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‘People are suffering alone’: Bay Area county declares loneliness crisis – First in Nation

February 3, 2024 /

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“Many people are suffering alone in silence and there’s no cure for it,”

San Mateo County has become the first in the nation to declare loneliness a public health crisis, according to a county media advisory, through a resolution that its board of supervisors passed Tuesday.

By Sam Mauhay-Moore

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‘People are suffering alone’: Bay Area county declares loneliness crisis – First in Nation

The Long and Persistent History of Loneliness in America

“American cities nurture loneliness,” the magazine Yellow Scene reported recently, “by hyper-focusing on cars to the detriment of alternative transportation and neglecting the creation of quality public spaces.”

Loneliness Is a Policy Problem. A Big One. What Is Your Community Doing? — City Club Missoula – Monday, November 13, 2023

Lack of human connection is bad for your health. Responding to an advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General that a loneliness epidemic is affecting half of all Americans, San Antonio has been pushing out resources to help build bonds between community members.

‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness

In her 20s, Sara Hoy made close friends in her Central Pennsylvania hometown through an organization called Third Place. The group, named after what sociologists call any social setting that’s not home (the first place) or work (the second), was led by a local church leader and sought to help young professionals build community.