ChrisAnna Mink

STDs have been on the rise nationwide for the past five years, and South LA has some of the highest rates in the county. The problem is driven in part by high levels of racial segregation.

A young boy and his mother fled vicious gang violence in Central America, but the nightmares have followed him to Los Angeles. The lingering effects of trauma now pose a whole new threat to his health.

Earlier this year, an expert panel called for the closure of L.A. County's Welcome Centers for kids awaiting foster placements. But the real problems have more to do with a lack of foster homes and chronic underinvestment in programs that can keep kids from needing foster care in the first place.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Dylan was tiny, feisty and freckled with tousled blond hair. His mom brought him to the pediatric clinic because he had tried to smother his 2-week-old sister. She didn’t know what to do with him, and frankly neither did we. It was 5 p.m. and the clinic was closing.

The privilege that has allowed parents to refuse immunizations for their kids stems not from economic or educational status — it springs from the privilege of not having seen the horrific diseases that ravaged U.S. children just two generations ago, and continue to do so worldwide.