Today on AirTalk, we speak with listeners about how they are grappling with job loss. Also on the show, we discuss physical distancing conflicts in the home; the grocery supply chain; and more.
COVID 19: What’s The Guidance On Face Masks, California Health Corps And More
Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced what his office described as "a major initiative to surge California‘s health care workforce" as the state deals with the novel coronavirus.
The state is seeking additional health care staff to assist with the projected surge in coronavirus patients, with Newsom asking health professionals to register at HealthCorps.ca.gov. The effort includes working with health professionals who may have retired in the last five years or are currently working to get licensed or relicensed. The shift in licensing requirements is currently set to last through June 30.
We discuss this latest news with our medical expert, UCSF professor of medicine Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, and we also take your medical questions. Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
Why Are We So Dependent On China For Medical Supplies?
That’s one of the questions addressed by Dr. Marty Makary’s book “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It” -- and amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s more pressing than ever.
We sit down with Dr. Makary to discuss our health systems’ capacities and readiness to address the outbreak, as well as why he sounded the alarm on the virus in early March.
Guest:
Marty Makary M.D., professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University; his book is “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019); he is the editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, an online news source for healthcare professionals; he tweets
What If The Younger People You’re Living With Won’t Stop Socializing?
People across the country are going to seemingly extreme lengths to distance themselves from others, especially older and immunocompromised individuals. As the number of coronavirus cases continue to grow and spread to different areas, government officials and public health experts are intensifying their message to take social distancing seriously. But some still aren’t getting it.
A recent Washington Post piece details the struggle one mother is experiencing with her 18-year-old son who continues to leave the house and hang with his friends, even though he knows her immune system is compromised. These battles have to be more common than we think. Teens, for example, often think they’re invincible and don’t always put other people’s needs before their own. Is this something you’re experiencing in your home? Do you live with kids or younger people who just aren’t taking social distancing as seriously as they should? How are you protecting yourself? Or are you a young person living with someone older or immunocompromised? What are you doing to make sure those you live with are safe? Call us to share your experience: 866-893-5722.
You’re Not Alone: AirTalk Listeners Share COVID-19 Job Sagas As Record Number Of Americans Apply For Unemployment
A record number of Americans -- 6.6 million to be exact -- applied for unemployment benefits last week, according to new data out from the U.S. Department of Labor.
That number makes up more than half of the 10.4 million who filed claims over the month of March. The Washington Post reports the number of people who have filed for benefits in the last two weeks has eclipsed that same number from the first six months of the Great Recession. Businesses both large and small across the country have been forced to close their doors, and no cash flow can mean not being able to make payroll, and as a result many employers have had no choice but to furlough or completely lay off some or all of their employees. The Labor Department hasn’t released a number for March unemployment, but it is expected to have spiked from 3.5 percent in February. Some economists say it could even be north of 10 percent.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you, and we want you to know that millions of Americans are navigating this right now, so you’re not alone. Have you recently lost your job or been furloughed due to COVID-19? How are you getting by in the meantime? Do you expect that you will be able to return to your job? Join our live conversation by calling 866-893-5722
Guest:
Angela Reddock-Wright, employment attorney, mediator and workplace investigator ; she is Managing Attorney of Los Angeles-based Reddock Law Group
How California’s Grocery Supply Chain Is Holding Up During The Pandemic
While they may not be on the “front lines” of fighting the pandemic in the same way that medical and public health professionals are, grocery stores and their employees are playing an undeniably crucial role in ensuring that communities across the country have access to the food and products they need to survive during stay-at-home.
If you’ve been grocery shopping since the start of the outbreak, you’ve no doubt noticed lots of empty shelves, especially in aisles where things like toilet paper, cleansing wipes and hand sanitizer would normally be. Other staples like pasta have been depleted as well as shoppers everywhere stock up for surviving a couple of weeks indoors. While it might give you the impression that supplies are low, grocers say there’s plenty of food and supplies to go around (yes, toilet paper too), but that the supply chain that gets the products from manufacturer to market has been strained by a change in shopping pattern, a.k.a. panic-buying.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll take a look at how California’s grocery supply chain is holding up, get a sense of how things look from the perspective of grocers themselves, and we’ll take your calls if you work in or manage a grocery store and would like to share your experience of working in this industry during the pandemic.
Guest:
Ronald Fong, president and CEO of the California Grocers Association, a statewide trade group representing over 300 retailers operating more than 6,000 brick-and-mortar stores as well as a number of grocery supply companies
Jonathan Fielding, M.D., distinguished professor of Health Policy and Management at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA; he previously served for 16 years as Public Health Director and Health Officer for Los Angeles County; he tweets