The American Health Podcast

Amanda Capitummino serves as the Communications and Evaluation Specialists with Sitkans Against Family Violence. Her work focuses on creating systems and programs that promote healthy relationships in home settings.  In this episode, Amanda is joined by her colleague, Emma Thompson who serves as the Youth Development Coordinator.  Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV) is located in the remote tow...

Lydia is the Executive Director of the Rebuild, Overcome, and Rise (ROAR) Center in Baltimore, MD where survivors of crime can access a full range of wraparound services such as legal support, therapy, case management and community nursing care.  In this episode, Lydia is joined by her colleague Monifa Jeffrey-Riggins who serves as the Senior Therapist at the ROAR Center. Lydia and Monifa will tal...

Natalie J. Tunzi serves as the Program Planning and Evaluations Manager at HealthCorps where she focuses on understanding and enhancing program impact. HealthCorps, a national non-profit organization devoted to strengthening communities with the most innovative approaches to health and wellness to help the next generation be more resilient, both mentally and physically.  In this episode, Natalie a...

Julianah is the Waste Reduction Programs Coordinator with the City of Frisco, Texas where she works across all schools in the Frisco school district and provides education, outreach, and volunteer opportunities. In this episode, Julianah talks about the history of our country's growing pollution issues and ways to reduce the amount of waste coming from our households.  Learn more about the City of...

Prior to becoming a Bloomberg Fellow, Emily Foxman served as Program and Development Manager at Urban Harvest where she leveraged research, GIS map work, and survey design skills to lead all aspects of foundation-based fundraising for Urban Harvest's programs: Community Gardens, Farmers Markets, and Education. Urban Harvest is a Houston-based nonprofit whose mission is to cultivate thriving commun...

The coronavirus outbreak and racial injustices have produced significant interruptions in the lives of adolescents Across the United States – the impact of which is still to be understood in the future. Adolescents in economically disadvantaged communities are particularly vulnerable, with many experiencing challenges in the realms of mental health, education, food access, and violence. In a conve...

This American Health episode is a rebroadcast of Public Health on Call , a podcast produced by the Bloomberg School of Public Health that offers science and evidence-based insights to help understand today's public health news—and what it means for tomorrow. This episode — originally broadcast on January 7, 2021— highlights one of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative's cross-cutting themes— eq...

Many of the states most vulnerable to climate change are also the least ready to cope with it. This is the headline from a new report, Climate Change & Health: Assessing State Preparedness , by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Trust for America's Health. The report assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their level of readiness to protect resid...

According to the CDC, in the United States, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Every October, the country observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month to bring attention to the issue and unite those who are working across the country to stop it.    Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, is often thought...

This year, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many others has brought into painful relief the endemic police violence and brutality against Black and Brown people in the United States. As the nation tries to chart a course forward, there have been many calls to rethink, reimagine, and defund policing. In August, the American Public Health Association brought experts in policin...

The Bloomberg Fellows Program is a unique program within the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. The fellowship program is impact-based, and targets individuals engaged with organizations around the country. These change agents are working to make a difference in their communities in one or more of our five focus areas: addiction and overdose, adolescent health, environmental challenges, obesity...

In September 2017, Hurricane María devastated the island of Puerto Rico. A group of Johns Hopkins affiliates - two physicians, a PhD student in health communication, and an electrical engineer - wanted to help their homeland. They formed an organization called Puerto Rico Stands, with the goal of supporting the long-term recovery of the island. They decided to focus their efforts on Sector Maná, a...

This is the third episode in our special series on the coronavirus crisis, featuring experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States, as seen through the lens of the Initiative's five focus areas. Today, we're rebroadcasting an episode of Public Health on Call , a podcast produced by the Bloomberg School of Public Health that offers science and evidence-based insight...

This is the second episode in our special American Health Podcast series, featuring experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States as seen through the lens of the Initiative's five focus areas. Today we're talking about the crisis is affecting young people, and how one outreach program in Baltimore is adapting to keep youth connected to their supportive network. Gue...

This special American Health Podcast series will feature experts talking about the impact of the novel coronavirus in the United States, as seen through the lens of the Initiative's five focus areas. In this episode, we're talking about how rates of gun violence could be impacted by the difficult circumstances Americans are facing, including social isolation, loss of work and wages, and fear. Gues...

Since taking office, the Trump Administration has rolled back or removed a number of federal environmental regulations. This episode of the American Health Podcast is dedicated to proposed changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires environmental reviews of major infrastructure projects like highways, bridges, pipelines, and dams. Large infrastructure projects...

Almost every gun involved in a crime was first purchased legally. How do guns move from legal to illegal markets, and into the hands of people who shouldn't have them? A recent episode of a podcast called In Sickness and In Health * tackles that question. We're rebroadcasting that episode on this installment of the American Health Podcast. In Sickness and In Health explores issues of health and so...

Adolescence is a time of profound change; it is a period in which young people explore their identities, form new relationships, and lay the groundwork for their future health and wellbeing. These changes can be exciting but can also present great challenges, as adolescents can find themselves overlooked in terms of resources and opportunities, their needs not met by policymakers and decision-make...

The problem of gun violence is complex, and no single policy will solve it - but we do have strong scientific evidence for policies that work. On September 23, 2019, the American Public Health Association and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative co-hosted a forum called Policies That Work to Reduce Gun Violence , featuring leading experts discussing the most up-to-date evidence on gun violence...

On October 21, 2019, three major drug distributors and a generic-drug manufacturer reached a $260 million settlement with two Ohio counties, to avoid the first federal opioid trial, which was set to begin later that day. That first trial was expected to serve as a bellwether for the thousands of other lawsuits, filed by cities, counties, hospitals, Native American tribes, and others against drug m...

An extreme risk protection order, or ERPO, is a civil order issued by a court that prevents a person at risk of violence to self or others from purchasing or possessing guns while the order is in place. Studies of ERPOs in Connecticut and Indiana suggest that these orders are effective at preventing suicide. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking...

Almost 3 out of 4 people who attempt suicide have visited their primary care doctor in the month before their attempt, but it's only recently that clinicians have started to receive training to screen for suicide risk among their patients. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research an...

One of the most troubling suicide statistics is the increase in suicides seen among young people. In 2016, suicide became the second-leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 3,...

Suicide rates have historically been low for the Latinx population, but even they are not immune to the increases in suicide being seen across the country. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 2, learn more about wh...

American suicide rates are at their highest point in 50 years; we are in what some have called a suicide crisis. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and the American Health Podcast is marking this important time with a series of podcasts focusing on research and evidence-based practices around suicide prevention. In Part 1 of the series, we lay the groundwork for the episodes to follow...