Public Health On Call

The American Rescue Plan Act, meant to help the country dig its way out of the pandemic's disastrous economic effects, has some benefits that could be long-term game-changers for children and families. Bruce Lesley, president of the bipartisan advocacy group First Focus on the Children, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the Child Tax Credit's potential to cut child poverty by 45%. KEYWORDS: child health; social determinants of health; policy

When the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem paused live performances last March, there were questions about what would happen next. Like many venues, the theater made the transition to virtual performances, drawing audiences from all over the world, but it also considered ways to serve its local community including microgrants for nearby businesses and displaying messages of hope on its marquee. Fatima Jones, the senior director of marketing and communications, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the health of the community and the theater are intertwined, and how the pandemic may have a lasting impact on how The Apollo thinks about its programming. You can check out the Apollo Theater at www.apollotheaters.org. KEYWORDS: community mental health; performing arts; pandemic response

The pandemic halted all in-person performing arts in the last year: a "big hole to crawl back out of," says Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Alsop talks with Josh Sharfstein about what's been lost during a period of "emotional stasis," but also how the pandemic, alongside the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, offer the chance for much-needed change for and modernization of the orchestral performing arts. KEYWORDS: pandemic response; unemployment; community mental health

Research suggests that the arts—a sprawling industry of museums, theaters, studios, production companies, artists, administrators and more—have lost over $15 billion in the COVID-19 pandemic. But the losses go beyond financial to the existential: who are we without the arts? Kate Levin, who oversees the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts program, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the losses of these experiences impact everything from people's mental health, to neighborhood and community cohesion, to social services. They also talk about signs of hope for the future including support of the arts in the most recent disaster relief bill. KEYWORDS: community mental health; performing arts; pandemic response

Is the recovery on track or about to be derailed? What can we do alongside vaccines to step down case numbers? What does the CDC's relaxed guidance for 3-feet of distance for kids mean for schools reopening? What are the key metrics of vaccine success? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo from the Center for Health Security returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein and answer some questions about yet another pivotal moment in the pandemic. KEYWORDS: health equity; racial disparity; social determinants of health

Life expectancy in the US has been declining over the last 30 years, especially among working-age adults—a stark contrast from wealthy peer countries in Europe and Asia where adults are living longer, healthier lives. Hopkins health economist Dr. Darrell Gaskin talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about new data on this American crisis including a confluence of factors including a lack of jobs, systemic racism, and the greater availability of opioids. They also talk about how the crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and about where to look for solutions to address a problem that "is not going away."

Staying on top of the COVID-19 pandemic means understanding the infectiousness, lethality, and spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Jonathan Quick, managing director for pandemic preparedness and prevention at the Rockefeller Foundation, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about a new report with a vision for tracking variants across the United States and the world. KEYWORDS: viral mutation; testing methods

Many of the largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are in prisons, jails, and detention centers—places that have not been prioritized for vaccine rollouts. New data also shows that there are thousands of people who are pregnant being admitted to these facilities each year. Dr. Chris Beyrer returns to the podcast to give an update on COVID and prisons, and Dr. Carolyn Sufrin talks about the needs of pregnant people behind bars and how this is further complicated because pregnancy is a risk factor for more severe disease from COVID-19. KEYWORDS: vaccine distribution; decarceration; maternal health

Last week, parts of Europe suspended the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after a few vaccinated individuals reported dangerous blood clots. Johns Hopkins vaccine safety expert Dan Salmon talks with Stephanie Desmon about the situation and why it's reassuring in terms of vaccine safety monitoring, and how these are questions that "can and will be answered by science." Note: This conversation was recorded on March 17. Since then, the European Medicines Agency has concluded that the vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks. KEYWORDS: vaccine authorization; vaccine trial; vaccine hesitancy

In this episode, Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Hopkins researchers who break down three research papers looking at the relationship between obesity and COVID-19. Lauren Peetluk, a graduate student from Vanderbilt University, talks about a study published early in the pandemic looking at obesity and mortality from COVID-19. Dr. Sabina Haberlen talks about a CDC paper on the relationship between BMI and COVID-19 severity and death. Dr. Nikolas Wada talks about a paper that teases out the relationship between obesity and COVID from other possible factors like diabetes and coronary artery disease. All three researchers are part of the Hopkins novel coronavirus research consortium, with many summaries of new studies available at http://ncrc.jhsph.edu. KEYWORDS: vaccine distribution; comorbidities