Where We Live

Many pandemic babies, infants born shortly before or during the pandemic, haven’t had as much interaction with the outside world.

Today, we talk about how the last two years could impact these children long term, and what pediatricians are seeing.

First, we hear from Sarah Laskow, a Senior Editor at the Atlantic, who gave birth in the early days of the pandemic.

And later, we talk about how the pandemic has impacted family planning.

Did you have a pandemic baby? We want to hear from you!

GUESTS:

• Sarah Laskow - Senior Editor at the Atlantic
• Dr. Calab Wasser, DO - Primary Care Physician at Connecticut Children’s
• Dr. Lauren Shuffrey - Associate Research Scientist in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center
• Claudia Geist - Associate Professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Utah

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Average rent in the state is up 15% on average, with more than half the state’s renters cost-burdened, according to a recent report. Meanwhile, evictions are creeping back to pre-pandemic levels. Those numbers had dipped because of pandemic-related state and federal relief programs, but most of those resources have lapsed or dried up.

This hour, we hear from Connecticut Public housing reporter Camila Vallejo about how vulnerable communities are likely to be hit hardest, and what she learned from one family who was recently evicted in Norwalk. We also hear from the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners.

What are the broader barriers to renting – and buying? We hear about the "inventory crisis" from the Connecticut Association of Realtors; and pan out with Joshua Devine, director of Racial Economic Equity at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). The NCRC found that the homeownership gap between Black and white Americans is currently the widest it’s been in 100 years.

GUESTS:

• Camila Vallejo: Housing Reporter, Connecticut Public
• John Souza: President, Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners
• Tammy Felenstein: President, Connecticut Association of Realtors
• Joshua Devine: Director of Racial Economic Equity, National Community Reinvestment Coalition

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Spring is officially here and that means, the peepers have arrived.

Today, we learn about Connecticut’s amphibians, many are waking up now and migrating to wetlands.

Coming up, we also talk about the ways volunteers can help collect data on amphibians around our state with FrogWatch, a national citizen science project.

And we talk to a field scientist about the climate and biodiversity crises impacting many species including amphibians.

Have you heard spring peepers in your backyard?

GUESTS:

• Stevie Kennedy-Gold - Collection manager of the section of amphibians and reptiles at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
• Dennis Quinn - Owner of Quinn Ecological, an environmental consulting business that specializes in the research and conservation of Connecticut's amphibians and reptiles
• Jim Knox - Curator of Education for Connecticut Beardsley Zoo
• Mark Urban - Arden Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut

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Through his art, Mohamad Hafez confronts preconceived notions of refugees and the "baggage" they may carry. He was recently the subject of an Oscars-shortlisted documentary, an intimate portrait of how Hafez's acclaimed UNPACKED series was informed by his own experience leaving Syria.

This hour, we visit Hafez at his studio, just above the location of his latest venture, Pistachio Cafe. Hear about why he opened this coffee shop and "cultural salon" in the heart of New Haven’s Westville neighborhood. Plus, hear how he has adapted his artwork into workshops with Connecticut schools; and preview an upcoming partnership with the Yale Peabody Museum.

"How do you tell these stories artistically? How do you tell that my family or the Syrian family or Iraqi family is worthy of attention?"

Hafez says he is "energized to make artwork that brings people together, that teaches them ever-so-gently about that other that they fear, about that other refugee that they think is uncivilized. There's nothing better than sharing humanity, sharing stories, sharing anecdotes about our lives. Because, you know, that's the human connection amongst all of us."

GUESTS:

• Mohamad Hafez: Artist; Architect; Owner, Pistachio Cafe

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Hartford Seminary has a new name. It’s now the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.Today, we talk to its President Joel Lohr.

And we hear from other faculty members about their efforts to create a more inclusive, interreligious university focusing on peace studies.

There have been a lot of conversations about diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace - but often, talk of religious inclusivity is left out of those discussions.

How can we have more productive discussions about faith?

GUESTS:

• Joel Lohr - President of Hartford International University
• Aida Mansoor - Chaplain and Director of Field Education at Hartford International University
• Deena Grant Associate - Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Global Community Partnerships at Hartford International University
• Fatima Basharat - a student in the inaugural MA in International Peacebuilding program at Hartford International University

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired November 18, 2021.

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A new study by the National Institutes of Health and the Research Triangle Institute, found alcohol consumption by women with children younger than age 5, surged 323% during the pandemic.

Researchers compared alcohol consumption rates in February 2020 to April of 2020, when stay-at-home guidelines were in effect, and further along into the pandemic year in November. More women than men exceeded recommended drinking guidelines between April and November.

But for as long as nearly a century, women have been closing the gender gap in the consumption of alcohol, binge-drinking, and alcohol use disorder.What are some triggers, coping mechanisms, and treatment options available to treat women with alcohol use disorder?

GUESTS:

• Kathleen Callahan - Stratford resident; sober for 10 years
• Beverley Brakeman - West Hartford resident; sober for 31 years
• Amanda Aronson - Principal, Aronson Consulting, West Hartford; sober for 7.5 years
• Dr. Jeanette Tetrault - Professor of Medicine and Public Health, and Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship, Yale School of Medicine, and and Associate Director of Addiction Medicine at Yale Medicine

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired September 20, 2021.

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How has the steep drop-off in COVID policies like masking affected immunocompromised individuals and those with disabilities? The CDC's list of those at risk of severe COVID-19 illness is long and wide-ranging.

This hour, we're joined by Kayle Hill, a Waterbury-based writer and an advocate with Disability Rights Connecticut.

Plus, epidemiologist and activist Gregg Gonsalves and Atlantic staff writer Ed Yong dig into this dissonance. Yong asks, "How did this many deaths become normal?"

GUESTS:

• Gregg Gonsalves: Epidemiologist and Activist; Associate Professor, Yale School of Public Health
• Kayle Hill: Writer; Advocate, Disability Rights Connecticut
• Ed Yong: Staff Writer, The Atlantic

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Music schools in Philadelphia denied her admission because she was Black, and so did a segregated concert hall, leading to a spectacular performance at the Lincoln Memorial and a fight for Civil Rights.

The opera legend Marian Anderson lived and sang in Danbury, Connecticut, for five decades.

This hour, we’ll learn about her life, her studio in Danbury, and also discuss the lack of diversity in opera today – the year of Marian’s 125th birth anniversary.

We’ll also take a listen to selected preview audio from Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands, a PBS documentary.

GUESTS: 

• Brigid Guertin: Executive Director of the Danbury Museum, and Danbury City Historian
• Francesca Zambello: Artistic Director of the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center and General Director of the Glimmerglass Festival 
• Alan Mann: Artistic Director, Opera Theater of Connecticut

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired January 26, 2022.

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After months of uncertainty, Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum has found a new home in Fairfield.

Quinnipiac University’s decision to permanently close the 9-year-old museum in August met public outcry at home and abroad, and prompted a still-pending inquiry by the State Attorney General’s Office. Nevertheless, earlier this month the university announced a plan to move the collection to a new space, to be created by the Gaelic-American Club in Fairfield.

This hour, we hear more about the collection and plans for its move from the newly-formed group, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Inc., led by John Foley and Amy O'Shea. Foley is the current vice-president of Fairfield's Gaelic-American Club.

Plus, we talk with two of the contemporary Irish artists who are featured in the collection. Tracy Sweeney is a visual artist based in County Mayo, and Kieran Tuohey is a sculptor based in County Galway.

GUESTS:

• John Foley: President, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Inc.; Vice President, Gaelic-American Club
• Amy O'Shea: Vice President, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Inc.
• Ryan Mahoney: Project Manager, Springfield Museums; Volunteer Advisor, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Inc.
• Kieran Tuohey: Sculptor
• Tracy Sweeney: Visual Artist

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The Yale School of Medicine has a new digital tool for adults 60 and over to self-identify and report abuse.

Tested at the Emergency Department of Yale New Haven Hospital, St. Raphael Campus, the study found 11 cases of abuse – that’s 1.1% of a total of 1002 study participants. Also, 5.6% of the participants – 56 individuals – were identified as requiring social support services.

On this hour of Where We Live, we hear from Fuad Abujarad, PhD., the principal investigator of VOICES, the digital tool, on the scope of the initiative. Faud talks about a psycho-educational model intended to motivate patients to acknowledge that they are victims of abuse – if the tool and case workers identify abuse, and then, to encourage them to report it to their providers. Plans are underway to expand the offering to primary care centers.

We also hear from experts on how digital tools for identifying elder abuse can help ease the pressure at EDs, and even potentially help with the state’s case worker overload.

And, we discuss HB 5314 on preventing and addressing elder abuse, championed by the AARP, Connecticut chapter.

The National Institute on Aging from the National Institutes of Health estimates that one in 10 adults over age 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited.

Report elder abuse to the Connecticut Protective Services for the Elderly
Hotline 888-385-4225

Produced by Sujata Srinivasan, with help from Michayla Savitt 

GUESTS: 

Fuad Abujarad: Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine

Dr. Anthony E. Rosen: Researcher – elder abuse and geriatric injury prevention at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Emergency Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Dorian Long: Connecticut Protective Services for the Elderly, Department of Social Services

Nora Duncan: State Director, Connecticut, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

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