Elevate Health

In this episode, Dr. Carolyn West, internationally recognized expert on intimate partner violence and professor of psychology at the University of Washington Tacoma, discusses domestic partner abuse, especially those who are survivors of color.

Normal adolescent behavior sometimes leads young people into entanglements with the criminal justice system. But as is the case across the U.S., in Pierce County, Wash. such encounters can have particularly detrimental effects for Black and Brown youths. Kaitlan Ohler, Director of the Imagine Justice Project, explains how her organization employs community-driven efforts to build safe and just fut...

In this episode, the second of two discussions about Pierce County’s Key Peninsula (also known as “the KP”), Fire Prevention Specialist and Public Information Officer Anne Nesbit explains the health needs and challenges associated with delivering services to those who live and work in a rural, geographically isolated area.

In this episode, Dr. Jessi Quizar, an urban studies professor at the University Of Washington-Tacoma, describes how racism and discriminatory practices of the past have adversely affected overall public health and well-being in Tacoma and the South Puget Sound.

In this episode of Elevate Health’s 80/20 Project, Exita Lealofi, Youth Development Specialist for Proyecto Mole in Tacoma, Washington, explains that youths of color in the South Puget Sound are often unaware how or where they can access basic health services for themselves and their families.  

Past efforts to address substance use disorders in the United States have largely fallen short and created stigma. But in this episode of Elevate Health’s 80/20 Podcast, Alli Toren, a staff member for the Pierce County Opioid Task Force, says public opinions and attitudes appear to be shifting.

Established more than 30 years ago, the grassroots organization Safe Streets has evolved with the times, helping ensure safety and security in South Puget Sound communities. Safe Streets Executive Director Dr. Nora Flemming de Sandoval describes today’s challenges and opportunities.

In Pierce County, Washington, youths and families are engaging in a program designed to help them see, understand and respond to signs of mental distress and substance use disorders. Courtney Chandler, Health Promotion Coordinator for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, explains how this collaborative approach is changing lives. https://www.tpchd.org/healthy-people/behavioral-health/mental...

It’s true that babies don’t come with instruction manuals. But a program called Family Connects Pierce County is helping hundreds of parents in Washington’s South Puget Sound Region navigate the unique needs and challenges that newborns bring. In this episode, Dr. Aisha Nnoli, a local OB-GYN, and Family Connects Program Director Emily Poncik, discuss the importance of post-partum care. https://www...

One in four Americans currently falls into the categories of either aging or disabled, according to U.S. population statistics. Matt Santelli, Education and Outreach Specialist for the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Pierce County, Washington, explains that providing support services to such residents can be challenging, but also critically important. www.piercecountywa.gov/1986/Aging-and-...

A new program called Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement (HOPE) will launch soon in the City of Tacoma. Co-Directors Aleesia Morales and Cassie Hallstone explain how the initiative is expected to improve responses to mental and behavioral health crises in South Puget Sound.   

When analyzed effectively, numbers often shed light on the health of communities and the effectiveness of programs. Dana Orr, a Project Evaluator for Comprehensive Life Resources in Tacoma, Wash., explains how statistics can be invaluable tools when making complex decisions about how, when and where to provide human services.   https://www.comprehensiveliferesources.org/

Emotional wellness, especially for teens and youth of color, is often directly influenced by media. Karter X. Karter of Our Sisters’ House in Tacoma, Wash., shares insights about newly designed programming aimed at helping young people cope with media-induced anxieties.   https://www.oursistershouse.com/

For individuals living with substance use disorders, access to clean syringes can help prevent additional health problems such as hepatitis, HIV and other illnesses. For nearly 35 years, the Tacoma Needle Exchange has quietly established itself as a local community force and a national leader in harm reduction and community protection.

Limited inventory, high prices and rising mortgage rates are combining to push the cost of buying a home out of reach for many working families. But housing expert Sherrana Kildun explains in this episode how Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity is working hard to change that equation, one home and one family at a time. https://www.tpc-habitat.org/

Covid lockdowns. Social media. Early puberty. Cyber-bullying. The possible causes are many. But the undeniable fact is this: Today’s children and adolescents are under greater psychological strain than any previous generation in history. In this episode, two South Puget Sound mental health professionals explain why awareness and education are increasingly important tools.

Danny Fisher-Bruns, a Puget Sound-area consultant, discusses the Tacoma Anchor Network, a coalition of major Pierce County institutions working together to address social, racial and economic inequities of common concern to all South Sound residents. https://tacomastrategicplan.org/strategic-projects/tacoma-anchor-network/

One in nine girls and one in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Author DeVandra Wheeler, a social worker and victims’ advocate based in Tacoma, Wash., says children and families must protect themselves before it’s too late. https://publishingconceptsllc.com/nova-be-bold/

Providing health and social services to underserved and at-risk populations can be difficult even in the best of circumstances. But when the area in need is a rural and geographically isolated peninsula, the stakes increase exponentially. In this episode, we hear from Susan and Ben Paganelli, a husband-and-wife team who are working to help improve whole-person health for residents of Washington’s...

Like many other communities across the nation, Pierce County, Washington, is caught in a housing dilemma: A booming population, too little housing, and dramatically rising costs. In this 80/20 episode, Bryan Schmid, Pierce County’s Affordable Housing Supervisor, describes why shelter is essential to any community’s health and explains the strategies underway to address the problem.

More than 3,000 people at any point in time are unsheltered in Pierce County, Wash. In this episode of the Elevate Health 80/20 Project, Delmar Algee, III, a social service supervisor who oversees Homeless Programming, explains the range of initiatives aimed at addressing the problem.

Some 61 million adults – or roughly one in four in the United States – live with some form of disability. Nalani Linder, Interim Executive Director of the Tacoma Area Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities (TACID), explains how virtually all social determinants of health may be affected for those who live with disabilities.

The pandemic further exposed the lack of affordable housing across the nation, especially in Pierce County, Washington. With the transition to a post-Covid “new normal” now underway, County Rental Assistance Lead Valeri Almony explains the ongoing challenges as well as the path forward.

LGBTQ+ youths in Pierce County often experience marginalization and discrimination, especially in health care settings. In this second episode a two-part series focused on social determinants of health in the LGBTQ+ community, Oasis Youth Center Executive Director Matthew Wilson describes how SDOH factors can have negative consequences, particularly those 21 and under. https://devoasis.dreamhoster...

According to recent polling, an estimated 10 percent of the U.S. population will soon identify as LGBTQ+ or something other than heterosexual, roughly double from just a decade ago. In the first of two episodes geared toward the LGBTQ+ community, Troy Christensen of Tacoma’s Rainbow Center discusses the significance and challenges associated with ensuring equitable access to health care for all in...