116 Food Safety, Nutrition and Hunger Sponsored by HPRC

When it comes to food safety; each year, roughly 1 in 6 Americans (approximately 48 million people) get sick from foodborne illnesses.

When it comes to accessing nutritious food, the sad reality is that many Americans cannot conveniently access nutritious food at an affordable price. Some neighborhoods in America are known as “food deserts” and “food swamps;” places where it’s hard to find nutritious food and where a lot of bad food options exist.

Despite living in one of the wealthiest states in the country, many Marylanders struggle with hunger.  One in eight households constantly struggle with hunger.  Approximately 21 percent of households with children struggle to obtain enough food to eat regular healthy meals.  And nearly 10 percent of Marylanders live below the poverty line.

In this episode we discuss the startling details surrounding food safety, access to nutritious food, and hunger.  You will learn what role public policy played in creating our current food system and how public policy can help improve it.  You will also learn about the role each of us can play in influencing the public policy that can help us obtain better access to safe and nutritious foods, combat hunger, and in the end improve our overall health.

This episode is brought to you by The Health Policy Resource Consortium, also known as HPRC.  HPRC’s mission is to educate and inform the public about public policy, how public policy can improve our health, and what each of us can do to drive public policy decisions in our communities.

Byron Sogie-Thomas, HPRC’s Deputy Director for Health Policy Research and Analysis and Michael J. Wilson, the Director of Maryland Hunger Solutions are the guests for this episode.

113 What You Need To Know About Open Enrollment 2017 – Sponsored by the Health Policy Research Consortium

obamacare-healthDo 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.

Visit www.hprc.info for more information.

110 Perspectives: Presidential Election 2016

putin_hillary_trumpThe 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.

 

109 Breast Cancer Awareness with the Health Policy Research Consortium

breast-cancer-logoIn recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mr. Byron Sogie-Thomas, Deputy Director for Health Policy Research & Analysis at the Health Policy Research Consortium, and Dr. Edith Mitchell, Professor of Medical Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and past President of the National Medical Association shared their knowledge about breast cancer.

In this episode we have a frank discussion about the causes breast cancer, the risk factors, who’s at risk, what we know about prevention, breast cancer in men, what the current research  shows, how public policy can help reduce the burden of this disease, including how to pay for screenings and the ease of navigating the health care system if you or a family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and more.

Breast cancer strikes fear in the heart of women and far too many continue to die from this disease.   This is especially true for African American women, who are more likely to die from breast cancer, even though they are diagnosed at the same rate as White and Hispanic women.

hprc-logo3This episode was sponsored by the Health Policy Research Consortium, also known as HPRC.  HPRC’s focus is public policy and their goal is to keep you informed about the many ways that public policy can affect your health.  To learn more about HPRC’s research findings, blogs, events, and their Health Connect Prince George’s mobile app, please visit their website at www.hprc.info.

 

108 Ten Things Christians Should Consider Before Arguing with Atheists

god-science-religion-atheistWith the rise of religiously unaffiliated Americans, the number of atheists and agnostics has practically doubled since 2007. According to a 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Study, 3.1% of American adults say they are atheists.  This number is up from 1.6% from 2007.  In addition, 4% of American adults say they are agnostics, which is up from 2.4% in 2007.

So with this rise in not only religiously unaffiliated Americans, but also a more vocal group, Michael Lehmann shares how to have a graceful communications when encountering atheists and agnostics.

Photo credit:  Blue Mountain Arts