Remembering Actor Lee Thompson Young: Suicide At 29

“In his late teenage years, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I noticed some periods of sadness and that stabilized quickly,” said Love. “Some of a person’s inner life, you really don’t know.” and much higher rates than the continental U.S. But it has not always been this way: Studies have shown that colonization of the islands had a seismic impact on health outcomes, as well as economic and social well-being.

His mother, however, wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Before Japanese, Spanish, American, and German forces occupied the Pacific islands, Indigenous Pacific Islanders mostly ate native staple foods like taro, breadfruit, yam, and cassava. The arrival of colonizing powers meant the replacement of many of these foods with heavily processed foods and different types of starches, which caused a fundamental shift in general nutrition.

Adding to the influx of less nutritional foods into Pacific island nations was the intentional sale of nonnutritious (but affordable) food waste, like turkey tails, by the U.S. to the islands, enabling American industries to profit while causing enough health issues that American Samoa banned turkey tail imports in 2007. These profound changes to diet are thought to have helped catalyze a rapid increase in diabetes in a population that previously had very low rates of the disease. Column chart showing death rates from diabetes in the U.S. Native Americans and Black people are most above the national average.

Northwell Health Disparities in mortality

In 2021, diabetes was the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. Indigenous Americans, Alaska Natives, and Black Americans have disproportionately high diabetes death rates compared to the national average. Diabetes is not usually a deadly illness, so long as it is treated and monitored carefully. It can, however, develop into a fatal disease if it goes untreated, and can also result in complications like heart disease and a higher risk of stroke.

Studies have shown that diabetes mortality is influenced by the same risk factors that put Black and Indigenous Americans at higher risk for diabetes in the first place: segregation, poverty conditions created by systemic racism, and lack of access to affordable health care. For those without equitable access to affordable treatments and monitoring by doctors for potential complications, diabetes is more likely to become deadly. This story originally appeared on Northwell Health and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

Covered California Works to Keep Californians Losing Their Medi-Cal Coverage Covered

World/Health News

Health care coverage for the over 15 million Californians currently on Medi-Cal will be up for renewal over the next year and Covered California wants to make sure everyone takes the right steps to stay insured.

It’s been nearly 10 years since Lee Thompson Young, who starred in the kids show “The Famous Jett Jackson” and had a recurring role on the popular television program “Rizzoli & Isles,” was found dead at the age of 29 from an apparent suicide.

In 2013, the young actor took his own life and died from a selfinflicted gunshot wound.

“Lee was more than just a brilliant young actor, he was a wonderful and gentle soul who will be truly missed,” said Young’s long-time manager Jonathan Baruch in a statement.

Lee’s mother, Velma Love, remembers her son well.

“He would just kind of seek out where ever he could get an audience,” Love said. “And he would perform – he would tell stories. He would do poetry. He would do speeches.”

It might have been a phase for any other child, but Young took his passion for performance into his own hands.

“The next thing he asked was if he could have some business cards made,” Love remembered.

“And I said ‘what will they say?’ And he said, ‘Lee Thompson Young, actor, poems, stories, and speeches.’ And I had the cards made and he would just hand them out to whomever, where ever, we’d go to church, at school, where ever.”

Born in Columbia, Young persuaded his mother to move to New York at the age of 12. There, he was quickly signed by a talent agent.

“I remember being in a meeting when I got the phone call about the Big Mac and I jumped up,” Love said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God! This is it! This is it!'”

Young would earn roles in prime time television shows, movies, and commercials. He would eventually land the starring role in ‘The Famous Jett Jackson,’ but there were some things he could not predict or control.

“He would sometimes call me and say he was feeling a little sad again,” Lewis said. “It was always a quick recovery and I, too, feel that he was always concerned about us. He was always protective of us.”

With medication and therapy, Young continued on his road to success and the roles got bigger. By the age of 29, he was …a regular on another popular television show, playing Detective Barry Frost on TNT’s ‘Rizzoli and Isles.’

In August 2013, something changed.

“After we knew that Lee was found dead in his apartment from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, we, of course, were stunned,” said Love. “I guess that’s the question that everyone would ask. And we really don’t know those answers and there’s really no way to know.”

After almost a year of silence, Young’s family is finally opening up about his life and tragic death. They’ve just launched the Lee Thompson Young Foundation to try to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“I do feel like having someone like Lee impacted by it and it being in the news and that sort,” Lewis said, “It sort of kind of makes it okay. People know that Lee wasn’t the only one. And for them to see everything he accomplished in the 29 years, it’s more than some people accomplish their whole lives. He was able to do that with a mental illness and, yes, it ended tragically but, through that we’re inspired.”

Since then, Lewis and Thompson sister have formed the Lee Thompson Young Foundation to address the mental health needs of the community. You can find out more more by going to LTYfoundation.org

What’s The Difference Between Bipolar Disorder & Depression?

A man in a red sweater rubbing his temples with his fingers Both depression and bipolar disorder are serious illnesses that can impact your quality of life. While they have their similarities, its their differences that really matter when it comes to treating either one of them.

Depression is more than just feeling low. It’s a deep sadness or emptiness you can’t shake. You might feel hopeless, worthless, and restless. You might lose interest in things that you used to enjoy. Depression (also called major depressive

The eligibility of Californians enrolled in the state’s Medi-Cal program has not been reviewed since 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. In April, with the end of the federal continuous coverage requirement, MediCal resumed the renewal process for its more than 15 million members, and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), which oversees the Medi-Cal program, estimates between 2 and 3 million Californians will no longer be eligible for coverage. As this process continues into 2024, Covered California is here to help enroll eligible Californians transitioning out of Medi-Cal.

“Covered California is working closely with DHCS to help keep Californians who lose their Medi-Cal coverage enrolled in quality, affordable coverage and to support them every step of the way,” said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California. “While everyone’s renewal date is different, there are important steps that Medi-Cal members can take now to keep themselves and their families covered.”

Current Medi-Cal members should update their contact information if it has changed in the last three years by logging in to their online account through BenefitsCal.com or MyBenefitsCalWIN.org.

Members can also contact their local Medi-Cal office or visit KeepMedi-CalCoverage.org to learn how to get started.

While many Californians no longer eligible for MediCal will transition to other forms of health insurance, such as coverage offered through their job or a family member’s employer, others will be eligible for coverage through Covered California, and they may be eligible to receive financial help to lower the cost of their coverage.

Covered California offers quality health plans, all of which provide many of the same benefits and services as MediCal, including free preventive care and screenings, doctor visits, prescriptions, hospital stays, behavioral health care, and more. Based on pre-pandemic trends, nearly half of the consumers who transition from Medi-Cal to Covered California will be able to get quality coverage at little to no cost. Covered California is the only place Californians can go to receive financial help to make their health coverage more affordable. Right now, 90 percent of Covered California’s 1.7 million enrollees receive financial help, with over a million consumers paying $10 or less per month for their health insurance.

“We know how much MediCal members value their health coverage, so we want to make sure they know what their options are if they no longer qualify for Medi-Cal,” said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “Through Covered California, many will continue to have access to the comprehensive care they need and deserve.”

Covered California and DHCS have been working together to ensure that the process of transitioning to Covered California will be as simple as possible. Over the next 12 months, Covered California will reach out to eligible consumers through email, direct mail, and text messaging to let them know they can stay insured through Covered California. Covered California will automatically select a plan for the consumer that provides the most financial help. Consumers will need to confirm their plan selection for their new coverage and make their first payment, if required, or opt-out.

Eligible consumers will also be able to choose a different plan or be connected to someone who can help them at any point in the enrollment process.

Multilingual assistance, including in Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Punjabi and Hindi is available online, over the phone, or in-person from one of the more than 11,000 Covered California enrollment partners embedded in communities across the state and the help is always free and confidential.

“Keep an eye out for these messages and mailings to make sure you stay covered,” Altman said. “Your health depends on it.”