COVID-19: Public Health, Policy, and Culture

What is public health, and how do public health responders work together in various capacities at city and state levels?  In this episode, we speak to Olyvia, a public health professional and expert in child health in Chicago. She is also a public health podcaster of Public Health for the Culture.  We discuss the landscape of public health response in Chicago, how it differs from the overall state of Illinois, and what the culture of pandemic response has looked like for children's health and the occurrence of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome.

More about MIS-C or Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/covid_inflammatory_condition.aspx

Learn more about Olyvia and her podcast on Instagram @therealpublichealth and online at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/public-health-for-the-culture/id1498969942 and https://open.spotify.com/show/3bF3K6PswHVwzEhmwowClI

Do you know where to go for a COVID-19 test when you need it? In this episode we speak to Dr, Jorge Caballero, Clinical Instructor of Anesthesia at Stanford Medical School, and co-founder of Coders Against Covid. 

Dr. Caballero talks to us about the testing and data collection accessibilities and capabilities during pandemic times, and how issues such as testing types, scheduling and administrative burden impact communities of color.    We learn what the terms Testing Deserts and Pool Testing mean, and learn about the current flow of reportable testing data during the current administration.

What is it like when the pandemic affects your community, and your loved ones?

In this episode we speak to Kristin Urquiza, founder of Marked by COVID, an organization named after her father, who was a healthy individual who passed away from COVID-19  in Arizona, due to misinformation about the seriousness of the pandemic.  She talks about the political climate of denial and how it caused her father to disregard the voices of health concerns during the pandemic.

Kristin's Story in the News:

A Latino family lost a father to COVID-19. The obituary blamed the 'carelessness of politicians.'

"I  was gripped not only by grief, but by anger and rage, that his life  didn't seem to matter to the people in charge," said an Arizona woman  about her father's death from the coronavirus.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latino-family-lost-father-covid-19-obituary-blamed-carelessness-politicians-n1233113

Daughter’s Obituary Blames Politicians for Arizona Man’s Virus Death.

A grieving daughter called out politicians for 'lack of leadership' in her father's obituary after he died from Covid-19

www.acicommunity.org

What is the potential for  public health to combat the pandemic, while reducing health disparities in the process?

In this episode, we speak to Farah Masood, faculty in biostatistics and epidemiology in Southern California to discuss the pandemic, public health measures,  the glaring health disparities of the virus, and we have a lively discussion on  how public health can play a transformational part in improving the nation's health.  Current updates in the news:

Arizona Leads US Growth of New Cases https://azbigmedia.com/business/arizona-leads-u-s-in-growth-of-new-covid-19-cases/

Brazil's President Tests Positive for Coronavirus https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/coronavirus-brazil-bolsonaro-tests-positive/2020/07/07/5fa71548-c049-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html  International Comparison of COVID-19 Rates and Tests per Capita https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/international-comparison