COVID-19: Public Health, Policy, and Culture

Caroline Orr-Bueno is a researcher in cognitive security and in this episode we discuss the pandemic, the experience of Long COVID, and some of the misinformation that is currently out there. More awareness of the symptoms of long COVID still need to be addressed in the medical community and we hope that this episode increases this awareness.

As schools reopen for the fall, off and on after 18 months in some cases, there is still much uncertainty about how schools are responding to the pandemic. There are changing quarantine and vaccine guidelines, and the current lack of vaccine access at this time for children. Dr. Bess Williamson shares information on the school landscape for children at school in Chicago and the continuing policy needs, concerns and messaging available to children, parents, and families.

Dr. Bess Williamson is an Associate Professor of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the author of Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design.  Bess is on Twitter at @besswww

References:

K-12 Schools and Child Care Guidance
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html

Supporting Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Maximizing In-Person Learning and Implementing Effective Practices for Students in Quarantine and Isolation
https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus/supporting-students-during-covid-19-pandemic

Will COVID cases in Chicago schools force your child to quarantine? Here’s a handy flowchart
https://chicago.chalkbeat.org/2021/9/7/21303445/chicago-public-schools-quarantine-flow-chart-students-covid-19-data

In this episode, we discuss the various guidelines and patchwork of policies in various public-facing sectors such as schools, hotels, and restaurants and their inconsistencies.

We discuss:
-The difference between guidelines (such as CDC quarantine guidance)
-The differing policies for schools and their return to campus for testing and vaccine verification
-The unclear herd immunity percentage goal for COVID
-Hotel policies and surface cleaning but hardly a mention of air filtration of this airborne pandemic
-How bartenders, waitresses, etc. in the service industry have had to become public health policy enforcers for the businesses

Difference Between Guideline and Policy:
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-guideline-and-policy/

CDC Guidelines for Quarantine:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

University Guidelines for Vaccine Verification:
University of California system:
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/July-2021-student-FAQ-UC-covid-19-vaccination-policy

SDCCD 7 day testing requirement:
https://www.sdccd.edu/students/covid19/

Why Herd Immunity for COVID May Not Be Possible:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00728-2

Caesars Resorts COVID Policies:
https://www.caesars.com/health-and-safety

Hilton Clean Stay:
https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/cleanstay/?cid=OH%2CWW%2CCOVIDhub%2CMULTIPR%2CDropdown%2CAboutUs%2CSingleLink%2Ci80835&adobe_mc=58535966794692775455685936553697175193

I Loved Being a Bartender but COVID Turned My Job into a Nightmare I Couldn't Bear:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/service-industry-bartending-covid-19_n_6131149fe4b05f53eda50759

Learn more about the Public Health Podcast Network, a community of professionals and academics in the public health space leveraging podcasting for health communication.  https://publichealthpodcasters.com

In this episode we chat with Melissa Talwar of Support Fibromyalgia about PPE and getting through the pandemic. We share some of our favorite PPE gear and Melissa shares some of the PPE technology from around the world.  The first 35 minutes were done as a simultaneous IG live discussion and the audio was echoey; however, the second half of the interview has a clearer sound. In the second half of the episode we discuss the pandemic and how to prepare for the next one. Learm more about Melissa and her organization at supportfibromyalgia.org

Some of our favorite PPE:  

readymask.com

wayre.com

Halomask with 20% discount link:   https://bit.ly/acihalomask

As the COVID vaccines continue to become available around the world and in the United States, access to appointments have been challenging for the elderly, disabled, and individuals speaking other languages. But there are community efforts available to serve individuals who need appointments. We speak to Katelyn Hertel of Vaccine Fairy who shares information about her new nonprofit organization of volunteers who work around the clock to find vaccine appointments across the country. Learn more about serving as a volunteer or getting help with appointments at their website: vaccinefairy.org

This is a special bilingual episode in English and Spanish with Marilena Grittani, clinical pharmacist, who shares the importance of clear information and messaging to support the Latinx/Hispanic community with questions and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. Marilena shares information about the history of the vaccine, how it works, and why it is important to get the vaccine to protect ourselves and our communities who have been disproportionately affected by the damages to population health.

Learn more about Marilena on Instagram at @thelegaldrugdealerpodcast and @controlandotupropiasalud

How do you find accurate information about COVID-19 when you have particular questions?

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Emily Smith, Epidemiologist and Assistant Professor of Global Health at George Washington University, and Co-Founder of COVID-101.org. 

Dr. Smith is an expert in newborn and child health and shares recent findings on motherhood, newborns, and COVID safety. Dr. Smith also shares information about her website, COVID-101.org and the community of dozens of healthcare experts and researchers who are available to answer your questions and concerns about COVID-19.

Learn more at www.covid-101.org . Dr. Smith is also on Twitter @dremilyrsmith

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The Autoimmune Community Institute is a 501c3 organization dedicated to autoimmune health equity in research, advocacy and support. Learn more about our work and how you can help:  www.acicommunity.org

Do you know where to go for a COVID-19 test when you need it? In this episode we speak to Dr, Jorge Caballero, Clinical Instructor of Anesthesia at Stanford Medical School, and co-founder of Coders Against Covid. 

Dr. Caballero talks to us about the testing and data collection accessibilities and capabilities during pandemic times, and how issues such as testing types, scheduling and administrative burden impact communities of color.    We learn what the terms Testing Deserts and Pool Testing mean, and learn about the current flow of reportable testing data during the current administration.

We also learn about Dr. Caballero's work with the website,
FindCovidTesting.com that helps you locate your nearest testing facility.

What is actually required for a nation to become fully COVID-free?  In this episode we explore this topic with Dr. Michelle Dickinson, nanoengineer and owner of Nanogirl Labs in New Zealand.  We hear about what it's like to live on an island officially declared a COVID-free nation. Dr. Michelle tells us what the magic formula is to creating a COVID-free nation -- where a unified message and a cohesive culture of working together can make all the difference.  Instead of the problems of growing rates and counts of the virus, they face new challenges of how to move forward in an outside world where the pandemic continues to ravage the well-being of populations.

Dr. Michelle has a YouTube channel with additional information and videos about how to protect yourself from the virus: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeS5f-t2Mzqfmk9HdLRGuXw

Learn more about Dr. Michelle Dickinson at www.nanogirllabs.com

What is it like to serve in public office in a large and diverse city during the pandemic?

In this episode, we speak to Assemblymember Luz Rivas, who represents Assembly District 39 in the City of Los Angeles, in a region of the San Fernando Valley. This is a region where there is a population of Hispanic/Latinx and Spanish speaking neighborhoods who face the challenges of navigating information, administrative paperwork, and providing essential services to the region.  In this interview with Assemblymember Luz Rivas, we hear about how information about public health updates is actively shared with the community.

How has the pandemic impacted your mental health? In this episode, we speak to Dr. Araceli Lopez Arenas, who talks to us about her experiences in mental health counseling therapy during the pandemic, where she often serves the Latinx population in Southern California. We talk about how the pandemic had both positively and negatively impacted mental health, the context of mental health services for Latinx , and also the journey of navigating and accessing mental health services.

Visit the COVID-19: PPC podcast home at anchor.fm/covid19ppc

How does COVID-19 relate to the current social justice and national unrest in the United States? In this episode we speak to Sharon H. Chang, photographer, author, and activist in the Pacific Northwest.  We discuss health disparities affecting Black and Latinx populations, in addition to stigma and negative perceptions of people of color when wearing protective masks in public during the pandemic.  Sharon discusses her current activism photography projects supporting people of color and racial justice. To learn more about Sharon H. Chang, visit sharonhchang.com

Additional Social Justice Resources:

https://www.racialequitytools.org/act/strategies/racial-reconciliation-and-racial-healing

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/social-justice-resources/

https://www.dialoguesondiversity.com/social-justice-resources

www.anchorfm.covid19ppc

aprilmorenophd.com/covid19ppc

What exactly is contact tracing and why are people talking about it so much? How does this process help to improve public health? In this episode we speak to Gabriela Calvi, a public health professional tasked with contact tracing for the Spanish speaking population at her county agency in Texas. She tells us about her work as an advocate and podcaster for the Spanish speaking community with her podcast, Buenos Dias Salud, and her work in researching and helping COVID-19 patients track the location where they were infected with the virus. We also discuss health equity and the need for culturally competent and equitable care for patients with all ethnic and language backgrounds.

To learn more about Buenos Dias Salud podcast visit:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/buenos-dias-salud/id1484964001

In this episode we had the opportunity to speak to an educator living in Gallup, McKinley County, New Mexico during this pandemic. We hear about the  pandemic spread and its severity disproportionately affecting Native American populations in the region, despite the proactive efforts of state level policy. We also learn about some of the multicultural history and background of the region, in addition to some of its additional challenges of air quality, education and other economic risks adding to the challenges of the pandemic.

The episode was recorded just a few days before the current news about the closure of roads into Gallup at the current time:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gallup-new-mexico-riot-control-act-roads-closed-coronavirus/

In this episode we learn about the measures for protection in Shanghai, China during the pandemic. What is it like to travel from another country into China, and what are quarantine practices like? We had the chance to speak to an international family visiting Thailand for an unexpected extended vacation as the pandemic began, the process of safety protocols on the return to China, and the proactive perspectives of time with family, exercise, and time for kids to connect with friends and classmates online. 

In this episode, we hear an account of daily life in Tokyo, Japan during this time of pandemic response. We discuss what working from home, cooking, and social life looks like in this time, as the 2020 Olympics was being considered for postponement.   In this interview, we listen to the times changing before our ears (eyes). Living during the pandemic is a dynamic experience with changes almost daily.

In this episode, Dr. April discusses tips for immunocompromised individuals to protect themselves, taking it a level beyond the recommendations of government health organizations.

Dr. April shares her practices of proactive care and what immunocompromised people can do to promote complete social  isolation from personal contact with the public, ordering food completely through the internet or phone apps, exercise online or very early, and ordering supplies online with free or minimal shipping costs.

To learn more about Dr April Moreno, visit: 

aprilmorenophd.com
Instagram: @doctoraprilwellness

The link to other COVID-19 PPC Episodes:  anchor.fm/covid19ppc
Instagram: @covid19ppc

In Episode 5, we hear from a nurse of a major hospital system in the  United States who shares the experience of working for over a decade as a  Registered Nurse and the changes that are quickly taking place in  policy, culture, and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We  discuss the current state of COVID-19 in New York, and how hospitals in  other states must prepare to meet the needs of patients.

To listen to more episodes from around the world, visit: anchor.fm/covid19ppc

In this episode we pity no fools. This episode addresses the existence of information, misinformation, and missing information in the landscape of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Dr. April discusses current states of denial about the pandemic, in addition to identifying the best places to find reliable information. We also break down the different  levels of government for health information, identify research findings, and discuss the utility of Twitter for finding firsthand information.

WHO - World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com

Episode 1: What is actually going on? Why has response been lagging?

 In this episode, Dr. April presents the introductory discussion on what information that has been provided, and the questions that continue to remain.

Sources for Official Information: 

The World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov

To connect with the podcast visit Instagram @covid19ppc

Welcome to  the introductory episode of COVID-19 PPC (Public Health, Policy, and Culture).  

As of late March 2020, several countries and several states in the United States are on stay-at-home orders. Many of us are now technically in social or spatial isolation as each location works on containing the virus and getting past a peak in infections, to control and bring down these numbers.

aprilmorenophd.com/covid19ppc