Healthcare

Long COVID and the Journey Back
by Matt Barkin I spent most of the pandemic sick and rotting away in bed. It became my all-purpose piece of furniture. If you watched a sped up version of that time you’d see me there windmilling my arms around like a madman between my computer, phone, books, plates of

Locking Up the Mentally Ill, Involuntarily, is Making A Comeback
New York City Mayor Eric Adams just announced his initiative to renew involuntary commitment. A “common misunderstanding persists that we cannot provide involuntary assistance unless the person is violent,” said Adams, with the New York Times reporting. “Going forward, we will make every effort to assist those who are suffering

Fentanyl Crisis Claims Over 500 Lives
“As society degrades, a broader segment of it will choose drugs, moving images, dormancy. Yet this subset will cling, surprisingly, to a single public duty: that of electing a ruling class.” —Author Miles Klee, June 2012 A grim new statistic has emerged in the wake of 2022’s messy midterm elections.

Would You Share Your Intrusive Thoughts?
A recent trend with a storied past has emerged with a new phrase in its mouth. Intrusive thoughts are fetching social media buzz. Facebook groups, Instagram stories, BuzzFeed and YouTube videos, all getting it wrong. You don’t lose sleep, stop eating, and consider suicide because of some stupid impulse or

Why I left Portland and Returned to San Francisco
While friends in both cities asked why I planned to return, they asked the same question two different ways. Portland asked with the doubt of a dysfunctional parent, one who knows the answer and resents it. “It’s so expensive there. Isn’t that why you left in the first place?” I

Sex Worker Clinic Set To Open South of Market
Twenty-one years ago, America’s first and only sex worker occupational health and social clinic opened in San Francisco. Soon the St. James Infirmary will host a Grand Opening party in their biggest space yet, located South of Market at 1089 Mission Street. Sex workers have had it hard the past

America’s Latest Epidemic: Suicide
When I was considering suicide, a rare cause for laughter was UNHhhh, starring drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova. They met and competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, season seven. The notoriety they achieved online however has far eclipsed their respective runs on Drag Race. The popular YouTube series, edited

Why I Love SF City Clinic
SF City Clinic knows you’re a competent, sexually active person. If you aren’t, they’ll kindly show you how to change that. Angelic humans work there. Where public education dropped the ball on sexual education, City Clinic picks it up. They anticipate your awkwardness, gently encouraging you to ask about anything.