February 2022

By Thomas Cangelosi, Photo: Mark Pazniokas/CTMirror.org, The CT Mirror, February 23, 2022 According to a recent NBC news poll, when Americans were asked about the country’s present direction, the top answers were “downhill,” “divisive,” “negative,” “struggling,” “lost,” and “bad.” The poll also indicated that the public’s interest in the upcoming midterm election is down. In other words, many Americans feel pessimistic, conflicted, and powerless to change our “downhill” slide. As someone...

By Kristen Griffith, Photo: Michael Theis/The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 23, 2022 Elizabeth Vermillera, a retired pharmaceutical technician, spends her days handing out donated clothes and food to people in Baltimore. Since 1997, she has lived in the three-level rowhouse on East Monument Street that her dad gave her, a home she shares with a Shih Tzu and a fox terrier. Occasionally, neighbors trying to get back on their feet after hard times will stay...

By Gary Abernathy, Photo: Kati Burwinkel, The Washington Post, February 22, 2022 Let’s start with a tragedy: Since the 2020 election, 37 states have introduced legislation designed to limit how Black history can be taught, especially in its relation to institutional racism, and 14 states have successfully imposed such laws, according to Education Week . Efforts requiring schools to play down examples of historic racism if anyone is made to feel “discomfort” or “guilt” are confounding to me...

Meet African War Hero Who Sank A German Ship With Bomb Made From Milk-Can But Was Refused Highest Decoration During World War II, Job Maseko , a South African war hero, sunk an enemy ship with an improvised bomb hidden in a milk container. Maseko, a member of the South African Native Military Corps (NMC), was awarded the Military Medal for his “meritorious and courageous” action, which he described as demonstrating “ingenuity, resolve, and full disregard for personal safety.” The Military...

I recently listened to an interview featuring David Richo. He wrote a book several years ago, How to be An Adult in Relationships , in which he explained what he calls the Five A’s that help relationships flourish. What he said made so much sense, and I saw applications beyond individual relationships. I believe we can use the Five A’s to better understand relationships with others and ourselves and even apply it to other contexts. He explained that the Five A’s are what we need as infants...

DO YOU NEED A FUNTERVENTION? (IF YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF, THE ANSWER IS “YES.”) Join KPJR Book Club Author Catherine Price as she discusses her latest book... "The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again" Q&A Moderated by Alice Forrester, PhD, CEO, Clifford Beers Clinic Watch Now! Dubbed “The Marie Kondo of Brains” by The New York Times , Catherine Price is an award-winning science journalist and speaker and the author of numerous books, including How to Break Up...

By Zach Solon Published: Feb. 23, 2022 at 9:40 PM EST | Updated: 13 hours ago WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A new dashboard tool aims to provide a central location for socioeconomic health data for the Cape Fear region. The Cape Fear Collective launched the Healthy Communities NC dashboard this week. The site provides a breakdown of 21 social health factors, broken down by region and county. These factors include third grade reading levels and life expectancy. “This data is all publicly...

By Claudia M. Gold, MD, February 22, 2022 For the past several weeks I’ve had the privilege of leading a course in Community-Based Early Relational Health. My students come from a broad variety of disciplines- physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, home visitors, program director, among others. They are at different stages of their professional lives. One home visitor works with young adults who have recently aged out of the foster care system and are now parents of...

In the last twenty or so years, a new profession has taken root, one that can ease some of the tremendous workloads of mental health professionals. I’m talking about peer support specialists and the wonderful work they are doing in many settings around the United States. What are peer support specialists? What do they do? What are the credentials and training they must have? This article will delve into answering these questions and much more. What are Peer Support Specialists? There have...

By Emily Nafziger, Illustration: Illinois State University, Illinois State University, February 11, 2022 Harriett Steinbach is passionate about democracy. Really passionate about it. “I have a forever hopeful belief in democracy,” Steinbach said. “It’s just who I am, and I can’t explain it. It’s sort of intrinsic and emotional, but I just have to believe in democracy, and I have to believe in what our country can be.” When political polarization and tensions increased following the 2016...

By Prison Gerrymandering Project, February 23, 2022 Another state has moved to address prison gerrymandering. Last week, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed into law new legislative and congressional districts that change how the state counts incarcerated people. Rhode Island is the second state whose redistricting commission has taken the initiative to address prison gerrymandering (after Pennsylvania last year ). Eleven other states have also ended the practice through legislation . All...

By Sheri Doyle, Photo: The Pew Charitable Trusts, PEW, February 17, 2022 Drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to provisional data, there were more than 100,000 fatalities in the 12-month period ending June 2021—a 20.6% increase over the previous 12 months. To address this crisis, states should expand their treatment offerings and remove unnecessary regulations so that more people can access lifesaving treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Although...