Do you have questions regarding Open Enrollment and the future of Obamacare? If so, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the topic of this episode. Byron Sogie Thomas of the Health Policy Research Consortium and Ben Turner of the Primary Care Coalition discuss and answer questions about the Open Enrollment process.
Ben Turner outlines seven steps to get you through the open enrollment process and Byron Sogie Thomas talks about how we can have our voices heard when it comes to any changes in policy surrounding the future of the Affordable Care Act.
If you have questions regarding the lingo, be sure to visit www.destinationhealth.me. It is written at the 4th grade level and contains videos and more to help you better understand the definitions.
The 2016 Presidential Election was the topic of this episode. Political Strategist, Patricia Mitchell; Former US Marshall (DOJ) David Grogan, and Film/TV Actor, Garret Davis shared their perspectives about both Hillary and Trump, the three presidential debates, voting, locker room talk, how they planned to cast their votes, and much more.
In many places around the country there is growing concern about the health effects of environmental hazards, from lead in the water, to nitrogen dioxide in the air. These hazardous toxins can turn our communities into death traps. And there is plenty of evidence that these dangers are not equally borne by all populations.
Byron Sogie-Thomas with Health Policy Research Consortium, also known as HPRC discusses the role of public policy in preventing or correcting environmental hazards and improving our health.
Kamita Gray and Al Weaver, leaders of the Brandywine Two Bridges Southern Region Neighborhood Coalition talk about how they are using community engagement to drive public policy in their fight with a very large environmental hazard; namely emissions from not one, but a third fossil-fuel power plant in their neighborhood in Maryland.
Neil Gormley with Earth Justice in Washington, DC talks about this entire issue of Environmental Justice and what we can do to protect our communities from these environmental hazards.
Reverend Joseph Deck, Reverend Thea Wilson, and Reverend Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams engage in a round-table discussion about the State of Christianity in America.
Is Christianity in America under siege? Is it being marginalized? Does Christianity have an image problem, or have Christians been spoiled with Christian privilege for so long that now they must make room for people of all belief systems?
These are just a few questions that are discussed during this episode.
Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, is a best selling author who is acclaimed for his writings on Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Tupac Shakur, Bill Cosby, Hurricane Katrina, and most recently, President Barack Obama in his most recent book titled “The Black Presidency,”
In this riveting episode, Dr. Dyson shares his perspectives regarding police brutality, black on black crime, voting, freedom of speech, martial law, the GOP Convention (Donald Trump), gun control, the importance of reading, and more.
Dr. Dyson is a Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University, a world renown media commentator, and he received his Ph.D. from Princeton University.
The Health Policy Research Consortium (HPRC) is partnering with Make the Change Radio Show for the remainder of 2016 to talk about public policy, how public policy can improve your health, and what you can do to drive public policy decisions in your community.
Byron Sogie-Thomas is HPRC’s Deputy Director for Health Policy Research & Analysis. Byron opens the show with a simple definition of public policy and shares HPRC’s mission, which is to make everyone aware of these policies, the connections they have on your health, and how you can take action on the policies that directly impact the communities where you live.
Some of the following policy topics and areas where you can have influence in your community were discussed during this episode. They include, but were not limited to:
How your home can make you sick
The importance of sprinkler systems in your home
Speed limits in your community
Zoning ordinances
Impact of toxic dump sites and landfills near your home
How disasters, accidents, and community involvement impact public policy
How to get involved and who to contact if you want to change a public policy in your community
Policies impacting your schools, classrooms and lunch programs
More…
HPRC has a mobile app called Health Connect Prince George’s that can help you find local resources, such as Farmers Markets, Parks & Hike Trails, Recreation Centers, and more. Download the app on Google Play and the iTunes App Store. Click below to listen to the commercial regarding this incredible app.
Be sure to visit HPRC’s website at www.hprc.info to read their public policy reports, newsletters, blogs, community events, social media pages, and more.
It’s Black History Month and Ronald Wayne Cook is back to talk about the Black Seeds Educational and Historical Calendar. He highlights one of our unsung heroes and living legend, he shares the black history fact for the day, black love and more!
What seeds are you planting? Take a listen, you are bound to be inspired!
The loss of a job, an illness, or catastrophic event can quickly lead to missed rent or mortgage payments and ultimately, to eviction or foreclosure. Many people exit homelessness quickly, but many more individuals become homeless every day.
Many top celebrities (Steve Harvey, Suze Orman, Tyler Perry, Halle Berry) experienced homelessness while pursuing their passion. Now more than ever people are jumping in with both feet to pursue their dreams and most are without health insurance or adequate savings to cover and recover from medical emergencies.
Natural disasters displace people annually by destroying their homes and everything they own. Remember Katrina?
Homelessness doesn’t mean hopelessness. Many have rebounded to become very successful because they never gave up and someone gave them a chance.
Several guests will talk about how they became homeless and how they recovered; why we need to change our perspectives about homelessness; what are the best ways to help; and much more.
Karla Graham of Access Housing, Inc. helps homeless veterans re-establish their independence, Blair Copeland of Carpenter’s Shelter works to address the various needs of the homeless, Ray Breeding went from homelessness to ordainment, and Vernon Montgomery went from homelessness to gainful employment and is now pursuing his dreams as a writer.
“You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
It’s becoming more difficult to be homeless in the United States. In nearly 43 percent of U.S. cities, you can be arrested for sleeping in your car, sitting on a curb, or begging in certain public areas. Stigmas against the homeless are widespread.
Banks are considered too big to fail, but why is it okay to allow children to go without a place to lay their heads at night?
How can we help on an individual level? What can the homeless do to ensure that they will not find themselves in the same predicament?
We address these questions and more in this episode.
Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”
Matthew 5:42 “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Dr. and Pastor Alfonzo Surrett, Dr. Bruce Purnell, and Attorney Talib Karim come together to share their perspectives to answer the question “What’s Going On in the World Today?” regarding issues surrounding fatherhood, single mother households, voting, encounters with police, and the prison industrial complex (PIC).
They will also recommend changes that we can make at the individual level instead of waiting for the government and elected officials to initiate change and enforce our basic human rights.
Attorney A. Dwight Pettit talks about why your vote matters, especially during what’s called “off-season” elections. During off-season elections, citizens can cast their votes for mayors, states attorneys, sheriffs, senators, congressmen, and other important offices and citizen initiatives in their states.
When it comes to the recent incidents of police brutality that people of color and lower socio-economic class have experienced with police across the nation, the election that will take place on November 3, 2015 will allow citizens to vote for new Mayors, Prosecutors, and States Attorneys. Why is this important? Here’s why:
1. Chiefs are appointed by a government entity such as the mayor, city manager. However, it is the city officials (mayor, city manager, etc.) who have the ultimate say in what each police department (Chief) does.
2. Sheriffs on the other hand are elected — appointed by the voters of their counties.
It is important to know and understand the initiatives of your mayors, prosecutors, states attorneys, sheriffs, etc. because this is where you can initiate change in the community where you live. If police brutality is an issue in your community, then you must vote!
Be sure to Google the “Board of Elections” for your state and county for the details specific to where you live.
Father Christian D. Bruce and Brother Raymond Pretlor discuss some of the major issues that men are confronted with on a daily basis. They share their opinions of what it means to “Be a Man” and they provide ideas regarding what loved ones can do to help heal the men in their lives.
Both guests have programs that are designed to help all males become better men. If you do not have an appreciation for what men go through on a daily basis, this podcast is bound to increase your awareness and sensitivity.
Eric Broyles, Attorney, Entrepreneur, and Author of Encounters with Police: A Black Man’s Guide to Survival, shares how to handle encounters with police, what to say and not to say, why you should comply on the scene and contest later, and the steps you need to take to report an abusive encounter.
Alvin Dwight Pettit, famed civil rights, constitutional, and criminal lawyer, history maker, and author of the phenomenal book “Under Color of Law” will share information that will have you question law as we know it and ask, in terms of racism and prejudice in America, “Has anything really changed?”
Is it possible that we are in an era of the new Jim Crow? Is it possible that many will lose their civil rights fought so hard by our civil rights leaders? Learn about the new forms of civil rights violations that we should be paying attention to and what dangers lay ahead if the nation sleeps in a fog of complacency created by past accomplishments.
Do you have questions regarding Open Enrollment and the future of Obamacare? If so, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is the topic of this episode. Byron Sogie Thomas of the Health Policy Research Consortium and Ben Turner of the Primary Care Coalition discuss and answer questions about the Open Enrollment process.
