Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Police Killings Of Unarmed Black Americans Damage Mental Health In African-American Neighborhoods, Study Finds
Police killings of unarmed black Americans negatively affect the mental health of black adults in the states where the fatal incidents occur, according to a study published Thursday. The report, published today in British journal The Lancet, focused on the mental well-being of black adults who are not directly involved in acts of police violence, adding to a body of research that suggests the killings are 鈥渁 public health issue,鈥 said Dr. Atheendar S. Venkataramani, one of the study鈥檚 lead authors. (Barajas, 6/21)
The mental health of white Americans was not similarly affected, the researchers found. Nor were negative health effects associated with police killings of unarmed white Americans or armed black Americans. While these findings might seem unsurprising, particularly to African-Americans, the researchers contended that their study was a significant attempt to assess the measurable, if indirect, harms that police violence has inflicted on the broader psychological and emotional well-being of African-Americans.(Eligon, 6/21)