Today on AirTalk with guest host Jackie Fortiér, we discuss nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also on the show, we answer your questions about the pandemic; Larry Mantle speaks to Scott Simon and more.
LA County Nursing Homes Have Been Hit Hard By The Pandemic. We Dive Into Why And What Can Be Improved
The coronavirus has thrown nursing homes into the spotlight.
More than 40 percent of the COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County are nursing home residents. At its peak in May, 25 nursing home residents were dying from the virus daily. That number has decreased, but nursing homes have persisted as one of the deadliest environments in the pandemic.The pandemic has hit the vulnerable, mostly elderly nursing home residents hard, as well as the mostly low-wage workers who care for them. We’ll explore nursing homes and how the inequalities that existed before the coronavirus have been exacerbated.
And we want to hear from you - what have your loved ones in nursing homes experienced? Do you live in a nursing home? When was the last time you saw your family? How can we protect residents from the virus and give them a good quality of life? Call us at 866-893-5722.
With guest host Jackie Fortiér.
Guests:
Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Supervisor representing District 2, which encompasses parts of the Westside, including Culver City, and the Eastside, including Carson and Compton; he tweets
Max Huntsman, interim inspector general overseeing LA County's skilled nursing homes
Mike Dark, staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, a non-profit advocacy group based in San Francisco
Craig Cornett, CEO of the California Association of Health Facilities, an industry group representing 80 percent of the nursing homes in the state
COVID-19 AMA: COVID-19 In Kids, Vaccine Progress And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong from UCSF.
Topics today include:
Over 97,000 kids tested positive for COVID-19 in the last few weeks of July
New reports from the CDC reflect racial disparities among kids with COVID-19
Of the new COVID-19 cases in LA County, a large share are young people
California’s public health director resigned
Is there any chance we’d have a vaccine by election day?
Even with a vaccine, will COVID-19 go away completely?
Plus, Russia claims it has approved a vaccine for the virus
A church in CA held an indoor service over the weekend
Is wearing a neck gaiter worse than not wearing a mask at all?
With guest host Jackie Fortiér.
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
NPR’s Scott Simon On His New Book: A Children’s Mystery With Neurodivergent Leads
Before he became a reporter and host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, Scott Simon began his career working in a group home for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Now, Simon returns to the setting in his debut middle grade novel, Sunnyside Plaza. Sally “Sal-Gal” Miyake works in the kitchen at Sunnyside Plaza, a residential program where she and other neurodivergent adults live. But after a series of suspicious deaths in her community, Sal-Gal and her fellow residents are bewildered-- are the deaths coincidental, or is there something far darker going on? Sal-Gal spearheads an investigation with her friends, though their quest for the truth is threatened by the stigmas of neurotypical people who may not be willing to listen.
Today on AirTalk, Larry Mantle sits down with author Scott Simon to discuss his debut middle grade novel.
Guest:
Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, and author of the new children’s book, “Sunnyside Plaza” (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020)