WITF Smart Talk Podcast

What to look for on Smart Talk, Tuesday, July 23, 2019:

Schools are using therapy dogs to enrich students’ lives, from everyday programs to emotional support after a disaster. Districts in Lancaster, York and Dauphin counties are adding furry staff to fill a range of needs.

Guest host Valerie Pritchett of ABC27 fills in for Scott LaMar to discuss dogs in the classroom ahead of a new school year.

How are dogs trained and certified? What benefits are there to students? What is the cost to schools and taxpayers, and what is the return on investment?

We will also explore the differences between service, facility, therapy and emotional support dogs.

Joining Smart Talk are Deb Tack, partner coordinator at Susquehanna Service Dogs, Doug Hopwood, executive director of Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services, and Kristin Glass, school psychologist at Lampeter-Strasburg High School.

(Left to right) Doug Hopwood, Kristin Glass and Deb Tack

Mali of Susquehanna Service Dogs in the WITF studio

What to look for on Smart Talk, Thursday, July 18, 2019:

Financier Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges has reignited a debate over a 2008 plea deal in which he received immunity from federal prosecution in exchange for pleading guilty to state prostitution charges. The political fallout has been in the spotlight as Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, who was the prosecutor that signed off on the 2008 deal, resigned amid a public furor at what was viewed as an overly lenient agreement.

What has received less attention, however, is the underlying issue of human trafficking, which is prevalent nationwide and in Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which people profit by exploiting others using fraud, force, or coercion to manipulate victims into committing sex acts or labor. The victims are often children; any situation with a minor that involves elements of prostitution is a form of human trafficking. Frequently, human trafficking becomes intertwined with drug addiction, a particular problem given the ongoing opioid crisis.

Nearly 200 cases of human trafficking in Pennsylvania were reported to a hotline in 2018, but, since the Commonwealth passed a comprehensive human trafficking law in 2014, fewer than 50 people have been convicted or have convictions pending. Appearing on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss the scope and impact of the problem in Pennsylvania is Shea Rhodes, director of the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, and Susan Mathias, CEO of Transitions of PA.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text 233733 (text “HELP” or “INFO”).

Also, George Washington is known as America’s first great general, leading the Continental Army to decisive victories at places like Trenton and Princeton. In a new book, historian Nathaniel Philbrick argues that the fate of the American Revolution rested on Washington’s ability to coordinate with the French Navy at sea. Philbrick joins Smart Talk to discuss his latest book In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown.

What to look for on Smart Talk, Wednesday, July 17:

More than one in four Pennsylvania residents live in one of the Commonwealth’s 48 rural counties. On average, Pennsylvania’s rural population is on the decline as death rates exceed birth rates, but more people are moving into rural Pennsylvania counties than are moving out.

The aging rural population and other structural factors, including significantly lower income levels, lack of public transportation, poor infrastructure and slower broadband speeds, pose a range of challenges. These challenges are heightened for rural Pennsylvanians, particularly in areas like health care and emergency services, housing and workforce development.

But the news is not all discouraging. Rural school district graduation rates tend to exceed urban counterparts, and money from the Commonwealth’s impact fee on drillers is helping to fund infrastructure projects.

What are the most pressing issues in rural communities? What is the state legislature doing to help address them? What don’t people know about rural Pennsylvania?

Barry Denk (L) and Senator Gene Yaw (R)

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to tackle these questions are Barry Denk, director of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), who represents five rural Pennsylvania counties in the northeastern part of the state and chairs the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors and the Senate Committee on Energy & Environmental Resources, and Indiana County Commissioner Sherene Hess.

Resources

Center for Rural Pennsylvania

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon, July 20, 1969

What to look for on Smart Talk, July 16, 2019:

50 years ago, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 touched down on the surface of the moon.

As the 50th Anniversary of the historic mission approaches, WITF’s Smart Talk Road Trip visits The North Museum of Nature and Science in Lancaster.

Appearing on Smart Talk to discuss the 50th anniversary of the moon landing as well as the United States space program today and tomorrow are Dr. David Fisher, Professor of Physics & Astronomy and spaceflight historian at Lycoming College, Tom Usciak, a photographer of missions since Apollo, and Axel Diaz, Solar System Ambassador at NASA.

Then, we’ll pivot to discuss the North Museum’s planetarium and stargazing in Pennsylvania. Joining that conversation are “Cosmic Mike,” Senior Astronomy Educator at the North Museum, and Lane Davis, President of the Astronomy Enthusiasts of Lancaster County.

This Smart Talk Road Trip is supported by Roof Advisory Group, Michael’s Motor Cars, and The North Museum of Nature and Science.

What to look for on Smart Talk, Thursday, July 11, 2019:

Drug addiction affects thousands of Pennsylvanians every year. Emergency rooms across the state saw 13,499 opioid overdose-related visits in less than two years, from Jan. 1, 2018 to June 8, 2019.

The Get Help Now hotline, which connects people experiencing addiction with treatment services, received 23,707 calls from Pennsylvanians during the same period. If you or someone you know is experiencing addiction, you can call the Get Help Now hotline at 1-800-662-HELP.

The death toll of drug overdoses remains high, even with opioid prescribers erring on the side of caution. There has been a 30% decrease in opioid prescriptions written per capita nationwide since 2012.

A local initiative is working to provide hope to people in recovery from addiction. Lancaster County Recovery Alliance aims to shift the conversation from the doom and disaster of opioid addiction to the possibility of recovery.

Members of the alliance include people in recovery, friends and family of those in recovery, service providers, legal/law enforcement, church/faith-based organizations, corrections, the business community and other allies.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss local resources for people in recovery are Brett Hambright, spokesperson for the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, Scott Theurer, a recovery specialist at the Opioid Center of Excellence at T.W. Ponessa & Associates Counseling Services in Lancaster who is in long-term recovery from addiction, James Severson, recovery specialist supervisor at Gate House Behavioral Health Services and vice chairman of the Lancaster County Recovery House Coalition, and Rachel Skinner, a recovery specialist in recovery herself and author of There is Hope.

(Left to right) Scott Theurer, Brett Hambright, James Severson, Rachel Skinner

Also, Transforming Health reporter Brett Sholtis joins Smart Talk. Sholtis has been traveling the state covering involuntary commitment, the legal process that can require individuals with severe mental disorders to undergo treatment. Join our discussion to hear about involuntary commitment policy in Pennsylvania.

For more on drug recovery and involuntary commitment — plus a deeper look at the changing tide of healthcare — check out WITF’s Transforming Health. Online at Transforming Health.org. A partnership of WITF, WellSpan Health and Capital Blue Cross.

Brett Sholtis

The United Way of Pennsylvania uses the ALICE report to gauge financial hardship. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed. People who fall into the ALICE category are earning money above the federal poverty level, but don’t make enough to pay for essentials like housing, food, childcare, transportation, or future savings. ALICE households across Pennsylvania struggle to find affordable housing and community resources in the same county where they work.

The United Way of Pennsylvania brought the ALICE report to the state. Local groups like the United Way of the Capital Region are using ALICE data to launch community programs to support ALICE households in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry Counties.

When combined with households below the poverty level, in total, 1,856,785 households in Pennsylvania ⁠– 37% ⁠– struggled to meet their basic needs in 2017.

Small business owners and workers often fall into the ALICE category because small businesses are more vulnerable to changes in demand, price of materials, transportation costs, cyberattacks and natural disasters.

Joining us on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the ALICE report and helping Pennsylvanians living in the financial margins are Kristin Rotz, president of United Way of Pennsylvania, Tim Fatzinger, president of United Way of the Capital Region, and Gene Barr, CEO of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry.

(Front to back) Kristin Rotz, Tim Fatzinger and Gene Barr