Rachel Scheier

Author's posts

California Bill Would Mandate HPV Vaccine for Incoming College Students

A state lawmaker wants all incoming college students to get an HPV vaccine, as part of a push to drive up vaccination rates and prevent cervical cancer. At least four other states have enacted a similar mandate.

California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System

A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.

California’s Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban Gives Hookah a Pass

Californians will decide Nov. 8 whether to approve a statewide ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. But the measure, known as Proposition 31, exempts hookah tobacco. Anti-smoking activists criticize the carve-out, calling it the latest example of businesses using identity politics to profit from a deadly product.

From Book Stacks to Psychosis and Food Stamps, Librarians Confront a New Workplace

As public libraries morph into support hubs for homeless people with mental illness or addiction, librarians are struggling to reconcile their shifting roles.

At a Bay Area ‘Test-to-Treat’ Site, Few Takers for Free Antivirals

In carrying out the federal covid-19 “test-to-treat” initiative, California is targeting the uninsured by outfitting 138 testing sites with screenings for free antiviral drugs. But as of mid-June, fewer than 800 people had been prescribed the medicines. And two-thirds of those undergoing screenings are insured.

The New MADD Movement: Parents Rise Up Against Drug Deaths

People who have lost children to pills laced with fentanyl are demanding that lawmakers adopt stricter penalties and are pressuring Silicon Valley for social media protections. The movement harks back to the 1980s, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving activated a generation of parents.

A Disabled Activist Speaks Out About Feeling ‘Disposable’

Alice Wong, a writer and organizer in San Francisco, says the isolation and loss of the pandemic have shown society what it’s like to be disabled.

Pandemic Highlights Need for Urgent Care Clinics for Women

For years, women with painful gynecological issues have faced long waits in ERs or longer waits to see their doctors. During the pandemic, women have increasingly turned to women’s clinics that handle urgent issues like miscarriage or serious urinary tract infections.

San Francisco Wrestles With Drug Approach as Death and Chaos Engulf Tenderloin

Covid-19, distrust of police and cheap narcotics have turned parts of the wealthy city into cesspools of filth and drug overdose. City officials and residents profoundly disagree on what needs to be done.

As Californians Get Older and Less Mobile, Fires Get Hotter and Faster

Retirement areas are increasingly being built in the idyllic wooded fringe of towns and cities. Being close to nature also means being in the path of wildfires.