Public Health On Call

COVID-19 is having dangerous impacts on mental health in the US with more than 14% of all adults meeting the criteria for serious psychological distress. These numbers are even higher among Latinos with more than 19% of adults experiencing distress. Dr. Margarita Alegria, chief of the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Hopkins mental health and policy researcher Dr. Beth McGinty talk with guest host Dr. Colleen Barry about mental health and wellbeing nine months into the pandemic, the factors behind high rates of distress among Latinos, and policies that could make a difference in the months ahead. KEYWORDS: community mental health; health equity; racial disparity

Assisted living facilities are small, congregate settings that make infection control measures harder to implement. These facilities also care for a large proportion of residents with Alzheimer's disease—a challenge for enforcing guidance like mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing. Dr. Morgan Katz, a Hopkins geriatrician and infectious disease specialist, and Shanna Dell, lead infection control adviser on the outbreak team of the Baltimore City Health Department talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these challenges and about a new, free course available on Coursera developed to help assisted living facilities to keep their residents safe. KEYWORDS: mental health; pandemic response; geriatric health

Communicating evidence-based COVID-19 prevention measures like mask-wearing and hand washing has been a challenge. What's further complicated buy-in are public health officials and politicians creating policies that are not backed in science like closing parks in Spain or banning the sale of open-toed shoes in South Africa. Science journalist Roxanne Khamsi talks with Stephanie Desmon about the harm of imposing policies that aren't evidence-based. They also discuss the consequences of trying to communicate about a virus with devastating effects that are largely invisible from the public eye. KEYWORDS: health communication; policy

What goes into Public Health On Call? Had you ever hosted a podcast before? Who would you most want to interview? Have there been any "oops" moments? Public Health On Call, which has been downloaded more than 3 million times since March, receives a lot of questions from our dedicated listeners. For this special bonus episode—and our last of 2020—producer Lindsay Smith Rogers asks co-hosts Josh Sharfstein and Stephanie Desmon questions from our curious listeners.

Why do COVID-19 vaccines require two doses? Will I still have to wear a mask and social distance once I get the vaccine? If my friends and I had COVID, can we get together for the holidays? Are people who wear a face covering with their nose exposed at higher risk of getting COVID? Dr. Josh Sharfstein and Dr. Caitlin Rivers answered frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and vaccines sent to publichealthquestion@jhu.edu. KEYWORDS: vaccine trial; vaccine authorization; immune response

While there's light at the end of the tunnel with the first COVID vaccines being administered to US health care workers, the next few months will be difficult in terms of sickness and loss of life. Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert and part of President-Elect Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the critical place we're in now, the sacrifices necessary for this "COVID Christmas," and ways to safely get as many people as possible to a time with widespread vaccination and low community transmission of COVID-19. KEYWORDS: vaccine authorization; health communication; vaccine hesitancy

As part of a periodic series on overdose and the pandemic, guest host Susan Sherman speaks with Monique Tula, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, and Louise Vincent, executive director of the North Carolina Survivor's Union about the role of harm reduction in both the COVID and overdose crises. In an extended conversation, Tula and Vincent talk about harm reduction as a strategy for reducing suffering among people who use drugs, centering health and dignity in services, and how the "syndemic" of drug use, COVID-19, and racism are converging in a moment that requires a fundamental restructuring of services related to substance use in the US. KEYWORDS: substance use; policy; racial disparity

Thanks to an early warning system that was put in place for Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks, countries across Africa acted swiftly to respond to COVID-19—actions that have resulted in many fewer cases and deaths than in other parts of the world. Tolbert Nyenswah, former Deputy Minister of Health for Liberia, talks with Stephanie Desmon about Africa's experience during the pandemic. KEYWORDS: policy; supply chain; health equity

As part of a periodic series on overdose and the pandemic, guest host Susan Sherman speaks with Chauncey Parker, director of the New York/New Jersey High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. HIDTA is a federally funded program that invests in public safety and public health partnerships designed to "bring everyone to the table" in unique collaborations that help facilitate better policy and data collection. Parker also talks about how COVID-19 has—and hasn't—impacted the drug market in New York. KEYWORDS: substance use; policy; harm reduction

The Public Health On Call podcast is wrapping up Season Two with our final episode on December 18. We'll return for Season Three on January 4 with more evidence and experts to help unpack the days COVID-19 and public health news. Listen here for more on what's to come.