Consumer protection during the coronavirus outbreak is an AG’s top priority

The Pennsylvania Attorney General wants Pennsylvanians to be on the lookout for price gouging and scammers.

Merchants have been warned to not use the coronavirus public health emergency as a “business opportunity.” There are state rules that bar sellers from charging for goods or services that are more than 20 percent of the average price for those same things in the seven days preceding the declaration of the state of emergency.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro joins us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to discuss what that means for Pennsylvanians.

Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reports 76 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 14 Counties. Montgomery County is the current epicenter of the state’s exposure map, but other counties are seeing the number of presumed positives increase, as well.

A Cumberland County man who recently returned from Spain is one of the latest to test positive for the virus. The Carlisle-native is a student at the University of Pennsylvania and spent a week in Spain on spring break, along with nine fraternity brothers.

Within forty-eight hours of returning from Spain two of the students became symptomatic and tested positive for the virus. The Carlisle man also developed symptoms but encountered conflicting guidance when he arrived in the mid-state and sought testing.

The 21-year-old student and his mother appear on Tuesday’s Smart Talk.

Finally, dental service providers and patients are also grappling with how to manage care, and if they should seek it, during the coronavirus emergency. Appearing on Smart Talk is Dr. Charles Incalcaterra, DMD, President of the Pennsylvania Dental Association, to share the industry’s latest guidance.

The Coronavirus: What are nursing homes doing?

COVID-19, or the coronavirus, is more dangerous for older people. Unlike the flu or other illnesses, younger people haven’t gotten as sick or died from the virus at the same rate as those over the age of 70.

The Centers for Disease Control has said about 80% of the people who test positive for the coronavirus will experience mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. However, the illness has been more deadly for older patients who contract the virus.

As a result, nursing facilities, personal care homes and assisted living residences have taken precautions and limited visitations to keep the virus from spreading to vulnerable older or disabled residents.

Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association that advocates for care providers is on Monday’s Smart Talk to explain.

Also appearing on Smart Talk is Eric Martin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management at Bucknell University who studies disaster response. Dr. Jessica Ericson, MD., is a Pediatric Infectious Disease physician with Penn State Children’s Hospital and she appears on Smart Talk to discuss ways to mitigate viral exposure.

 

Zach Shamberg appears on Smart Talk on March 16, 2020.
Professor Eric Martin, Ph.D., appears on Smart Talk on March 16, 2020.

 

Dr. Jessica Ericson
Dr. Jessica Ericson, MD, appears on Smart Talk on March 16, 2020.

Road litter is costing Pa millions in clean-up

Pennsylvania is blessed with abundant natural resources and bucolic scenery. But litter along the highways and byways is a persistent problem that mars the state’s natural beauty and costs taxpayers millions of dollars in clean-up.

It is estimated that over 51 billion pieces of litter land on U.S. roadways each year. The problem is so widespread that the Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation funded the PA Litter Research Study to gauge the impact here in Pennsylvania.

The study’s findings were released in February, reporting an estimated 502 million pieces of litter on Pennsylvania’s roads. The most common items are cigarette butts (37 percent) and plastics (30 percent), such as food packaging, bottles, and bags.

Researchers also recommend a plan to reduce litter and say that the first step is to change people’s behavior.

Appearing on Smart Talk Wednesday are Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell, Natasha Fackler, PennDOT Policy Director and Shannon Reiter, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful President.

Shannon Reiter, Natasha Fackler and Secretary Patrick McDonnell appear on Smart Talk on March 11, 2020.
Shannon Reiter, Natasha Fackler and Secretary Patrick McDonnell appear on Smart Talk on March 11, 2020.

Midnight in Chernobyl author on Smart Talk

The 1986 explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear plant has been described as the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Chernobyl has that distinction based on the facts that the public knew immediately afterwards. What we know about Chernobyl now is that the disaster was much worse than what the world thought.

Journalist Andrew Higginbotham has provided a definitive narrative of what happened that led to the catastrophe in his best-selling book Midnight in Chernobyl — The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster.

In the book, Higginbotham meticulously describes how a combination of human errors, reactor design flaws and the Soviet Union’s secretiveness – even from its own nuclear engineers and plant workers – ended in explosions and a fire at Chernobyl. Officially, 31 people were killed or died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, but more may have died. Many were injured and sickened.

Higginbotham recently appeared at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg to discuss Midnight in Chernobyl. That conversation was recorded and can be heard on Tuesday’s Smart Talk.

 

Cover of Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham. Image courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

 

 

 

 

 

(AP Photo/Volodymyr Repik)

The Coronavirus in Pennsylvania, what’s the latest?

On Friday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf held a press conference to announce that two people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus. Over the weekend, health officials announced that four additional people are presumed positive, bringing the total to six.

State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, MD, explained that Pennsylvania health authorities first test potentially infected patients for the virus and then send samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the results. Levine says the state is monitoring people who may have come into contact with all six individuals who have tested positive.

Governor Tom Wolf also declared a disaster emergency on Friday and wants the state legislature to pass a proposal allowing him to declare a public health emergency, which would come with dedicated funding.

The viral outbreak began in China and is now a world-wide health threat. The CDC reports that this is an emerging and rapidly evolving situation and they will provide updates as they become available.

On Monday’s Smart Talk we’ll focus on the coronavirus with Dr. John Goldman, MD, an Infectious Disease specialist with UPMC Pinnacle and Transforming Health Reporter Brett Sholtis.

Pennsylvania Department of Health question line: 1-877-724-3258 and UPMC Pinnacle nurses advice line: 1-866-918-1591

 

Democratic Presidential primary field narrows, what’s next?

The field of candidates vying for the Democratic Presidential nomination has whittled down from a high of 25 in the beginning to three after the Super Tuesday primaries.

After Tuesday’s primaries in which he won 10 of 14 states, former Vice President Joe Biden is riding momentum and has the most delegates for the nomination.

Will Pennsylvania have a say in who the nominee is this year? The state’s late primary on April 28 is after most states have voted or caucused but Biden and his main rival Sen. Bernie Sanders might still be fighting for delegates by then.

Joining us on Friday’s Smart Talk to discuss the primary results and the road to the nomination is Dr. Fletcher McClellan, professor of Political Science at Elizabethtown College.

Prof. Fletcher McClellan, Ph.D. appears on Smart Talk on March 6, 2020.

 

What you need to know about Real ID

On October 1, 2020 — just 31 weeks from now — Pennsylvanians will be required to have a Real ID-compliant drivers’ license or another form of federally acceptable identification in order to board a domestic commercial flight or to enter a military base or federal building.

Real ID driver’s licenses and photo ID cards have been available since March 2019, and so far nearly 900,000 Pennsylvania residents have a Real ID-compliant product. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimates that around 1.3 million of their customers will get a Real ID before the deadline.

However, many people have questions about Real ID, especially how to obtain a Real ID drivers’ license.

There also is concern at locations where Real ID will be required, like area airports, that visitors or travelers won’t be compliant or will be confused.

Appearing on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss Real ID are Kurt Myers, Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; Alexis Campbell, Press Secretary with PennDOT; and Scott Miller, Deputy Director of Business Development and Strategic Marketing at Harrisburg International Airport (MDT).

Kurt Myers and Alexis Campbell appear on Smart Talk on March 5, 2020.
Kurt Myers and Alexis Campbell appear on Smart Talk on March 5, 2020.

Withdrawal agreement signed with the Taliban — what happens next?

An “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” was officially signed by both the United States and the Taliban on the February 29, 2020.

The agreement, if it holds, could bring an end to the longest war in US history that has killed and wounded thousands of US troops and cost more than $2 trillion.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the agreement and the prospects for peace is Professor M. Chris Mason, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of National Security, Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College and an expert on Afghanistan.

Professor M. Chris Mason, Ph.D. appears on Smart Talk on March 4,2020.
Professor M. Chris Mason, Ph.D. appears on Smart Talk on March 4, 2020.

Also, Colorectal Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the US for both men and women. When their numbers are combined, the disease ranks second.

The American Cancer Society reports that men have an estimated 1 in 23 (4.4%) risk of developing Colorectal Cancer during their lifetime, while women’s risk is just slightly lower at 1 in 25 (4.1%).

Colorectal cancer often has no symptoms in its early stage, therefore regular screening is the best way to detect and possibly even prevent the disease.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss Colorectal health and screening is Dr. Purvi Panchal, M.D. from Pennsylvania Gastroenterology (PAGI), along with Mike McCormick, cancer survivor and member of the volunteer Leadership Council for the Capitol market of the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Purvi Panchal, M.D. and Mike McCormick appear on Smart Talk on March 4, 2020.
Dr. Purvi Panchal, M.D. and Mike McCormick appear on Smart Talk on March 4, 2020.

Crime and incarceration rates are falling in Pa.

Crime rates have dropped in Pennsylvania by 45% over the past 20 years. At the same time, Pennsylvania’s prison population fell by almost 1,500 last year — the biggest one-year decline ever.

Those numbers come from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform over much of the past decade. Efforts have been made to being “smarter” on crime and punishment. That includes making sentences for those of convicted of breaking the law more in line with the seriousness of the offense, taking into account whether a crime was violent or not, helping non-violent offenders to assimilate back into society and getting away from mandatory sentencing laws.

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel appears on Smart Talk January 22, 2020.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel appears on Smart Talk January 22, 2020.

Proposals are still being considered to reform probation rules. The number of people on probation in Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel appears on Smart Talk to discuss the crime and incarcerations rates, along with other issues.

*This is an encore broadcast*

The coronavirus: how prepared is Pennsylvania?

The Center for Disease Control issued a dire warning last week, saying that it is not a matter of if the coronavirus will spread in the US, but when it will happen.

Officials stopped short of predicting how many people will fall seriously ill but did say that the reported surge in cases outside of China has prompted the warning.

The Trump administration responded by asking Congress for $2.5 billion to fight the virus and named Vice President Pence to lead the nation’s response.

Will these efforts be enough to stop a nation-wide spread? What are Pennsylvania health officials doing to prepare?

Joining Smart Talk on Monday to discuss the US and Pennsylvania coronavirus response, along with the how the virus presents in affected individuals, is the Secretary of the Department of Health Rachel Levine, MD.

Dr. Rachel Levine, MD. appears on Smart Talk on March 2, 2020.
Dr. Rachel Levine, MD. appears on Smart Talk on March 2, 2020.

Also, health officials are not the only experts gauging the impact of a possible global pandemic.

Economists and stock investment specialists are watching as the US Stock market reacts to the uncertainty of the virus’s effect on global markets.

Appearing on Smart Talk to analyze the potential impact is Dan Eye, Chartered Financial Analyst and head of Asset Allocation and Equity Research Roof Advisory Group.

Dan Eye appears on Smart Talk on March 2, 2020.
Dan Eye appears on Smart Talk on March 2, 2020.