Public Health Out Loud

In Rhode Island, about 100 babies are born each year with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition in which a baby experiences symptoms of withdrawal due to the cessation of opioids or other substances they were exposed to in utero.  Some babies with NAS receive medication in the hospital and may not be able to go home right away.  Exposure to drugs like heroin or fentanyl may result in the...

Being prepared for a public health emergency requires planning, training, and exercising. But how could anyone prepare for something like COVID-19? That’s the topic of our conversation this week on Public Health Out Loud.   Our guest is Alysia Mihalakos, chief of the Center for Emergency Preparedness at the Rhode Island Department of Health. Mihalakos discusses how RIDOH’s response to COVID-19 has...

Dr. Colby Zongol, a sexologist who specializes in sexual health and communication, is back for part 2 of our conversation on sexual health.  This week, the topic switches from kids to adults.  Even when we grow up, sex can still seem like an awkward, uncomfortable, or even shameful topic. As a result, adults of all ages may not feel comfortable talking to their partner about it. Having conversatio...

Talking to the young people in our lives about sex can be awkward and uncomfortable. But it doesn’t need to be. This week on Public Health Out Loud, co-hosts Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan are talking about how parents and pediatricians can have age-appropriate conversations to raise sexually healthy children.   Our guest expert this week is Dr. Colby Zongol, a sexologist who specializes in...

As adolescents return to school and all the activities they love, it’s important to keep them safe from COVID-19 and variants of concern. Getting people age 12 and older vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect them from COVID-19.  This week, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan are talking about COVID-19 vaccination among adolescents. Our guest expert is Dr. Penelope Dennehy, director of the...

The waiting area of an emergency department (ED) might be an unpleasant experience for anyone with a medical condition. But waiting for care while experiencing symptoms of opioid withdrawal can be even worse.   Rhode Island’s Buprenorphine Hotline - 401-606-5456   - bypasses the ED waiting room altogether and connects patients to treatment and local recovery support services.   Through this 24/7 h...

How many people do you live with? What does your work environment look like? How close to your home is the nearest clinic? These questions may seem mundane. But the answers can provide insight into why COVID-19 is impacting certain communities across the country at a higher rate than others.   In this week’s episode, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan take a hard look at the social and economic...

What better time to talk about children’s health than back to school season? For children, families, and educators across the country, COVID-19 will be remembered, in part, as the time of remote learning. But little is known about the possible long-term impacts remote learning may have had on children’s health.  This week, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan are joined by two pediatric experts, D...

Rhode Island is getting ready to return to 100% in-person learning this fall. How can families, schools, and pediatricians prepare?   In part two of this week’s discussion on children’s health, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan talk about preventative measures that can help keep students learning in person safely. Our co-hosts are joined again by guest experts Dr. David Bourassa from Thundermis...

The overdose and addiction epidemic is a national and local public health crisis. Rhode Island saw a 25% increase in drug overdose deaths last year, with 384 lives lost. The increase in fatal overdoses first occurred in December 2019 and accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan talk with our guest expert about how the stressors and isolation of the...

In the second and final part of our episode with Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, the doctors talk about COVID-19 and why it spreads so quickly in densely populated communities. “We immediately knew that the pandemic was caused by close contact, and people who live in high-density communities or work in meat packing plants or fish packing plants would be at risk,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “It’s the living conditio...

Co-hosts Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan are back for season 2 of Public Health Out Loud!  In this two-part season opener, our co-hosts are joined by Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a longtime physician, former medical director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, and an advocate for public health in the local and national Hispanic community. He’s also a longtime radio show host who describes himself...

New episodes of Public Health Out Loud will be back on July 30. Stay tuned for more guest experts and timely information on the public health topics that matter to you. Don't want to miss an episode? Subscribe to Public Health Out Loud wherever you listen to podcasts. 

It’s the season one finale, and our co-hosts are feeling nostalgic. Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan reflect on Rhode Island’s journey through COVID-19. They share personal stories about how they adapted to remote work, supply shortages, and swirling misinformation.   The doctors also talk about the uphill battle that Rhode Island’s healthcare workers and agencies faced at the onset of the pan...

Maintaining consistent access to shelter and services can be difficult for people who use drugs, due to factors like housing policies and availability of shelter beds. But safe, reliable housing is also a critical part of a recovery journey. How can public health agencies put an end to this vicious cycle? That’s the topic up for discussion in this week’s episode of Public Health Out Loud. Guest ex...

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and highly effective. But to some, the arrival of the vaccine raises questions. In this week’s episode, Dr. Jim McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan explore how healthcare professionals should approach patients who may be taking the “wait and see” approach when it comes to getting vaccinated.   The doctors also take a hard look at ethical questions surrounding the COVID-19 vac...

Living with a substance use condition can feel isolating. But it doesn’t have to feel that way. Peer recovery support specialists are working to break through that isolation by tapping into something no medical training can provide: lived experience with addiction and recovery.   In this week’s episode, we hear from Ines Garcia, a peer recovery support specialist at the East Bay Recovery Center. G...

In Rhode Island, there is just one laboratory that conducts all public health, environmental, and forensic crime testing for the State. It all happens in one inconspicuous building near Downtown Providence. In this week’s episode, we hear from the director of the State Health Laboratories, Dr. Ewa King.   Dr. King takes us behind the scenes to find out what exactly the State health lab does, and t...

Substance use and overdoses are an epidemic in this country, and Rhode Island is not immune. But efforts to combat substance use are often highly misunderstood. This week’s episode sheds light on some of those efforts, commonly referred to as harm reduction and overdose prevention strategies.   Our guest expert is Dr. Brandon Marshall, a professor of epidemiology from Brown University’s School of...

In this week’s episode, Dr. Philip Chan and Dr. Jim McDonald are joined by Dr. Amy Nunn, the executive director of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute. Dr. Nunn talks about food insecurity and the obstacles low-income people face when it comes to nutritional diet.   Dr. Nunn also discusses a pair of recently introduced bills that would place a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on sugary drinks sold in R...

Misinformation is everywhere. And it has long-lasting implications for public health. In this week’s episode, we’re talking about the threat of fast-spreading, factually inaccurate information.   During COVID-19, Americans saw just how far misinformation could spread when national leaders began touting unproven remedies for COVID-19. The aftermath of misinformation can mean confusion, distrust, an...

COVID-19 variants. What are they and how do they spread? Learn about it from this week’s guest Dr. Rami Kantor, a professor of medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brown University.   Viruses change all the time—this is normal and expected. But variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have had a profound impact around the world and right here in Rhode Island. The US Centers for Dis...

Let’s talk about another epidemic: the overdose crisis. With social isolation at an all-time high, overdose rates have been on the rise during COVID-19. It’s being called the “twindemic,” and public health leaders are advocating for more prevention measures, education, and resources to address it.  In this week’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, an addiction psychiatrist and the...

“Vaccines should not be withheld from women,” says Dr. Erica Hardy, an infectious disease physician at Women & Infants Hospital . She joins healthcare leaders across the country who are raising awareness about COVID-19 vaccine safety and pregnancy.  New self-reported data gathered from the vaccine rollout suggests there is no additional risk for pregnant women who take a COVID-19 vaccine. The...

Any parent can tell you that welcoming a new baby to the family is a magical moment. Amidst the avalanche of information that new parents are offered, safe sleep is one important aspect that should never be overlooked. Every year, there are 3,500 sleep-related deaths among babies in the United States. Many of these tragic and heartbreaking events could have been prevented through safe sleep strate...