Podcasts about massachusetts department

#968: Are school inspections the accountability tool we've overlooked? with Erik RobelenOn this week's Education Gadfly Show podcast, former Education Week reporter Erik Robelen joins Mike and David to discuss school inspections—what they are, how they might fit into accountability systems, and who's actually using them in U.S. schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Amber highlights a study on how AI tools can help middle school math teachers personalize their lessons.Recommended content: Erik Robelen, “The Full Measure of a School,” Education Next (Spring 2025).Erik Robelen, “England's School Inspections Get a Makeover,” Education Next (Spring 2025).Maryland State Department of Education, Blueprint for Maryland's Future: Expert Review Team Colorado Department of Education, State Review Panel: School Review Protocol, SchoolWorks LLC (2024).Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Charter School Site Visit Protocol, (2024) Rizwaan Malik, Dorna Abdi, Rose E. Wang, and Dorottya Demszky, Scaffolding Middle-School Mathematics Curricula With Large Language Models, EdWorking Papers (April 2025)Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.  

The Massachusetts Department of Education proposes that state vocational schools use admission lotteries. This proposal comes after years of criticism by some claiming the current admissions process at Vo-techs across the state, lock marginalized students out. Instead of ranking applicants on selective criteria like grades, recommendations from guidance counselors, and personal interviews, schools would be limited to using attendance and discipline as screening criteria for students to enter the lottery pool. Jamie Gass, the director for school reform at the Pioneer Institute checked in with Dan to discuss.Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!

Adrienne Ammerman, Founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO Assistant Director of Emerging Infectious Disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and congenital syphilis; and Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, will give the keynote address for the Advances in Global Disease Surveillance event. Arclet Web Page ASTHO Blog Article: States Amending Policies to Slow Congenital Syphilis Increases Advances in Global Disease Surveillance: An Introduction to BEACON Web Page ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe  

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, brought to YOU by the ⁠⁠InsightsEDU⁠⁠ 2025 conference& Ellucian LIVE 2025 YOUR guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Noe Ortega, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education YOUR host is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio How is Mass Reconnect & Mass Educate making college more accessible & affordable? Why is credit transfer still a major challenge in higher education? How are student services evolving to support both traditional & non-traditional learners? What role does Massachusetts play in shaping the future of higher education? How can institutions rebuild trust & demonstrate their value proposition? Why is maintaining diversity, equity & inclusion critical in higher education? Listen in to #EdUp Do YOU want to accelerate YOUR professional development? Do YOU want to get exclusive early access to ad-free episodes, extended episodes, bonus episodes, original content, invites to special events, & more? Do YOU want to get all this while helping to sustain EdUp? Then ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BECOME A SUBSCRIBER TODAY⁠⁠ - $19.99/month or $199.99/year (Save 17%)! Want to get YOUR organization to pay for YOUR subscription? Email ⁠⁠⁠EdUp@edupexperience.com Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠ ● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The EdUp Experience⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We make education YOUR business!

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!Massachusetts Republican Party Reelects Amy Carnevale As Chairperson. Amy Carnevale checked in with Dan.Daniel Valez, Spokesman for TSA New England says the deadline (May 7, 2025) for the REAL ID is fast approaching! Are you ready? If you don't have a REAL ID, what do you need to board a plane flying domestically?Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch reacted to ruling by The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection over the rebuilding of Long Island Bridge.Emily Mew - Director of EDS for Massachusetts - Salvation Army explains how to help the victims of the CA wildfires. What they need most.Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, describes how SAPHE 2.0 will promote health equity throughout the state; Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama State Health Officer and ASTHO President, is quoted in a recent Governing article that details the rise of bird flu in dairy cattle and weighs the risk to humans; and Dr. Anne Zink, former Chief Medical Officer for the Alaska Department of Health and ASTHO's 80th President, has been appointed as a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health. Boston Globe News Article: New law aims to shore up and equalize state's public health services SAPHE 2.0 Fact Sheet Governing News Article: Bird Flu Continues to Spread. What Are the Risks for Humans and Cows? Yale School of Public Health News Release: Dr. Anne Zink Appointed as Lecturer and Senior Fellow at YSPH  

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member,  discusses the containment and prevention of the spread of infectious disease as part of ASTHO's Legislative Prospectus Series; Allyson Belton, Director of Education and Training for the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and a Co-Lead of ASTHO Divers Executives Leading in Public Health program, looks back on how far the program has come as the fifth cohort kicks off; and ASTHO's newest member is Gina DeBlassie, the Interim Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health. ASTHO Web Page: 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series ASTHO Web Page: Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health ASTHO Web Page: Gina DeBlassie ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed  

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health purchased 14 vending machines stocked with items like condoms, clean needles and syringes, and the overdose-reserving drug Naloxone.

Welcome to another riveting episode of Hearts of Oak, where we delve deep into the stories that shape our world. Today, we're honored to host a distinguished guest, a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist with a background in maternal fetal medicine, whose journey through the medical field has been nothing short of extraordinary.   In this episode, our guest shares insights from a career marked by a relentless pursuit of truth, especially in light of the tumultuous events surrounding public health strategies during recent global crises. We'll explore how personal experiences, influenced by historical figures like Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, have shaped his approach to medicine, emphasizing the importance of standing firm against mainstream narratives when patient safety is at stake.   Our discussion will take a critical look at how health policies, driven by a complex web of government, pharmaceutical, and medical organizations, have impacted the most vulnerable among us. We'll tackle the uncomfortable truths about medical ethics, the silence of influential societal groups, and the personal sacrifices made by those who speak out against the status quo.   This episode promises to be a beacon of awareness, urging us all to question, to learn, and to remember the importance of integrity in the face of systemic challenges. So, join us as we navigate through the ethical dilemmas of our time, inspired by a physician's commitment to never compromise patient care for profit or popularity.   Stay with us as we uncover the layers of this compelling story, right here on Hearts of Oak. Connect with Dr James Thorp Freedom In Truth | Substack   Recorded on 17.10.24   *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.   Connect with Hearts of Oak...

Last night's meeting focused primarily on transformation schools with a required quarterly update as part of the district's systemic improvement plan put in place by the Department of ELementary and Secondary Education. The meeting began with Deputy Superintendent Linda Chen, standing in for the Superintendent, highlighting bright spots and providing an update on a still struggling transportation system, noting the installation of new electric chargers at one bus yard. This report was followed by a short discussion led by member Cardet-Hernandez who raised a question about the district's response should the ballot initiative to remove the MCAS as a graduation requirement pass. Dr. Chen noted that a fuller discussion would occur at the next meeting, adding that the state has not yet provided guidance on the matter.   There were about a dozen public commenters, with the majority of commenters testifying about the district's ongoing negotiations with the Boston Teachers Union. As the district continues to negotiate with the BTU, teachers and BTU members testified with a new strategy in place: teachers are pointing out the district is relying on dual licensure, and they are advocating for removing this requirement. The sole report of the evening was on transformation schools, identified by the state as requiring intervention. The report, mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, showed low growth and performance across the 39 schools, which are in the bottom 10% statewide, as well as high rates of chronic absenteeism. School Committee members voiced concerns about these trends and emphasized the need for systemic improvements, though it was unclear how actively the state or city has been involved in addressing these continued issues. To hear more about the concerns and thoughts of the School Committee on this issue, tune in to the episode. On Monday, October 28th, the School Committee will have a retreat at 6pm, which will be held in-person at the Bolling Building. The next School Committee meeting will be held in person or via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6th.   Applications are now open for an opening on the Boston School Committee! If you would like to be considered, submit a completed application  and email it to scnominatingpanel@boston.gov by Friday, November 15th at 11:59pm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unexploded Bomb: Where the COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths Are Really Hiding. Epoch Times. Part 1- Evidence: How CDC Buried Vaccine Death Data https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/evidence-how-cdc-buried-vaccine-death-data-5575113 Frontline Health   Views 88.8K • Jan-27-2024 Today on Frontline Health we interview John Beaudoin, an electrical engineer and author of “The Real CdC.” On January 18, 2022, Cassidy, a seven-year-old girl died from COVID-19 complications in Massachusetts. Her story was broadcast on local networks. Beaudoin saw it too, but he had questions. “I'm thinking, for everything I know about the data, there's no way a seven-year-old girl died from COVID,” he said. Beaudoin ran eight public records requests. “I ran them through other people so that the state wouldn't deny me,” he said. That's how he was able to obtain the entire death certificate database of Massachusetts with no redactions, from the year 2015 through 2022. At the time, he says it was a total of 420,000 records. Cassidy's cause of death was in there too. Her death certificate vaguely listed “complications of coronavirus-19 viral infection.” “Okay, well, what kind of complications? Why didn't they list anything like pneumonia [or] ARDS?” he said. “Why is there nothing else listed? Did she have a heart attack? How does somebody die from COVID with no other symptoms?” Beaudoin decided to turn to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). After running a few requests, he came upon one record that could have belonged to Cassidy. “The report was made on January 15th, that's a couple days, two or three days before she died.” This particular VAERS record describes a 7-year-old girl vomiting for 8-10 hours after her first COVID-19 vaccine injection. After her second injection, she had severe abdominal pain, 103 degree fever and no bowel movement for three days. If this VAERS record actually belongs to Cassidy, then her cause of death should have been listed as a vaccine. “I want to know, is that the same girl? The state won't tell me so I'm suing the governor of the state, the public health commissioner, chief medical examiner and four individual medical examiners.” But Cassidy's case “was the tip of the iceberg,” says Beaudoin. He has uncovered many more questionable death certificates in the Massachusetts death database that have not attributed “vaccine” as the cause of death when there was evidence of severe vaccine reaction. “It's not willful ignorance,” Beaudoin said. “This is intentional withholding of information from the public that would save the lives of the public.” Follow Dan on

Grab your tissues for this moving and powerful episode! Flora Sadri-Azarbayejani, DO, MPH, FAAFP, FASAM, joins host, Zach, to talk about her path to and passion for practicing addiction medicine. During the conversation, she shares stories and experiences that have been impactful on her journey and shaped both how she practices medicine – emphasizing the critical component of compassion – and her perspectives on addiction. Dr. Flora Sadri-Azarbayejani attended Boston University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering and a dual master's degree in epidemiology and biostatistics, and medical science. She attained a doctorate in medicine from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Sadri-Azarbayejani worked as an epidemiologist in infectious disease at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; completed residency and became a family physician and eventually chief medical officer at The Community Health Center of Franklin County (Massachusetts); and, after becoming board certified in addiction medicine, has worked in the addiction medicine space since 2014 in both inpatient and outpatient settings and has opened programs in both arenas.   Dr. Sadri-Azarbayejani serves as the medical director for substance use services at Lowell Community Health Center and medical director for an inpatient addiction treatment center. She is active in various medical societies, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). She has been involved with the development of CARF guidelines for outpatient addiction treatment programs and hopes to make an impact on passing legislation of supervised consumption sites in the near future. LINKS: Massachusetts Medical Society American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) CARF International   If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Treatment is available and recovery is possible. Visit ASAM's Patient Resources page for more information. The information shared in this podcast episode is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or ASAM management.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein joined WBUR's All Things Considered to discuss this season's EEE cases, and to urge people all over the state to take precautions — especially those communities classified as "high risk" by the DPH.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed a fourth human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis and is urging the public to take precaution. For more, ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio.

Annaliese Bischoff is a Western Massachusetts artist and landscape architect. For the past decade, she has been collecting drawings and etchings of trees by Frank A. Waugh, founder of the Landscape Gardening Program at what is today the University of Massachusetts Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning. Annaliese received a bachelor's degree in art from Brown University and a master's degree in landscape architecture from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She began her academic career at Kansas State University, where Waugh had studied a century earlier. She taught for forty years at the University of Massachusetts department that Waugh founded. Annaliese has received numerous awards and honors for her design and research work, including a Fulbright senior research award. Before her academic career, she worked propagating trees at a nursery in Rhode Island and for the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in South Carolina. The author of The Man Who Loved Trees (2024), she currently serves on the Frank A. Waugh Arboretum Committee at UMass Amherst, home to 8000 trees on campus, and teaches an honors discovery seminar on trees.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plantatrilliontrees/support

Today's episode comes to you on location from Idaho, Massachusetts, Georgia and Indiana.  Join Patti Garofalo (Child Support Practice Director with NTT Data) as she hosts a conversation about modernization planning and the art of the possible.  Her guests today include Sarah Hurst (Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Georgia Child Support Services), Michele Cristello (Deputy Commissioner of the Child Support Services Division within the Massachusetts Department of Revenue), and Dawn McNeal (Business Consulting Senior Manager, NTT Data).  Listen as they talk about the modernization journey, inclusion for the process, feasibility studies and readiness activities.  They also discuss the importance of training and preparation, allocation of staff, data management and more.  Don't miss out on the favorite quotes they offer for the system modernization endeavor.

Jonathan Miller interviews Gillian Schauer, Executive Director of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), and Jessica Burgess, Deputy General Counsel of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, about hemp policy from the purview of state regulators. If you have questions about the episode or ideas for Hemp related topics, email us at hemplegallyspeaking@fbtlaw.com.Hemp Industry questions covered in the episode: What is the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) and what is its role in developing national and state hemp policy?What has CANNRA recommended to Congress in terms of the federal regulatory treatment of hemp products?How does CANNRA work to provide consistency among state hemp regulatory approaches in the absence of federal regulation?What is the legal status of products containing CBD and THC in Massachusetts?How can the hemp industry better promote diversity and equitable treatment of individuals within the industry? 

Show SummaryOn today's episode, we feature Tom Chiodo, Executive Producer of Special Projects, National Productions for WETA, he flagship PBS station in Washington DC. We discuss the upcoming PBS Documentary, Caregiving, which will examine both systematic issues within the care system as well as tell personal stories of people who care for loved ones.    Provide FeedbackAs a dedicated member of the audience, we would like to hear from you about the show. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about the show in this short feedback survey. By doing so, you will be entered to receive a signed copy of one of our host's three books on military and veteran mental health. About Today's GuestsTom Chiodo is the executive producer of Special Projects National Productions for WETA (Washington Educational Telecommunications Association), the flagship PBS station in Washington DC. WETA develops primetime documentary films and original digital content, accompanied by national impact and engagement campaigns, across 330+ PBS stations in more than 150 markets. Recent public media projects: Ken Burns presents Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness, a film by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers (2022); Emmy-nominated documentary Ken Burns presents The Gene: An Intimate History(2020); Rethinking High School with Soledad O'Brien Town Hall at Howard University (2016); DuPont Columbia Award & Emmy-nominated documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies (2015). Current documentary projects in development/production: Caregiving; Hiding in Plain Sight: Adult Mental Illness;Remote Chance: Health Care in Rural America; Defeating Dementia; and Mighty Real: Out and Proud in America. Thirty years' experience in the media, communications, television and entertainment industry. Former SVP Development Entertainment Industry Foundation creating programs and funding for national initiatives in health care, volunteerism, childhood hunger and education. Tom has held senior positions at Rubenstein Associates, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health & State Office for Children. Former clients: HBO; AMC; TIME, Inc.; Wenner Media; Talk Miramax Books; Columbia University; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Major League Baseball; Dance Theater of Harlem; The Apollo Theatre; Al Roker Entertainment, Inc.; The Tony Awards; Tribeca Film Festival; ABC's Good Morning America; Stand Up to Cancer; and Chances for Children.Board memberships: Fenway Community Health Center (Boston), Professional Performing Arts High School (NYC), Heart Gallery New York. National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences judge for the 44th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Tom is a published playwright, and co-author of “Home Care for Respirator Dependent Children” New England Journal of Medicine.  Links Mentioned in this Episode Wellbeings Web SiteCaregiving Documentary WebsiteCaregiving TrailerPsychArmor Resource of the WeekThis week's PsychArmor Resource of the Week is the Military Caregiver Recognition Award and Digital Resource Binder. PsychArmor is dedicated to providing education, resources, and strategies for those who provide care for our nation's wounded, ill and injured military service members and Veterans. The caregiving journey can be challenging — we're here to provide support. Thanks to the generosity of The USAA Foundation, and in collaboration with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, we are pleased to offer the newly digitized Military Caregiver Recognition Award Program. Upon completion of the four PsychArmor courses included in this program and registration for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Hidden Heroes Caregiver Community, you will receive the Military Caregiver Recognition Award and Badge. You can see find the resource here:    https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/military-caregiver-award Episode Partner: Are you an organization that engages with or supports the military affiliated community? Would you like to partner with an engaged and dynamic audience of like-minded professionals? Reach out to Inquire about Partnership Opportunities Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media Email PsychArmorPsychArmor on TwitterPsychArmor on FacebookPsychArmor on YouTubePsychArmor on LinkedInPsychArmor on InstagramTheme MusicOur theme music Don't Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

2 August, 2024 – CAPE COD, MA – Scarce days off, low pay and relying on the mercy of Mother Nature make the agricultural community vulnerable to mental health challenges such as overwhelm, anxiety and depression. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources found a mental health support model fitting for the farming community – a Peer Support Network – because no one understands farmers better than farmers.

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO Senior Director for State Health Policy, discusses the ongoing discussion over legal tools needed to ensure public health during outbreaks and emergencies; Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, says funding and standards for peer support specialists are the focus of a new ASTHO legal map now online; Arnaldo Machado, Director of Public Health Workforce Development and Resilience at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, tells us virtual open house events might help your agency build new connections; a new ASTHO blog article examines lessons learned during the Zika outbreak; and ASTHO has new report sharing how three states have worked to improve nutrition for infants, young children, and their families. ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Authority Toolkit Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Webpage: Recommended Strategies to Prioritize Evidence-Based Public Health Authority ASTHO Webpage: Peer Support Specialist Credentialing Legal Map ASTHO Blog Article: PHIG Success Story: In Massachusetts, Building Public Health Infrastructure Starts with a Strong Workforce ASTHO Blog Article: Preparing for Maternal and Child Health Crises with Lessons from the Zika Outbreak ASTHO Report: Early Childhood Nutrition Security  

Dr. Kristina Kintziger, Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Water, Climate, and Health program at the University of Nebraska, explains the long-term community impacts of a tornado; Nassira Nicola, Deputy Director for Access and Inclusion in the Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, tells us the three goals of an upcoming ASTHO webinar focused on disability equity during an emergency response; a new ASTHO report examines how adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities use Medicaid services; and Drake Taitano, Program Coordinator at the Division of Environmental Health at the Department of Public Health and Social Services on Guam, says new approaches to data will give people in Guam more real-time information about public health concerns. ASTHO Webpage: Climate and Health ASTHO Webinar: Disability Equity in Emergency Preparedness – Lessons from COVID-19 Vaccination in Massachusetts ASTHO Report: Examining Health Service Utilization in Medicaid Participants with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – Findings from Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming ASTHO Webpage: Vector-Borne Disease ASTHO Webpage: Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance with QGIS ASTHO Webpage: Climate for Health Ambassadors Training  

Dr. Elena Rios, President of the National Hispanic Health Foundation, discusses a scan of literature focused on diversity to encourage people to consider work in public health; Dr. Nassira Nicola, Deputy Director for Access and Inclusion in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement, reflects on a study by ASTHO and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities that focuses on how people living with disabilities interacted with mass vaccination centers; and a report from ASTHO examines the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Louisiana and Pennsylvania. National Hispanic Health Foundation Webpage PublicHealthCareers.org Association of University Centers on Disability News Release: Announcement of AUCD-ASTHO Grant Awardees ASTHO Report: COVID-19 Impact on Inpatient Admissions and Chronic Conditions Among Medicaid Enrollees with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Analysis of Louisiana and Pennsylvania  

Access a SPECIAL OFFER from WORLD RELIEF with your one-time or monthly gift of $25 or more! This offer ends on June 30, 2024, so visit WORLDRELIEF.ORG/REFUGEEDAY today to learn more.Top headlines for Tuesday, June 18, 2024In this episode, we discuss shocking revelations in the ministry as Robert Morris steps down for only a month after yearslong sexual abuse allegations involving a pre-teen girl. We also cover the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's new taxpayer-funded campaign advising pregnant women to steer clear of pregnancy resource centers. Former President Donald Trump was warmly welcomed by Pastor Lorenzo Sewell at 180 Church in Detroit this past weekend, making headlines once again. Finally, a Missouri circuit judge has ruled against clergy members challenging the state's abortion laws, sparking further debate. Subscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsRobert Morris recounted stepping away from ministry for 1 month | Church & Ministries NewsMassachusetts launches $1M ad campaign against pro-life centers | Politics NewsDetroit pastor thanks Trump for visiting the ‘hood' | Politics NewsJudge: Missouri abortion ban doesn't violate ‘religious freedom | Politics NewsMike Rowe backs Chick-fil-A kids summer camp amid criticism | Business NewsThis week in Christian history: John Chrysostom exiled, revival | Church & Ministries NewsAbility to forgive strongly correlated with human flourishing | Living News

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We'll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here's one from our archives. Earlier this month Governor Maura Healey appointed four new members to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board of directors. One appointee is researcher, writer and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, who will represent the "consumer voice" for MassDOT. Dr. Iezzoni is the first member of the disability community to serve on the department's board, despite the fact that that about one in four of American adults have some kind of disability. Dr. Iezzoni joins The Common to discuss accessibility across the state's transit systems, a well as her goals for this new position. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, details his state's Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity; Michelle Van Handel, Associate Director for the Program and Performance Improvement Office at the CDC's National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, discusses a syndemic approach to combatting certain infections; and an ASTHO report addresses the issue of unintentional falls among older adults. Massachusetts News Release: Department of Public Health launches health equity plan to address racism as a serious public health threat Massachusetts Department of Public Health Webpage: Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity 2024-2028 CDC Webpage: HIV CDC Webpage: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) CDC Webpage: Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) ASTHO Report: Expanding Falls Prevention Through Surveillance, Community-Clinical Linkages, and Strategic Planning and Evaluation  

In this episode, the Benefit Funds' Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Van H. Dunn, discusses the importance of building a healthy relationship with a primary care provider. Putting the emphasis on prevention – catching small problems before they become big ones – Dr. Dunn details the ways in which healthcare providers treat the whole person. He also explores the reasons why many people avoid seeing a provider regularly (and how to overcome them) and offers tips on what to look for in a provider – and what to avoid.  The Takeaway  Find a provider by browsing the Benefit Funds' Provider Directory: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.   Visit our Healthy Living Resource Center for info on how to build a solid relationship with your healthcare provider: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyrelationships.  Talk to your doctor about any screenings you may need: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthbodies.   Know your numbers to know where you stand: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyhearts.    For additional support, call our Wellness Member Assistance Program: (646) 473-6900.    Guest Bio  Van H. Dunn, MD, MPH, FACP, is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the 1199SEIU Benefit Funds. As CMO, he oversees the Funds' clinical, care management and analytics functions, and is responsible for pursuing health and wellness initiatives and value-based strategies. Prior to joining the Funds, Dr. Dunn served as Senior Vice President for Medical and Professional Affairs and CMO at NYC Health + Hospitals, and as CMO for MetroPlus Health Plan. He also served as Deputy Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and as Senior Health Policy Advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, advancing policy and legislation relating to healthcare reform, health promotion, disease prevention, women's and minorities' health, disparities in healthcare and biomedical research, among other critical initiatives.   Dr. Dunn holds a Bachelor of Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Doctor of Medicine from Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College) and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health (now the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). 

I have been noticing some resurgence of the hatred of rednecks, though it comes from those who don't actually know any. A woman who calls herself a CEO in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, is actively trying to make it harder for people to drive trucks like the Ford F-150. She doesn't hate trucks though, she's afraid of and hates the rednecks who drive them. I want to educate people as to what and who us rednecks are. According to Google we are political reactionaries, wanting to go back to how things were. Is that a bad thing?What does God's Word say? Exodus 20:1515 “You shall not steal.John 6:31-3531 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'[a]”32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.Proverbs 9:10-1210 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.11 For through wisdom[a] your days will be many,    and years will be added to your life.12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;    if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.Galatians 3:2828 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.Episode 1,561 Links:American Farmer Says It Should Be Illegal What The Government & Lobbyists Have Done To The Farming IndustryListen to how much they hate you: Monica Tibbits-Nutt on F-150's "We can't price them high enough or put enough fees on them enough, to stop the type of person who wants to buy" an F-150 which she considers a "horrible" "18 wheeler"Over 55 cars stolen in the past 48 hours in Oakland, California. This makes 3rd world countries look like rookies."You can literally walk into a retail store every single day of the year and steaI $949 worth of merchandise"Gov. Ron DeSantis signs law letting religious chaplains into public schools, can offer support services to studentsBREAKING: Gavin Newsom just released a new ad saying Trump is going to order police stop women crossing state lines and force them to take pregnancy testsWhiskey Myers - Ballad of a Southern ManJewish Professor DENIED entry at Columbia University, where he works as an assistant professor, after Palestinian activists blocked all Jews from entering. Staff at the university also deactivated his access card.4Patriots https://4Patriots.com/Todd Stay connected when the power goes out and get free shipping on orders over $97.    Alan's Soaps https://alanssoaps.com/TODD Use coupon code ‘TODD' to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.  Bioptimizers https://bioptimizers.com/todd Use promo code TODD for 10% off your order. Sharpen your edge and reach your potential with Mushroom Breakthrough by Bioptimizers.     Bonefrog   https://bonefrogcoffee.com/todd Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.  Bulwark Capital  Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com) Call 866-779-RISK or visit online to get their FREE Common Cents Investing Guide. EdenPURE https://edenpuredeals.com Use code TODD3 to save $200 on the Thunderstorm Air Purifier 3-pack. GreenHaven Interactive Digital Marketing https://greenhaveninteractive.com Your Worldclass Website Will Get Found on Google!  Liver Health https://GetLiverHelp.com/Todd Order today and get your FREE bottle of Nano Powered Omega3 and free bonus gift. Native Path Krill https://nativepathkrill.com/todd For a limited time get Native Path Antarctic Krill Oil for as little as $23 per bottle.  

Howie plays part of the statement from Monica Tibbits-Nutt, the CEO and Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. She has concocted very creative new ways to raise revenue in the Bay State...that means raising taxes on YOU. Then, Howie shares a sneak peek of his latest episode of Meet the Experts featuring new author Michael Walsh.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced a new drinking water standard to reduce exposure to PFAS, chemicals linked to health risks like cancer. Massachusetts is one of 11 states with existing PFAS limits, which are different from the new federal guideline. As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection estimated that 95 water systems across the state will need to upgrade their water system to address PFAS for the first time under the new federal rules. Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common with more on the new federal rule and its impact on the local water systems. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

The New Civil Liberties Alliance is challenging the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) in federal court for coordinating with Google to automatically install spyware on the smartphones of more than one million Commonwealth residents, without their knowledge or consent, in a misguided effort to combat Covid-19.  Mark is joined by Litigation Counsel Sheng Li to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1997, Massachusetts deregulated its electricity market allowing consumers to choose their supplier. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and AG Andrea Campbell now want this option banned over “misleading marketing practices and false claims of clean, green energy”. Elizabeth Mahony, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, joined Dan to discuss.

Unexploded Bomb: Where the COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths Are Really Hiding- Frontline Health and Two Clips from X/Twitter. Unexploded Bomb: Where the COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths Are Really Hiding | John Beaudoin Pierre Kory Asks One Simple Question the FDA and CDC Don't Want to Answer “NO LIVES WERE SAVED” by the COVID-19 injections, says researcher and scientist   Unexploded Bomb: Where the COVID-19 Vaccine Deaths Are Really Hiding | John Beaudoin Frontline Health Views 144.6K • Feb-03-2024 On this episode of Frontline Health, we continue our conversation with John Beaudoin, an electrical engineer and author of “The Real CDC.” Watch Part 1 here. Mr. Beaudoin has been analyzing his home state's death database from the Massachusetts Department of Health to determine if there were any safety signals after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. “What I learned a year and a half ago is that 2020 was a year of excess respiratory [deaths],” said Mr. Beaudoin. But that changed when the vaccines rolled out in early 2021. Based on Mr. Beaudoin's analysis, excess respiratory deaths, which include pneumonia and COVID, went down in 2021. “While at the same time, the blood and circulatory causes of death went up instead of down,” he said. “So what people are dying from, they're dying from ... cardiac stroke, pulmonary embolism, gastrointestinal hemorrhages, aortic arch dissections, more than the respiratory, which went down at the same time.” Follow Dan on

Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO Member and Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses a new report that shows Massachusetts overdose deaths remain near record highs; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO Senior Advisor for Public Health Response, outlines a report about the role of public health in the response to long COVID; and Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, and  Dr. Brian Castrucci, de Beaumont Foundation President and CEO, will team up to review key skills everyone needs to succeed in public health in an upcoming webinar. Massachusetts Department of Public Health News Release: Massachusetts public health officials release latest opioid-related overdose reports American Journal of Preventative Medicine Webpage: The Role of U.S. Public Health Agencies in Addressing Long COVID ASTHO Webpage: Building Strategic Skills for Better Health: A Primer for Public Health Professionals ASTHO Webinar: Lunch and Learn – Building Strategic Skills for Public Health Professionals ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Mr. Beaudoin has been analyzing his home state's death database from the Massachusetts Department of Health to determine if there were any safety signals after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. “What I learned a year and a half ago is that 2020 was a year of excess respiratory [deaths],” said Mr. Beaudoin. But that changed when the vaccines rolled out in early 2021. Based on Mr. Beaudoin's analysis, excess respiratory deaths, which include pneumonia and COVID, went down in 2021. “While at the same time, the blood and circulatory causes of death went up instead of down,” he said. “So what people are dying from, they're dying from ... cardiac stroke, pulmonary embolism, gastrointestinal hemorrhages, aortic arch dissections, more than the respiratory, which went down at the same time.” ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced last week that it will close the MCI-Concord, a medium-security facility that opened in 1878. The planned closure of MCI-Concord is expected to save $16 million every year and avoid spending $190 million on improving the facility. This decision aligns with the ongoing decline in state incarceration rates, marking MCI-Concord as the second prison closure following MCI-Cedar Junction in June 2023. Today on The Common, WBUR senior correspondent Deborah Becker joins us to discuss the impact of closing MCI-Concord.  Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released its twice-annual overdose report, which indicates that overdose deaths for 2023 are set to be on par with the record-setting numbers the state saw in 2022. The DPH also endorsed controversial overdose prevention centers, where staff are present to supervise and, if needed, reverse overdoses as the first step towards reducing overdose deaths. WBUR's Martha Bebinger has been reporting on addiction for over a decade. She joins The Common with a story on how one mother has taken overdose prevention into her own hands, supervising drug use in her own home to save lives. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Last night's meeting began with the Superintendent's Report, where Superintendent Skipper discussed two memos released earlier that day. The first memo addressed long-term facility planning, a comprehensive plan for which is due to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by the end of the year. The memo noted that just 71 out of 119 schools meet standards for optimal school size, and just 18% of school buildings provide most or all of the elements defined by BPS as necessary for a “high-quality student experience.” The memo also outlined a timeline for school closures and mergers, noting that decisions will be announced this upcoming spring and planning will take place during the 2024-25 school year, with mergers and closures beginning in the fall of 2025. Notably, these decisions will be announced after both this year's budget process and the school choice season, meaning students will be choosing schools without knowing if they might be closed after next year.  The second memo discussed during the Superintendent's report was an update to the school quality framework scores - the first update since 2019. Each school is given a composite score out of 100 based on 75% student performance and 25% survey responses from students, faculty, and families, and schools are then ranked from tier 1 to tier 4, with the highest quality schools in tier 1. The memo did not provide individual school scores nor any underlying data for the calculations, and the data included in the memo was surprising. For example, the Sarah Greenwood School has a 7% accountability score from DESE and is tier 1. The Blackstone School has a 6% accountability score and is tier 2. English High School has a 3% accountability score and is in tier 2, while Boston Latin School, which has a 96% accountability score, is also in tier 2, having moved down from tier 1 in this new ranking. While annual updates to the school quality framework are typically presented as a standalone report to the School Committee, last night it was only mentioned during the Superintendent's remarks, and no questions were asked about this data by members of the School Committee. The Superintendent ended her remarks by announcing that she will propose changes to the exam school policy at next week's School Committee meeting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Massachusetts, there are 9,000 young people in the foster care system, and 50,000 engaged with the Department of Children and Families. These students face a unique set of challenges, and in today's episode, Jill and Ross are joined by the leaders of two organizations at the forefront of helping them succeed. Lauren Baker, Former First Lady of Massachusetts, is the Founder and CEO of the Wonderfund, a nonprofit that supports youth engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Shaheer Mustafa is the President and CEO of Hopewell, the Commonwealth's largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive foster care and wraparound support. Lauren and Shaheer join us to discuss the challenges these students face and how schools and communities can best support their most vulnerable students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3. Public Comment 4. Grant Agreement with the Copeland Foundation for the Animal Shelter Project Recess to the Meeting of the Governor Stoughton Trustees Meeting of the Trustees of the Governor Stoughton Trust 1. Call to Order 2. Request for Proposals for Affordable Housing at the Town Farm 3. Governor Stoughton Trust Assets and Financials; Use of Trust Assets 4.– Governor Stoughton Trust legal counsel 5. - Meeting Minutes: August 8, 2023, September 19, 2023 6. Adjourn Return to the Select Board Meeting 5. Letter to Massachusetts Department of Transportation re: proposed project at the intersection of Randolph Avenue and Chickatawbut Road 6. Petition to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to modify the speed limit on Route 28 (Randolph Avenue) and Route 138 in the Town of Milton, in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 90, Section 18 7. Contract with PMA Consultants as the Owner's Project Manager for the new school project 8. FY2024 Stormwater Fees 9. - Special Town Meeting: December 4, 2023 Warrant Articles a. Article 1: Zoning Bylaw and Zoning Map Amendment for compliance with M.G.L. c. 40A, Section 3A Multi-family zoning as-of-right in MBTA communities b. Article 2: Zoning Bylaw Amendment for Mandatory Mixed Use in the Milton/Central Station Subdistrict c. Article 3: Transfer of Various Parcels of Land to the Conservation Commission d. Article 4: School Building Committee Appropriation e. Article 5: Amend the FY2024 Budget f. Article 6: Bylaw to Require Recording and Posting of Meetings of Elected Public Bodies g. Article 7: Bylaw to Establish a Local Historic District Commission and the Milton Village Local Historic District h. Article 8: Citizen's Petition to Transfer Pope's Pond (Map C, Block 34A, Lot 4) to the care, custody, and control of the Conservation Commission 10. Select Board Finance Committee Report a. Request for ARPA Funding: Fiber to the Home Master Plan b. Request for ARPA Funding: Additional School Bus for School Year 2023/2024 11. OPEB Policy Second Reading 12. Letter to the Environmental Protection Agency and Mass. Department of Environmental Protection re: Comments on Draft Permit No. MA 0103284 13. – Milton Landing Committee a. Select Board Landing Committee Initiatives b. Charge/Composition of the Select Board Landing Committee c. Winter Boat Storage d. Harbor Master 14. - Adoption of Written Procedures for Designer Selection, in accordance with M.G.L. c. 7C, §§ 44-58 15. – Town Meeting Member Communications 16. Discussion – Town Forum regarding the impact of Middle East Violence on Milton residents 17. Chamber of Commerce -Holiday Stroll – Saturday, December 2, 2023 a. Application to Use Manning Park b. One Day Liquor License 18. One Day Liquor License – Milton Art Center - 334 Edge Hill Road: Saturday, November 25, 2023 – Homecoming Comedy Event 19. Thank you letter to Driscoll Landscaping 20.– Meeting Minutes – September 19, 2023, September 26, 2023 21. Town Administrator's Report 22. Chair's Report 23. Public Comment Response 24. Future Meeting Dates – Tuesday, November 28, 2023, Monday, December 4, 2023, Monday, December 11, 2023, Tuesday, December 12, 2023 and Tuesday, December 19, 2023 25. Future Agenda Items 26. Executive Session:  – Discussion/Approval Release of Executive Session Minutes dated 6/29/2022, 10/5/2022, 12/6/2022, 1/18/2023, 3/7/2023, and 9/5/2023 related to the Town's litigation against the FAA and Executive Session Minutes dated 2/7/2023 related to an Open Meeting Law Complaint filed by Philip Johenning on January 18, 2023 against the Milton Select Board 27. Executive Session:– Discussion/Strategy with respect to litigation (Risa King et al. v. Patricia Lio, Town of Milton, Milton Police Department, John E. King) 28. Executive Session:  – Discussion/Strategy with respect to threatened litigation against the Town by a Town Employee 29. Adjourn

In Massachusetts, there are 9,000 young people in the foster care system, and 50,000 engaged with the Department of Children and Families. These students face a unique set of challenges, and in today's episode, Jill and Ross are joined by the leaders of two organizations at the forefront of helping them succeed. Lauren Baker, Former First Lady of Massachusetts, is the Founder and CEO of the Wonderfund, a nonprofit that supports youth engaged with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Shaheer Mustafa is the President and CEO of Hopewell, the Commonwealth's largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive foster care and wraparound support. Lauren and Shaheer join us to discuss the challenges these students face and how schools and communities can best support their most vulnerable students. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has a new leader, from inside its ranks. Monica Tibbits-Nutt has officially been appointed to the position, after nearly two months serving as the department's interim secretary and chief executive.

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO Immediate Past President and Alaska Chief Medical Officer, raises the alarm on the need for new attention to the rising number of syphilis cases in the U.S.; Stephanie Doyle, Deputy Director for the Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, describes how Massachusetts agencies are collaborating on a Medicaid 1115 waiver; and Shelby Rowell, ASTHO Senior Analyst, joined colleagues in producing a technical package for members exploring ways to boost their Community Health Worker programs. Boston Globe Article: Syphilis, the ‘Great Pretender,' is back ASTHO Report: Strengthening the Role of Public Health Agency Officials in the Health Safety Net System Massachusetts Webpage: The Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, also known as Title V Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Webpage:The Role of State and Territorial Health Agencies in Supporting and Hiring Community Health Workers ASTHO Webpage: Careers At ASTHO  

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, says local agency partnerships are key to the success of new public health performance standards; Allison Nickrent, Director of Governmental Affairs at the Illinois Department of Public Health, discusses a recent roundtable meeting with a group of state senators; the first of an ASTHO four-part series titled “Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception” is this week; and ASTHO looks forward to continuing its work with Marcus Samo, Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Affairs for the Federated States of Micronesia. Massachusetts Department of Public Health Press Release: Massachusetts public health officials announce performance standards for local public health  Illinois Department of Public Health Webpage ASTHO Webinar: Implementation of Pharmacist Prescribed Contraception – Key Policy Considerations ASTHO Webpage: Member Bio – Marcus Samo ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed  

Kaleb Roedel, News Reporter at KUNR Public Radio, reacts to a recent Pew survey that documents extremely high suicide rates among Native Americans and Alaska Natives; and Stephanie Doyle, Deputy Director for the Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Madi Wachman, Director of Parent, Child, and Family Policy at MassHealth with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, says agencies in Massachusetts are working together to help improve health while utilizing the state's 1115 waiver. KUNR News Article: Native Americans, Alaska Natives see big spike in suicide rates Pew Webpage: Suicide Is an Urgent Public Health Issue in America CDC Webpage: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month! Massachusetts Webpage: Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform Massachusetts Foundation Webpage: The MassHealth Demonstration Extension 2022–2027 – Building on Success, Focusing on Equity ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed  

In the studio today are Joan Phillips, Assistant Commissioner at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and Michelle Banks, DIF Strategic Director for MRC.   Find out how MRC is turning VR on its head. What would they do differently in the first year, and what results would they see after year 2? Learn about the success of the job certification program, and how they are meeting the "NextGen-ers" where they are at.   Hear how  Joan and Michelle encourage others to take on a DIF Grant to help bring more innovation and creative ideas to VR.   Learn more about the NextGen Initiative.   Listen Here   Full Transcript:   {Music}   Joan: If you are committed to this field, please apply for a DIF grant. Bring your ideas forward so we can infuse the future of VR with new energy and achieve more outcomes for individuals with disabilities who come to us, really depending on us, to help them make life changing decisions.   Michelle: We're moving more and more young adults into trainings. We've developed training partnerships in technology, in health care. We're trying to forge our way into biotech.   Joan: I'm always challenging staff. What else? How else?   Intro Voice: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the Manager Minute. Joining me in the studio today are Joan Phillips, assistant commissioner at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and Michelle Banks, DIF strategic director for MRC. So, Joan, how are things going at MRC?   Joan: Things are going really well. We are extremely busy working hard to ensure that the individuals who come to us seeking employment have every opportunity to get the training and to be upskilled and to gain employment. We are very, very busy but very happy.   Carol: Well, and of course, under Tony, she keeps you very busy because Tony's got a lot of great ideas. I love that.   Joan: She's got a lot of energy, more than all of us, that's for sure.   Carol: How about you, Michelle? How are things going for you?   Michelle: Good, busy is the word. Our project is well underway. Got a lot of participants. We've got a lot of interested folks and a lot of optimism for what we're about to achieve here. So it's going well.   Carol: I'm super excited to dig into this because I know our listeners have been really excited. And so this is the third podcast in a series focused on the Disability Innovation Fund career advancement projects. And I want to just do a little quick recap for our listeners about this particular round of the Disability Innovation Fund grants. So grant activities are geared to support innovative activities aimed at improving the outcomes of individuals with disabilities. And the Career Advancement Initiative model demonstrations funded back in 2021 were intended to identify and demonstrate practices that are supported by evidence to assist VR eligible individuals with disabilities, including previously served VR participants in employment who reenter the program to do the following. And it was to advance in high demand, high quality careers like science, technology, engineering, and math or those STEM careers, to enter career pathways in industry driven sectors through pre apprenticeships, registered apprenticeships and industry recognized apprenticeship programs to improve and maximize the competitive integrated outcomes, economic self-sufficiency, independence and inclusion in society and reduce reliance on public benefits like SSI, SSDI and or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and any state or local benefits. Also, when we think back, Congress made career pathways a necessary, if not foundational, part of WIOA's workforce reforms and states, for example, are required to include career pathways and workforce development systems. They're required to have them in their local plans that they have. So it's been really fun because each of the other agencies that we featured to date has taken a really uniquely Different approach, and I'm excited to unpack what's happening with you all. So, Joan, I'm going to start with you. Tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and how you got into VR.   Joan: I actually have a master's degree in rehabilitation, but spent a significant amount of my career working in the private sector. I feel that those experiences really informed my positions that I've held at MRC. I came in as a director of one of our local offices, and four years later I was promoted to Assistant Commissioner. So that's a little glimpse into my journey. I have significant experience in Workforce Development, disability determination to determine eligibility for disability benefits, working with young adults with disabilities, individuals with severe physical disabilities. And I'm very fortunate to be in this career.   Carol: Well, it's always fun to see how people make their way to VR. We all get here some way. It can be a long and winding road sometimes, or a very direct path in. So Michelle, how about you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself?   Michelle: Sure, mine might reflect a long, winding part when it comes to Vocational Rehabilitation, but I've spent my career working with young adults. I started in the health care sector and then moved to juvenile justice. And then spent about 20 years in public child welfare, and I was the director of Adolescent and Young Adult Services for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, where I was helping the agency pursue transition related outcomes, one of them being employment with a group of young adults who were going to leave the public child welfare system without returning home or being adopted. So they had their lives, were calling for an enormous amount of independence, saw a lot of inequity when it came to economic stability, and could see a lot of pathways in things that could be done differently. I had worked with MRC a bit in that role and saw what they were doing, and when I realized that they got this funding to help young adults in particular, really try to have gratifying career pathways that were going to help them achieve economic stability in ways that many of their peers have the opportunity to do. I jumped right on it. So that's how I landed with MRC and have been excited to be working in this role ever since.   Carol: Very cool. So you're well positioned for the role you're in now. That is great. So, Joan, can you paint us a picture of MRC? Like how many staff do you have? How many people do you serve? A little bit more about what it's like in Massachusetts.   Joan: Yeah. So the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission provides services that break down barriers and empower people with disabilities to live life on their own terms. Our programs focus on career services, home and community life, and disability determination for federal benefit programs. We like to say that we're change agents and community builders, and we put the people we serve at the heart of everything we do. I'm the Assistant Commissioner of the Vocational Rehabilitation Division. That division serves over 15,000 individuals annually. We have over 300 staff, which includes directors of our local offices, regional managers, statewide managers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, placement and employment specialists, counselors for the deaf and hard of hearing, various clerical positions, supervisors. And hopefully I haven't missed anyone. The NextGen initiative, which you'll hear about, has some broad and some interesting staffing positions that we hope will inform VR moving forward in the future, and you'll hear more about that later.   Carol: So just a side note, I wondered, how are you guys faring kind of coming out of the pandemic? Are you seeing an upswing in the number of people that you're serving?   Joan: Absolutely. The numbers are increasing in terms of the numbers being served and also the numbers of individuals who are getting employment. We had a downswing during the pandemic, but now it's moving in the right direction and we're really excited to see that.   Carol: Good, that's good to hear. Been kind of hearing that trend across the country and I'm super happy about that. Well, I know your commissioner, Tony Wolf. I think she's amazing. She's done a lot of very cool things. She comes with a whole interesting background as well. And I know she's been super supportive and I feel like is always on the cutting edge of improving services. Talk about the support you've received from Tony and kind of throughout your agency for this project.   Joan: Her vision is really to modernize our organization, to modernize the Voc rehab divisions, to be relevant to this generation and future generations of individuals with disabilities. So we're all aligning ourselves. I said earlier, she's got much more energy than all of us combined. So we're trying to keep up with her and her ideas and moving forward.   Carol: Very cool. So, Michelle, big picture. Let's break down the grant. What do you propose to do with this grant? And what are you hoping to accomplish?   Michelle: So in this grant cycle we are looking to get 1000 NextGen-ers. So young adults 18 to 30 years old with disabilities into career pathways that are STEM related. We're going to do that in a few different ways, but our goal is to really open their minds to see how they can be successful in STEM careers, help them develop the tools that they're going to need to make the right career decision for them, understand how they can be successful and happy, and really achieve that economic stability that you were talking about and I was talking about earlier. It's an Innovation grant. So we're doing things differently than they've been done in the past. One of the things that we're doing is we have a learning experience that we provide to all of our NextGen-ers, and it's called Self CARES. Self CARES is an acronym, stands for Self-capacity self-advocacy, self-realization and Self Sufficiency. So it's really understanding. Ending who you are as a worker, what you want out of that, what your strengths and limitations are, what you're going to need to advocate for yourself once you become someone's employee and how you can work independently. And in NextGen, we don't see independence as being alone. We see it as accessing, first of all, having access to services, being able to access them, and harnessing the things that are available in your life to help you be successful at work. So that's our learning experience, Self CARES. And we also have these really creatively built teams looking at success in other sectors and within vocational rehabilitation itself that we've developed these roles within these teams. They include a peer mentor for every NextGener. The moment that they walk into our doors, we actually walk through their doors because we're community based, which is another innovative component. We have family partners, so the families of all of our NextGen-ers have a partner available to them on our team to ensure that their voice is NextGen-ers life and how they can contribute to a successful career. We also have employment success specialists, we have career counselors. We have specialty counselors for our NextGen-ers with sensory disabilities. We have a specialty counselor for blind low vision, NextGen-ers, and deaf hard of hearing NextGen-ers. And we have regional supervisors because we are based in these communities. We have three communities in the Commonwealth that we're serving right now as part of the grant. What's really different is these teams hold the NextGen-ers together, so it's not a 1 to 1 relationship. For example, with a counselor we're testing out, what is it like when you have these multi disciplines in they're all available to you. And we know that young adults like choice. So they choose who in this team is their team lead who they want to talk to, who they're going to return the text from. You know, who can get them where they want to be. But the rest of the team doesn't go away. They stay right there at the table to bring what they're disciplined forward and help move the young adult into work. Those are the main components of our program. I always look to Joan for a moment because she can fill in what I may have forgotten.   Joan: So NextGen is about quick wins. You know, we really want to help the young adults focus on those certificate programs and apprenticeships that are short term. They're not. We're not talking about putting people into a degree program, but a certificate program where there is a demand in the market sector for those skills and that they have a high probability of obtaining employment, making higher wages.   Carol: I love that you're doing that, that focus on, you know, everybody always was thinking, you have to have this four year degree or you got to get your master's, you got to get your doctorate. You know, all that. That is not for everyone. And there are so many good careers out there where you just need this little bit, like this certificate or you do the apprenticeship. Lots of people learn better, hands on. I remember my son, one of his friends in high school is an apprentice to be a plumber. I'm like, Chase, he's going to make more money than everybody because everybody needs plumbers. And that was his thing. He doesn't want to go to school and do the book learning. He learns so much better via hands on. So I like that approach because everybody doesn't want to go to college.   Joan: Yeah, you know what's really interesting is that right now, because of employers being unable to fill so many positions, everybody is looking at their entrance requirements to say, do we really need somebody with a degree? Is this something that somebody could learn on the job? Is this something if they got a certificate in this particular area, would that be sufficient? So I think we're on the cutting edge. We're on the cutting edge of preparing young adults to meet the demands of the labor market. And we're really excited about this. The good news is that if somebody completes a certificate program, gets a job and decides they want a degree, many employers are paying for those degrees. So the young person doesn't have these huge debts that they need to pay back. So that's one of the exciting things about NextGen. And that's one of the things that we inform the participants about that you can get a degree later if you decide that that's a path that you want to take.   Carol: Well, your timing couldn't be more perfect. I mean, I really feel like the pandemic sort of set all this up where people kind of flipped employment on its ear, and people are starting to see that not everybody needs to go to college, and there's lots of different ways to achieve that kind of ultimate career goal that you want to get to. There's a lot of ways to get there. So I think your timing is spot on. So let's talk about the first year. What kind of struggles did you guys encounter? Because I've heard it from the other DIF grantees. They're like, you know, that first year we had some problems, but what kind of struggles did you encounter in year one and what would you have done differently?   Michelle: I think that we used the analogy building the plane as you're flying it a lot. We are very optimistic about reaching our goals. Five years is a very short time to pursue some of these things. So Joan was the crafter of the implementation strategy really, and implementing, you know, building the program, opening the program, staffing the program, delivering the service at the same time is a very rapid pace. So I think that the biggest challenge would be the pace. At the same time, we're asking our NextGen-ers to work really hard in a short period of time to get a big outcome. So we've got to be doing the same thing.   Joan: You know, it's really funny when you write something on paper. It looks so beautiful and. And somewhat easy you know. But then reality hits that you have to, you know, this is a program that's serving people and you need to be strategic around implementation. And how are you going to deliver what it is that you've promised your funders that you're going to deliver? You know, if there was one thing that I could, we spent a lot of time drafting job descriptions, hiring staff, training staff, setting up infrastructure. If there was one thing that I could change as we rolled into year two and began to do outreach and recruitment, I looked back and said, I wish we had done outreach and recruitment in the first year, with a timeline set as to when the program would start. You know, took us a while to get the momentum going for recruitment. We're actually exceeding recruitment goals right now, but it was very stressful in the beginning thinking we weren't going to meet that number.   Carol: So that's a really good tip because I know folks have said the first year is sort of a drag because of the government processes. You have to write your position description and get it approved, and then you've got to post and then you're going to hire. And so you're waiting, waiting, waiting to kind of get going with the program. And then year two, It's like, holy cow, pedal to the metal really quickly, where I love that idea of ramping up and making people aware of what's going on as you're getting these things done. So it isn't quite that just huge forcefulness that needs to happen right away in year two. That makes really good sense. So since you're saying your outreach is going really well, I was going to ask you, I know you guys have a really I call it a groovy way of talking, so I may date myself, but I love how you guys talk about this program because it's exciting. You know, I love your NextGen-ers. I like when you were talking about employee success specialists. Like, I want to be one of those, you know, that kind of cool stuff that you're doing. So how are you connecting with your potential customers? And I'm going to shoot that to you, Michelle.   Michelle: Yeah, we have had a really dynamic and exciting outreach and marketing campaign. I have to talk first about our digital and print collateral, because when we were at CSAVR last year, it just flew off the shelf. They were so impressed with it. They wanted it to take it back to their state and see how they could replicate it. Marketing to young adults. Young adults get marketed to a lot, right? They are exposed to things that new ideas and people that want their presence, their money, their time. So you have a lot of competition out there, and you have to think about what's going to get their attention. So we had a digital and print media campaign in multiple languages. We want to ensure that we are serving young adults that have been under engaged in the past, and that includes specific racial and ethnic demographics. So we needed to make sure that the imagery on this collateral looked like them, look like the people we wanted to come into our program with. So diverse representation, they're young adults. Some had visual disabilities in the print collateral. They were living their lives, you know, so that folks could see that and really see themselves represented. And then also in their languages as well. We have multiple languages, and then everything from like the colors that we use to the background we used. We lifted that from other media campaigns that were for young adults specifically that we knew were successful. So real intentionality in a lot of time was put into that and a great partnership with our coms team. They were there before I got to the table and were so excited to do this work, and it really came through and what they were able to produce. We also went to social media. We launched social media campaigns. On Tik Tok reached close to 1500 views on that. We went to Facebook and Instagram, but we knew our demographic was really on Instagram and TikTok, so that was our area of focus. We did dynamic reels for them, and then we also just did what you would call like a flat still photograph, you know, using our digital media. So we're able to reach a lot of people that way. Then we went out every time we hired somebody and they were trained on the program, we put them out into the community to go find young adults, families and the systems that serve them. So we established partnerships with health and human service sister agencies serving our demographic as well as high schools were a great partner for us. We used some contracted services so that we could harness other relationships that were in the community. Cultural brokers, any type of neighborhood event, community event we were out at trying to we knew that the power wasn't speaking directly to young adults and directly to families, so that was always our focus. And multilingual capacity is really important there as well.   Carol: Yeah, I remember your materials flying off the table. People were like, holy cow, it is, it's like you've brought this whole fresh perspective into VR.   Michelle: Just one more thing. If anybody's listening that was of a huge assistance to us was a QR code on our print material. I just wanted to share that our potential NextGen-ers or their families could scan the QR code came directly to our landing page in a one page inquiry sheet.   Carol: You would now be proud of me because I saw that I was like, so we now have QR codes we're using on everything. So we do if we're doing evaluations, we go anywhere. We use a QR code instead of like, we're sending you this paper evaluation. We're just like we do the QR code. In fact, at our table coming up at the conference, I have QR codes that folks can just scan to get to our resources instead of like, dragging a bunch of paper along. So you're starting a revolution, you guys. It's awesome, I love it. So what kind of results are you seeing now that year two is completed? I think Michelle go to you first.   Michelle: We're moving more and more young adults into trainings. We've developed training partnerships in technology, in health care. We're trying to forge our way into biotech. So our NextGen-ers are coming in at the younger side around 22. So a lot of them do not have significant work history and have never heard of these fields before. They didn't get a lot of exposure to that in their high school experience. So we're doing a lot of career exploration and helping them into these trainings. We're doing some cohort trainings with some partners. So these are just NextGen-ers that we're able to hold together, serve as a group, give them peer support, give them support outside of the training or academics that are happening for them. And we're getting a lot of feedback on how to do that effectively with them. They don't like to meet in the morning. They don't want to meet after dinner. You've lost them permanently. But and they like individualized support. So as they're in these trainings, it's great and very helpful to them to meet as groups and peers. But they also want to be able to privately ask a question if they're struggling with any material, or maybe not quite sure this is a good fit for them. So needing to be really available to really understand what these trainings are, what is being asked of them, and then being able to provide that support. And if we can't provide it, connecting with the training provider to help them understand what the student experience is as well. And we've got some young adults moving into work as well. We again needed to open their minds to STEM careers. And sometimes when you've had no career or no job, you need to start somewhere. So we are looking a lot at some folks that are heading to work in. Our work is nowhere near done, right? They're getting their first job and they're learning what they like and what they don't like there. But the idea is to move more towards a career focused pathway.   Carol: Yeah. Very cool. That's the thing about demonstration projects you learn along the way, which I love, like you're learning little nuances, especially when you're working with that age group. Like, yeah, like after dinner you can and not too early in the morning. You're like all those different pieces, the ways you think you have it set up, and then you go, well, that didn't work so well. We're going to pivot. Joan, did you have some thoughts on that too?   Joan: Yeah, I was just going to say one exciting thing for me is employers engaging with us differently. For example, we have Red River who really stepped up and said we would love to offer an IT training for some of your participants who are interested in that field and their staff delivering the training for these young adults. And the hope is that, you know, many of them will get employment with Red River and other organizations. They brought Cisco and others to the table. And, you know, the opportunities. You know, if these individuals succeed in this area, it's wide. It's wide, wide open. Employer engagement. Also involves coming to talk to the young adults about different jobs in STEM, what it's like to work for their organizations, and etcetera. So it's beautiful to see the employers engaging at that level and who else to give relevant information but the employers.   Carol: Yeah, that's brilliant.   Joan: I walked into one of our conference rooms the other day, and there were 20 young people just focused on taking computers apart, and they didn't even notice me walking in the room. They were so engaged in the process. It was just, just beautiful. Just beautiful.   Carol: I think that's super smart, you know, because we can do it. You sit there and you go, well, you've got your counselors and they're talking about different jobs, but nothing better than people in that field. That particular company. And those companies are smart for hooking up with you guys too, because they have such a need for staff. And so that partnership, like the partnerships you're developing all the way through this, that's amazing. It's very cool. Joan, now I know you talk to me too, about your philosophy when it comes to VR. Can you share that with our listeners? You have some very cool perspective, and I know I can't, I can't say it like you say it.   Joan: Yeah, I've been in the field for a really, really long time, and my greatest desire is to see individuals with disabilities in high level, higher paying jobs. It's time for us to move out of retail flowers and filth. And I can't remember the other half, but, you know,   Carole: Food.   Joan:  and food services. Yes. It's time for us to move there. And I'm extremely excited to see where these NextGen-ers end up as we focus them on potentially jobs and careers that they've never heard of. You know, it's about exposing them to that. I'm always challenging staff. What else? How else? When I came to Mass Rehab, I was very surprised that our organization had been around for about 50 years and that the business community didn't know about us. I'm saying to myself, how are we getting people to work? And the types of jobs that people were getting really demonstrated that we were not connected to the business community. So it was my vision to drive that connection, to hire staff specifically focused on building relationships with the business community, nurturing those relationships, bringing information back to the counselors who are giving the advice around careers, and really developing a feeder system by having individuals who are managing business accounts, who speak their language, you know, who understand their culture and can help us to become much more innovative in preparing the individuals we serve and building the talent pipeline for the employers.   Carol: Good on you. I love that you speak to my heart. I know back when I was at State Services for the Blind in Minnesota and we were trying to expose our Pre-ETS students, that's why we started podcasts. Back then. We wanted to expose students to other kinds of work out there, because a lot of times our young folks who were blind or visually impaired, they just thought, I'm going to be a Walmart greeter. I can't do anything else. And it's like they had no idea I would cry, literally when we would do these student interviews and when people would kind of sell themselves short. It really hit my heart. And so the world is wide open. There's so many awesome opportunities that our folks can fill, you know, and you champion that I think is just brilliant.   Joan: Yeah, I mean, young adults with disabilities need to know that individuals with disabilities are CEOs. They are CFOs. They are IT professionals. You know, they're in the medical field. They're doctors, nurses, firemen. I mean, they're in every business sector. And I really believe that it is our job as VR professionals to expose those individuals to those careers and to really help them to think about their abilities. And, you know, what they have to bring to the table and how can we help them? Our job is to help them make informed decisions. Right? So we need to be informed about the labor market so that the information that we're transferring to these young adults is relevant to the current labor market. I think the NextGeneration of individuals with disabilities are not going to put up with working in a supermarket, bagging groceries. They want to be doing things that give them a great salary and offer them career ladder opportunities. And we're starting with NextGen.   Carol: They're going to be running that grocery store. They're not just bagging the groceries.   Joan: There you go.   Carol: They're going to own it. They're going to own that store. I love that. So, Joan, I know you also talked about the support you've had from RSA. Can you describe that for the listeners with this grant that there's been just really great support?   Joan: Doug Ziou has been an incredible supporter and a great cheerleader of MRC. I mean, everything we bring to the table, he's just. Yes. Do it. Yes. Do it. Very, very supportive, asking great questions, challenging us in ways that we need to be challenged but extremely, extremely supportive. And we're truly grateful that we have Doug on our side.   Carol: Yeah, I've heard that with all the project officers, I mean, like, they are super excited and really invested in these grants. It's almost like it's their babies or something. And they just love this so much. I'm really glad to hear that. Michelle, did you have anything you wanted to add to that?   Michelle: No, I was nodding. I realized this is a podcast, but I was just nodding furiously as Joan was talking. Working with Doug has just been such a pleasure, and you never get off a call with him without just feeling completely pumped about what you're about to go do and see all the possibility in it, because, you know, he does.   Carol: Yeah, I like that. They really cheerlead for that. So for those listeners that would like to apply for a DIF grant but have been afraid to do so, what advice would you give to others? Michelle. I'm going to hit you up with that first.   Michelle: I think that engaging potential employer partners, stakeholders, families are critical in not just the design and implementation phase, but hanging on to those partners, remembering what they told you in the beginning, revisiting that to give them a feedback loop on how you're incorporating their ideas to keep their partnership going, even when it's like, hey, remember you said that maybe you thought you could take on a few NextGen-ers in your organization? We're there now, keeping in contact, revisiting conversations. You know, I think that in a lot of grants, we bring our stakeholders to the table when we're applying for the funding and maybe even right when we first get it. And then we let them go away a little bit. So keep them there, keep them in the conversation. Update them on how things are progressing. Continue to ask questions. The world is different than it was two years ago, so our questions should be different as well. So that we're staying current in that partnership is staying current. And I can't stress family engagement enough and how powerful it is with young adults. Most family engagement models were born to serve children, and our young adults continue to have the bulk of their support come from their family members. I think everybody through the life course has the bulk of their support come through their family members. So why would you not have their voice at the table? Why would you not have their ideas? Why would you not consult with them on the course that you're setting with the NextGener, or because they have a lot of insight to share, they have a lot of resources to offer. So continuing that conversation in as well with that very unique set of stakeholders I would recommend.   Carol: Yeah, well said. Joan, any advice you have for our listeners?   Joan: Yeah. I mean, if you are nervous about applying for a grant, this is what I say. Are you an innovative thinker? Are you tired of VR the way it is and you would like to see change? Then I say go for it. VR needs some inspiration, some new strategies to move to the next level. If you are committed to this field, please apply for a DIF grant. Bring your ideas forward so we can infuse the future of VR with new energy and achieve more outcomes for individuals with disabilities who come to us, really depending on us, to help them make life changing decisions. I just want to share a story of a young adult who worked with MRC. He came to us, he was working in a pizza establishment, and he heard about our job driven training in cybersecurity. He applied even though he wasn't sure that that's an area that he could succeed in, graduated the top of the class, and is now earning over $80,000 a year. We want to replicate that 1000 times over with NextGen, and I would love for VR nationally to replicate that story. We want people to make wages that they can live on, that they can support a family on, that they can purchase a home or a car or, you know, live in a nice apartment. We want people to get off of Social Security disability benefits. That is buying into a lifetime of poverty. So we're depending on people with innovative and creative ideas to make that change. Don't be afraid of a DIF, grant. Jump in with both feet and let's make change happen for voc rehab.   Carol: Hear hear, you guys are going to turn VR on its head for sure, I love it. So Michelle, what would be the best way for our listeners to contact you if they wanted to follow up with any questions or like to see any information?   Michelle: Absolutely, we have a landing page. It's very impressive. I think it has this component where you can see videos of all of our NextGen staff. We did that for young adults to be able to check us out in the way that they like to check people out before they engage with them. It's https://www.mass.gov/nextgen-careers and anybody could email me any time MichelleBanks2, the number two, @mass.gov.   Carol: Excellent. You guys have been awesome. I'm so excited and I'm really hoping to check back in with you in a couple of years. As you get further along in the journey, maybe we can do a little repeat podcast and go like, hey, everybody is making they're not making 80,000 Joan. People are making 100 grand and these guys are living their best life. It is happening, I love it. Thank you both so much for participating in this podcast today. Appreciate it.   Joan: Thank you so much.   Michelle: Thank you.   {Music} Outro Voice: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!

    Naysa Woomer is the former Communications Director for George Santos. Prior to this, Naysa was the Communications Specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the Communications Director for the Massachusetts Republican Party. She also had the opportunity to work in the Massachusetts Governor's Office under Charlie Baker. She holds a BA in Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and attended the Human Rights and Comparative Politics program at the University of Oxford.   Naysa joins me today to share her experience working as a communications director for New York's 3rd congressional district, George Santos. She outlines the false claims George Santos has made about his biography, family background, and education. She also discusses how she cares for her well-being amid a dynamic and intense environment like the political arena and shares her future goals.   “The one thing I've learned with time is that you have to cut yourself off at some point; it can wait tomorrow. When the day's over and you go home, give yourself peace for your own mental health.” - Naysa Woomer   This week on Political Contessa:   The George Santos fiasco and the importance of vetting candidates George Santos' lies about his education and family background Kellan Curry challenging George Santos in the Republican primaries The difference between George Santos and Anna Delvey Operation Murder Board and attempting to create Congressman George George Santos' indictment and Naysa's resignation as Communications Director What's next for Naysa after serving as a communications director and public servant Kevin McCarthy's ouster and its implications Matt Gates dealing with Democrats to oust McCarthy Nancy Pelosi and her leadership as Speaker of the House The importance of integrity and leadership in the political arena   Connect with Naysa Woomer:   Naysa Woomer on LinkedIn   Awaken Your Inner Political Contessa   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Political Contessa. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Spotify I Stitcher I Apple Podcasts I iHeart Radio I TuneIn I Google Podcasts   Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. And if you've ever considered running for office – or know a woman who should – head over to politicalcontessa.com to grab my quick guide, Secrets from the Campaign Trail. It will show you five signs to tell you you're ready to enter the political arena.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Crawlspace Media's Tim Pilleri, Lance Reenstierna, and Jennifer Amell speak about the disappearance of Michelle Marie Ashley Nicolaou from Holyoke, Massachusetts on November 1st, 1988. Signup for the 5k on October 8th, 2023 in Reading, Massachusetts: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Reading/RunForTheMissing Check out our Missing subscription service where we have a bonus show and ad-free episodes! Find us on Apple Podcasts or on Supporting Cast: https://missing.supportingcast.fm/ If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Michelle Marie Ashley Nicholaou, please contact: The Holyoke Police department at 413-322-6940 or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of State Police at 508-820-2129. Sources: https://charleyproject.org/case/michelle-marie-ashley-nicholaou https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/22818?nav https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2355dfma.html www.newspapers.com www.ancestry.com https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2010/01/24/killer-s-son-finds-solace/51728897007/ https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ma-michelle-ashley-nicholaou-22-holyoke-nov-dec-1988.103835/ https://www.crimescenecleanup.com/connecticut-river-valley-killer/ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tampabaytimes/name/terrin-bowman-obituary?id=10258933 Main Theme by Kevin Macleod. Check out his work at https://incompetech.com/. Additional music by David Williams. See his work at http://williamsflutes.com. Follow Missing: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@missingcsm Twitter: https://twitter.com/MissingCSM FB: https://www.facebook.com/MissingCSM IG: https://www.instagram.com/MissingCSM/ Check out our entire network at http://crawlspace-media.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode discusses suicide prevention and soul exhaustion with my guest, Sara Gaer. She is a suicide loss survivor and a Master's Level Clinician with twenty-four years' experience in the field of mental health care. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and I promise this episode is not gloom in doom. Surprisingly, it is actually about hope. Questions this episode will answer: Why suicide prevention matters? What are the most important things you can do to show up for someone in your life that you are worried about? What is soul exhaustion? You don't have to be someone dealing with suicide to learn something in this episode. Emotional support and self-care are essential to be better, do better, and live better.   Find Sara Gaer: https://sarahgaer.com/ Resources: Get your free Better Mental Health Affirmations: Affirmationbonus.com About Sara Gaer: Sarah Gaer is a suicide loss survivor and a Master's Level Clinician with twenty-four years' experience in the field of mental health care. She is a proud alumna of Holyoke Community College Class of '98 and Antioch New England University Class of '09. Her graduate degree work was focused on military veterans and trauma. Sarah has worked as an outpatient clinician, on a crisis team, in residential settings both for those with chronic mental health challenges and substance use disorders and with youth. She led a team of crisis counselors following the June 1st, 2011 tornado in Western and Central MA through a FEMA Crisis Counseling Program (CCP) and was the Senior Team Leader for the FEMA-funded CCP responding to Covid-19 in Massachusetts. Since 2012, Sarah has worked as a Suicide Prevention Specialist focused on men in their middle years and public safety. She has trained hundreds of first responders in trauma, toxic stress reduction, and suicide prevention. Sarah is a QPR (Question, Persuade & Refer) Master Trainer for the QPR Institute. Sarah has been providing trauma response services throughout Massachusetts since 2009 and has responded to suicides, homicides, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and child fatalities. She has also worked with many families after their loss by suicide. Sarah is currently co-chair of the Pioneer Valley Coalition for Suicide Prevention and sits on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention. She is a consultant in suicide prevention and trauma recovery nationally and is spearheading long-term recovery efforts at a medical facility in Massachusetts that has been deeply impacted by the pandemic. She is also a consultant and trainer for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health CIT-TTAC Jail Diversion program specializing in Law Enforcement mental health and suicide prevention. Sarah is a mother of two, including her son who serves in the US Navy, and her daughter who will be attending UCONN. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and three Bernese Mountain Dogs, Mulligan, Keegan, and Malone. In her free time, she enjoys writing, camping (in an RV, absolutely no tents involved), and hiking with her dogs.

There are lots of books written by doctors aiming to help people manage mental illness or families help their loved ones — all from a purely medical perspective. But today's guest, NAMI's Dr. Ken Duckworth, wrote a book that, in part, shares the collected wisdom of regular people living with mental illness as well as the perspective of their family and friends. Join us as we discuss the National Alliance on Mental Illness's (NAMI) first book. Dr. Duckworth shares why it only makes sense that people who actually live with mental illness have probably learned a thing or two along the way. His new book, “You Are Not Alone,” is out now. To learn more -- or read the transcript -- visit the official episode page. Our guest, Ken Duckworth, MD, is the chief medical officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and has worked with NAMI since 2003. Ken is board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry, and is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He was previously acting commissioner and medical director at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Ken has worked on an assertive community treatment team, at an early psychosis program, an elementary school, a health plan, and with people who are unhoused. His passion for this work comes from his loving dad who had bipolar disorder. Ken lives with his family in Boston. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. nami.org | @namicommunicate Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can't imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every Friday on Crosstalk, news headlines are viewed from a biblical perspective with comments from listeners to follow. Here's a selection of featured stories-----A federal judge has denied the Biden administration's attempt to pause an injunction that bars federal officials from communicating with social media companies for the purpose of silencing protected speech.----The House of Representatives narrowly passed a defense bill that contains provisions seeking to gut the Pentagon's diversity, equity and inclusion and also the abortion agenda.----House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday said the Justice Department's slow investigation of Hunter Biden, followed by a plea deal to avoid prison time, smells like a cover-up under Attorney General Merrick Garland.----No fingerprints or DNA turned up on the bag of cocaine found in the lobby at the White House last week, despite a sophisticated FBI crime lab analysis. ----A new revelation has emerged. Twice in 2022, marijuana was found on White House property.----White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre snapped at a reporter last Friday over a question about a bag of cocaine found at the White House. Jim provided the audio. ----Jim also provided audio of Christopher Wray before a House committee where he was asked whether he's protecting the Biden family.---A newly released video highlights how the Massachusetts Department of Public Health allegedly colluded with Google to secretly install COVID tracking spyware on the smartphones of more than one million residents without their knowledge or consent.