Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we talk to city officials across Los Angeles county that have chosen to pushback against the current COVID-19 restrictions; breakdown how the V.A. is using AI technology to prevent veteran suicides; and more,
COVID-19: Vaccine Progress Continues As UK Approves Pfizer Vaccine And CDC Panel Issues Recommendations For Who Gets Vaccinated First
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg, professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Today’s topics include:
- California shatters daily coronavirus record. Again.
- CDC panel recommends frontline health care workers, nursing home residents get vaccine first
- U.K. becomes first country to approve Pfizer’s COVID vaccine
- CDC to shorten recommended coronavirus quarantine time to 7-10 days
- Washington Post: Pfizer’s COVID vaccine jump-starts race for special freezers
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
After Newest LA County Health Order, Some Cities Are Pushing Back
LA County’s newest restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 include the closure of outdoor dining and card rooms, which has caused some local cities within the county to look into alternatives to the order.
Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to oppose the Los Angeles County ban on outdoor dining. In Lancaster, city officials are considering outlining a process to create a municipal health department similar to Pasadena’s, as well as a no confidence vote in county health officer Barbara Ferrer. On Monday, the mayors of Commerce, Bell Gardens and Hawaiian Gardens convened to call on the county to allow for the continued outdoor operation of card rooms, which had to fully close under the most recent health order. And in West Covina, Mayor Tony Wu introduced a request for the City Council to discuss alternatives to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health services.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about how local cities are resisting LA County’s health order. What are your thoughts? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Rex Parris, mayor of the City of Lancaster
Tony Wu, mayor of the City of West Covina
Lili Bosse, councilmember for the City of Beverly Hills
Ernie Hernandez, city manager of Hawaiian Gardens
Can AI Technology Help Prevent Suicide In Veterans And What Are The Ethical Considerations?
Suicide rates in veterans have increased by about 30 percent since 2000. According to a recent piece in the New York Times, researchers are turning to A.I technology to try to detect veterans who are at risk in an attempt to intervene.
A.I. technology isn’t new, but using an algorithm model to then contact people and intervene is new. It’s what the V.A. is doing with Reach Vet, a program that identifies veterans who are at high risk of suicide. When the program flags a high risk person, a coordinator then sets up an appointment for them. Researchers are watching closely to see if the program can make gains toward effective prevention methods, a difficult task for suicide. There are also ethical and privacy questions to consider when it comes to innovative technology being used clinically like this. Today on AirTalk, we discuss Reach Vet, what promise it shows in preventing suicide and more. Are you a veteran? What are your thoughts about this? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Benedict Carey, science reporter for The New York Times, his piece is “Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?”
Colin Walsh, M.D., assistant professor of biomedical informatics, medicine and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he focuses on data science applied to use-cases in mental health; he tweets
Jodi Halpern, M.D., professor of bioethics at UC Berkeley and co-founder of the Berkeley Group for the Ethics and Regulation of Innovative Technologies
LA County Wants To Move From Locking Up Juveniles To A 'Care-First' Approach
In an effort to reconceive the county's juvenile justice system, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors committed to moving forward with a sweeping plan that aims to replace locked facilities with "a home-like setting."
The board unanimously passed a motion that calls for eventually ending the Probation Department's supervision of juveniles, passing control to a new Department of Youth Development.
Instead of holding young offenders in the county's two juvenile halls and six probation camps, the board agreed to explore how it could place them in "more of a home-like setting in communities, still with public safety in mind," as Supervisor Sheila Kuehl described the plan at a Monday press briefing.
The board committed to transitioning to the "care-first" model by 2025, "pending resolution of the necessary legal, budgetary and legislative issues."
While the number of juveniles in detention has dropped considerably over the years, L.A. County currently holds some 500 young people in its locked facilities.
The motion, co-authored by Kuehl and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, was based on an October report from the board-established Youth Justice Work Group. Its report recommends establishing Safe and Secure Healing Centers: "small, community-based therapeutic housing, with a range of security, to serve as alternatives to juvenile halls and camps."
We dive into the problems of the current system and what the new County’s Department of Youth Development would look like.
Read more on LAist.
Guests:
Tshaka Barrows, member of the chief executive team with the W. Haywood Burns Institute, a national nonprofit working to address structural racial and ethnic disparities; they led the process of creating the report from the board-established Youth Justice Work Group
Taylor Schooley, senior researcher and policy manager at the County's Office of Diversion and Reentry at Los Angeles County Department of Health Services; she led the Offices’ Department of Youth Development efforts; she tweets
Hans Liang, president of the Los Angeles County Probation Officers Union, AFSCME Local 685, representing 3,400 probation Officers, detention services officers, group supervisors, transportation deputies, and workers, and pre-Trial Investigators; he is a deputy probation officer for the LA County Probation Department
A Look At The State of Sports Amid Surging COVID-19 Cases
The coronavirus pandemic is rocking the sports arena as we speak. There have been multiple team outbreaks throughout the NFL, forcing some teams to postpone games several times. In addition, college football and basketball have seen games cancelled.
Back in March, the pandemic forced sports across the country to come to a screeching halt. The NBA eventually wrapped up their playoffs in a bubble that proved to be successful. Now sports institutions are gritting their teeth and attempting to play through the chaos.
Some say it may be time to put things on hold. What do you think? Today on AirTalk, we check in on the landscape of sports amid rising cases. Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Ben Cohen, sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering the NBA, college basketball and football and more; he tweets
Kurt Streeter, Sports of The Times columnist for the New York Times; he tweets