It was a terrible week for the law enforcement community last week as two officers were killed in the line of duty and several others were shot by a suspect who was on the run.
The officers deaths were tragic but sadly not unexpected because of their line of work. They are public servants who put their lives on the line every day for all of us, so when something like last week happens, the 100 Club is ready to step in and help the families of the fallen.
William Skeen is the Executive Director of the 100 Club and says his organization not only helps after the initial shock to the families, but also for many years after the fact.
“People in law enforcement and firefighting that go out every day, they’re not in it for the money, they’re here to serve our community,” Skeen said. “That’s what they’re here for. They know it’s a dangerous job. They know they can pay that ultimate sacrifice.”
This segment on this week’s program is to remind all of us of the sacrifices the men and woman of law enforcement and fire departments make and to give us all a chance to help.
Teen Domestic Violence can be deadly
Sabrina Herrera was just preparing to start college in August of 2018 when her ex-boyfriend killed her. Her death was one of many tragic circumstance around the state that led to a new law being passed that requires public schools to teach Domestic Violence Awareness to teenagers.
Sabrina’s cousin Erika Rivera is one of those on the front lines volunteering to help young people understand that it’s ok to ask for help.
“It’s ok. You’re not going to get into trouble if this is going on.,” she said. “They need to know it’s ok to reach out to someone for help, to reach out to an adult, to reach out to a teacher.”
Maisha Colter is the CEO of AVDA, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, and says they are ready to help.
“We provide evidenced based curriculum, usually things like one called “Safe Dates” another one called ‘Live Respect.’ hese are eight week curriculums designed to give teenagers and youth an idea about what healthy relationships look like,” Coulter said.
Baylor College of Medicine prepares to host TEDx Talk
The date is Feb. 8th for the first TEDx talk host by Baylor College of Medicine with the theme: Re-Boot, Re-Frame and Re-Imagine.
The theme is designed to get all of thinking about new and perhaps better ways to think of our health. Amy McGuire, Ph.D. is one of the presenters.
“The crux of my talk is the idea that we are really in the midst of a mental health crisis, particularly over the last two years,” she said. “We’ve got to figure out ways that we can start to try to address this, individually and at a population level.
The TEDx talk is closed to a live audience but will be streamed live.
UH Chief Population Health Officer breaks new ground
Most or our health is dictated by things other than doctor and hospital visits. Dr. Bettina Beech, Dr.P.H., is the recently named University of Houston Chief Population Health Officer and says one of her responsibilities will be to integrate critical health thinking across all departments of the university.
She says health equity is one of the goals and that research and shows there is a lot to learn.
“If you think of our health as a pie at 100 percent Healthcare accounts for 20% of what makes us healthy,” she said. “Genetics counts for another 10 percent but that means 70% is shaped by our choices, our environment.”
What role do we have in changing that environment? What role will political leaders play. That is part of the conversation in this week’s program and online in this week’s Houston Newsmakers EXTRA with Dr. Bettina Beech.
For More Information on all of the topics this week:
- · William Skeen, Executive Director, The 100 Club
- · Website: https://the100club.org/
- · Maisha Colter, CEO AVDA, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
- · Website: https://avda.org/
- · Amy McGuire, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Director for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
- · Bettina Beech, , University of Houston Chief Population Health Officer