On Thursday, April 25, nearly 30 community health care organizations and centers across Boston banded together for the city’s inaugural Needle Take Back Day. The event, promoted by City Councilor At-Large, Annissa Essaibi-George, is part of her continuing objective to increase the number of safe sharp collection locations throughout Boston. Participants included the Mayor’s Office…
Many Women in Healthcare Earn Less than $15 an Hour
About three-quarters of the people working in healthcare jobs are women, and a new national study from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania finds a large share of them earn low wages and have few benefits. The researchers found 34 percent of female healthcare workers made less than $15 an hour in 2017,…
Thyroid Medication Among Most Prescribed in U.S.
January is Thyroid Awareness Month, and thyroid medication is among the most prescribed in the U.S. Levothyroxine, a common thyroid supplement, is currently the second most filled drug at American pharmacies, according to data from GoodRx. So, why is thyroid medication so popular? Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, president of the American Thyroid Association and a professor…
A Christmas dinner at the YMCA, as homelessness rises in Mass.
The staff of the Boston Business Journal helped serve food. Photo by author. It’s Christmas time at the Huntington Avenue YMCA, which hosted its annual dinner on Thursday night for its housing program guests. Twelve round tables were spread throughout the dining room, sitting at them were parents with small kids and some older folks—a…
Dispatch From a Clinician
“I just need to talk to somebody,” he said, slumping into the seat across from me. He was tall and thin and wore a tattered winter jacket though it was unseasonably warm and humid outside. His long hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his eyes were wide and tired. He looked down at…
Tent Cities for Detaining Immigrants to be Built on Toxic Military Bases
A coalition of immigrant, labor and environmental groups is demanding details on government plans to detain migrant families at military bases known to be contaminated from decades of use for munitions and hazardous waste disposal, nuclear weapons development and military firing ranges. On Wednesday, Aug. 22, as the Trump administration rushed to build tent cities at…
The Homeless Empowerment Project is looking for a new board member!
Treasurer (Volunteer) The Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP) is a not-for-profit corporation with an annual budget of $150,000 and five paid staff positions (all part-time). Every other week for the past 25 years, HEP has published Spare Change News, a street newspaper addressing issues of homelessness, poverty, and social justice in the Greater Boston area. HEP’s mission is to…
Etan Thomas on the power of activism
The 2018 NBA postseason has just wrapped up. This is the platform that has created historic basketball moments, such as Damian Lillard’s game-winning 3-pointer that advanced the Portland Trail Blazers past the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the 2014 playoffs. It can also be a different platform altogether: If you actually win the…
Thousands gather at Boston City Hall against separating immigrant families
All photos by author. An estimated 5,000 marchers gathered at City Hall Plaza just before noon last Saturday, June 30, to protest current immigration policies. The march was one of many hosted in several cities across the nation, in part sparked by photos coming from a processing detention center in McAllen, Texas, as well as…
Shelter Living: What’s it like Spending a Quarter of Your Life in a Shelter
Nobody wants to be in a homeless shelter. I remember the first day I walked through the shelter doors. It smelled like cleaning sprays, and when I stepped on the brown rug, a cloud of dust rose above my head. The supervisor of the shelter walked us to our apartment door. A million thoughts ran…