The American Health Podcast (Bloomberg American Health Initiative)

In this episode, we have a candid conversation with one of the nation’s most influential leaders in public health – Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of American Public Health Association (APHA).  We discuss the politics of current health issues and the special challenge of working for health equity in 2019.

Adolescence is a time of profound change; it is a period in which young people explore their identities, form new relationships, and lay the groundwork for their future health and wellbeing. These changes can be exciting but can also present great challenges, as adolescents can find themselves overlooked in terms of resources and opportunities, their needs not met by policymakers and decision-makers.

In November 2019, we heard directly from Baltimore youth leaders, as part of a panel discussion titled “The Voice of Youth in Baltimore.” This panel took place during the morning plenary of the second annual Bloomberg American Health Summit, November 12 and 13 in Baltimore. This podcast episode features that panel discussion.

Make sure to listen all the way through, because there’s a special musical performance after the panel concludes that you won’t want to miss.

One of the most troubling suicide statistics is the increase in suicides seen among young people. In 2016, suicide became the second-leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 3, we'll talk more about this trend, and hear about a school-based training program that enables youth to develop coping and resilience skills that can help them avoid suicide. 

Della Wright, Evaluator and Assistant Director of the Childhood Wellbeing Division at the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, is joined by Kathy Egland from EEECHO (Education, Economic, Environment, Climate and Health Organization), a CBO in Gulfport, Mississippi. 

In this episode, Della and Kathy discuss how their collaboration impacted the translation of COVID-19 data in Mississippi communities that have been historically impacted by air pollution and how they used that data to leverage resources for the community.  

Learn more about the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice visit, https://www.dscej.org

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Natalie J. Tunzi serves as the Program Planning and Evaluations Manager at HealthCorps where she focuses on understanding and enhancing program impact. HealthCorps, a national non-profit organization devoted to strengthening communities with the most innovative approaches to health and wellness to help the next generation be more resilient, both mentally and physically. 

In this episode, Natalie and her colleague Kate Crimmins, share the approach of HealthCorps and how COVID-19 has impacted their work with youth and schools across the country. 

Learn more: https://www.healthcorps.org/

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.  

This special American Health Podcast series will feature experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States, as seen through the lens of the Initiative’s five focus areas.

In this episode, we’re talking about how rates of gun violence could be impacted by the difficult circumstances Americans are facing, including social isolation, loss of work and wages, and fear. Guests are Daniel Webster, Bloomberg Professor of American Health and director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Shannon Frattaroli, associate professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and core faculty with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

*This episode was recorded in late March 2020; some information may have changed as a result of this rapidly developing situation.

Resources:

• Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research: https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/
• Implement ERPO digital resource: https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/implementERPO

The coronavirus outbreak and racial injustices have produced significant interruptions in the lives of adolescents Across the United States – the impact of which is still to be understood in the future. Adolescents in economically disadvantaged communities are particularly vulnerable, with many experiencing challenges in the realms of mental health, education, food access, and violence.

In a conversation at the 2020 Bloomberg American Health Summit, Robin Hood CEO Wes Moore and Baltimore Sun Health and Medicine Reporter Andrea McDaniels discussed the connection  between the pandemic and our youth.

Lydia is the Executive Director of the Rebuild, Overcome, and Rise (ROAR) Center in Baltimore, MD where survivors of crime can access a full range of wraparound services such as legal support, therapy, case management and community nursing care. 

In this episode, Lydia is joined by her colleague Monifa Jeffrey-Riggins who serves as the Senior Therapist at the ROAR Center. Lydia and Monifa will talk about their approach to supporting victims of crime in Baltimore. 

Learn more about the ROAR Center:  [https://www.umaryland.edu/roar/. 

Learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program:  https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

Lorne is a Public Health Nurse with the Alaska Section of Public Health Nursing in Homer, Alaska. In this episode, you’ll learn about the importance of public health nursing in the rural parts of Alaska and the differences in public health between Alaska and the lower 48 states.

Learn more about Alaska Section of Public Health Nursing: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dph/Nursing/Pages/default.aspx. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Congress is considering a bill to require concealed carry reciprocity between states. In our inaugural episode, we talk to Professor Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, about the legislation, and about other gun policies and regulations and what effect they have on gun violence. Learn more about right-to-carry laws by reading this policy brief, published recently by Dr. Webster and colleagues.  

American suicide rates are at their highest point in 50 years; we are in what some have called a suicide crisis. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 1 of the series, we lay the groundwork for the episodes to follow, taking a look at recent changes in U.S. suicide rates and the importance of increased awareness and understanding of suicide. 

In the national debate over gun laws, we frequently hear calls for universal background checks, which would close loopholes that exist in some states by extending background check requirements to private sales of firearms. But another policy that goes a step further has stronger evidence behind it: permit-to purchase laws, also called handgun purchaser licensing. In this episode, we’ll take a look at what these laws do, what the data says about them, and we’ll talk to some people who are hopeful that the current momentum in favor of stricter gun laws could lead to an expansion of permitting or licensing laws.

On February 17, the American Public Health Association and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative released a federal policy agenda to address the needs of the more than 4 million young people ages 16 to 24 who are not enrolled in school or in the labor market. In this episode, Andrea McDaniels speaks to two of the people who put this agenda together: Professor Tamar Mendelson, director of the Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and C. Pluff, program manager at the American Public Health Association.  

To learn more about the federal policy agenda, visit opportunityyouthagenda.org.  

The pandemic in some ways put victims of intimate partner violence in more vulnerable positions as support services became out of reach and lost jobs, virtual work and other issues meant women were trapped at home with violent partners.

Black women found themselves dealing with these new obstacles as well as the racism and sexism that already existed for them before the pandemic.

In this podcast episode, Bloomberg American Health Director of Communications Andrea K. McDaniels spoke with Tiara C. Willie, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health in the Department of Mental Health, and Megan Simmons, Senior Policy Attorney for Ujima, Inc.: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, about how the environment created housing instability for Black women. 

Many of the states most vulnerable to climate change are also the least ready to cope with it. This is the headline from a new report, Climate Change & Health: Assessing State Preparedness, by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Trust for America’s Health.

The report assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their level of readiness to protect residents from the health effects of climate change. The researchers found that while some states have made substantial preparations, others have hardly begun the process.

In December, the Bloomberg American Health Initiative launched a new interactive website, climateandhealthreport.org, to house this report and the accompanying data. The Public Health on Call podcast recently featured a conversation about it with Dr. Megan Latshaw, associate scientist at the Bloomberg School and one of the co-authors of the report. In this episode, we'll listen to their conversation.

Janice is the Director of Programs and Clinical Services at House of Ruth Maryland where they work towards ending violence against women and their children by confronting the attitudes, behaviors and systems that perpetuate the violence. 

In this episode, we will hear about what the House of Ruth Maryland is doing to end intimate partner violence and all of the services that they provide to help victims of intimate partner violence in Maryland.

Learn more about House of Ruth Maryland, visit: https://hruth.org

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Jillian Tse is a program coordinator at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. In this episode, you will learn about the food bank, its mission, and the effects of the pandemic on their grocery delivery program.

Learn more about the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank;  https://www.sfmfoodbank.org 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

A community's health and quality of life depends on access to healthy food. But in too many communities across the country, that access is limited. In order to effectively address this issue, we have to fully understand it. In Baltimore, city officials for a number of years have partnered with the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to map the city’s food environment. It’s an effort to inform food policy, ensure equitable access to healthy food, and improve the health and quality of life of Baltimore’s residents. In this episode, we take a look at the Baltimore Food Environment Map, and we talk about an effort to replicate the process elsewhere.

The American Health Podcast is back! Join hosts Caitlin Hoffman and Su Tellakat as they explore the impact of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative community, with a focus on adolescent health this season. They will cover topics including the importance of native american food in schools, how to better serve young people who are not in school and are not working, and how to help young people who use drugs. Thanks for listening!

The Bloomberg Fellows Program is a unique program within the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. The fellowship program is impact-based, and targets individuals engaged with organizations around the country. These change agents are working to make a difference in their communities in one or more of our five focus areas: addiction and overdose, adolescent health, environmental challenges, obesity and the food system, and violence. Bloomberg Fellows receive a full scholarship to earn a master of public health or a doctor of public health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In this episode, we’ll talk to Initiative team members Faria Zaman, our fellowship officer, and Shane Bryan, our partnership engagement officer.

We’ll also be joined by:

• Bloomberg graduate Maia Gibbons, with Youth Empowered Society in Baltimore, MD
• current Bloomberg Fellow Thaddeus Pham, with the Hawaii Department of Health in Honolulu, Hawaii
• Sarah Lester, director of the Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood New Jersey

Our guests will share the opportunities that exist within the fellowship program, talk about what their experiences have been like since becoming a fellow and a recent graduate, and what it’s like as a collaborating organization.

Applications for the fellowship are open now! Learn more: americanhealth.jhu.edu/fellowship

An extreme risk protection order, or ERPO, is a civil order issued by a court that prevents a person at risk of violence to self or others from purchasing or possessing guns while the order is in place. Studies of ERPOs in Connecticut and Indiana suggest that these orders are effective at preventing suicide. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 5, learn more about ERPOs and how access to guns impacts suicide rates. 

Tenta Tenorio, of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Public Health Services in the Northern Mariana Islands shares more about how her organization is providing healthcare to young people in their community. 

Since taking office, the Trump Administration has rolled back or removed a number of federal environmental regulations. This episode of the American Health Podcast is dedicated to proposed changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects like highways, bridges, pipelines, and dams. Large infrastructure projects directly impact the health of communities across the country – and, as we will discuss in this episode, those most impacted by these projects are often minority communities and those with high rates of poverty.

A number of changes to NEPA have been proposed, but in this episode we’ll talk about just a few of the biggest proposed changes, and how they will impact life in the U.S. going forward if they do become permanent.

This episode is guest-hosted by Megan Weil Latshaw, assistant scientist in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and features guest Tom Buchele, Codirector of the Earthrise Law Center, at the Lewis & Clark School of Law in Oregon. 
 

In 2016, more than 42,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdoses. A host of complex social, structural and drug-related factors have contributed to the overdose epidemic, but one of the primary factors in recent years is the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Officials are focused on a variety of efforts to address the opioid epidemic and overdose crisis, including finding solutions to help prevent new addictions, increasing access to treatment, trying to halt the supply of illicit substances. But to a far lesser extent, they include harm reduction – or strategies aimed at protecting the health and saving the lives of those people who are actively using drugs. In this episode, we talk about harm reduction, and we take a look at a recent study that has the potential to inform an innovative public health approach to the overdose epidemic.

Kat Humphries serves as the Program Director for the Harm Reduction Action Center (HRAC) in Denver, CO.  The organization's mission is to educate, empower, and advocate for the health and dignity of Denver's injection drug users, in accordance with harm reduction principles.  

In this episode, Kat is joined by her colleague Lisa Raville, HRAC Executive Director. Kat and Lisa share more on their work in harm reduction and the importance of legislation to further HRAC's mission.

Learn more about Harm Reduction Action Center: https://harmreductionactioncenter.org/. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

This is the second episode in our special American Health Podcast series, featuring experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States as seen through the lens of the Initiative’s five focus areas.

Today we’re talking about the crisis is affecting young people, and how one outreach program in Baltimore is adapting to keep youth connected to their supportive network. Guests are:

• Tamar Mendelson, Bloomberg Professor of American Health and Director of the Center for Adolescent Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health;
• Joni Holifield, founder and president of HeartSmiles, a youth leadership and entrepreneurship program based in Baltimore
• Isaiah Thomas, a 20-year-old who lives in Baltimore and is involved in HeartSmiles

*This episode was recorded in March and April, and some information may have changed as a result of this rapidly developing situation.

Resources:

• HeartSmiles' website, YouTube channel, and COVID-19 resource directory for Baltimore youth and families
• Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health
• Recording of the April 8 webinar "Responding to Youth Needs Due to COVID-19: Perspectives from Three Hopkins Centers"
• Updates for families in Baltimore City Public Schools
• Youth.gov's Resources to Support Youth and Families During the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak

Julianah is the Waste Reduction Programs Coordinator with the City of Frisco, Texas where she works across all schools in the Frisco school district and provides education, outreach, and volunteer opportunities.

In this episode, Julianah talks about the history of our country's growing pollution issues and ways to reduce the amount of waste coming from our households. 

Learn more about the City of Frisco's Environmental Services: https://www.friscotexas.gov/377/Environmental-Services

Learn more about the Bloomberg Fellows Program:  https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

Almost 3 out of 4 people who attempt suicide have visited their primary care doctor in the month before their attempt, but it’s only recently that clinicians have started to receive training to screen for suicide risk among their patients. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 4, we'll talk about resources available to help doctors and nurses screen for suicide risk among their patients.  

In this episode, we talk with San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Health Commissioner Dr. Colleen Bridger about steps the city is taking to improve health.  We discuss how and why the city has embraced CityHealth, a national effort to advance evidence-based policies at the city level.

Two years ago, in the face of grim news that life expectancy in the United States was declining, Bloomberg Philanthropies gave the school of public health a transformational gift to create the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. The goal was straightforward but daunting: use the tools of public health to address some of the issues that are driving the decline: Addiction and overdose, Environmental Challenges, Obesity and the Food System, Risks to Adolescent Health, and Violence. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the Initiative and about a new journal supplement that takes an in depth look at the five focus areas and provides a road map for how public health and other sectors can work to tackle these challenges.

Ashley is a Senior Policy Associate at the Center For Science in Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods. 

In this episode, you'll hear about Ashley’s work at CSPI and how support from the fellowship program helped her examine the difference in food retail quality between high and low-income communities in the South.

Learn more about the CSPI, visit: https://www.cspinet.org

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Bloomberg Fellow Livy Lewis and her colleague Kelly Pingree, share more about how they plan to use a USDA grant to bring Native foods to the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.

This episode first ran on the Public Health on Call Podcast. For decades, infrastructure policies harmed communities of color. New highways displaced residents through eminent domain, public transit systems were left in disrepair, and urban construction projects often catered to wealthier families. Andrea K. McDaniels, Director of Communications for the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, talks with Professor Keshia Pollack Porter of the Bloomberg School about how President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan has the potential to rectify many of these inequities, some of the challenges of the federal law, and how infrastructure is intrinsically tied to health and well-being.

Bloomberg Fellow Edward McWilliams outlines his journey into public health and his work with young people hoping to create a better future. 

Katherine Thomsen serves as a Clinical Dietician with Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell, South Dakota where she works with both inpatient care and outpatient services. 

In this episode, Katherine talks about how dietitians work to improve the health of their communities and how she came to be a Bloomberg Fellow. 

Learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program:  https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

Almost every gun involved in a crime was first purchased legally. How do guns move from legal to illegal markets, and into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them? A recent episode of a podcast called In Sickness and In Health* tackles that question. We’re rebroadcasting that episode on this installment of the American Health Podcast.

In Sickness and In Health explores issues of health and social justice. Its third season focused on gun violence in America, covering topics from urban gun violence to extreme risk protection orders to suicide. The episode that we’re rebroadcasting is called “How Do Criminals Get Their Guns?” It includes interviews with experts Daniel Webster and Cassandra Crifasi, who lead the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

*In Sickness and In Health has since been renamed American Diagnosis.

Mary Odell has worked as an instructor and course director for expeditions for the past six years at the Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School.  

In this episode, Mary shares how Outward Bound has shifted their approach to continue providing virtual programming to students during the pandemic. 

Learn more about Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School: https://www.outwardboundchesapeake.org/. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

Paige Volpenhein is the Community Impact Manager at the Star of the Sea (SOS) Foundation where she works on resolving food insecurity in Key West, FL.  In this episode, Paige is joined by her colleague Tom Callahan, Executive Director of the SOS Foundation. Paige and Tom talks about the SOS food pantry and how they are navigating food insecurity during a global pandemic.

Learn more about the Star of the Sea Foundation: https://sosfoundation.org 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Amelia Hulbert is a Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Specialist with the Boulder County Public Health Department. She is joined by her colleagues Jill Strange, Healthy Food Access Coordinator with the Boulder County Public Health Department,  Mickey Davis, Food Access Specialist with Boulder County Farmers Markets, and Gaby Solano, a Promotora with El Centro Amistad. 

In this episode, you will learn more about the City of Boulder’s Sugar Sweetened Beverage Product Distribution Tax and how grant recipients have used these funds specifically for Health Equity. 

Learn more: 

• Boulder County Public Health Department
• Boulder County Farmers Markets
• El Centro Amistad 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

When children miss too much school it can negatively impact their health and set back their life potential. In Washington, D.C., pediatricians have partnered with public schools to get students back in the classroom. Andrea K. McDaniels, Director of Communications for the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, talks with two leaders at Children’s National Hospital about the innovative program to share absenteeism data with pediatricians: Dr. Danielle Dooley, a pediatrician and Medical Director of Community Affairs, and Tonya Vidal Kinlow, Vice President of Community Engagement, Advocacy, and Government Affairs. The Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Effort (CARE) is a high-impact project of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.

Suicide rates have historically been low for the Latinx population, but even they are not immune to the increases in suicide being seen across the country. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 2, learn more about what we know, and what we don't know, about suicide among Latinx living in the United States, and hear about a school-based program in Baltimore that is supporting Latinx adolescents. 

Bloomberg Fellow Haven Wheelock and her colleague Jasmine Pettet share more about their work to increase harm reduction outreach for young people who use drugs. 

Thaddeus Pham serves as the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator with the Hawaii Department of Health's Harm Reduction Services Branch where he coordinates services statewide for people at-risk for and living with viral hepatitis through systems integration and collaboration with public and private partners. The Harm Reduction Services Branch focuses on promoting individual and population health through a low-threshold, health equity, and community-oriented framework.

In this episode, Thaddeus discusses the importance of community engagement in public health and harm reduction work. 

Melissa is the Clinical Director at ABC Counseling and Family Services in Normal, Illinois.  ABC Counseling was established in 1992 to help kids and families affected by sexual abuse and those in need of adoption services throughout Central Illinois . 

In this episode, we will hear about Melissa’s work with ABC Counseling and Family Services and the impact of COVID-19 on children's health and safety, including education, food security, nutrition, abuse and neglect. 

Learn more about ABC Counseling and Family Services: https://www.abccounseling.org

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

The problem of gun violence is complex, and no single policy will solve it - but we do have strong scientific evidence for policies that work. On September 23, 2019, the American Public Health Association and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative co-hosted a forum called Policies That Work to Reduce Gun Violence, featuring leading experts discussing the most up-to-date evidence on gun violence prevention. At the forum, Dr. Charles Branas, Chair of Columbia University’s Department of Epidemiology, spoke about how reducing blight in urban areas can significantly reduce firearm violence. For this podcast episode, we’re playing his talk; his slides are available on the Initiative website, at americanhealth.jhu.edu. You can view all the talks from the forum at our website as well.

This is the third episode in our special series on the coronavirus crisis, featuring experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States, as seen through the lens of the Initiative’s five focus areas.

Today, we’re rebroadcasting an episode of Public Health on Call, a podcast produced by the Bloomberg School of Public Health that offers science and evidence-based insights on the novel coronavirus. This episode—originally broadcast on May 21, 2020—focuses on harm reduction: how COVID-19 is impacting sex workers and people who use drugs, and why caring for these populations is so important.

It features a conversation between Colleen Barry, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School, and Susan Sherman, a professor at the Bloomberg School whose work focuses on improving the health of marginalized populations, particularly that of drug users and sex workers.

Resources:

• Public Health on Call website
• SPARC Women's Center

In September 2017, Hurricane María devastated the island of Puerto Rico. A group of Johns Hopkins affiliates - two physicians, a PhD student in health communication, and an electrical engineer - wanted to help their homeland. They formed an organization called Puerto Rico Stands, with the goal of supporting the long-term recovery of the island. They decided to focus their efforts on Sector Maná, a rural area that had been directly hit by the hurricane.

Over the past several years, Puerto Rico Stands has worked with leaders and community members to help Sector Maná become more resilient and self-sustaining in the face of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, as well as other major challenges, including the coronavirus.

Today, we're speaking with two of the co-founders of Puerto Rico Stands - Yonaira Rivera, now an assistant professor in health communication at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, and Hadi Esieley-Barrera, an electrical engineer at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. We’re joined by Jose Carlos Sanchez Cintron with El Familion, a group of community leaders in Sector Maná who mobilized the community immediately after Hurricane María and worked with the Puerto Rico Stands team. Jose Carlos will be speaking in Spanish, with translation provided by Hadi.

Bloomberg Fellow Anthony Betori and Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Tamar Mendelson, share more about the evolving definition of opportunity youth. 

In 2016, more than 64,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States. That was an increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year, and the  2017 numbers are likely to be worse. At every level of government, policymakers and public health officials are looking for solutions to this problem. And while there’s no silver bullet, we do know at least one proven strategy for reducing overdose deaths: treatment that includes medications. In this episode, we look at the barriers to helping more people get effective treatment for opioid addiction. 

On October 21, 2019, three major drug distributors and a generic-drug manufacturer reached a $260 million settlement with two Ohio counties, to avoid the first federal opioid trial, which was set to begin later that day. That first trial was expected to serve as a bellwether for the thousands of other lawsuits, filed by cities, counties, hospitals, Native American tribes, and others against drug manufacturers, distributors, and retailers over their role in the opioid crisis – a crisis that has resulted in more than 47,000 deaths in 2017 alone. But what does this settlement mean for future opioid litigation, and what will be the overall impact of these thousands of lawsuits on the opioid crisis? Further, what public health lessons can be applied here from the litigation against tobacco companies in the 1990s?

According to the CDC, in the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Every October, the country observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month to bring attention to the issue and unite those who are working across the country to stop it. 
 
Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, is often thought of as an isolated or private issue. We tend to compartmentalize it as something that happens between two individuals, often behind closed doors. But in truth it is more common than one might think, and more connected to other critical issues, like lack of stable housing, poverty, systemic racism, police injustice, and more.  
 
We'll explore these issues and connections in this new episode of the American Health Podcast. It features a dynamic conversation with three researchers and practitioners who are close collaborators: Michele Decker, a Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Charvonne Holliday, Assistant Professor at the Bloomberg School; and Janice Miller, a Bloomberg Fellow and licensed clinical social worker who is the Director of Programs and Clinical Services for House of Ruth Maryland.

Resources:

• Domestic Violence Awareness Month resources
• If you are being abused, you can get anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or visiting thehotline.org for a live chat. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
• House of Ruth Maryland

Professor Tom Burke took some time away from his work at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to serve as the EPA’s science adviser and assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development under President Obama. He has also served as the deputy commissioner of health for New Jersey, and the director of science and research for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. We talk to Tom today about the important role of the EPA in protecting public health, and what to make of the news the agency is making these days. 

This American Health episode is a rebroadcast of Public Health on Call, a podcast produced by the Bloomberg School of Public Health that offers science and evidence-based insights to help understand today’s public health news—and what it means for tomorrow.

This episode — originally broadcast on January 7, 2021— highlights one of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s cross-cutting themes—equity—and focuses on Massachusetts’ unique approach to COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Led by Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel, this effort includes prioritizing communities impacted by institutional racism and those with disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 infections. 

In a conversation with Dr. Josh Sharfstein, Vice Dean of Public Health Practice and Community Engagement, and Director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, Dr. Bharel talks about what Massachusetts is doing to go beyond just making the vaccine available to support high uptake of vaccination among people who can benefit the most.

Amanda Capitummino serves as the Communications and Evaluation Specialists with Sitkans Against Family Violence. Her work focuses on creating systems and programs that promote healthy relationships in home settings.  In this episode, Amanda is joined by her colleague, Emma Thompson who serves as the Youth Development Coordinator. 

Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV) is located in the remote town of Sitka and has been providing services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault since 1980.  SAFV operates a 25-bed shelter, serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes.

Katherine is the Director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons for the Administration for Children and Families at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this episode, you’ll learn about the public health response to human trafficking and hear how healthcare providers act as first responders for those experiencing human trafficking. 

A variety of resources are shared and discussed in this episode.  Please find additional information below:

• Accredited online SOAR Trainings on human trafficking
• Voices of Freedom announcement with StoryCorps (that will include oral histories and interviews with public health individuals)
• Human Trafficking Leadership Academy & Survivor Involvement
• National Human Trafficking Hotline

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Marissa is a Food Systems & Policy Administrator with Jefferson County Public Health in Colorado. She is joined by Tyson Noeth, Executive Director of BGoldN. 

In this episode, Marissa and Tyson will discuss what it has been like addressing food insecurity in Jefferson County Colorado during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they have worked together to provide food for the community. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.

Prior to becoming a Bloomberg Fellow, Emily Foxman served as Program and Development Manager at Urban Harvest where she leveraged research, GIS map work, and survey design skills to lead all aspects of foundation-based fundraising for Urban Harvest's programs: Community Gardens, Farmers Markets, and Education.

Urban Harvest is a Houston-based nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate thriving communities through gardening and access to healthy, local food.

In this episode, we hear more about the health disparities faced in Houston, TX amid the pandemic, and the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. 

Learn more about Urban Harvest:  https://www.urbanharvest.org/. 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/. 

This year, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many others has brought into painful relief the endemic police violence and brutality against Black and Brown people in the United States. As the nation tries to chart a course forward, there have been many calls to rethink, reimagine, and defund policing.

In August, the American Public Health Association brought experts in policing and public health together to discuss these issues as part of a webinar titled Reborn not Reformed: Re-Imagining Policing for the Public Health. Co-sponsored by the Initiative, it was the third webinar in APHA’s popular Advancing Racial Equity webinar series.

Reborn Not Reformed discussed racial bias in policing, the acute and chronic health impacts of over-policing on Black and Latinx communities, and what “re-imagining policing” means for public safety, public health, and society overall.

On this episode of the American Health Podcast, we’ll be sharing one of the webinar presentations. It was given by Dr. Rashawn Ray, the David M. Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Ray’s presentation will be preceded by introductory remarks from Dr. Daniel Webster, one of the nation’s leading experts on the prevention of gun violence and a Bloomberg Professor of American Health.

Resources:

• Watch the webinar recording, and view the webinar slides and transcript
• APHA’s new discussion guide for their Advancing Racial Equity webinar series

JR Westberg is a researcher for the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota. Hennepin County Medical Center is one of the oldest non-profit hospitals in Minnesota. 

In this episode, we hear more about JR’s research on opioid use after trauma and the role of research on pain medication. 

Learn more about Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute: https://www.hhrinstitute.org/ 

To learn more about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and the Bloomberg Fellows Program, visit https://americanhealth.jhu.edu/.