Alive and Well STL

Today we focus our Alive and Well STL lens on Community Trauma and Racial Equity. Jade Harrell with Khatib Waheed, founder of the Racial Equity Learning Exchange.

As a national presenter, facilitator and consultant, Khatib A.F. Waheed provides training services in support of judicial circuits, child welfare and juvenile justice jurisdictions and other organizations to improve services and outcomes for children and families of color.

In recent years this work has been expanded nationally to engage an increasing number of public and private agencies.

Learn more Khatib A.F. Waheed, LLC
https://www.khatibwaheed.com/

When Helping Hurts...
Trauma effects you, me and our first responders. How do they cope to be Alive and Well?

Jade Harrell with Sgt. Sally Panzer and April Casey who know first-hand what it's like to be on the front lines.

Person-centered care is a shift in the way of thinking and doing things in healthcare that sees the patients as partners to make sure the services meet their needs. Add in a trauma-informed and trained staff and the possibilities are outstanding.

Dr. Caroline Day brings respect and consideration to each of her patients in family medicine. The "Alive and Well STL" message provided the piece of the puzzle that was missing from sustainable results and care with her patients. She became an ambassador and found it to be as rewarding to her as it was for those who benefited from the application of the training.

Veronica Richardson is at the senior level of administration as the Vice President of Quality Improvement with Affinia Healthcare. She not only discovered the "Alive and Well STL" Ambassadors training was essential for improving the communication and relationship between staff and patients; but it also improved the well-being of their staff in their personal and professional lives. Veronica came to healthcare early on as a child and was taught that community care is what truly makes us all Alive and Well!!!

Learn more about Dr. Day and Family Care Health Centers at http://www.fchcstl.org

For more about Affinia Healthcare visit http://affiniahealthcare.org

For Alive and Well STL visit www.aliveandwellstl.org

As occupational therapists, Denise and Carrie have years of formal training and experience with children and trauma. They signed on to be ambassadors with Alive and Well STL and found that the training not only complimented their existing body of knowledge but positively impacts their work in the classroom--with students, teachers as well as parents. What they discovered along the way was the positive impact the AWSTL training and community had on their personal lives as well. Inside this episode of Alive and Well STL we meet these dynamic ladies who's hearts and passion is to make our region's children and families healthier. Log on to www.aliveandwellstl.com for ways you can connect and tools to help you address your stress.

Also in this episode:
- learn ways to address your own personal tragedies and responses
- how to give more of our best selves to our children and those we care for
- what tools we have available to make a difference with what we have
- why we should sign up for AWSTL training whether or not we plan to be ambassadors
-what hope is ideal as well as practical to build a healthier St. Louis

Meet the Ambassadors!!!

Robert White, III, Youth Programs Worker and trained AWSTL ambassador
Elle Potter, Founder and Instructor, Yoga Buzz

Alive and Well STL is recruiting ambassadors to serve as experts in, and liaisons to, the community to further communicate the message of Alive and Well STL. Robert and Elle signed on and have been making an impact. The reward is more than a sense of community pride and giving, their lives have been influenced in ways that are immeasurable.

Ironically, Robert learned of AWSTL from the radio commercials and decided to learn more. Elle can't even remember how she came to the knowledge of the Alive and Well STL movement, but she knew immediately that it held a place of purpose in her work as well as her personal traumatic experiences.

Improving the wellness of our community is up to all of us, and everyone is invited to join in the conversation. If you are interested in being part of Alive and Well STL and helping continue the conversation in your organization, neighborhood, and faith community, please, visit www.aliveandwellstl.com or email [email protected]. Let them know you heard all about it on the podcast!!

According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, a chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more. By definition, chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. So how can you live Alive and Well?

Meet Anonymous. Though she didn't want to disclose her name, she wanted to share her story, the stress of her chronic bipolar disease and how she's learning to cope. Her condition caught her completely off guard but she's learned to manage her life and disease with education, sleep management and stress reduction. She lives in recovery, but she's living! She offers healthy strategies for the rest of us to be Alive and Well even when living with a chronic diagnosis.

Alive and Well STL enters the complicated world and minds of our teens with call-in talk show host Sean Mulroney. Through his tumultuous and challenging childhood he became an advocate and place of comfort to thousands of American teens. They talk to him. And though he struggles through difficult health issues, he uses his life as a beacon of hope for the teens he meets in school assemblies and live through his show.

Sean, Spanky and two of their teenage team members share their traumatic stories and how they found hope, happiness and victory on the other side of darkness. They also give the top 3 things parents can do and should watch for to be a help rather than a hindrance to their very volatile teenage children.

Learn more at www.teensofamerica.net

Listen to Teens of America here-https://soundcloud.com/teensofamericaradio

Meet Greg Kenner. Also known as Mr. Bigg. Clever, funny, dedicated and determined. A father and husband living a dual existence. On the outside, he's the happiest guy in the world. Inside he's burried under the stress and anguish of something painful and frustrating. So much so that he uses food among other things to insulate him from the hurt. His health, his weight and his heart suffer through the suppression. And though his weight has ballooned to nearly 400 pounds, he keeps trying. For anyone who might see him, they would say Mr. Bigg hardly has a care in the world. For Greg this is by design so that he may bring joy to others and maybe gain a little joy for himself as he works on the rest.

Meet Joni. After spending 20 years in the state hospital, she overcame the control that the voices in her head seemed to have over her. She nearly died trying to punish herself through self-mutilation. With help, treatment, support from friends, prayer and determination, Joni was able to find hope. Though she still hears the voices, she has the ultimate voice of victory. We unite with Joni to break the stigma of mental illness.

"We may have a mental illness but that's not something bad. We can have a cold and get over it and with mental illness we can still get over it. There's hope. We are not alone. There is hope for us!"

Alive and Well STL teams up with the For Sake of All project at the St. Louis Science Center to host a forum on emotional well-being. We extended the microphone to participants who wanted to join the conversation.

Meet Evelyn and Gladys. Doctors, friends and wellness advocates. They come to the conversation with decades of experience, involvement and commitment. They found a renewed connection to Alive and Well through realizing the Mind, Body, Spirit and Community relationship.

"It's not about you, it's about how you are connected to one another and to your community. What are you going to do to make things better!"

Alive and Well STL teams up with the For Sake of All project at the St. Louis Science Center to host a forum on emotional well-being. We extended the microphone to participants who wanted to join the conversation.