Public Health On Call

The recent mass shooting in Indianapolis sparked a national conversation about "red flag" laws, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Dr. Shannon Frattaroli of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, and Josh Horwitz of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence about ERPOs and what went wrong in Indiana, and what needs to be done to implement laws effectively that keep firearms from people at high risk of harming themselves or others.

Lancaster County is home to one of the largest Amish and Mennonite, or "Plain", communities in the US. In the last year, it's estimated that 90% of families had a case of COVID-19 in their household, but experts don't know for sure how widespread infections were because of a lack of testing data. Reporter Nicole Brambila talks with Stephanie Desmon about the challenges of getting Plain families to adopt public health measures, and how past experiences from polio and measles outbreaks can offer insights for rallying the communities to get vaccinated.

Early in the vaccine rollouts, 14 clinics in the San Francisco Health Network texted their most vulnerable patients a webform to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Dr. Anna Robert, director of primary care, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the webform went viral with people from all over the Bay area taking appointments meant for specific individuals, how the clinics addressed the situation, and what they learned about outreach to patients who most need the vaccine but may be hesitant to sign up.

In this episode, Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Hopkins researchers who break down three papers looking at reinfection. Dr. Sheree Schwartz, an epidemiologist, talks about a CDC paper on reinfections in a single Kentucky nursing home. Henri Garrison-Desany, a doctoral student in epidemiology, talks about two papers: a Lancet paper from Denmark and one in the Journal of Infection from Brazil. These researchers are part of the Hopkins novel coronavirus research consortium, with many summaries of new studies available at http://ncrc.jhsph.edu.

COVID is creating massive environmental issues such as the 1.56 billion face masks that entered the oceans in 2020 alone. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the Director of Research for Oceans Asia, talks with Stephanie Desmon about how improperly discarded PPE to a massive rise in the production of single-use plastics are setting the world significantly back in controlling its problem with microplastics and pollution. KEYWORDS: environmental health; policy

61 million Americans have a disability yet most haven't been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines. And while eligibility has opened up across the nation, there remain significant barriers for people with disabilities to get appointments. Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities talks with Stephanie Desmon about how COVID has exacerbated longstanding gaps in health equity for people with disabilities, and also some silver linings of the pandemic that she hopes will remain. KEYWORDS: vaccine distribution; telemedicine; healthcare infrastructure

Across the country, COVID case rates are going up and public health officials are racing to get vaccines in arms. Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, Baltimore City's Health Commissioner, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the unique ways the city is trying to reach those at highest risk including mobile vaccination teams. They also talk about this critical point in the pandemic, how vaccine questions are not limited to one specific racial or minority group, and the importance not only of reliable public health messaging but of creating equitable access points to reduce barriers to getting vaccinated. KEYWORDS: vaccine distribution; health communication

The race between vaccines and variants has to be won globally, but at the current rate, much of the world won't reach herd immunity until 2023. Congressman Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts talks with Stephanie Desmon about the immediate need to address manufacturing bandwidth and the opportunity for the US to lead production. They also discuss the US's obligation to maintain a healthy and thriving economy by investing in global public health infrastructure, and how this could help restore the US's image as a moral leader in times of crisis. You can read Auchincloss's CNN op-ed here: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/29/opinions/marshall-plan-for-global-vaccinations-auchincloss/index.html. Please note: This conversation was recorded on April 5. KEYWORDS: vaccine distribution; viral mutation; supply chain

This week, the FDA paused the use of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine because of reports of six women under 50 who developed a rare form of blood clots called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Today, Stephanie Desmon talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what this means for vaccine rollouts, vaccine hesitancy, and what might happen next. This bonus episode has been lifted from yesterday's Facebook live which can be seen at www.facebook.com/JohnsHopkinsSPH/.

There are psychological and cognitive obstacles to compassion, especially against an invisible virus. Dr. Paul Slovic, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon, and his son Dr. Scott Slovic, a literature professor at the University of Idaho talk with guest host Dr. Colleen Barry about the psychic numbing that occurs when considering large-scale crisis like genocide, climate change, and COVID-19. They also discuss pandemic literature and what it's like to work together as father and son from two seemingly different disciplines. KEYWORDS: risk perception; policy; community mental health