- Slug: BC-CNS-CN2Go Weekly Update. Runtime 11:16.
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CN2Go Host: This is CN2Go.
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HOST: I’m Kenny Rasmussen, your host for the program today, and we have some interesting stories to share.
Murthy brings ‘We Are Made to Connect’ tour against loneliness to ASU
HOST: Loneliness is an epidemic, particularly one affecting young people. That’s what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says. As part of his push to raise awareness of the negative effects of loneliness, Murthy has toured college campuses as part of his “We Are Made To Connect” tour. I have the details of his recent visit to ASU as part of this tour.
RASMUSSEN: Dr. Murthy’s visit to ASU filled the memorial union to capacity. His message about the widespread nature of loneliness was something that seemed to resonate with many college students. Beyond COVID-19 isolating them during a critical age of development, Generation Z has many issues that may contribute to the sense of loneliness. Murthy was joined on stage by ASU Alum and Miss America 2022, Emma Broyles, who shared herown perspective on the subject She cited the decline of her mental health after receiving the title of Miss America. Her brush with fame put her in new areas where she knew nobody roughly every 24 hours, which she credits the initial decline to, but her issues persisted even after renouncing the title and its duties.
<< Emma Broyles: “I had this extreme episode, where there were two weeks where I didn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I lost 20 pounds and I was stuck in this episode of derealization and depersonalization where it was so terrifying that I really truly thought that I would’ve rather been dead.” >>
RASMUSSEN: During the discussion, Murthy said that one shouldn’t prioritize status over their personal connections. The Surgeon General discussed his own issues with making time for people when he gained that rank under the Obama administration. He mentioned that when he accepted the invitation to resume the position under President Biden, his wife made him promise to make personal time while fulfilling the position. He said he had help from two close friends who helped him remember the pledge to his wife. Murthy said meaningful relationships are critical.
<< Vivek Murthy: “The common denominator I see, between the people who have actually found fulfillment in their lives, is that they have built meaningful relationships in their lives, not a whole lot, but a few.” >>
RASMUSSEN: Murthy pointed to social media, which he identified as a source of loneliness not present before the current generation.
<< Murthy: “Social media can actually dilute the quality of your interactions, and make you feel like you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people online, and you rarely come out of that feeling better by the way.” >>
RASMUSSEN: Beyond the error of comparing your average days to the carefully selected best days of others, Murthy mentioned that social media also caused people to be much ruder to others than they would in person. Murthy said he did not view Generation Z as worse than generations before.
<< Murthy: “You have just as much potential, strength, and willpower as any generation before you, but the environment has changed.” >>
RASMUSSEN: Murthy said that social media sites are designed to be negative in an effort to squeeze out more time from you. He recommended a break if you felt emotionally drained, in order to gain a better mental state and additional time. Kenny Rasmussen, Cronkite News.
Arizona looks to extend program the pays parents who act as full-time caregivers for disabled kids
HOST: Parents providing care to minor children with disabilities may be paid permanently in Arizona, thanks to a proposal from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. Deanna Pistono has more on this proposal.
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PISTONO: Tyson Coon turns nine this November. He’s reading a series of mystery books and has two younger brothers. He likes watching Disney movies, like Frozen, Encanto and Moana.
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<<BRANDI COON: So he was born typical, no issues at birth. And then, when he was six months old…he came down with bacterial meningitis. So that is an infection that gets in that blood brain barrier and what it caused with him was massive strokes throughout his brain. Essentially it caused, like, a traumatic brain injury… As a result of that, he had, like the cerebral palsy and epilepsy and all those things. >>
PISTONO: That’s Tyson’s mother, Brandi Coon. Tyson’s epilepsy comes from what’s called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. He has two or more seizures a day. He eats food with a feeding tube connected to his stomach and uses an alternative communication device, pressing buttons to select the words he wants to say. Because he also has right-sided blindness, his communication device uses audio prompting to help him choose his words.
[ AMBI of the auditory device]
PISTONO: Brandi Coon has been caring for her son since he was born. But she’s only been his paid caregiver since 2020 – the year when the COVID-19 public health emergency hit…
<< COON: Overnight, I turned into about 15 different people. And so I was not only his mom, but I was his therapist. I was his caregiver. I was his nurse. I was his teacher. And I had to immediately assume all those rules with the help of, you know, professionals on zoom…
PISTONO: The Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System – known as AHCCCS (“access”) – implemented a flexibility that allowed parents of children under eighteen needing specialized care to be paid as providers.
<< COON: And so I went through some training…and then could start billing for those hours within about a month after. >>
PISTONO: Coon is also the co-founder of the Raising Voices Coalition, a grassroots organization that advocates for permanent paid parental caregiving. In September, AHCCCS submitted a proposal to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would make paying parent caregivers of minor children a permanent part of Arizona’s health care landscape. While the Center considers this proposal, the COVID flexibility will remain in place until March 2024.
<<ALEX DEMYAN: Our proposal contemplates a 40 hour limit per week for parents providing paid care to their minor children.>>
PISTONO: This is Alex Demyan, assistant director for the Division of Community Advocacy and Intergovernmental Relations at AHCCCS.
<<DEMYAN: We know that there are some individuals receiving over that limit currently. So for those members we are contemplating a phased down approach so that it’s not just a cliff that goes from current levels of care to 40 hours. We want to make sure families are able to adequately plan for their care needs, financial outlooks, things like that. So we are going to phase down to that 40 hour limit over the course of the next year. >>
PISTONO: For Demyan, the caregiver shortage in the U.S., as well as the fact that parents have been caring for their children without pay for a long time, makes this proposal the next logical step.
<< DEMYAN: Delivering care in the home requires a really highly trained and adequately staffed workforce to meet those assessed needs for members in the program. We know that…it’s a workforce that doesn’t pay particularly well and it’s a workforce that has a lot of demanding requirements…in addition to the training that’s required. So we know that there is a lack, there’s a shortage of that workforce so…when there’s a gap between that assessed need and the immediate availability of providers, parents have to kind of pick up the slack there. Historically, they have not been reimbursed for that work…we kind of view this program as a step in the right direction to help address that workforce need.>>
PISTONO: For Brandi Coon, having the availability to “pick up the slack” has meant finding a degree of flexibility that traditional nine to five jobs do not allow.
<< COON: I’ve created kind of a balance. I have a business I do from home… if I, you know, tomorrow for example, were to be in the hospital with him for two weeks…my business that I run wouldn’t suffer. >>
[AMBI of the communication device underneath]
PISTONO: Coon works with her son’s non-familial paid caregiver, Ronda Barnes, who supports the AHCCCS (access) proposal. While the proposal waits for approval from Medicare and Medicaid Services, Coon continues to provide care to her son and advocate for other family caregivers.
PISTONO: For CN2Go, I’m Deanna Pistono.
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ASU athletic director Ray Anderson leaves mixed legacy after surprise announcement to leave
HOST: Ray Anderson is stepping down after nearly a decade as Arizona State’s athletic director. Brandon Tran and Alex Chenevey have more.
TRAN: Hello everybody my name is Brandon Tran and today I’m joined by Alex Chenevey and we are going to dive deeper into the news of Ray Anderson’s resignation.
CHENEVEY: Yeah, I mean, this comes as a shock to you know almost everybody Anderson announced his resignation Monday morning and a lot of fans though are please that with the fact that Ray is going to step down from the AD role and take a professor role at the Sandra Day O’Connor college of law. Mr. Anderson had a rocky tenure as the athletic director for ASU ever since he got hired in 2014.
TRAN: Indeed and he’s liked the second-nd highest paid A.D. and it’s a big job to take over for the new AD. He also the football bowl banned we had with the football team. Here’s what head football coach Kenny Dillingham had to say about Ray Anderson’s resignation.
<<Kenny Dillingham: Yeah, thankful for him giving me the opportunity to be the head coach here at my alma mater, my dream job. So I’m very, very thankful of him. He’s been supportive of me, since I got here. So best of luck to him and his future. And you know, we’ll look forward to what the future holds here. But best of luck to him in the future, and I’m very thankful for his opportunity gave me to be the head coach here.>>
CHENEVEY: Over the past few years, there has been a growing animosity towards and a bunch of fans demanding that he leave and ever since the resignation was announced, it feels liked we are seeing more and more people donating to Arizona State NIL collective. You know the Sun Angels collective and if that can be elevated, ASU could be elevated in all athletics, not just football, not just basketball, but every single sports. If ASU is able to improve the amount of money that they could give to potential students athletes that would help them out a lot when it comes to trying to take the next step.
TRAN: Indeed,as this will be the toughest spot for the interim AD Jim Rund Vice President of Students Services especially when ASU is adjusting to the Big 12.
CHENEVEY: Yeah, and ASU moving to the Big 12 and having to find a new AD. This is a big, big for President Michael Crow, as he’s gonna have to figure out who he wants to lead ASU into the next chapter of their athletics because this is kind of a make or break hire it feels liked for Sun Devils. And for Cronkite News, I’m Alex Chenevey.
TRAN: I’m Brandon Tran, Thank you for listening.
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HOST: This week’s CN2Go was hosted and produced by yours truly, Kenny Rasmussen. We had help from Deanna Pistono, Brandon Tran, and Alex Chenevey. You can learn more about the stories you heard in today’s episode by going to cronkitenews-dot-a-z-p-b-s-dot-org. Once again, I’m Kenny Rasmussen. And that’s all…. for CN2Go.
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