Author: julrich

Pennsylvania’s June 2 primary election is just over a week away.

Smart Talk‘s Election 2020 coverage begins with conversations with two Congressional candidates. Both are Democrats and face a competitor in the primary. They are running in separate districts. The conversations focus on where the candidates stand on the issues.

Eugene DePasquale is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 10th Congressional District. The 10th district encompasses all of Dauphin County, the northern half of York County and eastern Cumberland County. DePasquale is running against Tom Brier in the Democratic primary. The winner will face incumbent Republican Scott Perry in November.

Paul Daigle is vying for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 11th Congressional District. The 11th district is made up of all of Lancaster County and the southern half of York County. Daigle is running against Sarah Hammond in the Democratic primary. The winner will face incumbent Republican Lloyd Smucker in November.

Election coverage on WITF is supported by the law firm of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP

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Friday is 143 Day in Pennsylvania. Inspired by Pennsylvania native Fred Rogers, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to share acts of kindness and good deeds for each other on 143 Day.

Mr. Rogers used 143 as a special code based on the number of letters to say I Love You.

To commemorate 143 Day, we’ll hear a special encore Smart Talk from Mr. Rogers hometown of Pittsburgh, focusing on his life and accomplishments.

The program was broadcast from the Senator John Heinz History Center. We discussed Fred Rogers’ legacy with several people who knew and worked with him, the history of the TV show and describe an exhibit at the History Center that includes Mr. Rogers’ living room and the Great Oak Tree, where Henrietta Pussycat and X the Owl lived.

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a different kind of TV show for children and it was made that way by Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers was a soft-spoken and gentle man who didn’t speak down to children. While kids were entertained, they also were learning valuable life lessons from Mr. Rogers.

Appearing on Friday’s program are: Deborah Acklin, President & CEO WQED Multimedia; Paul Siefkin-President, Fred Rogers Company; Margaret Whitmer – Director of Video Production and Special Events, Fred Rogers Company & served as producer on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; Emily Ruby, Curator, Heinz History Center; Dr. Mariruth Leftwich, director of education, Heinz History Center; and David Newell Mr. McFeely himself.

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At any given time, there are more than 100-thousand people waiting for an organ transplant. Every 10 minutes another person is added to the waiting list. 

Wait times for transplants can vary, with the average time frame between three to five years – if you are fortunate. A little more than 50 percent of people on the waiting list receive an organ within that time frame.

Now, people needing transplants must contend with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It has created a worse situation where there just aren’t nearly enough donor organs available.

Rick Hasz is the Gift of Life Donor Program’s vice president of clinical services and he joins Smart Talk on Thursday to spotlight the shortages. He is joined by Geisinger kidney and liver transplant surgeon Dr. Michael Marvin, MD, along with Sarah Reesey, a Lancaster nurse and mother whose son is waiting for a heart transplant.

Local non-profits are using the COVID-19 situation to form response partnerships; a way to collate resources to optimize the impact.

The Foundation for Enhancing Communities and The United Way of the Capital Region have teamed up to establish a Community Response Fund partnership.

Tim Fatzinger, President and CEO of the United Way of the Capitol Region and Janice Black, President and CEO of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities will appear on Smart Talk to discuss how the fund will impact other area non-profits.

Finally, the coronavirus is affecting each one of us in different ways and has made connecting with friends and neighbors more challenging. Transforming Health’s Keira McGuire has been collecting stories about the impact and produced a program for WITF-TV – The Coronavirus Diaries. Keira joins Smart Talk to highlight the unique way the program was produced.

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When the coronavirus pandemic gained a foothold in the U.S., hospitals that were concerned about having enough capacity to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients began canceling elective procedures.

At the same time, some people who were worried about acquiring the virus avoided clinic and hospital visits over a fear of contagion.

The result of both actions is that patients may have delayed potentially life-saving care and diagnosis and hospital systems have lost critical revenue.

Joining Smart Talk on Wednesday to investigate the impact are Dr. Peter Dillon, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Penn State Health’s Hershey Medical Center and Andy Carter, President and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

While there are many people in need of surgeries or other treatments put off during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are those in pain who are turning to opioids. So how to stop these indirect casualties of the pandemic? Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss is Dr. Asif Ilyas, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon in the Philadelphia area, Director of the Rothman Opioid Foundation, Past President of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, Medical Director of the Rothman Orthopaedic Surgicenter, and Professor at Jefferson Medical College.

Also, last week Gov. Tom Wolf said the state would implement universal COVID-19 testing at Pennsylvania nursing homes; where more than two-thirds of deaths have occurred. An investigation by Spotlight PA found not all residents or staff will be tested and testing won’t be mandatory. Some are calling the plan insufficient and confusing. Spotlight PA reporter Aneri Pattani explains what she found on Wednesday’s Smart Talk.

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As the coronavirus pandemic progressed in the US, education programs were impacted along with every other facet of society.

As schools closed and went online, it appeared that the instruction process would slow down in medical schools, too. Medical schools are, after all, part of medical centers that were ramping up for a COVID-19 response.

The Penn State College of Medicine saw opportunity in this challenge; expand education for medical students and harness the power of their skills, at the same time.

Joining Smart Talk on Tuesday to share how the college organized to enable students to contribute to the pandemic response are Dr. Jed Gonzalo, MD, associate professor of medicine and associate dean of health systems science education. He joins the program, along with medical students Caleb Frank and Lindsay Buzzelli.

Contact tracing is a disease control measure used by public health officials for many years to fight the spread of disease.

The process involves identifying people who may have come into contact with an infected person, then collecting information about them and who they may have encountered.

Contact tracing is labor intensive. It is also a key strategy to opening the economy and stopping the spread of the coronavirus.  

Community health departments are well-versed in process of contact tracing and may be integral to any state-wide plan. Appearing on Smart Talk to talk about the details of contact tracing is Dr. Matthew Howie, MD, Medical Director, City of York Bureau of Health.

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As two dozen Pennsylvania counties reopen, there are those living with a wide range of preexisting health conditions who are scared they won’t be protected when they go back to work.

With no guarantee that they can continue to collect unemployment if they refuse, this segment of workers face a near-impossible choice: Risk losing their jobs or losing their lives.

Transforming Health Reporter Brett Sholtis reports that the choice is especially risky for those with pre-existing conditions, like heart disease and chronic lung conditions.

He joins Smart Talk Monday to talk about the fear some have going back to work. Sholtis also reports on a letter filed last week by the state’s largest nurses union to the Department of Health with their concerns over PPE rationing. He’ll share that story, as well.

The plant-hopping Spotted Lanternfly continues to invade Pennsylvania, spreading westward with few obstacles.

Matt Rourke/AP Photo

This Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Agriculture officials appear on Smart Talk to make an unusual request of the public: while you’re home in quarantine, take some time to go outside and hunt Lanternflies!

Spotted Lanternfly: what to look for

Heather Leach, Penn State Extension Lanternfly office and Shannon Powers, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Spokesperson appear on Smart Talk to talk about what is at stake for Pennsylvania agriculture.

And now that the Pennsylvania Department of Health is looking more closely at coronavirus infections in nursing homes, families and advocates for Alzheimer’s patients urge policymakers to carefully consider this vulnerable group.

Joining Smart Talk to bring attention to nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia are Clay Jacobs, Executive Director Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, along with Jen Ebersole, the organization’s Director of State Government Affairs.

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University of Pennsylvania physician-researcher Dr. David Fajgenbaum, MD, says he has spent his entire adult life seeking answers to difficult questions. He’s earned multiple degrees in the pursuit of knowledge, including two master’s degrees and a Medical Doctorate.

But when it was his own personal illness, finding answers seemed, at first, beyond reach.  

Fajgenbaum went from being a healthy college athlete and undergrad to his death bed while in medical school. It was there he was diagnosed with a rare disorder called Castleman disease, an illness of the lymph nodes and related tissues.

While trying to perform research and save his own life, Fajgenbaum spearheaded a new approach that he says could play a significant role in treating other diseases like COVID-19.

Dr. David Fajgenbaum, MD, appears on Smart Talk  to talk about the method.

Summer is approaching and America’s love affair with the grill may be at risk. For several weeks now, there have been warnings that meat supplies could be affected by coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants. 

An industry slow-down appears to be happening, but what does that mean to the meat supply?

Dr. Jimmy Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Analytics & Operations Management with the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University believes this may be short-lived, and possibly an opportunity for industry change.

Professor Chen joins Smart Talk to explain.

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Pennsylvanians living with an intellectual disability or autism are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. About 80% have a pre-existing condition that makes them more susceptible to the illness, and the stay-at-home and shutdown orders have left many without support they normally would get.

Advocates say the provider organizations are facing a financial catastrophe due to the pandemic and the situation is going largely unnoticed.

Joining Smart Talk on Wednesday are Mark Davis, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability Provider Association, along with Kathy McHale, President & CEO, SPIN, in Philadelphia. They are asking Governor Wolf and the legislature to address the funding crisis for these services before it is too late.

Also, dogs and their ability to smell is renown. Their superior sense of smell comes from 220 million olfactory receptors in their nose. Scientists are now researching if this talent can be used to diagnose the coronavirus.

Dr. Cindy Otto, DVM, Ph.D., Director, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, joins Smart Talk to highlight a new study researching odor imprinting and the COVID-19 virus.

So, we all must wear face masks, but this is the first-time many people have ever put one on their face. How do you know if you’re wearing them correctly?

There are different types of masks, and some are more effective than others. Appearing on Smart Talk today is Nicole Jochym, a Medical Student at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and the Co-creator of Sew Face Masks Philadelphia. Jochym will talk about the new grass roots organization making and donating masks, and how to wear properly for function and comfort.

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Gov. Tom Wolf says “politicians” in counties who are now in the red stage of the coronavirus stay-at-home, business shutdown and are threatening to defy the governor’s order and move to the yellow stage, are cowards and selfish. Wolf questioned whether officials in those counties are thinking about the spread of the virus and their constituents’ health.

Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon, Franklin and Schuylkill Counties are amongst those that say they will defy the governor’s orders this week because the majority of COVID-19 deaths have been in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities and workers are suffering financially.

Thirteen Republican elected officials signed a letter to the governor announcing plans for Lancaster County to move to the yellow stage, from red, on Friday. The yellow level would allow some retail businesses to re-open.

Republican State Senator Scott Martin of Lancaster County, a former County Commissioner himself, is on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to explain the move.

Cumberland County attorney David Mueller also joins us to list the repercussions counties and businesses could face if they go against the governor’s orders.

Finally, Spotlight PA reported that Pennsylvania had a robust and aggressive plan ready to protect the state’s nursing homes, but failed to enact it.

Critics of the Department of Health’s coronavirus response say this is why nearly 70% of COVID-19 deaths have been in nursing homes and private care homes. They also say that had officials used their first and more aggressive plan state facilities would be in much better shape today.

Joining us on Smart Talk Tuesday to share insight into the report is Spotlight PA Reporter Aneri Pattani.

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As deaths and COVID-19 infections began to rise in the Commonwealth earlier this year, area coroners noticed another disturbing trend; Opioid overdose deaths were increasing, too.

Officials in both York and Cumberland Counties say that the spike in overdose deaths is certainly connected to the coronavirus outbreak. Some people needing care for dependency may be avoiding treatment centers because of fears of catching the virus. Also, because this population is often more impacted by loss of income, homelessness and social isolation, they may be more susceptible to substance abuse.

Appearing on Smart Talk on Monday are York County Coroner Pam Gay, along with Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall to share their observations.

When a person visits a doctor or medical facility with an ailment, there are different diagnostic tools that go into making a medical assessment, often involving bloodwork. It is frequently said that laboratory screenings account for more than 70% of medical decisions, so access to screening tools is imperative.

But in many places around the world lab screening isn’t available, affordable, or standardized.

A local doctor wanted to change that by advocating for a screening tool called ‘essential diagnostics.’ The list of essential diagnostic tests offers clinicians a directory of the most necessary tests to help make a diagnosis.

Dr. Mustafa Barbhuiya, Ph.D., is a clinical chemistry fellow at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and he established a non-profit foundation called the ‘Foundation for Advancement of Essential Diagnostics.’ The foundation promotes essential diagnostics across the globe, especially in poor areas with limited resources.

Barbhuiya says that during the coronavirus pandemic it is also important to discuss the availability and affordability of antibody testing. He joins Smart Talk Monday.

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