America Amplified: Life, Community, and COVID-19

Public radio stations across the country team up each week and invite Americans to share their diverse experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. The call-in show provides insight into how communities are responding to this crisis and charting a new future.

Follow on

Episodes

How are we finding community during a pandemic?

The stay-at-home orders to curb the coronavirus pandemic have canceled sports, closed museums and moved church services online. These are all places where we have traditionally found community, and people have had to turn to other ways of creating that sense of communal experience. Hosts Brian Ellison of KCUR of Kansas City and Maiken Scott of WHYY in Philadelphia explore how different groups are still finding that connection during the pandemic. How are these groups adapting? How do they plan t...

May 31, 2020•49 min

Examining the future of health care

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on our health care system may be seen in more ways than in how we manage people with COVID-19. Since March, routine care, scheduled surgeries and wellness exams have been put mostly on hold or done via teleconference. Primary care physicians are at the front lines of care and can help identify issues before they develop into something more serious. Hosts Maiken Scott of WHYY in Philadelphia and Brian Ellison of KCUR in Kansas City discuss what the future of heal...

May 31, 2020•49 min

Our cancelled summer plans and the economic impact

With the cancellation of long-standing festivals, new rules at theme parks, and concerns over traveling, this summer will be like no other in recent memory. Hosts John Dankosky of New England Public Radio and Rose Scott of WABE in Atlanta discuss the loss of summer as we knew it. We look at the impact on towns that rely on summer tourism, the loss of summer jobs, and what all this means for the future. In addition to callers from across the country, our guests include: Lora Bottinelli , Executiv...

May 24, 2020•49 min

The pandemic's unequal toll on communities of color

A virus doesn’t discriminate, so why is it that communities of color have been more vulnerable to COVID-19? Hosts Rose Scott of WABE in Atlanta and John Dankosky of New England Public Radio examine how the coronavirus presents stark racial disparities. According to APM Research Lab, “black Americans represent 13% of the population in all U.S. areas releasing COVID mortality data, but they have suffered 25% of deaths.” Latino and Asian Americans have died at rates roughly equivalent to their popu...

May 24, 2020•49 min

Why the tension over face masks runs deeper than politics

Though the CDC now recommends everyone wear a cloth mask in public, it has changed its stance in the past. Hosts Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco and Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia peel back the complicated layers to the act of wearing a face mask. It's become a divisive political issue, leading to protests and complaints from residents who don’t want to wear them. For others, it’s a matter of personal safety that has nothing to do with health. Will black men be stereotyped for wearin...

May 17, 2020•50 min

Is there a way out of the unemployment crisis?

One of the most destructive effects of the coronavirus pandemic has been on jobs. Nationally, more than 36 million people have applied for unemployment benefits. Hosts Marty Moss-Coane of WHYY in Philadelphia and Mina Kim of KQED in San Francisco dive into the challenges facing those whose jobs may never return to pre-pandemic levels. Among the hardest hit: women and people of color who work in retail, hospitality, healthcare and education. What will the future hold for employees of these sector...

May 17, 2020•50 min

Can we provide effective mental health care during the pandemic?

In rural and already vulnerable regions of the country, mental health issues are challenging an already stressed health care system -- but also creating new coping techniques. Hosts Charity Nebbe of Iowa Public Radio and Gemma Gaudette of Boise State Public Radio look at how mental health professionals are helping those dealing with loneliness, anxiety, depression and more during the pandemic. What does the future hold for providing help to those with mental health disorders? Guests include: Chr...

May 10, 2020•50 min

Is the U.S. food supply chain in trouble?

Hosts Gemma Gaudette of Boise State Public Radio and Charity Nebbe of Iowa Public Radio take an inside look at the pandemic’s impact on our food system. For instance, what to do with all the turkeys? And pork farmers who have built their operations on efficiency are looking at a logjam of pigs ready to be processed. Plus, a look at the work environment like inside processing plants. As the country moves toward a post-shutdown life, what changes should farmers and producers make? And what should ...

May 10, 2020•49 min

What has the pandemic taught us about how we care for our seniors?

In Massachusetts, half of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred among nursing home residents, according to the AARP — and that’s just one of the many startling statistics about the virus’ deadly impact on this vulnerable population. Hosts John Dankosky of New England Public Radio and Brian Ellison of KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri, explore what the crisis has taught us about how we care for our seniors. You’ll hear from: Patricia McCreary, founder and owner of Margaret’s Place , a senior recreational...

May 03, 2020•50 min

Are we ready to reopen more businesses right now?

It’s May, and that means more states across America will begin lifting stay-at-home restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Are we, as a nation, ready for this? Hosts Brian Ellison of KCUR in Kansas City, Missouri, and John Dankosky of New England Public Radio explore the economic and emotional strife we’re facing. On the one hand, businesses that have been closed and people out of work need to restart. On the other, widespread testing and a vaccine are not yet ...

May 03, 2020•50 min

What's it like to be an "essential worker" while others are sheltering?

Rose Scott of Atlanta’s WABE and Mina Kim of San Francisco’s KQED get a better understanding of what life is like for the workers who have been defined as “essential.” These workers have been living with the fear of being exposed to the coronavirus while providing services -- from grocery store clerks to healthcare workers. Guests include Keith Parker, President and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia and former General Manager/CEO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; Mily Trevino, ...

Apr 26, 2020•47 min

Will K-12 school closures widen the education gap in America?

Mina Kim of San Francisco’s KQED and Rose Scott of Atlanta’s WABE explore what the nationwide school closures say about the future of our country’s education system. The sudden switch to distance learning highlights the country’s existing gaps in income, services, and technology. Will the ongoing measures to control the pandemic only widen the gaps or can we find solutions to the problems? You'll hear from Kamau Bobb, Global Lead for Diversity Strategy and Research at Google and the founding Sen...

Apr 25, 2020•48 min

Introducing "America Amplified: Life, Community, and COVID-19"

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the daily realities of how we work, interact, and function as a society. In many ways, it feels like we’re farther apart than ever. To make sense of it all, public radio stations across the country are teaming up for this unique talk show series. The weekly program will help Americans step back and share our diverse — yet collective — experiences toward charting a new future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Apr 18, 2020•1 min

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android

Open in Metacast