A Yurok citizen known for her work in suicide prevention and advocacy for expanding mental health services was identified today as one of the two people who died in an apparent murder-suicide in Weitchpec earlier this month. Celinda Jane Gonzales was 59. In a tribute to her life and contributions to her community, the Yurok Tribe […]
Mental health
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Cost of Loneliness
“Our [Stone Age] brains evolved to prioritize togetherness, and conversely to generate an anxiety response when we failed to find it.” — Matthew Shaer, The New York Times Magazine, Sept. 1, 2024 Two years ago, the Journal of the American Heart Association published a study 40 years in the making that quantified the mental and physical […]
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Housing Complications and Restaurants for Sale
This week we’re looking into the complicated business of housing veterans and people with severe mental illness in Eureka. We’re also talking about why so many restaurants are up for sale across our county. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
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Lawmakers Want More Social Media Regulation. Here are the Legal Hurdles They Could Face
When Sophie Szew first downloaded Instagram at her 10th birthday party, she was exposed to a flurry of information that “promoted eating disorders,” she told California lawmakers. By 15, she said, she was following “every starvation regimen recommended” by Instagram’s “explore” page. Szew, now 20, spoke in Sacramento at a Senate hearing in April in […]
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Father, Son Identified as Those Killed in Fortuna Murder-Suicide
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified the two people found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Fortuna on Sunday as Wendell Bott IV, 48, and his son, Wendell Bott V, 20. Fortuna Police Chief Casey Day said police were alerted to the possible murder of Wendell Bott V by a family member who came […]
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NCJ Preview: Otters, Cows, a Dark Theater and the Ritz
This week we’re talking about the possible return of sea otters to the North Coast, a countywide look at mental health services, help for hungry cows and more. We’re also checking out local theater and an iconic restaurant location reopening. Hit subscribe for weekly roundups of local stories.
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Eureka to Host Mental Health Town Hall
The city of Eureka and Humboldt County Behavior Health will host the first in what’s aimed to be a quarterly series of town hall meetings focused on community health Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Eureka City Hall, 531 K St. Topics for the series will revolve around mental health, substance abuse and homelessness […]
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‘Forcing the Hand’: Gavin Newsom Leans into Legislative Agenda as First Terms Nears End
As California’s legislative session comes to an end tonight, the priorities and focus of the closing days have been heavily shaped by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who in the final year of his first term has taken significant steps to execute his agenda through legislation like never before. His first three years in office saw Newsom […]
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National 988 Mental Health Crisis Line Up and Running
The national 988 hotline launched over the weekend, giving those experiencing or witnessing a mental health crisis just three numbers to dial to be connected with intervention services without being routed through a police dispatcher. The new number, which takes the place of the suicide prevention hotline, is part of a national effort to overhaul […]
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Newsom Unveils ‘Completely New Strategy’ for California’s Mental Health Crisis
Gov. Gavin Newsom today unveiled a much anticipated proposal to address a mental health crisis increasingly visible on trash-strewn sidewalks and in cramped jail cells around California. The proposal, known as the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (or CARE) Court, would provide a framework for courts to compel people with serious mental illnesses and substance […]
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Fortuna-Based Pediatrician Receives $5.1 Million for Youth Mental Health Crisis Residential Facility
With the help of the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Children’s Behavioral Health Division, Fortuna-based pediatrician Evan Buxbaum received a $5.1 million grant from the Investment in Mental Health Wellness Grant Program for Children to create the county’s first crisis stabilization and residential treatment center for youth. “Our children had been experiencing […]
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New California Laws of 2021: A Brief Video Review
1. California widens mental health conditions insurers must cover: In the past, state law only required treatment for nine serious mental illnesses. Even before the pandemic, more than half of Californians said most people with mental health conditions couldn’t get the help they needed. Some families even dropped private insurance to qualify for treatment in […]