Balikbayan boxes are a traditional shipment Filipino immigrants send to help family members in their home country of the Philippines. According to the 2016 U.S. Census, more than 10,000 Filipinos live in Washoe County.

Riley Slane is involved on campus, even though it hasn’t always been easy for her. She grapples with anxiety and depression, but her mental health struggles started in middle school, where she was frequently bullied.

Brianna Murry, 18, graduates from Galena High School this week. She was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder last year after a suicide attempt that resulted in hospitalization. Exercising is one of the ways she copes with her mental health. KUNR’s Karina Gonzalez caught up with Brianna during one of her gym sessions.

Approximately 38.5 percent of Spanish-speakers in Washoe County speak very little English, which raises concerns on the lack of Spanish-speaking healthcare workers in the area.

It’s been a year since Carla Ballesteros, a student at Damonte Ranch High School, died by suicide. KUNR’s Karina Gonzalez visited her family at her gravesite for what would have been her 17th birthday.

Nevada has recently seen more suicides in youth under the age of 18. Last year, there were 27 of these deaths, compared to 15 the year before. KUNR’s Karina Gonzalez examined this growing problem and recent prevention efforts.

One in five children in Washoe County is food insecure and experts suggest this may contribute to the county’s high mental illness rate. Director of Marketing and Communications Jocelyn Lantrip from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada acknowledged potential issues related to food insecurity, including mental illness, diabetes and other chronic medical conditions.

A rise in enrollment in the SNAP program has contributed significantly to a decrease in the food insecure population in Washoe County and Nevada over the past decade. However, new federal rules threaten access to SNAP, especially for lower income communities despite evidence that the program is net positive.