How are we finding community during a pandemic?

The stay-at-home orders to curb the coronavirus pandemic have canceled sports, closed museums and moved church services online. These are all places where we have traditionally found community, and people have had to turn to other ways of creating that sense of communal experience. Hosts Brian Elli…

Examining the future of health care

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on our health care system may be seen in more ways than in how we manage people with COVID-19. Since March, routine care, scheduled surgeries and wellness exams have been put mostly on hold or done via teleconference. Primary care physicians are at the front lines …

Our cancelled summer plans and the economic impact

With the cancellation of long-standing festivals, new rules at theme parks, and concerns over traveling, this summer will be like no other in recent memory. Hosts John Dankosky of New England Public Radio and Rose Scott of WABE in Atlanta discuss the loss of summer as we knew it. We look at the imp…

The pandemic's unequal toll on communities of color

A virus doesn’t discriminate, so why is it that communities of color have been more vulnerable to COVID-19? Hosts Rose Scott of WABE in Atlanta and John Dankosky of New England Public Radio examine how the coronavirus presents stark racial disparities. According to APM Research Lab, “black American…

Why the tension over face masks runs deeper than politics

Though the CDC now recommends everyone wear a cloth mask in public, it has changed its stance in the past. Hosts Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco and Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia peel back the complicated layers to the act of wearing a face mask. It's become a divisive political issue,…

Is there a way out of the unemployment crisis?

One of the most destructive effects of the coronavirus pandemic has been on jobs. Nationally, more than 36 million people have applied for unemployment benefits. Hosts Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia and Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco dive into the challenges facing those whose jobs may…

Can we provide effective mental health care during the pandemic?

In rural and already vulnerable regions of the country, mental health issues are challenging an already stressed health care system -- but also creating new coping techniques. Hosts Charity Nebbe of Iowa Public Radio and Gemma Gaudette of Boise State Public Radio look at how mental health professio…

Is the U.S. food supply chain in trouble?

Hosts Gemma Gaudette of Boise State Public Radio and Charity Nebbe of Iowa Public Radio take an inside look at the pandemic’s impact on our food system. For instance, what to do with all the turkeys? And pork farmers who have built their operations on efficiency are looking at a logjam of pigs read…

What has the pandemic taught us about how we care for our seniors?

In Massachusetts, half of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred among nursing home residents, according to the AARP — and that’s just one of the many startling statistics about the virus’ deadly impact on this vulnerable population. Hosts John Dankosky of New England Public Radio and Brian Ellison of K…

Are we ready to reopen more businesses right now?

It’s May, and that means more states across America will begin lifting stay-at-home restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Are we, as a nation, ready for this? Hosts Brian Ellison of KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri, and John Dankosky of New England Public Radio expl…