Marsha Padilla-goad

According to the Centers for Disease Control, from 1999 to 2017, almost 218,000 people died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids were five times higher in 2017 than in 1999. More people still overdose on prescription painkillers than any other opioid, but heroin and other illicit opioids likefentanylare now fueling a separate, and perhaps even deadlier, drug epidemic. We will discuss the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, causes and solutions. Listeners will meet William F. Benson of Health Benefits ABCs. RESOURCES https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html

With the increase in opioid use in pockets across the U.S., more grandparents and other relatives are raising children whose parents have died, are incarcerated, are using drugs or are in treatment. These caregivers often step into their role unexpectedly. They may be living on fixed incomes and unaware of where to turn for support and services for the children. Research shows that with support, children thrive in the care of relatives and have better outcomes than those in foster care with non-relatives.

February is American Heart Month! According to the Centers for Disease Control, Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 289,758 women in 2013thats about 1 in every 4female deaths.Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a mans disease, around the same number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the United States. Despite increases in awareness over the past decade,only 54%of women recognize that heart disease is theirnumber 1 killer. Join the conversation with Dr. Icilma Fergus,Director of Cardiovascular Disparities at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Mount Sinai Medical Center.We will also meet two heart disease survivors, Gail Harris-Berry and Daniela Leonhardt. They will share their journey with heart disease and how they are giving back through being advocates for the American Heart Association. Association of Black Cardiologists Website: http://abcardio.org/ Facebook Page ID: @ABCardio URL: https://www.facebook.com/abcardio

Listeners will meet Ms. Dena Battle, President of the Kidney Cancer Research Alliance (KCCure). KCCureis a grassroots organization of patients, caregivers, doctors and medical researchers dedicated to eliminating suffering and death due to kidney cancer through increased funding to accelerate research that will lead to a cure for all patients and prevent future kidney cancer diagnoses. Additionally, listeners will have an opportunity to meet two of KCCure's patient, hear their stories of how KCCure has made a difference in their treatment outcomes. Additional Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/kidney/index.htm https://kccure.org/grants/ https://kccure.org/about-us/scientific-advisory-board/ https://kccure.org/about-us/patient-advisory-board/

Will they or won't they turn out in large numbers and carry the 2018 midterm elections? Studies show that young Americans between the ages of 18-29 years old have historically had sharply lower turnout rates than older adults in midterm elections. But, according to the organization FiveThirtyEight, exit poll data from competitive statewide elections in 2017 suggests that 2018 could set a record high for young voter participation. Listeners will hear from organizers of get-out-the-vote campaigns and learn how theyve energized younger voters across the nation to head to the polls on November 6. Additionally, listeners will hear from a political strategist on what the results of the midterm elections could mean for the nation. Help bring relief to schools in Trinidad.https://www.gofundme.com/ssumes-trinidad-flood-relief

Listeners will get introduced to Dynamics in Public Affairs, LLC; about its work and mission.

Listeners will understand what grassroots advocacy is, the power it has in influencing, and in shaping public policy. Listeners will also learn how they can become more engaged in advocacy efforts in their communities and at the state and national levels. Check out the podcast series America 2.0:www.tinyurl.com/AM20Pod Description Seth McGuire (Patrick J. Adams) is a first term Congressman. Hes also an unflinching idealist and a profound optimist. When embroiled in his first ever controversy, Seth is completely ill-equipped to navigate D.C.s political treachery.Hope comes in a EUREKA moment, putting him at a crossroads: can his bold and revolutionary plan really save this country, or is he going to talk himself right out of office when people hear his crazyidea? Find out in our 6-part scripted, narrative podcast series - AMERICA 2.0.