How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick

"The real and lived experiences of Veronica and Breanna are indicative of how where you live impacts your mental and physical health, regardless of your socioeconomic status. They are dedicated servant leaders who have a heart toward health equity and made it their purpose to immerse themselves in communities with the greatest needs."
-From the foreword by Keri Norris, chief of health policy & administration at the Fulton DeKalb Hospital Authority

"The time is right for an insightful, well-documented exposé of the pathology in poverty neighborhoods and a road map for the journey toward health and wholeness. How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick is just that. Turning troubled communities around is no small challenge, the authors admit. But there are practical steps that have proven to be effective. This is essential reading for anyone engaged in service among the poor."
-Bob Lupton, community developer, author of Toxic Charity

"Framed expertly in terms of the macrolevel social determinants of health and the gap in life expectancy between poor neighborhoods and wealthier ones, this heartfelt first-person account by two staff members of Atlanta's Good Samaritan Health Center makes vivid the microlevel daily pain and struggles of those who live in poverty. It also outlines an activist, social justice approach to making the changes that have to be made with and by community members, in order for neighborhoods to produce health, and not harm, to their residents."
-Ellen Idler, director, religion and public health collaborative, Emory University

"In my thirty years of working in health nonprofits, I've never come across a book that puts a real face on the socioeconomic and geographic disparities that truly exist in health care. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the stark realities of providing health services to vulnerable populations from two compassionate, remarkable women working and living in the trenches, while providing a roadmap to community wellness."
-Donna Looper, executive director, Georgia Charitable Care Network Inc.

"At a time where words like poverty, injustice, mental health issues, trauma, and the like have become familiar to our common justice narrative, we are in need of a deeper dive into how these systemic barriers truly impact communities. Veronica and Breanna have generously invited us into their realm by sharing their experiences and learned expertise in an effort to help illuminate the need for deeper awareness and collective action toward the flourishing of poor communities."
-Michelle Ferrigno Warren, Advocacy & Strategic Engagement Director, CCDA, author of The Power of Proximity