Monthly Archives: April 2019

Take 2: ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ ranked-choice voting and micro-housing



Episode 11 of the Take 2 podcast took on “Avenger: Endgame” with 2News Anchor/Reporter Heidi Hatch hosting former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis.

Who’s buying adult diapers to make it through the three-hour movie? Who’s saving their money? 

As the trio talks shop, they address the following topics:

  • The GOP convention is coming up. Are the party priorities in the right place?
  • Ranked-choice voting.
  • Senate Bill 54 statement.
  • Call to repeal new hate crimes law.
  • Activists want to “abort the inland port” are they going about it the right way?
  • Micro-housing is awesome just not in my neighborhood.
  • What else is up this weekend?

How vaccines help achieve community immunity



In the year 2000, measles was nearly eradicated in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Since then, measles outbreaks have been popping up all over the country despite a vaccine being available.  

For this week’s Baby Your Baby Podcast, Holly Menino talks with Rich Lakin, the Utah Department of Health’s Immunization Program Manager, about why vaccines are so important to achieve community immunity against vaccine preventable diseases. 


What can happen if a large number of people in a community aren’t vaccinated or choose not to vaccinate against preventable diseases like measles?

Community or herd immunity is a form of protection from a disease that occurs when a large percentage of the population has become immune to it, most often through vaccination. If a high enough number of people are vaccinated against vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles, this helps protect individuals who may not be able to receive a vaccine because of immunocompromised conditions. This means people who have a compromised immune system – for example, someone who has had an organ transplant or is receiving radiation or chemotherapy for cancer – can still be protected and have less chances of suffering from these diseases.

Some vaccine preventable diseases – such as measles – are so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune to it will also become infected. This is what can happen during a measles outbreak. Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before, through four days after the rash appears.

People who have been vaccinated can still get measles, but there is only a small chance of this happening. Only about 3% of people who receive two doses of the measles vaccine will get measles if they come in contact with someone who has the virus. If a person is fully vaccinated, and does come down with measles, they are more likely to have a mild case of the illness.


So why do people who are vaccinated and come in contact with an infected person still run the risk of getting measles?

There is still a possibility because everyone’s uptake of a vaccine is different. One individual may only have a response rate of 70% when receiving the vaccine, and another person could have a response rate of 90%. If the person with a response rate of 70% is exposed, you could say that their chance is 30% higher of getting the disease than the person whose vaccine response rate is 90%. This does not mean the vaccine didn’t work.

Another consideration affecting the how much protection a vaccine will provide is storage and handling of the vaccine. If the vaccine is compromised because it wasn’t stored at the proper temperature or there were temperature changes during transportation, it could make it less effective.

The infectious nature of vaccine preventable diseases like measles makes it easy to spread in our communities if we are not properly vaccinated. That’s why we recommend everyone healthy enough to receive the vaccine get the full two doses of the MMR vaccine. Not only will this protect you from getting sick, but it will help protect your family and friends, neighbors, classmates, and coworkers.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News. 


Weekly Huddle podcast: How game 4 lessons could help Jazz win game 5!



 This week’s edition of The Weekly Huddle Jazz podcast features Jazz host Alema Harrington with Dave Fox. A myriad of topics that show the formula the Jazz used that could help them beat the Rockets in Houston. The resurgence of Donovan Mitchell and his willingness to deflect the credit elsewhere. How star players are willing to accept a role, even on the bench at time! How the gimmick defense on James Harden is evolving and becoming effective. Plus in Jazz Bites the Jazz on how they have something even more valuable than just pure talent! Find out in this week’s edition of the Weekly Huddle Jazz Podcast…

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kutvweeklyhuddle/support


PODCAST – Take 2: China, Elizabeth Warren, Utah tourism, and Amazon robots



This episode of the Take 2 podcast took on some hot topics with 2News Anchor/Reporter Heidi Hatch hosting former state lawmakers Greg Hughes and Jim Dabakis.

The Take 2 Podcast crew discusses the following topics:

  • Hughes is back from a trip to China- why relations between the two countries matter to Utah.
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren drops in on Utah and doesn’t even ask for cash.
  • Utah Tourism, BLM, Wildlands, oil and who should be in charge.
  • Amazon Comes to town with robots- are they killing jobs or creating them?

Giving medicine to young kids



Is your child sick? If so, they might need some medicine. However, as a parent, it can sometimes be tricky to make sure they’re not getting too much or too little.

In this week’s Baby Your Baby Podcast episode, Holly Menino heads up to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital to talk with Bevan Jensen, PharmD. Together they go through what parents need to know about giving medicine to young children.

———–

When giving medicine to kids, getting the dose right can be a challenge. Jensen has a few tips to make it a little bit easier for parents. 

 1. Avoid kitchen spoons 

Spoons you would use to eat food are not a standard size. Instead, it’s best to use an oral syringe to keep your child safe and ensure they’re getting the right amount. If the medicine came with a dosing cup, then that is also appropriate. 

2.  Bottle stoppers

Bottle stoppers can make using an oral syringe much easier. To use…just stick the syringe into the stopper, flip the bottle upside-down, and then draw out the prescribed dose of medicine. 

3. Read the label carefully 

4. Keep medication away from kids 

Lock up medicine and keep it up high when storing. Make sure all medicine has a safety cap — safety caps are not child-proof but are child-resistant. 

5. Don’t mix medications

If your child has to take more than one medication — for example an antibiotic and something for pain — have a conversation with your pharmacist. Ask about whether you can give the medications at the same time or if they need to be spaced out. Talk about whether they should or should not have their medicine with food as well as proper spacing between doses. 

6. Cough medicine is not recommended for young kids

There are risks to using cough medicine in children under the age of six, according to the FDA. For babies who are OVER the age of one, a spoonful of honey can help soothe the urge to cough.  

If you have any questions about medicine as it relates to kids, talk to your pharmacist. They are an incredible resources and are happy to answer any questions you have. 

If you accidentally give your child too much medicine, give the Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC) a call. They are available 24/7 at the number 1-800-222-1222. 

 

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.


Take 2: With Sen. Todd Weiler and former Sen. Jim Dabakis



Utah’s Democratic party appears to be competing with Utah’s Republicans for the party of dysfunction.

Elizabeth Warren is running for President and is making a stop in Utah. Is it just an ATM drive by or does Utah finally matter?

Has the #MeToo movement gone too far?

Dabakis pushes for Utah teachers to strike for better pay.

GOP Todd talks Medicaid expansion, an issue where he voted against his party.

A look at why Unified Police Department may not want to keep paying the body cam-footage fees.

You can follow Todd Weiler on Twitter @gopTODD and check out his podcast the “TODDCAST”


What to do before pregnancy & after becoming pregnant



In this week’s episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast, Holly Menino sits down with Nurse Dani from Intermountain Moms to talk about what a woman needs to do before pregnancy and what to do after finding out she’s pregnant. 

What a woman needs to do before pregnancy: 

The Centers for Disease Control has challenged women to make a PACT with themselves to do what it takes to be as healthy as possible before getting pregnant: 

P-Planning Ahead
• Take a prenatal vitamin. Neural tube defects like spina bifida can result from not having enough folic acid in your system during the first couple of weeks following conception (before you even know you’re pregnant). 

A—Avoiding Harmful Substances
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco products, illicit street drugs, and ask your doctor before taking over-the-counter and prescription medications as well as herbal supplements.
• Avoid exposure to radiation, toxic chemicals, and sexually transmitted infections. 

C—Choose a Healthy Lifestyle
• Talk with your doctor before you get pregnant. Schedule a preconception appointment to have your blood pressure, thyroid, blood sugar, weight, and overall health checked. Exercise and eat a healthy diet 

T—Talk with Your Healthcare Provider
• It’s important to be educated about risks that apply to everyone and risks that apply specifically to you. Risks specific to you will depend on your history: preterm labor, history of c/sections, history of preeclampsia, advanced age, obesity, etc.
• Your provider will talk about immunizations you should get during pregnancy such as the flu shot and a Tdap booster shot. 

What a woman needs to do after finding out she’s pregnant: 

That moment when you see a positive pregnancy test is quite possibly one of the most exciting moments women might experience. But after you see that, you may or may not know what to do next. Nurse Dani says women should — Take A STEP

Take a prenatal vitamin
• Make sure that you’re taking a prenatal vitamin each day—one that has at least 400 micrograms of folic acid in it—to prevent spina bifida. 

Avoid alcohol — there is no safe amount to consume while pregnant
• Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). 

Schedule your first prenatal appointment
• Your first prenatal appointment should happen by the 13th week of pregnancy, and you should plan on having at least 13 appointments over the course of the pregnancy. 

Think twice about all medications
• Talk with your doctor before taking prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal medications. They’ll decide what’s okay for pregnancy. 

Exercise

Pick a Provider
• Make sure they’re covered by your insurance, their location is convenient and not too far from home, find out what hospital you’d like to deliver at and pick a provider that has privileges there, think about the dynamics of group coverage.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.


Take 2: Hate crimes, conversion therapy and nuclear waste



Episode 10 of Take 2 tackles Utah’s biggest political and social issues of the week. 

3 months in: The surprising grades for Sen. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ben McAdams. 

A big week for LGBTQ issues in Utah:

  • Hate crimes bill
  • Possible revival of a ban on conversion therapy
  • Policy change from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • Governor Herbert does not veto new provisions for nuclear waste with Energy Solutions. 
  • Crime is down in Salt Lake’s Rio Grande District or is it?

What is Baby Your Baby?



Baby Your Baby is a program that focuses on making sure expecting mothers get recommended prenatal care. From financial help to preparing for pregnancy, Baby Your Baby helps guide new parents through the pregnancy process, birth, as well as the first few years of being a parent. 

In this first episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast, Holly Menino talks with Marie Nagata from the Utah Department of Health about the history of the Baby Your Baby program, resources available to new and expecting moms, as well as financial help available for low income women. 


What is Baby Your Baby?

Baby Your Baby is a program at the Utah Department of Health to help low income women receive prenatal care early on in their pregnancy. Baby Your Baby pays for doctor’s visits until a woman can get on Medicaid. Every woman should see her doctor as soon as she knows she’s pregnant. The program does not want anyone to wait to see a doctor, while she is waiting on paperwork to go through.


Thirteen Weeks and Thirteen Visits:

All pregnant women should have their first doctor’s appointment by their 13th week of pregnancy and visit their doctor at least 13 times throughout their pregnancy.

Most first time moms are good about going to their doctor throughout their pregnancy. The problem most often seen with women not getting the prenatal care they need, usually comes with moms who are having their 2nd, 3rd or 4th baby. Sometimes women think that because their other pregnancies were fine, this one will be the same. Every pregnancy, and every baby, are different.

It is important that with every pregnancy, a woman sees her doctor before the 13th week of pregnancy, and at least 13 times throughout her pregnancy. Testing for things like Gestational Diabetes and other health problems that often occur during pregnancy is important to the health of your baby. Using Gestational Diabetes as an example, we see many women who haven’t had Gestational Diabetes during previous pregnancies, who get it during their 3rd or 4th pregnancy. Gestational Diabetes can have severe health effects on both mother and baby, so it’s important to see your doctor and make sure you are getting the right tests. This is just one example of something that could show up in one pregnancy and not have occurred in another. That is why it is so important to make sure you are seeing your doctor 13 times during your pregnancy.


Getting signed up for Baby Your Baby:

Getting signed up for Baby Your Baby is easy. You can call 1-800-826-9662 or apply online


Resources:

Even if you don’t qualify for financial help through the Baby Your Baby program, there are many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah.

  • There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.