2026

KNX-AM | “California Health Interview Survey reveals how wildfires harmed mental health”

KNX-AM interviewed Todd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey, about the impact of wildfires on Californians' health.

KNX-AM | “California Health Interview Survey reveals how wildfires harmed mental health”
October 19, 2026

KNX-AM interviewed Todd Hughes, director of the California Health Interview Survey, about the impact of wildfires on Californians' mental and physical health. The survey is a project of the UCLA Center for Health Policy and Management, led by Dr. Ninez A. Ponce, professor and chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management and principal investigator of the California Health Interview Survey.

"Based on our study, we estimate that 1.4 million adults reported that their mental health was harmed due to experiencing wildfires, which is almost triple the number from the year before,” Hughes said.

LISTEN to MORE

Related Tags

In the News

UCLA Fielding’s Dr. Ninez Ponce inducted into the National Academy of Medicine
October 22, 2026
UCLA Fielding’s Dr. Ninez Ponce inducted into the National Academy of Medicine

Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at UCLA Fielding, Dr. Ninez Ponce has been honored for her work building the California Health Interview Survey as a model for state efforts to understand access to healthcare.

Read Full Article
James Macinko
October 21, 2026
Research brief: "Testing support for firearms control laws by setting a price on enforcement"

Dr. James Macinko, UCLA Fielding’s associate dean for research and professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, is a co-author of a recent research paper that found a significant majority of potential voters indeed favor restrictions on guns where alcohol is served, but support drops if enforcement costs the respondent as little as $100 a year.

Read Full Article