For the People

As we approach the launch of CT Paid Leave program, which will offer Connecticut workers the opportunity to take time to attend to personal and family health needs without worrying about lost income, we'll check in with the CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority to help employers and employees better understand the program. 

Next, have you heard about U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's new legislation to promote advance care planning and end-of-life care? To help frame that new national effort, we'll bring in the CEO of Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest and oldest end-of-life care advocacy organization to discuss how the proposed bill will help empower everyone to chart their end-of-life journey.

And we'll touch base with a CEO overseeing 32 Planet Fitness locations across Connecticut.  As the state continues to navigate the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, his industry is facing ongoing threats of shutdowns or stronger restrictions So we'll hear about why this may be such an ultimately unhealthy move.

We're replaying a segment reminding residents about the lingering dangers of lead with an environmental sanitarian from Meriden - who plays a role in a larger statewide effort to remind residents about the dangers posed by lead. We'll learn all the places where lead could still be lurking in places where kids and others could still be exposed - and how that lead exposure can be remediated forever.

Then we'll catch a buzz with the Back Yard Beekeepers Association and learn why becoming even a simple backyard beekeeper could be one of the best holiday gifts you can give yourself, your family, your community and the environment - and why its the best time of year to get into beekeeping.

Finally, Have you ever had a bad experience with an uncaring medical professional? Then meet The Patient Is U Foundation - Helping medical practitioners enhance humanistic, compassionate patient care with unsurpassed "customer service" and sharing its philosophies with patients as well as institutional and non-institutional healthcare providers - anyone who comes into contact with patients or their families. 

Meet the Dean from the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology at Sacred Heart University talking about Techstars Startup Week - a free five-day virtual conference open to the public starting Monday and hosted by SHU featuring inspirational mentors, entrepreneurs, professors, and industry experts from across the nation.

Then we're bringing back the senior legislative counsel at the Marijuana Policy Project which funds the CT Coalition to Regulate Marijuana to catch up on news about the state's continuing efforts to legalize recreational pot use and access, and get the latest following a virtual forum on the subject with a panel of diverse legalization proponents.

And we'll wrap checking in again with our friends from AARP Connecticut, which has selected five Livable Communities Grant recipients that will complete quick-action projects across Connecticut that will help make immediate improvements or jumpstart long-term progress that will support residents.

If your planning to do any digging between now and next spring or beyond you'll want to hear about a brand new educational resource and certification program from Call Before You Dig that will help you ensure any deep dig projects you are planning in the future at home or on the job - roll out safely.

Then we'll clue you in on new job opportunities that are opening up in the new year with a panel of guests digging into the state's first ever clean energy and green jobs study produced through the Joint Committee of the Energy Efficiency Board (EEB) and the Connecticut Green Bank Board of Directors.

And as COVID escalates substance use and overdoses, we'll check in with Recovery Network of Programs - a private, non-profit, social service agency which has been serving the Greater Bridgeport Community since 1972 restoring hope, health, and well being for individuals and families in a recovery environment.

The founder of Adam's House returns to our program to remind you about the free bereavement support they provide to families annually through “Helping Hearts Heal.” And we'll let you know how to help support their good work at the upcoming virtual Mistletoe & Margaritas event.

Then as we move through Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we'll share some important news about the great progress Connecticut is making addressing lung cancer with the American Lung Association following the release of their latest State of Lung Cancer report.

As Epilepsy Awareness Month draws to a close, we'll visit with the CT Epilepsy Advocate to find out all the resources this grassroots nonprofit is offering to the thousands of folks across our state living with epilepsy.

This morning we'll learn how one mom's agonizing journey to diagnose Lyme Disease in her teenage daughter has grown into one of the region's newest nonprofits - Partner In Lyme - and how you can help the cause at their first virtual fundraiser in early January.

Then we'll encore a couple of segments from the summer starting with the CT Center for Economic Analysis. We'll hear some sobering stats about jobs and household income growth, how they are being impacted by the COVID pandemic, and how legalized cannabis could go far toward propelling Connecticut out of the sorry economic state we find ourselves in right now.

And we'll close replaying a conversation with the new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of New Haven - Dr Lorenzo Boyd discussing police practices, movements to defund police agencies and identify the all important crossover point where racial justice comes into play.

The CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America wants you to know how his organization is supporting, educating, and advocating for those affected - along with their hero caregivers and loved ones during Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

Then, the new President from United Way of Connecticut checks in with a look at its ALICE 2020 report and an invitation to a series of virtual town hall events addressing some of the key challenges to households that are ALICE - Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed.

And since November is National Diabetes Month - meet a Registered Dietician on the team Stop & Shop has put together along with a robust set of resources to help everyone in the community who is living with or trying to prevent diabetes.

It's November 1, that means time for open enrollment on the CT Health Insurance Exchange. So we'll bring in a representative from one of the original exchange providers - ConnectiCare with all you need to know if your signing up.

Then we'll ring up state Senator Matt Lesser for a heads-up on a number of healthcare products the CT Insurance Dept is recommending you should avoid.

Finally, we'll circle back with cybersecurity expert Pamela Gupta following the latest Northeast Annual Cybersecurity Summit - to hear what's keeping her up nights, and a few specific tips for homeowners, students, and businesses to keep your data and cyberworld better protected.

Thanks to this pandemic we've all been inducted into the world of doing everything virtually - even fundraising, so we're opening by introducing The Rowan Center - working hard since 1979 serving and supporting victims of domestic violence. We'll talk about the center's critical mission and how you can help by signing on to build a holiday gingerbread house virtually.

Then we'll turn to an epidemiologist with the CT Dept of Public Health to hear how the flu stands to complicate our already overburdened healthcare system in this COVID era - and how you can play a role in minimizing that pressure on our healthcare systems by getting a flu shot.

And we'll close inviting you to learn more about educational inequality and what you can do about it in your own community, by participating in an upcoming round table discussion sponsored by The Southport CoLAB and Literacy How.

We're going to heat things up right off the bat talking about the newest CT Green Bank program to help you put heat pump technology into your home and digging into some details about a low interest rate, no money down option for heating, cooling, filtering, and taking care of your hot water service, too.

Then we're circling back with Assisted Living Services focusing on an important state sponsored program that's helping keep your aging loved ones safe at home and well cared for, without creating a huge financial hit — the Adult Family Living or AFL initiative.

And we're closing with a very special guest from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation unveiling a comprehensive new report on childhood obesity - and how the COVID pandemic is exacerbating the trend - especially for children of color and kids in financially distressed households.