Public Health On Call

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of opioid overdose have increased dramatically but this is only due in part to disruption of services and increased isolation. Michael Botticelli, former head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Obama administration and 32 years into his own recovery, talks with guest host Brendan Saloner about how America's opioid epidemic was already on a terrible trajectory prior to the pandemic, policy solutions to address overdose, the importance of combating stigma against addiction, and what needs to happen next. KEYWORDS: substance use; policy; harm reduction

How can people think about safety for holiday travel during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are some means of transport safer than others? What about safety during day-to-day transportation on school buses and trains? Dr. Mark Rosekind, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and a Distinguished Policy Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health talks with guest host Dr. Colleen Barry about these and other questions of road safety during this and future pandemics. KEYWORDS: public transit; policy; road safety

Last week, Nebraska ICU nurse Lacie Gooch recorded a video of herself after a long shift talking about the overwhelming number of people dying in hospitals from COVID-19. In a bonus episode of the podcast, Gooch talks with Stephanie Desmon about the viral video, and why frontline health care workers are taking to social media to describe the desperate situation and to beg people to wear masks and social distance, especially ahead of the holidays. Gooch also talks about how the overwhelming rise of COVID cases could mean hospitals will be unable to provide care for other emergencies like heart attacks or car accidents.

Last week, a judge approved the $8.3 billion settlement between the Department of Justice and OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma. Hopkins opioids researcher Dr. Caleb Alexander talks with Stephanie Desmon about expected fallout from the settlement as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the crisis by disrupting drug markets, shuttering treatment centers, and reducing the chances of Naloxone administration in overdose emergencies. KEYWORDS: substance use; policy

The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs has worked for more than 30 years on health communication in at least 60 countries for issues like breastfeeding, HIV, and family planning. This experience meant they were well positioned to work with partners around the globe on messaging for COVID-19 prevention. Deputy director and COVID team leader Alice Payne Merritt talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about crafting COVID messages for different countries and breaks down the details with some clips of radio and TV spots from Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Phillippines, and Guatemala. KEYWORDS: international health; misinformation

If I test positive for COVID-19, could my name and phone number be reported to the health department? How does closing bars at 10pm help? How will we know if COVID-19 vaccines work for children? My roommate and I have both tested positive—can we be in the same house together? Do I still have to wear a mask if I've recovered from COVID? Does mouthwash help prevent COVID? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo from the Center for Health Security and Dr. Josh Sharfstein discuss troubling trends and solutions for professional Santas, and answer more of your questions sent to publichealthquestion@jhu.edu KEYWORDS: contact tracing; social distancing

Pollution and racism go hand in hand: low-income, predominantly non-white communities with less capital and political power become dumping zones for hazardous waste and other toxic environmental exposures. As part of an ongoing series on structural racism and public health, Keshia Pollack Porter dives into the topic of environmental injustice with Hopkins environmental epidemiologist Dr. Aisha Dickerson and EPA Environmental Health Fellow Dr. Dana Williamson. KEYWORDS: health equity; racial disparity; environmental racism

November 18 is the first National Injury Prevention Day. Injuries like burns, falls, and poisonings are the leading cause of death in the US for children over the age of 1 and most are preventable. Prevention experts Dr. Barbara Barlow, founder of a national coalition to prevent childhood injuries, Injury Free Coalition of Kids, and Eileen McDonald, director of Baltimore's local coalition, talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about awareness of pediatric injury issues, the history of initiatives, and solutions to keep children safe like window bars, bike helmets, stair gates, smoke alarms, and more. Learn more with #BeInjuryFree on social media.

Denmark, one of world's leading pelt producers, is culling all of its farmed mink after evidence that a different variant of SARS-CoV-2 might be circulating among the animals. Veterinary expert Dr. Meghan Davis returns to the podcast to talk with Stephanie Desmon about whether or not mink pose a danger to humans, what the news means for disease surveillance, and an update on household pets and COVID-19. KEYWORDS: zoonotic virus; contact tracing; animal health

Once COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, could they be made mandatory and, if so, what entities could enforce this? Legal and public health expert Joanne Rosen talks with Stephanie Desmon about the legislative precedent for mandatory vaccinations that dates all the way back to a 1905 Supreme Court case after a smallpox outbreak in Massachusetts. They also discuss other strategies states could consider to achieve widespread vaccination for COVID-19. KEYWORDS: vaccine mandates; policy