Phillip Reese

Author's posts

A Record Number of Californians Are Visiting Emergency Rooms for Dog Bites

There were nearly 50,000 emergency room visits for dog bites in California in 2022. The rate of such visits per capita is up about 70% since 2005.

Dads Drive Growth in California’s Paid Family Leave Program

The number of men in the state taking paid family leave to bond with a new child has risen nearly 20% since the start of the pandemic.

Heat-Related Deaths Are Up, and Not Just Because It’s Getting Hotter

Excessive heat contributed to 1,670 deaths nationwide last year, according to federal data — the highest rate in at least two decades. An increase in drug use and homelessness, along with hotter temperatures, were among the reasons.

Excessive Drinking During the Pandemic Increased Alcoholic Liver Disease Death Rates

The number of Californians dying from alcoholic liver disease rose dramatically in the last decade, sped by the pandemic.

Young People Are Having Less Sex Than Their Parents Did at Their Age. Researchers Explore Why.

The percentage of young adults not having sex was rising even before covid made dating harder. Data and research suggest economic precarity, technology, and the warping effects of porn on sexual attitudes may play a role.

The Rate of Older Californians Dying of Malnutrition Has Accelerated

Californians 85 and older are especially susceptible to malnutrition. They accounted for almost three in five malnutrition deaths in the state last year.

More Californians Are Dying at Home. Another Covid ‘New Normal’?

The proportion of Californians dying at home, rather than in a hospital or nursing home, accelerated during the pandemic, a trend that has outlasted the rigid lockdowns linked to the initial shift.

A Work-From-Home Culture Takes Root in California

Even as pandemic lockdowns fade into memory, covid-19 has transformed California’s workplace culture in ways researchers say will reverberate well beyond 2022. According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, working from home for some portion of the week has become the new normal for a large segment of Californians. The data shows high-income […]

Covid Still Kills, but the Demographics of Its Victims Are Shifting

Californians were far less likely to die from covid in the first seven months of 2022 than during the first two years of the pandemic. Still, the virus remained among the state’s leading causes of death in July, outpacing diabetes, accidental death, and a host of debilitating diseases. We break down who’s at risk.

Three-Year Abortion Trends Vary Dramatically by State

About 930,000 abortions occurred in the U.S. in 2020, an 8% increase from 2017. But that nationwide figure belies dramatic variation among states — disparities expected to magnify in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.