dr. Rishi Patel, Akido Street Medicine’s medical director, navigates Kern County’s gravel roads and fields in search of a patient who is overdue for medication. The woman, who has suffered from schizophrenia and homelessness for five years has several objectives she wants to reach. Thinking more clearly, quitting meth, and getting an ID so she may visit her son in jail are among them. Patel believes that a long-acting antipsychotic medication will help her reach her goals. “These shots have been an absolute game-changer,” Patel asserts. Street medicine teams like his bring these life-changing injections directly to their patients, whether they are in tents along Skid Row in Los Angeles, dugouts in the Central Valley, or stream banks in Shasta County. The medication, which is injected into the shoulder muscle, gradually releases over a month, assuring continuous treatment without the need for daily pills—an important benefit for the homeless, who frequently lose their medication or do not have access to a pharmacy. The magnitude of the crisis California’s homeless population is estimated to be over 180,000, making it the state with the most homeless people in the United States. A large proportion of these people suffer from severe mental health problems. According to a UCSF poll, 12 percent of homeless Californians had hallucinations in the previous month, and more than a quarter were hospitalized for mental health issues. The combination of homelessness and untreated psychosis produces a risky situation in which people may stray into traffic or put themselves in danger. Transformational results The major purpose of giving long-acting antipsychotic injections to homeless people is to stabilize their mental health, allowing them to access social services, sign up for benefits, and get on housing waiting lists. This method differs from other statutory provisions that require treatment through the courts; rather, it provides voluntary, instant aid in familiar settings. Dr. Coley King, head of homeless health care at the Venice Family Clinic, has seen tremendous changes: individuals who used to ramble incoherently now have conversations and leave the streets after receiving injections. “It’s been pretty common that that’s the initiation of, ‘We’re going indoors,'” says King. However, the road is not without its hurdles. Follow-up is critical, and tracking patients who are always on the move can be challenging. Challenges and controversies Despite their benefits, injectable antipsychotics have several limits. They have the possibility of side effects, and patients cannot simply stop taking them if they experience any. Some patients are concerned about having a medicine in their system for a month, particularly those who suffer from healthcare paranoia. Hospitals frequently prefer to discharge patients with oral drugs rather than injectables, which complicates the situation. Street medical teams must overcome these obstacles to provide effective treatment. In Kern County, Patel is still having trouble finding patients for follow-up dosages. Recently, his crew was unable to locate a woman living in a plywood shanty after code enforcement cleared the area. “It’s worrying because I don’t know how she did on it,” Patel admits. Who should prescribe antipsychotic injections? A crucial aspect of administering these treatments involves who is qualified to prescribe and administer them. In most cases, general practitioners, not specially trained psychiatrists, administer antipsychotic doses in homeless encampments. This practice is partly due to a shortage of street psychiatrists, despite the growing popularity of street medicine. A recent USC paper underlines this disparity, emphasizing the scarcity of psychiatrists in the field. “You look over your shoulder and there’s not a psychiatrist there helping you out,” King says. “And we want to meet the need. We want to take care of these patients. They’re really, really ill, they’re really disorganized, and suffering and dying on the streets.” No legal constraints are stopping general practitioners from providing these injections, however, some healthcare experts believe that this obligation should be limited to psychiatric doctors. “These medications are in there for an extended period of time,” says Keri Weinstock, a mental nurse practitioner who practices street medicine in Shasta County. “They do come with risks. There are specialty things that come along with some of these specialty meds, and it’s a lot to learn when you have to know everything else, too.” Some street doctors pursue extra psychiatric training, while others learn on the job, frequently with a psychiatrist on rapid dial for emergencies. “I don’t think it’s rocket science to diagnose schizophrenia, as long as we’ve done it with some thoughtfulness,” adds King. However, field diagnoses are not always easy. Patel points out that some people conceal their symptoms successfully, making it difficult to diagnose psychosis, or they may exhibit “negative symptoms,” such as excessive social isolation, rather than more obvious signals like hallucinations. In such circumstances, Patel seeks second opinions from psychologists. Success stories and broader applications The efficacy of these injectable therapy goes beyond antipsychotics. They also include long-acting injectable HIV drugs and addiction treatments such as Vivitrol, which decreases opiate and alcohol cravings. One notable case is Ricardo “Ricky” Fonseca Jr., who has been homeless for two years and lives in a tent in Kern County. His life, plagued by voices and substance misuse, altered radically once he began receiving monthly Abilify shots. He now lives with a friend, is considering going back to school, and has stopped taking meth. “I can finally hear the birds and crickets,” Fonseca states. “I couldn’t hear them before.” The goals of giving antipsychotic shots The overarching purpose of providing long-acting antipsychotic injections is to stabilize homeless people’s mental health, allowing them to make sensible decisions and interact with support systems. By relieving psychotic symptoms, these injections allow patients to think properly and take steps to improve their situation. This stability is necessary for: Engagement with social services: Clear thinking allows people to collaborate with social workers and negotiate bureaucratic systems. Accessing benefits: Stabilized individuals can apply for and obtain essential benefits such as healthcare and housing assistance. Improving health outcomes: The need for hospitalization and emergency medical interventions. Reducing homelessness: By addressing mental health, these treatments can help people get off the streets and into stable housing. As California grapples with homelessness, the use of long-acting injectable drugs presents a viable answer. These treatments, by stabilizing patients and allowing them to access services, have the potential to help more people transition off the streets and into stable living situations. While obstacles continue, success stories demonstrate the unique approach’s ability to alter people’s lives.The post Could injectable treatments help California’s homeless mental health patients?  first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

A new federal effort aims to reduce period poverty in Canada’s northern and remote Indigenous communities. According to recent polls, one in every five Canadians struggles to buy period supplies, and the problem is considerably more severe for Indigenous people living in remote locations. According to an Indigenous-led period equity group, 74 percent of Indigenous respondents have difficulty acquiring these critical items. A right, not a luxury “We should be making menstrual products as readily available as toilet paper,” asserts Nicole White, founder of Moon Time Connections, the only National Indigenous-led period equity organization in Canada. White, a Métis from Treaty 6 territory, believes that access to menstruation products is a fundamental right.  The federal menstrual equity fund pilot project, which has allocated roughly $18 million to Food Banks Canada, intends to provide free menstruation supplies to low-income people and increase awareness about period poverty. Moon Time Connections will get $2.4 million in financing to target rural and northern Indigenous communities expressly. Meeting basic needs: the situation in Alberta In Wood Buffalo, Alberta, 420 kilometers north of Edmonton, the local food bank has noticed a considerable increase in demand. “People are having a hard time supporting just their basic needs. Menstrual items are within that,” explains Michelle Hand, communications and development manager at the Wood Buffalo Food Bank. The food bank, which serves towns as far north as Fort Chipewyan, has seen demand rise from 600 to over 1,000 households every month in the last year. Hand writes that, while clients can request whatever item they require, the procedure can be difficult, particularly for novices. “It can be a very scary situation that they’re coming into,” she says. “You’re just coming in with so much doubt and depression.” Moon Time Connections allows people to request things using online forms, assuring discreet and direct service. Expanding access in Yukon In Yukon, attempts to enhance access to menstruation products are underway. Heather Sealey, who coordinates volunteers and community programs at the Whitehorse Food Bank, recalls how clients used to have to request sanitary goods. The food bank’s lobby now has a dedicated shelf filled with various menstruation products that are available whenever the lobby is open. “It’s really important for our clients to be able to have a choice to pick the things they want,” Sealey says. The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) has also been involved in this effort, working with all 14 Yukon First Nations since late 2022 to give free supplies. Shadelle Chambers, Executive Director of CYFN, expresses optimism about the new federal initiative: “We are excited to hear about this new initiative that could have period products be accessible by a lot more Yukon, First Nations, and Yukoners who need this.” Since late 2022, CYFN has spent $1.2 million to provide menstruation supplies. Moon Time Connections reported a rise in demand, with fresh inquiries from 90 towns in 2024, more than doubling the previous two years. These results highlight the urgent need for more outreach and education. Nicole White emphasizes the need for cultural teachings about menstruation to help de-stigmatize it, as well as practical education on how to use period products. Organizations such as Moon Time Connections and CYFN are taking a comprehensive approach to solving period poverty and guaranteeing equitable access to menstrual products for everyone.The post Free period products for remote Indigenous communities in Canada first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

A rare phenomenon, a coffin birth occurs after abdominal gases build up in a pregnant corpse, ejecting the fetus from the woman's body. The post What Is A Coffin Birth — And What Causes This Horrifying Phenomenon? appeared first on All That's Interesting.

In a brazen robbery made famous by "Goodfellas," the thieves behind the Lufthansa heist stole $6 million from New York's Kennedy Airport on December 11, 1978. The post Why The Lufthansa Heist Was Far Crazier Than What ‘Goodfellas’ Depicted appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Who built Stonehenge? And why? Some unusual corpses found there may have finally solved this mystery. The post Unexpected Corpses Unearthed At Stonehenge May Finally Reveal Who Built It — And Why appeared first on All That's Interesting.

This discovery dates back to the Ancient Egyptian heyday that produced rulers like Tutankhamen and Ramses II. The post A 4,000-Year-Old Tomb Containing Two Mummies In Incredible Condition Has Just Been Uncovered In Egypt appeared first on All That's Interesting.

The natural hot springs in Bath that give the city its name and 2,000-year-old reputation for healing contain a small army of pathogen-combating bacteria. Biomedical researchers at the University of Plymouth sampled the water, sediment and bacterial biofilm from the King’s Spring and the Great Bath, and found 300 different types of bacteria, 15 of them showed broad spectrum activity against pathogens including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella flexneri. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent threats to global health today. Antibiotic-resistant pathogenic infections were responsible for killing 1.27 million people around the world in 2019. That figure is expected to skyrocket to 10 million a year by 2050. There are no new antibiotics coming down the research pipeline, so the search for novel antimicrobial natural products is of towering importance in combating this threat. Extreme ecological environments are getting new attention as their unique ecosystems are rich in microbial diversity and may contain antimicrobial NP. Bath’s hot springs are the only ones in the UK, and with the geothermal energy that heats the waters as high as 96 °C (205°F), it offers a unique opportunity for the discovery of microbial powerhouses. Thermal springs in Italy, India and Jordan have all been found to contain microbes that combat human pathogens, but this is the first study to look at Bath’s hot springs. The mineral-rich hot springs of Bath have been famed for their medicinal properties since the pre-Roman Iron Age. The Britons built a shrine to the goddess Sulis at the site of the hot springs and when the Romans came, they built it up into a huge bath complex and temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva who they identified with the local deity Sulis. Even after the Romans left and the baths fell into ruin, new facilities were built several times from the Middle Ages into the 19th century. The Roman Baths has been welcoming visitors for almost two millennia, and in 2023 more than one million people toured its hot springs and other collections. Zofia Matyjaszkiewicz, Collections Manager at the Roman Baths and a co-author of the new study, added: “People have visited the springs in Bath for thousands of years, worshipping at, bathing in and drinking the waters over the centuries. Even in the Victorian period the Spa Treatment Centre in Bath used the natural spring waters for their perceived curative properties in all sorts of showers, baths and treatments. It’s really exciting to see cutting edge scientific research like this taking place here, on a site with so many stories to tell.” The research into Bath’s potential contribution to the fight against antimicrobial resistance will continue. The University of Plymouth will launch an expanded study with a PhD studentship beginning October 2024 that will take an in-depth look at the Bath hot spring’s microorganisms, screening them to identify any with antimicrobial activity that may have clinical use.

Ilana Mercer .paywall-container {position: relative;display: flex;flex-direction: column; min-height:60px;} #paywall_overlay {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;right: 0;bottom: 0;display: flex;align-items:…