Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting you this week.
Here's many Munios.
And welcome to another edition of Iheartradios Communities. As you heard, I am Manny Munyo's They say that knowledge is power. That's true no matter what you're talking about, but especially if you're trying to raise awareness about important issues affecting our communities, our country, and our world. Along those lines, it's bringing someone to discuss one of those issues domestic violence, sexual assault, issues that stunningly affect one in three women globally.
More important the effort to end those things in our society. Jane Randall is co founder of No More. You can find out more about the group at no moore dot org. Jane, thanks for sharing some time with us.
Thank you, thanks for being here, Thanks for being here.
Thanks for having me, Thanks thanks for sharing the time.
Let me start off by asking about more the idea to begin this group to bring attention to those issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.
How did it begin? Where did it come from?
It came from the brain of me and my co founder. I had been doing work in the corporate sector on this and realized that what domestic and sexual violence were really facing was a marketing issue, meaning other issues diseases, breast cancer, drunk driving, other things had sort of bigger marketing campaigns around them that helped drive awareness, but this issue in particular was so hard for people to talk about, especially then this was formed. I started this about fifteen
years ago, so you can imagine it. Really, it's really changed dramatically since then. And we got together all the domestic and sexual violence organizations and national organizations and came together and said we want to do this, and worked with them to create the symbol and the message of no More, and then we've been running it since.
The numbers are pretty stunning.
I mean they vary from from group to group, but twelve million Americans affected one way or another by domestic violence sexual assault. Forty one percent of women twenty six percent of men have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Why do you think this issue wasn't getting the attention of some of the others, As you mentioned.
I think it makes people. I know it makes people very uncomfortable. We live in a society where we're sort of taught to mind their own business and not get involved, and you know that is changing a bit. But there's all sorts of stories of people, you know, hearing things
going on next door and not saying anything. There's a very famous PSA of a couple in bed and they are hearing all this noise and fighting and crashing from next door, and you see the guy reach over and you think he's going to pick up the phone, and he just turns out the light. And so these issues need to be normalized. We need to normalize this conversation,
which we've come a long way about it. But if you want to stop domestic and sexual violence, you need to start young, and you need to start educating kids. And the best people do that aside from schools, are parents or people who are important in their lives. So we really want to get the message out around that.
Well, let's talk about some of those challenges that you found in combating that.
I don't know about it.
Fear is the right word, but the lack of people wanting to take a stand and address these issues, you know.
It steers a good word actually, and just discomfort it. First of all, anytime you have something with sex in it it makes people uncomfortable. Yeah, I know that sounds ridiculous when you talking about sexual violence, but you know, I took this on. This is an issue in my company that my company had taken on years many years ago, and Corporate America has played a big role in a lot of ways on domestic and sexual violence awareness and education.
But it doesn't change the fact that we as a society from the ground up, need to be more comfortable talking about these issues. Be more comfortable approaching a colleague that you think maybe in an abusive relationship, a friend,
a neighbor. You know, we're all so afraid that someone's going to get mad at us, or that we're going to be embarrassed right like you're and we're going to just feel we're just going to feel humiliated by even approaching someone, So we don't and you know, there's lots of ways to approach people that will not make them feel on the defensive, not put you on, you know, make you feel uncomfortable, and just show that you care.
There's all sorts of stories of I just remember this one story of a woman who was experiencing domestic violence, and you can it's sometimes it's very evident in the workplace if someone is dealing with that at home, and she said someone her supervisor, someone stopped her and just asked her, how are you, but like very genuinely, not of passing, how you're doing that?
How are you?
And she didn't respond, but she said later that it meant someone cared and that was enough for her. And people who are in abusive relationships in particular are often very isolated. That's one way that the abuser gains that power and control. And so if you are isolated from family and friends and colleagues and someone's constantly putting you down and constantly telling you you're worthless and stupid and all of those horrific things, you begin to believe it.
You believe it.
Because you have nobody else who's going to tell you differently.
Yeah, and I always say, you never really know what is going on between those four walls. I mean, we hear about it all the time in the news that were the perfect family. I never would have imagined this happening to them. So it's kind of hard to figure this. So how do you get past that? How do you make people realize that we're all you know, we're all fathers. We're all sons, we all have mothers and daughters and sisters and people that we love.
That could be affected by this.
How do we get past that hesitancy to actually reach out and see if somebody is okay, somebody is being affected by these issues, doing exactly.
What we're doing right now, having conversations, having public discussion about it. I am a huge fan of educating kids from the time they're little, not obviously about domestic and sexual violence per se, but about creating boundaries and friendship in their friendships, respect, conflict resolution, teaching kids early what they can want and expect in a relationship. And if you can do that broadly, then you create people who
want who are reaching towards healthy relationships. I also think that talking about healthy relationship as opposed to sort of the darkness and the worst part of everything allows people to accept the information better. It's less scary, maybe it
feels less judgmental. And so it's doing a lot of that, and there's a lot of educations, a lot of different organizations along with no more that work to educate, you know, from kids through high school, college and beyond around healthy relationships and what that looks like and then also help you you sort of raise it, but then also teaching
about healthy manhood and what that looks. A Call to Men is an ally organization of ours, and they spend a lot of time talking about healthy manhood, what that means and what it doesn't mean, and it's really I've had the privilege of watching them through their sessions, and it's been amazing to watch sort of people in the audience like get it, you know, like wait a minute, you know, I'm allowed to feel fear, I'm allowed to feel anger, and I'm allowed to feel sad Like all
of these feelings are okay. They don't all have to be child into anger. Right, you can be angry, but sometimes a lot of times anger is fear or sadness.
It's okay on many different levels, isn't it. It's okay.
Yes, it's okay to feel and that's really for men and and then you know, but it is very much with no more.
You know.
One thing that is special about us, frankly, is that we're global, and there aren't that many in facts, there aren't any global domestic and sexual violence organizations, and that is huge because we have chapters in you know, Cameroon and Ecuador and all these different places around the world and growing, and certainly the UK says no More, Australia says no More. And that's the no More, the no More slogan, the no More image, the no More symbol
was created to allow people to rally around it. It was created as an open source branding program, right, so that you know, we'll we'll create the equity, we'll do a lot of the work, but anybody can use it. I remember taking one of my kids around to look at collegism. I would just see no More programs on campuses really that I didn't know were there. Yeah, that was pretty cool.
Yeah.
The other thing, just one one last thing quick. We also have a global directory, so it's the only global directory in the world that is a directory of all domestic and sexual violence organizations around the world, so that if you're somewhere, if someone's when your listeners is traveling and god hopefully they don't need it, but if they need information, they can go to find them. Go to no More dot org and find the directory and get some help.
A few more minutes here with Jane Randell, Cole, founder of No More, you can find out more about the group at no More dot org. How do you measure or can you measure the effectiveness of these campaigns, these initiatives, these public service announcements.
That you make.
You know, metrics are always really hard, especially when you're talking about you know, sort of soft stuff right like it's you know, messaging like this as opposed to an ad where you can really tell, you know, cricks or how many people buy the product. You know, It's very interesting because for years people would say, you know, so you're doing all this work, and you know, are the
numbers going down? And the truth is that when you have an incident or when you do a big campaign, what you see are numbers of calls to hotlines going up because it's giving people permission, making them aware that they're not you know again at the services and not alone. There's people out there to help them. So that's always sort of this weird thing that people are like, oh, you know, you're doing all this work, it must be
going down, right and sure not. But but what shows actually is more people reaching out for help, which is what we want, but we really are there is focused on prevention.
Do you find that it's a cultural thing? Do you find that in countries where women are respected more, there is a lower incidence of domestic violence and sexual assault, because it almost feels like it's a cultural thing here in our country where it's always been, you know, the woman was the homemaker and she was, you know, there to take care of the man and the whole muchiesmo thing. And obviously that's changed over the generations. We don't look
at it the same way. And lord knows, I couldn't even attempt to do with the things that my wife or my mother has done and raising our families and running the households. But there was a long time where we didn't have the same respect for women in our country that we did for men.
You know, that's a really interesting question, and there are definitely many, many different cultural norms in different ways that different countries approach these issues. But the truth is that it happens to It can happen anywhere to anyone. It happens at the highest economic threshold, it happens at the lowest economic threshold. It may look different. There's lots of different ways to perpetrate abuse. Is financial abuse for you whole, even if even if the victim is shorting the money.
This is about power and control, right, So I can exert my power. Maybe I'm not even to make any money, but I can exert my power over my partner and prevent them from spending money or or channeling how they can spend money. I can damage them at their work. Things like that. And verbal abuse, So there may be and verbal abuse is one of those that's really hard. People think, oh, we get angry, but verbal abuse isn't about being angry with each other, right, It's about arguing
from You can argue. Maybe that's your relationship. Maybe you just bicker and argue, and that's how you guys whoever you are related, But are you arguing from from from equal from an equal playing field? Right? So one person have much more power in that relationship than the other.
Last thing for you, because not only does it affect so many people, but there's so many people that you need to educate about the signs, how to address them, or even the fact that you know the public at large and educators and law enforcement and policymakers, how do you go about doing that.
Thankfully, there's a lot of organizations that do this work on lots of different levels. So there are people that really specialize in working with law enforcement. That are people that specialize in working with I said college students. The trick honestly, and this is where it gets harder and where we need more support from the community is what they call coordinated community response. Right, So you can't just have a school educating and no one else doing anything.
You can't just have you know, the police doing education or addressing the issue and no one else is talking about it. You really need to bring in everybody, you know, You need to bring in houses of worship, schools, you know, community government, police, fire departments, people, you know, really bringing the whole comunity together and that way you can address it sort of from all fronts. And you see that in some other issues, and hopefully we'll get there in this one.
Jane Randell, co founder of No More. You could find out more about the group and how you can help or take part at no Moore dot org. Jane really appreciate the time, and I'm extremely appreciative for the effort and everything you're trying to do.
Best of luck, continued success, Thank.
You, thank you for the opportunity.
This week is poison Prevention Week, believe it or not. Every year millions of Americans are exposed to poison, more than three quarters of them unintentionally. So what do you need to know and what do you do with your face with that life or death situation for yourself or someone else. Let's bring in doctor Sarah Kinsman, Director of the Division of Child, Adolescent and Family Health the Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Doctor Kinsman, I appreciate the time.
Oh so glad to be here. It's some to be here to let folks know that they can all the pull free poison helpline. That helpline is one eight hundred to two two one to two two. It is free, confidential, available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year.
Well, tell me a little bit about about a poison Prevention Week and what is the history behind it and how's it evolved to where it is now.
Poison Prevention Week was a week that Congress set aside in nineteen sixty one, and the idea was really to help folks come together and raise awareness about poisoning prevention, raise awareness about what folks could do if they thought there was a poisoning This is supported by the poison centers throughout the country, the National Poison Prevention Week Council America Poison Centers, and it's usually the third week in March every single year.
What is the most common poisoning risk in our country? I imagine it primarily affects children, Is that right?
Well, actually, poisonings happening throughout the lifespan. For children, we worry about things like cleaning substances, things like acina, menafin cosmetics, and then little kiddos they'll eat foreign bodies like little small toys. But older folks we also worry. So for older folks they could take their prescription medicines in the wrong way, or maybe too much medicine, or medicine can interact with another medication.
That's fascinating.
The things that I think are most serious, and we know our most life threatening are things like acena minifin, which is sometimes known as thyl andal, sedative alcohol, medications to the heart and mood, and then of course opioids.
People overdose on our I guess that's is poisoning and overdose.
Poisoning can be just being harmed by something or feeling bad by it, so you can get poisoned by swallowing something. You can have a poisoning because you inhale things sometimes you even know you're doing that, like carbon monoxide. You can have poisonings on your skin. And then sometimes you can get bitten by something meets like a snake, and then of course you're poisoned as well.
How much of what you find in terms of calls to the poison center are natural something that might happen out doors, things like poison ivy, are getting stung by something or bitten by something, and inside the home, like medications and things.
Like that, well quite a bit of it happens in the home. So most of the calls that poison centers receive are things that happen in the home, and they are things like being exposed to too many fumes or medication, or inadvertently eating something that one you would expect they would, you know, Grandma's kills her out, a kiddo grabs them and then puts them in their mouths. But most pointonings happen at home.
That's fascinating.
What about how often do you see natural things like somebody has to call in because they've been I don't know, bitten by a steak, a snake or stung by a bee.
Well, we are getting to that time with snakes, particularly in the southern and middle areas of the country, and this is a time where snakes are starting to come out and about. That's why it's so important to have the number available one eight hundred to two two one to to two. You would call the poison Center. Folks would give you information about where you could go to get the right care you need for snakes, you need
anti venom. And that's why this is such an amazing service because you can call for free eight confidential anytime and get linked to people close to you who can help you manage a poisoning.
Have the things that people uh get poisoned with or are poisoned by changed over the years?
Is there something you see.
More regularly now than you might have, you know, ten or twenty or thirty years ago.
Yes, so we have seen many more sadly fatal poisonings from synthetic opioids like Sentinel, and so that is something that we've been working very hard and diligently to manage. The thing that folks can do is to really think about if you have somebody that you care about who doesn't need opiates for medication or somebody that is at risk for using something like sentinel always having available no lock zone and no lock zone is something that can
very quickly treat and reverse an operioid overdose. It's available in most states throughout the country and it is really very good in addition to calling if you see somebody sick nine to one one or poison control, but being able to have that spray can really save a life right away.
What are some of the deadliest the most dangerous things that you see people other than fentanyl obviously that you regularly see people calling in the poison control about.
Yes, the most deadly one. I think it might surprise folks that can be a see the minifin really yes, so it is one that can really be very harmful and in our home we're very careful about that. The other kinds of things that we're starting to see are things to cardiac medications and they're so common, but with an overdose or taking in the wrong amount, can be very very deadly, so we worry about that as well.
Alcohol is another poisoning that people don't think about but can cause deaths and medications for mood or are also significantly can cause serious poisonings.
How is a.
Seed of minifin one of those those that you see so often? Are people just taking too much of it? Are they just having rare adverse effects? How does that work? Because you normally think that's that's something regular that we all have in our house and take regularly.
Absolutely, so if you amnifin can poisoning can happen because sometimes we take two medications that have a set of minifent, so we are taking you know it for paying, but it's also mixed into a cold medicine, so by accident you can get too much. Sometimes folks who are are
feeling like harming themselves can use that to harm themselves. Really, yes, so it is a It is a medication that used in the right amount, is very very safe, but inadvertently, when too much is used or or somebody is feeling that they want to harm themselves, it is a risk.
A couple more minutes here with doctor Sarah Kinsman, director of the Division of Child ato Lesson and Family Health the Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, talking about poison Prevention Week in twenty twenty three. The numbers I found poison control centers managed over two point one million human poison exposure cases. Seventy seven plus percent of
those were unintentional. The poison control the national poison control number is eight hundred two to two one to to two. Easy number to remember, but one you need to have available to you. Eight hundred two to two one to to two. So I guess prevention is the name of the game this week. Pretty self explanatory. But what are some practical steps not only the parents could take to protect their kids, uh, but that we can all take. You talk about a moment ago one that you see
pretty regularly as heart medication. I was at a hotel just a few weeks ago and found somebody's heart pill on the floor under the bed, which startled me.
Yep, yep, absolutely, And so preventing is so important, being able to have things at home that are kept safe safely, that are not easy for a child or infant to to get to get to touch. So you always say, put medicines up and away so people can't see them. Being sure you drop a medicine, that you pick that medicine up. That example is a really good example of somebody who might not be known or who thought the
medicine and wasn't able to find it. So being able to keep medicines away from other folks, keep them safe up and away from kiddo's and and using safe storage containers as much as possible is incredibly important.
What about some of the everyday products that we have in our house that we might not even consider to be potentially dangerous, but you find people having to call because they'd end up being very dangerous.
Yes, I think some of them are cleaning products, and some cleaning products can be very very very very serious if ingested. So if you have a wood cleaning products, sometimes that can cause very serious effects. Some of the other products when mixed together can cause fumes or ie irritation. So cleaning products are really important to have up and away and use them as directed. And the same with cosmetics.
So you don't think all of this is not could be a big deal, but some of those can actually cause a lot of concern and in.
Some cases.
Worry folks or worry little kiddos who've been gotten into them.
Homes.
I guess the number one place where you see these these poison exposures.
Yes, absolutely so, if you if folks want to learn more, going to Health Resources and Service Administration Poison Help dot HRSA dot gov shows a lot of good tips on how to poison prove your home, being sure things are as I said up and out of the way, medications are storage are stored safely, and also disposing of old medications or unused medications, and then learning about other poisoning risks and then remembering to have in your cell phone one eight hundred two two two one to two two
the poison Helpline number.
I imagine you perform. You have all sorts of different partnerships and collaborations because people don't know about what you do or poison control much less the eight hundred two two two one two two two number if they're not exposed to it. And that's part of the whole point of Poison Prevention Week, is it not?
That is exactly right, letting folks know we are here to answer your questions. You don't have to have a poisoning to call the poison Helpline one eight hundred two two two one to two two. Folks are available there to answer your questions. They are available if you have a concern or of course, if a loved one, child, parent, colleague is experiencing a poisoning, and it's important for folks to know it is free, it is confidential. They are there twenty four hours a day, seven days a week,
three hundred sixty five days a year. These folks do not stop, and so just knowing you have this safety is important. And also we're available in one hundred and sixty languages, so everybody should feel that they are comfortable calling and have access to the poison helpline.
These poison exposures, doctor Kinsman, I don't have to tell you art could be potentially deadly, right, So how do we know if if somebody is having an adverse reaction to something, whether we should take a moment and call eight hundred two two two one two two two, or we should call nine one one or just rush them to uh, you know, the emergency room, urgent care, whatever, where's the line.
Yes, absolutely so, if you come across somebody and they are not responsive or breathing, or you feel that they're not breathing, call nine one one. Absolutely, call nine one one your second call, and folks are going to be coming to help you. Your second call is going to be to the Poison Helpline one eight hundred two two two one two two two. Right away, those folks are going to be able to say, for example, do you
have the lock zone, give it to this person. It can have, it can reverse when it looks like somebody's not breathing, it can reverse that process, and then they can give you other guidance. Probably the emergency folks will also be calling. So poison Helpline is not just for us way folks, but it's professionals like emergency medical providers,
physicians and nurses also call. So if you see somebody not breathing, not responsive, nine to one one and if and then the next call is to the poison helpline.
What about schools?
What kind of educational resources campaigns are launched by you for poison prevention a week? Because I think the youngest ones, the most vulnerable, are the ones you'd want to target primarily.
Absolutely, so we are we focus information on the whole, the whole of our population, so that parents and caregivers of little children, adolescents, young adults, and then those who
are taking care of older folks have that available. And during poison Prevention Week we hearsa which is the Health Resources and Services Administration Poison Control Program launches new materials, so you'll see those materials in radio public service announcements, but also on web videos in English and Spanish and social media campaign So we tried to reach a broad group of folks to let them know about our services.
Eight hundred two to two one two two two is the number. Save it on your phone right now. Eight hundred two to two one to to two. That is the poison prevention hotline.
We've been speaking with.
Doctor Sarah Kinsman, director of the Division of Child at a lesson in Family Health the Bureau of Health Resources and Services Administration. Doctor Kinsman, I appreciate your time, the uh information and everything you're doing to try and help keep us safe. Thank you so much, best of luck, Thank you, and that'll do it for another edition of Iheartradios Communities. I'm Manny Muno's until next time.