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All across the United States, people are banding together to create a healthier future. State by state, city by city, and street by street, visionary local leaders strive to solve the nation's most persistent health challenges. Each month, we’ll bring you an inside view of a different community-based health initiative — an honest look at the challenges communities face and the outstanding solutions they’ve found to address them. Melissa Eagan is the host of the Healthy Communities News podca ...
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Healthy Communities News
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The Special Challenges of Women’s Heart Health
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Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. In fact, 1 in 5 deaths among women is due to a cardiovascular issue. But many people don’t fully appreciate the particular risks women face when it comes to heart health. In this episode, our host Melissa Eagan speaks with Dr. Joanne Armstrong, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Women'…
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Healthy Communities News
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Project Power Tackles Childhood Diabetes with Fun
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Reports from the CDC of a potential future surge in the number of young people with type 2 diabetes by 700%, and of type 1 diabetes by 65% over the next four decades is alarming. But there is cause for hope, thanks to an incredible initiative called Project Power that does empower kids in underserved and underfunded communities across the country o…
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Healthy Communities News
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Feeding Families in Denver -- The Power of Food
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Fewer families in Denver, Colorado will be going to sleep hungry at night now! That’s thanks to amazing new Goodr pop-up grocery stores that opened recently to service the Denver Public School system’s Colfax Elementary and Place Bridge Academy. Bolstered by a partnership with sponsors Aetna and Amazon. And Melissa speaks with Jackie Bell, the Colf…
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Some 350 people came to the Metropolitan Baptist Church’s facility in Newark, New Jersey over the course of a three-day vision clinic recently. They left, not only with a new prescription, but stylish glasses they had chosen – all for free! This was thanks to the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and Aetna, bolstered by members of CVS Health’s W…
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Healthy Communities News
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Introducing Dr. Khaldun, Our First Chief Health Equity Officer
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Dr. Khaldun will lead the strategy to advance health equity for patients, members, providers, customers, and communities, having served as the Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan and Chief Deputy Director for Health in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, where she was responsible for public health and aging programs,…
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Reaching out to help prevent suicide will be a lot simpler – starting July 16th – when anyone across the country can just dial “988” to receive lifesaving counsel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And Melissa takes us inside the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, the nation’s first, which helped make this happen. Cara McNulty, President of Behavio…
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A four-story, 36-unit apartment complex that will provide affordable housing is going to be built in the booming Five Points neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. And Melissa tracks down the story behind Charity’s House, as it will be called -- tracing it back to Thomas “Pistol Pete” Albright, a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues.…
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As mandates are being lifted across the country after over two years of pandemic waves, it feels like we’re all coming back to life again. But how do we go about finding a new normal? And what exactly does that mean? Melissa speaks with those who are living it, in real time - in New York City. People who make New York a place others flock to, as we…
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Healthy Communities News
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America’s first suicide prevention center in Culver City, California
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If suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in America, why aren’t more people talking openly about it? Melissa does just that, with staff members of the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, the first of its kind in the U.S. We also hear from Cara McNulty, President of Behavioral Health and Mental Wellbeing for CVS Health Aetna, who discusses c…
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Melissa speaks with Dr. Nitin Gupta, the founder & CEO of Rivertowns Pediatrics in New York, about protecting his community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his own health challenges. He says, “I mirrored [my practice] after the pediatrician I had. He was always available for his patients. If I got sick, I saw him that day.” Dr. Gupta a…
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While 2021 has certainly been a rollercoaster year, Melissa finds hope throughout this past year’s coverage on the podcast. She shares some of her favorite moments where people across the country have been galvanized to connect in new ways, and to help others, all the more!By CVS Health
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What went on inside hospitals during the height of the pandemic? Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman had exclusive access to one of New York’s largest and hardest-hit medical centers for his moving documentary, The First Wave. Melissa speaks with him, as well as subjects Dr. Nathalie Dougé and physical therapist Karl A…
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Cory Greenberg had a promising career as a professional bicycle racer ahead of him when he was confronted with inflammatory bowel disease, and suddenly didn’t know if he’d ever be able to ride a bike again, much less compete. Melissa speaks with Cory about his experiences, and founding Ride4IBD, as well as with his Mom, Randi, and Emily Pefanis, Vi…
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COVID-19 may have exposed the cracks in our social networks, but an organization called Papa has been filling in — especially for those who are older and isolated. It’s an on-demand service to provide companionship and assistance to those who need it. In this Healthy Communities News podcast episode, host Melissa Eagan speaks with Andrew Parker, Pa…
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Healthy Communities News
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Bringing change to Pittsburgh with WITC, Part 2
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Now that a new Workforce and Innovation Talent Center (or WITC) has opened in the Hill District community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, host Melissa Eagan speaks with some of those who will make change real, moving forward. Hear from the WITC manager, Sean Ware, a communications and marketing intern already onsite named Julian McGee, and Brett Worms…
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Melissa speaks with John White, Senior Advisor, Workforce Initiatives for CVS Health, and Vincent Campbell, Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church about the WITC launching in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District, where the average income is currently between $14,000 and $17,000 a year. As Pastor Campbell says, “If there's a thousand people who nee…
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National HIV Testing Day — Ending the Epidemic by 2030
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Melissa speaks with Joel Helle, Vice President of Physician Services about the feasibility of reaching the CDC’s goal of decreasing HIV infections 90% by 2030. She speaks to Marco Benjamin, National Liaison, HIV/Sexual Health at CVS Health, and Jen Laws, a CDC HIV Ambassador and public health policy consultant, who are both HIV positive and working…
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We speak with Stephen Fontz, CVS District Leader, as well asBishop Donte Hickman from the South Baptist Church, which has stood firm against what he calls, “the suburban flight and the urban blight.” He’s been dealing with vaccination hesitancy in his own special way. By way of example, we also hear from one of Pastor Hickman’s congregants, Sonia S…
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Hospital heroes: Mental health in the pandemic
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In this episode of Healthy Communities News, we speak in even greater detail with Randy Phelps, as well as Dr. Jonathan Wiesen, a pulmonary physician and critical care specialist who runs COVID-19 emergency rooms. And psychiatrist Dr. Laura Ebner, who had already been volunteering for Give an Hour for years, but couldn’t resist helping these new, o…
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Educating a new generation of health care leaders
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People of color represent more than 25 percent of the total U.S. population, but only 10 percent of the country’s health care professionals. A new scholarship funded by the CVS Health Foundation and managed by the United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF) hopes to improve that balance. Healthy Communities News spoke to those who helped launch the effo…
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Vials of hope: COVID-19 vaccinations are rolled out
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With two COVID-19 vaccines now authorized by the FDA for emergency use, we’ve stepped up to help administer vaccinations across the country. So, for our first 2021 podcast, we’re taking you behind-the-scenes with Dr. Jocelyn Shrum, one of the CVS pharmacists responsible for training people across the country who make it all work. We speak with her …
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As we look back on 2020, we’ll take you from Atlanta’s Westside, where its civil rights history still inspires today’s movements; to Boston, where a gutsy nonprofit that’s been using food as medicine for 30 years has reinvented itself in the face of the coronavirus. As well as Miami-Dade County where Branches is equipping students in new ways to ke…
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San José Clinic: Serving Houston for 98 years, and going strong
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In this episode, we head to Houston to learn about the integral role this small clinic has been playing in the community for almost a century. When the pandemic hit, the staff quickly adapted to ensure their patients could continue to access the care they needed.By CVS Health
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Branches in Miami supports students and their families amid COVID-19
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The coronavirus has touched all of our lives in one way or another. Children, in particular, are in an ongoing state of flux. Many classes in schools and colleges across the country have been upended. We did find an oasis in South Florida where an organization called Branches has been working diligently for over 25 years to serve the neighborhood’s…
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Community Servings Boston: The astonishing power of food
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Community Servings in Boston, Massachusetts, started in 1990 as a program to feed a small group of AIDS patients suffering from malnutrition. It has turned into a community hub that provides thousands of medically tailored meals each month, job training, and so much more. The COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed their work. In fact, it’s increased dema…
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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is more important now than ever before. Recent national unemployment rates for individuals with disabilities is more than double that of abled people, so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to highlight ways people with untapped talents can thrive — even in…
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The importance of testing, the power of community
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In the podcast, we explore these topics even more deeply with Breanna Lathrop. We also caught up with Dr. Bill Warren, the visionary who founded Good Samaritan some 21-and-a-half years ago. John Ahmann is the president of the Westside Future Fund and an Atlanta native who brings an historical perspective to the discussion before closing the loop wi…
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Teaming up to fight the pandemic in New Orleans
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New Orleans is no stranger to adversity, and relies on its deep community roots to unite residents as they band together to respond to the pandemic. In this month’s podcast episode, we spoke to Danielle Taylor, a CVS Pharmacy District Leader and both of her parents, Jessie and Thais Ardouin, who were hospitalized at the same time with COVID-19. We …
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Leading cause of death in women: Taking a deep dive into heart health
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You can be young, look and feel healthy and still be at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Surprised? Healthy Communities News spoke with Dr. Mosca, a volunteer medical expert with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement, to get a better of understanding of women’s heart health. We also sat down with Jenny Petz and Nicole Murray,…
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Miami’s vibrant Little Havana community teams up for better health
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To really know what a community needs, you have to live there. Talk with your neighbors over the back fence. See the issues with your own eyes. That’s what makes the Live Healthy Little Havana program a success. Neighborhood residents, working as community liaisons, are at the heart of the work to improve life for those in the community. And everyo…
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A look back: 2019 Healthy Communities News podcast
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Workforce training that takes a single mom of five from homeless to hopeful in Cleveland. Students debating how to go tobacco-free on a Philadelphia campus. These are two of the exciting stories we’ve covered this past year on our Healthy Communities News podcast. And now you can sample them all on our year-end episode. Whether it’s been about fait…
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Cutting hair and hypertension at Nashville barbershops
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In Nashville, Tennessee, there’s a low-slung brick building nestled among fast food shops and a gas station on Clarksville Pike. It’s proudly painted red, white, and blue – a comfortable, well-worn spot that’s become a cultural hub for generations of African-American customers. And now, patrons of the barbershop can get more than a shave and a hair…
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Students talk tobacco: Getting real with Temple University and Truth Initiative
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Medical services are only part of staying healthy. Your community plays an even larger role: whether you have access to safe streets and fresh food, whether you can breathe clean air and drink untainted water, whether you can find places to exercise and socialize. These “social determinants of health” are critical to the well-being of communities a…
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Workforce Innovation Center’s support takes single mom from homeless to hopeful
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Carrie Robinson is a 28-year-old single mom living outside of Cleveland, Ohio. She’s a pharmacy technician – but not too long ago, she and her five kids found themselves homeless. She shared her story about how CVS Health’s Workforce Innovation and Talent Center changed her life. The centers provide people in under served communities with the train…
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A helping hand from someone who’s been there: Gina’s story
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Gina is an individual in recovery from opioid use disorder and a former sex worker. Today, she’s a Linkage to Care Coordinator in rural North Carolina, a job funded by an Aetna Foundation grant. Each day, Gina uses her street smarts and lively personality to connect residents struggling with opioid use disorder with the help and resources they need…
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Bridgeport market gives entrepreneurs a jump start
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Small businesses can revitalize neighborhoods – so the Bridgeport OIC is lending a hand to local entrepreneurs. We talk to Jeff Nelson of Seeding Knowledge, a start-up that plants and maintains gardens and sells produce. He’s expanding his services to the East End Pop Up Market, where he’ll offer not only fruits and vegetables, but cooking classes …
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Faith begets fitness in Mecklenburg County
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Faith leaders, county health officials, the local health system and community groups have proven that it takes a village to address local health issues. The Village HeartBEAT program created a fitness challenge in local congregations. The goal? To help residents battling heart disease and diabetes. The program uses exercise, nutrition and community…
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New market gives Bridgeport residents access to fresh food
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As the economy struggles and poverty rises in Bridgeport, manufacturing jobs are not the only thing leaving town: Residents have had to go farther and farther to find fresh food. But a group of local businesspeople is looking to reverse that trend. They’re opening the new East End Pop Up Market, which will offer not only fresh food, but also job tr…
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