Robert Garrova
I cover mental health at a time when L.A. — and the nation — is failing people who live with a serious mental illness. The L.A. County jail system is the de-facto mental health institution for our region, and people who want help with their mental health often can’t get it, even if they can afford it. I’ll work to help Angelenos understand how we got here and what reforms aim to change things. I’ll do this through the stories of people struggling with their own mental health and those trying to get care for a loved one.
My reporting has taken me to the edge of wildfires in California, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, steps away from a robot that’s now exploring Mars, and into the homes of countless Angelenos.
I’ve had many jobs in radio. I used to help produce and direct the flagship show for Marketplace, a daily business and economic news show. I also spent a couple years in the Northeast working as a reporter. I found my love of audio journalism while interning on LAist's (formerly KPCC’s) Off-Ramp in 2013.
I was born and raised in SoCal. I’m most proud when my journalism can help raise the voices of people struggling in this beautiful region stricken by inequality.
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Sheriff Alex Villanueva is ordering the resumption now that houses of worship are reopening. -
For those dealing with mental health issues during the pandemic, we've put together a guide to resources in the L.A. area.
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The California Psychiatric Association and other groups have set up a volunteer registry to link mental health professionals with frontline workers.
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Diane Rabinowitz started writing letters to her son in jail, who is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. It worked.
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Diane Rabinowitz has found a new way to connect with her son, who has paranoid schizophrenia and is in jail with no visitors allowed due to the pandemic.
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For first responders and medical workers, dealing with coronavirus means not only coping with the stress of the job, but the stress of "are we going to bring this home to our families?"
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For first responders and medical workers, dealing with coronavirus means not only coping with the stress of the job, but the stress of worrying: "are we going to bring this home to our families?"
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The county is trying to identify inmates with mental health needs who are being released so it can match them up with services.
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“We should look at it as a public health crisis that’s within a crisis,” said the chair of the State Senate Select Committee on Mental Health.
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"What we're experiencing right now is a persistent, chronic, ubiquitous threat that doesn't really have an off switch," one expert says.
