August 27, 2024 • 38 mins
We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!
Sen. Bruce Tarr discussed Massachusetts Maternal Health Bill, Expanding Access to Midwifery, Birth Centers and Doulas in Massachusetts.
Zach Wichter - USA TODAY's consumer travel reporter looks at Labor Day Weekend Travel - How to prepare for any complications you may encounter for this popular travel weekend, tips and tricks, best and worst days to travel.
Rich Kennedy – President of the Angel Fund is hosting annual Walk of Hope for ALS on Saturday, September 7th in Wakefield.
Dr. Cedric “Jamie” Rutland - American Lung Association Representative reminds parents they are best defense against youth vaping.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio!
Sen. Bruce Tarr discussed Massachusetts Maternal Health Bill, Expanding Access to Midwifery, Birth Centers and Doulas in Massachusetts.
Zach Wichter - USA TODAY's consumer travel reporter looks at Labor Day Weekend Travel - How to prepare for any complications you may encounter for this popular travel weekend, tips and tricks, best and worst days to travel.
Rich Kennedy – President of the Angel Fund is hosting annual Walk of Hope for ALS on Saturday, September 7th in Wakefield.
Dr. Cedric “Jamie” Rutland - American Lung Association Representative reminds parents they are best defense against youth vaping.
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Nightside. Who's Dan Ray, I'm busy Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Thanks very much, Nicole. As we start off at Tuesday night,
we have four hours to go between now at midnight.
I'm here with you virtually every weeknight from Monday through Friday.
Occasionally get a few nights off. I'll have a few
nights off next week, but we'll have some good host
sitting in for me. I'm not exactly sure of the schedule.
I'll have that for you probably tomorrow night and let
(00:30):
you know who's to be sitting in. And we continue
along here with Nightside, and I'm approaching the start of
our year, number eighteen, just a little over a month away.
Before I begin tonight, I want to do a big
shout out to a big fan over in South Boston, Mary,
and I guess her nickname is Southy Mary Keller. She's
(00:51):
a graduate of South Boston High School, the classmate of
former Boston mayor and Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn.
And I'm told that Mary is a very loyal Nightside listener,
and she just passed a milestone birthday. But of course,
a gentleman never mentions a lady's birthday. But I want
(01:13):
to send out a big happy birthday wish on behalf
of everyone here at nightside the audience as well as
all the staff people to marry Southy Mary Keller, a
lifelong South Boston resident, proud graduate of South Boston High
School back when Ray Flynn was playing some basketball before
he went to Providence College. So Mary, I know you
had a great birthday and many many more to come.
(01:37):
Before we start off, I will tell you we are
going to learn a lot about Tripoli equine encephalitis, eastern
equine encephalitis tonight, as well as West Nile virus. We'll
be talking with doctor Catherine Brown the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health, a veterinarian, an epidemiologist. And I'm sure all
of you that will be at nine o'clock have heard
(01:58):
about this huge, huge public data breach two point nine
billion that's with a B record stolen from National Public Data,
a Florida based credit and criminal background check company. Well,
they got some splaining to do here, and we're going
to talk with a professor from the University of Illinois,
(02:21):
the founder of the computer science program, and find out
what the heck you can do to defend yourself when
the bad guys have your social security information. Very important
issues to talk about tonight, A very important issue to
start off with. Our good friend, friend of the program,
Massachusetts Republican Senator Bruce Tar Bruce, Welcome back to Night Side.
(02:42):
How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Thanks? Dan, I'm doing very well and I want to
congratulate you on coming up on eighteen years of incredible programming.
And I also want to join you in congratulating Southie
Mara on her birthday. So two very big landmarks here
on the radar screen tonight, I would think so.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I think she's a little older than eighteen, but will
hit eighteen this October. First, Bruce, we're here to talk
about the Massages of Maternal Health Bill that is expanding
access to midwifery, birth centers and do laws here in Massachusetts.
The Governor Healy signed this bill. I know that there's
(03:22):
been some things that have kind of got bottled up
at the legislature this year, but this was one I
assumed that had a lot of support across party lines.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
It definitely did. And Dan, before we get to the bill,
I want to just take a step back and remember
that you were kind enough to have me on the
show to talk a while ago about a budget amendment
that I had offered to the Senate version of the
state budget relative to maternal health. And sometimes, Dan, we
don't often get the chance to come back and say
thank you, but I wanted to do that tonight because
(03:53):
that amendment in a different form passed, and so you
and I had talked about the fact that it should
have been a no brainer. Well, I'm very pleased to
report that both sides the House and the Senate, Republicans
and Democrats, agreed on that amendment, which now directs the
Department of Public Health to create a feasibility study for
(04:14):
an application for your phone or your computer, your tablet,
so that you'll be able to access things that are
important with regard to maternal health, whether it be transportation,
mental health services, physical health services. And Dan, you helped
us get the word out about that amendment, and with
the stroke of Governor Healey's pen when she signed the
(04:36):
state budget, that feasibility study is on its way to
being done, and that will lead to us having an
incredibly powerful tool for parents across the Commonwealth. So thank
you for your help with that.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, Bruce, you guys did the work on that one,
So thank you very much. You're very kind. Let me
put it like that, but this is a moment of clarity.
Every once in a while, everybody at Peak and Hill
gets together on something. Let's talk about the maternal health
build that the governor has signed. So you're here to
tell us all about a piece of legislation. I'm sure
the Governor Healy's really proud.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Of as well well, and I think we all are, Dan,
and I think it's a shining example of how we
can still have bipartisan collaboration, even in these politically charged
times where it seems like it can be difficult to
reach across party lines and to reach across chambers between
the House and the Senate. This bill is a shining
example of the fact that we still can get things done.
(05:32):
And Dan, it is true that the conference committee wasn't
able to be filed, the report wasn't able to be
filed before we ended formal sessions, and we could talk
about that if you'd like, but it still got done
in an informal session, which means that no one objected.
There was consensus around this bill. It's a very important bill,
(05:54):
and I'm really pleased that it got signed into law.
I did amend the bill. There were numerous amendments to it,
and they all got reconciled by a six person conference
committee of our confrere and the Senate Republican Caucus with
Senator Patrick O'Connor from Weymouth. But all the conferees did
a great job and Dan. This bill is largely a
(06:16):
response to a report that was completed by the Department
of Public Health last November, and that report really raised
a red flag of alarm about access to maternal health
services in Massachusetts. We are world famous, and rightfully so,
for our healthcare system and our healthcare delivery system, but
(06:38):
the report that was filed back on November fifteenth of
twenty twenty three really sounded the alarm about us needing
to do more around maternal health. And this bill does
do more.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So let's talk about some of the specifics. I talk
about midwifery, birth centers, and duelas in Massachusetts. Again, I
think everyone knows what we're talking about, But how does
this expand access? Does it make it easier for a
community to license this sort of work necessary?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Well, it does, So let's take midwifery first, and one
of the things this bill does is set up a
commission in Massachusetts to license midwives and create a process
so that everybody meeting the same standards, and we'll have
the ability to ensure quality of care, and we'll have
the ability to sanction folks by license suspension or revocation
(07:34):
if they don't deliver quality care. And that is really
important because the use of a midwife is an important
choice that folks ought to have, and one dan that's
been concerning about that choice not being as available as
it might otherwise be. I think folks that are on
the North Shore are familiar with the situation that we
(07:55):
faced with the birthing center at Beverly Hospital being closed
and that closed off some access to midwives. We're all
working on restoring that access. But being able to have
access to midwife free and having insurance coverage for it
is very important, and so that is one of the
(08:16):
fundamental things that this bill does. It's not that we
didn't have midwives before, but now we will have licensed
midwives that have to meet a set of standards and
deliver quality care.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Now every confidence will Previously there was no licensing procedure.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
It sounds to it there was a licensure system, but
it was not as formal as the one that's included
in the bill. And the bill also sets up a
new panel for that registration and for that licensure, which
didn't exist before, and.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Some of the same opportunities of birth centers now will
be monitored a little bit more carefully. And doulas are
different dum as. I understand that midwives provide medical care
and doulists provide emotional, physical, and informational support not only
for the moms and the moms to be, but also
(09:09):
for extended family members.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
So well, that's absolutely true. And Dan, you raise an
important point. When we talk about maternal health. Oftentimes we
think about mothers, but it's also important to think about
fathers and parents generally, because everyone is involved here. And
for instance, one of the things that we talk about
in this bill is having access to screening for postpartum depression,
(09:32):
not only for mothers but also for fathers, so that
we can have that complete access to healthcare. And one
of the amendments that I offered to the bill provided
that screening not only where there has been an actual
live birth, but also for folks that have less fortunate consequences.
Of still birth, a miscarriage, those still have tremendous effects
(09:55):
on mental health, and so I amended the bill to
ensure that those parents too, who would be eligible for
screenings and ultimately mental healthcare.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
All Right, so sounds like a win win win for everyone.
Senator Bruce Tarr, thanks so much for being up there
and maintaining some level of bipartisanship in a tough political
climate both locally and nashally. As always, you're always welcome here.
Thank you again for your kind words. Very much appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Thanks Dan, thanks for your support and look forward to
talking with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Have a great absolutely, Bruce Tar. Ladies and gentlemen, one
of the members the Republican members of the Massachusetts State Senate.
We get back when we talk about something that I
think all of us can identify with, and that is
Labor Day, weekend travel. It could get busy, I'm told,
and we're going to talk with a USA Today reporter,
consumer travel reporter right after this break here on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I guess is Zach Wictor He is USA Today's Consumer
Travel reporter, and I guess, Zach that this weekend, Labor
Day weekend is going to be one for the ages
from all of the the stories, the previous stories I've
been reading. I am not traveling this weekend, and I
(11:22):
am happy to be not traveling. How are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I'm good. Thank you so much for having me on.
And I think they're right. It's going to be a
crazy travel weekend. So for those people who are hitting
the road or going to the airport, there's some stuff
that they can do to be ready or at least
to mentally prepare for the crowds that they're short to encounter.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Well, before I ask you what they can do to
be prepared, I'm going to guess that there's the end
of summer travelers, and there's the college kids going back
to school or starting college for the first time, maybe
with the parents. So are those the factors that are
kind of working together here to make this a memorable
(12:07):
Labor Day weekend?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, I mean, I think it's the same stuff that
we see every year, sort of as summer winds down,
as people get ready to go back to school or
to go to colleges. You said maybe for the first time,
or just to move back into the dorms. They're trying
to either squeeze out that last vacation or get started
on that new chapter in life. And so we see
(12:29):
every summer that the roads and the airports and the
other ways of getting around are crowded this weekend of
the year, but especially this year, it looks like the TSA,
for example, is expecting particularly high passenger volumes at the airport.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
And I think you're.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Really seeing kind of the COVID recovery has really fully
been realized, and so whatever pent up demand was left
is now being answered and people are really getting out there.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
So is this the end of the pent up manned
toothpaste tube that it's just finishing up here and it's
going to get back to a more normal every you know,
it seems like that Christmas Thanksgiving we hear all these
this is the busiest travel day, that's the busiest travel day.
Is this just the busiest travel Labor day? Or is
(13:18):
this going to be right up there with the busiest
travel weekend without the complications of things like snowstorms and
stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Yeah, so this summer has been basically the busiest summer
for travel on record, and I think you're kind of
seeing a new normal. The sort of broader backdrop to
all of this is that people are spending more to
travel now. I think part of what COVID did is
sort of spur people to value more experiences, and so
(13:49):
what we're seeing again, kind of more broadly across the
industry is that people are foregoing some other things in
their regular day to day life so that they can
save up and travel. And the result of that is
more people than ever are traveling, and that means that
these popular weekends for travel are even busier than they've
ever been. The TSA, for example, said that the top
(14:13):
ten travel days for passenger screenings at the nation's airport
in its history have all happened since May twenty twenty four.
So I think that this is really just the new normal.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Well, that is an amazing statistic, that is the ten
busiest travel days. I realized that the population is increasing
and expanding. I came back with a group of nightside listeners.
We were in Italy earlier this month and the airports
were packed. We didn't have any problem, don't get me wrong,
(14:48):
but the planes were packed, and by the way, zach
I noticed something on the airplanes. All the seats are
smaller than they used to be. It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, no, that's howbsolutely true. And I think that again
just goes back to the demand that airlines are trying
to answer, and also the price sensitivity that we're seeing.
People really often shop solely by price when they're buying
airline tickets, and part of the way airlines answer that
is by cramming more seats onto the plane. It means
(15:19):
that they're able to lower those airfares, and so we
hear people understandably complain that amenities and comfort on airplanes
have gotten worse over the years. But the fact of
the matter is that in order to stay competitive and
in order to give people those competitive ticket prices, airlines
need to offer increasingly bare bone service. And then of
(15:42):
course they diversify their products by offering more premium seating
and amenities, which obviously you have to pay.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
A little bit for.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And airlines are seeing actually increase demand for those premium
products too. People like I said, who are saving up
to travel more, are also say saving up to purchase
more luxurious travel experiences when they're getting out there.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, it's really interesting to see the planes and to
be in a couple of you know, airports in Italy,
Rome and Maples just packed, just absolutely packed. And in
Italy you had a sense that just relax, you know,
we'll get you through a long time. But obviously there's
(16:27):
all that angst. I don't want to miss my connection,
I don't want to have to spend the extra day,
all of those all of those problems. Do you think
it's going to continue or do you think at some
point all of us are going to say, Okay, we've
traveled quite a bit. Now we can kind of chill
and relax, or do you think it's going to get
worse next year the year after that. Is this something
(16:49):
that just the population is getting larger and more and
more people are are are expanding their vistas.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Yeah, I think as we kind of talked about free
pandemic and then you know, excluding those few years where
things are really messed up, but generally the trend year
on year has been a growing demand for travel, both
as the population expands, and then is people's kind of
priorities for how they're spending their money change. Like I said,
people are emphasizing these experiences, and so I think that
(17:20):
it's gonna you know, the crowds are here to stay,
and so people need to be ready to face those
crowds at the airport. But that doesn't mean it's worth
getting stressed over. You know, if you leave yourself enough time,
if you kind of have your plan for how you're
going to get to the airport, how you're going to
navigate your travel experiences, you're still going to have a
(17:40):
great time. And it's just really important, I think when
you go to the airport to stay patient and be
nice to those around you, especially the airport and airline employees.
If something goes wrong, they're the first line of defense.
They're just doing their jobs, and so it's really important
to keep your cool. As frustrated as you might be,
you'll get home, get where you're going eventually.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Yeah, they can always mess with your ticket. We realize
that real quick last question and the quick last answer.
We're focused on your life travel. Will car travel and
train travel also match their heights this this weekend as
far as you know?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, the quick answer is, yes, it's going to be
busy no matter how you're going and how you're getting
where you're going.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
All right, even if you're going by tricycle, You've got
to plan ahead. Hey, thanks so.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Much, right, Zach Wick, My pleasures for having me say.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Today's Consumer Travel Report. Appreciate it, Zach. When we get back,
we're going to talk about a great charity, the Angel
Fund with Rich Kennedy. The Angel Fund is for ALS
Research hosting a Walk for Hope coming up on Saturday,
September seventh in Wakefield. That is not this coming Saturday,
but it's the following Saturday, and it's one that everyone
can participate in. Looking forward to that. My name's Dan Ray.
(18:52):
This is Nightside, Boston's News Radio. If forever any reason
you have trouble getting us on the over the the
terrestrial radio feed, you can always go to the iHeartRadio app,
you know, loaded downloaded anyway. You can listen to WBZ
wherever you are, whenever you want, and it's all free.
(19:13):
Back on Nightside with Rich Kennedy, President of the Angel Fund.
Right after the news break.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
All right, I think all of us are familiar with
ALS UH so called lou Garrigg's disease, just one of
the cruelest diseases that could touch any family with us
as Rich Kennedy, He's the president of the Angel Fund.
His family has been touched by this horrific disease, and
(19:48):
the Angel Fund, of which he is the president, basically
funds research, ALS research and the hope. They are hosting
their annual Walk of Hope for ALS. I remember a
year ago we mentioned this and I hope a lot
of Nightside listeners will have a chance to participate on Saturday,
September seventh in Wakefield. Rich Kennedy, welcome back to Nightside.
(20:09):
How are you.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
I'm fantastic, Dan, Thank you very much, and thank you
for having me on once again. I really appreciate this.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Well. You know, between you and our good friend Mike
Timlin and the Boston Red Sox, you guys are warriors
in this battle against this horrific disease. Tell us about
the Angel Fund and what it has done over the
years and what it continues to do.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
All right, Yeah, the full name is the ALS, the
Angel Fund, the ALS Research. Sure, and after losing my
dad and then five years later my younger brother, the
youngest of nine, I've subsequently lost an older brother to this.
So watching this is horrendous watching somebody slowly strength pass
(20:56):
away and gone. So I with a lot of like
minded people with family history, et ceterist out of the
Angel Fund, and I'm proud to say We've raised millions
of dollars. But I'm more proud to say that I've
never taken a penny. The whole board of directors, no
one takes anything, goes directly to ALS research for supporting
(21:18):
doctor Robert Brown at UMass Medical School, and that's seen
unbelievable research with us.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Is this the sort of disease that potentially we can,
if not cure it, at least control it a little
bit more within our lifetimes or is this something that
is something that we can only hope to slow down?
If you know what I'm trying to.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Get at here, You're exactly right. And again with progress.
There are different medications out a lot of other organizations
raising money for this also. So I've seen great progress
in the lab.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Excellent, excellent. Now tell us about the walk. This is
the Walk of Hope. It's every year it's around this time,
I think this Saturday after Labor Day, people are back home,
vacations are over, and this year it starts on September seventh,
nine am to two pm. It's the twenty third annual
(22:24):
Walk for Hope for Als and it's in Wakefield. If
I recall, it's around a huge lake in Wakefield, Is it.
Speaker 6 (22:32):
Not exactly right? Lake Kuanapowit. It's a three and a
half mile walk around it, absolutely beautiful setting Wakefield, calmness
where it starts and ends, and one loop around the
lake and I will be there, Doctor Brown will be there.
We typically go about one third of the way around.
(22:53):
They're in greet everybody coming around and fantastic.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
As I understand, you have a whole bunch of teams.
People can go and sign up and and and participate
as as an individual or as a couple or as
a family. But then you have teams. I see this
whole list of of various groups together. Is it too
late to get a team together? Or is it too
(23:19):
late to sign up for the walk? What's what's the limitations?
Like anything else? I know, you gotta sign up for
these things in advance. Tell us, tell us where do
we stand uh on on on this this project this year?
What do you need more walkers? I'm sure you do that.
That's probably the easiest question of.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
The night, right, Yes, of course we always do. We
welcome absolutely everybody, teams and individuals. You can sign up
online at the Angel Funds dot o r J or
show up that day and just simply sign up that day,
and individuals, teams, whatever, will take absolutely anything because it
(24:02):
spreads awareness and all kinds of information available to you there.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
And I assume that you're hoping, particularly with teams, that
people will go out and get some pleasures and you
raise some money for this. I guess there's nothing to
stop someone just for falling in and walking by themselves,
but you were hoping that everybody will make some donation,
small or large. Every dollar, every dollar is going to
(24:29):
help in the fight. You never know which dollar is
going to be the dollar that provides the funding that
leads to a real breakthrough.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
Right, absolutely right, You've got all the information and just
spreading the word. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
All right, So it is simply all you have to
do is go to all one wordthanngelfund dot org and
you can. You'll find it on their web page. Walk
for Hope for Als twenty twenty four, and again it's Saturday,
No Saturday, September seventh. So it's not this Saturday, which
I think is the thirty first, it's the following of August.
(25:07):
It's the following Saturday, and it is at a beautiful lake.
It's a three and a half mile walk beginning at
what's called Lower Common in Wakefield, and all the Moneys
go to support research again to find a cure for
als lou Garrig's disease. This world renowned researcher doctor Robert
(25:30):
Brown at UMass chan Medical School. And I know whenever
I talked to Mike Timlin when he does his events
generally in May, he's a huge fan of doctor Brown.
He and I know you are as well. Rich.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Well, absolutely, yes, I did my homework inside of that
all the money should go to him and the slope
we've raised, everything we raised goes to him. So thank
you for splaining the word A really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Well, Rich, thank you, and thank you for being so
so much in the lead on this. I've known a
lot of folks and a lot of families who have
been impacted by this, and you're right, it's one of
the worst diagnoses that anyone individual or any family could receive.
And I know that it has touched your family in
so many adverse ways, but you guys, the Kennedy family
(26:25):
is fighting back and you're leading the charge. So thanks
so much for what you do. And I hope as
many of our listeners as possible we'll get out there
and participate on Saturday, September the seventh. Thanks again, Rich.
I do appreciate Rich Kennedy that president.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Once again, Thank you to you. Dan. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
My pleasure. We'll talk soon. Thanks, Rich, appreciate it. Those
are the heroes amongst us. Trust me. It's the Angel
Fund Als Research and again that website. You know you
want to get out, get a little exercise, raise some money,
and get some pledges for some friends. All you gotta
do is go to the angelfund dot org and they
(27:07):
will They will sign you up as quick as possible.
It's a great website. Check check it out. When we
come back, we're going to wrap this hour here on
Nightside and we're going to talk about youth vaping. Young
people still vaping. They may not be smoking cigarettes in
the same way that they used to smoke cigarettes. That
(27:27):
word has gotten out, but vaping is just as dangerous
and we'll be talking with doctor Cedric Rutland on the
other side of the break Here on a Tuesday night
edition of Nightside.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Now back to Dan Way live from the window World,
Nice Side Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
My guest is doctor Cedric Rutland. Lung cancer and smoking
cost a lot of lives, and the American Lung Association
reminds everyone that that parents are the best defense against
youth vaping. Doctor Rutland, Welcome to Night's Side.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
How are you tonight, sir, Hey, thanks for having me tonight, Dan.
Pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And Boston, Yeah, you were more more than welcome. I'm
looking at these statistics from Massachusetts and you're talking to
more than Boston. By the way, we get into about
thirty eight states in this radio station over with just
a terrestrial signal, but we're focused on Massachusetts, and you
folks provided us that there are nine thousand, three hundred
(28:31):
deaths every year in Massachusetts attributable to people having smoked,
killing more people than alcohol, aids, car crashes, illegal drugs,
murders and suicides combined. That is a staggering statistic.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
Yeah, you know, it is a staggering statistic. But when
you think about smoking. A lot of people think that
when you smoke a cigarette, because you're inhaling that smoke
the pipes that carry air to the lung. We know
that the cigarette smoke actually has percentagenes that can induce
rellular change and lead to cancer. That's easy. But what
we think about is impact on the arteries within the box.
(29:14):
So smoking actually leads to a disease called athosleurosis, which
is inflammation and deposition in the artery walls which narrow
those arteries and can lead to heart attacks. It can
lead to strokes, and all of these things can lead
to morbidity and mortality as well. And that's why that
f number is higher than you might think.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
After all these years and all the warnings and all
the public service announcements of people you know who were smokers,
and they have those tubes in their throat of those
devices which allow them to sort of make a sound
that is similar to a voice. That still hasn't convinced
everyone that smoking is just a vice, that that is
(29:59):
a no value to anyone. I mean, I just I've
never smoked a cigarette in my life because I wanted
to play a lot of sports in high school, and college,
and I carried on my dad had been a two
pack of day Smoker camels, unfiltered World War two veteran,
and I can remember going to the store variety store
Missus Mceilroy's in Walcott Square, and I think spending a
(30:23):
quarter for a pack of cigarettes. Now a pack of
cigarettes is like eight.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Or nine bucks, right, yeah, really can king. I wouldn't
know because I don't smoke either, but you're right, you know,
individuals still continue to smoke with What that shows you
is a the power of marketing from the tobacco industry,
what they can do and be the power of nicotine,
which is a really addictive drug, probably the most addictive
drug in the world, right, and so nicotine is something
(30:50):
that people cray and once they have tasted it, they
keep wanting more and more and they're willing to do
anything to get it. And smoking probably the number one thing.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Probably upset a lot of listeners. But if you if
you ever kiss someone who's a smoker, I mean, it's
it doesn't add to the to the romance of the moment.
We put it like that, kissing and kissing an astrak o.
(31:21):
Uh yeah, And I look back at the old back
in you know, in the forties and fifties, all the
movie stars and the and the great athletes. You know,
we're endorsing cigarette smoking. And I thought to myself, you know,
we didn't know how bad it was back then. But
since the Surgeon General's report, and now on top of that,
we got this thing called vaping, which a lot of
(31:41):
young kids are doing because I think they've been told
or they've been led to believe that vaping is a
safe alternative, and it's not.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
No, vaping is not a safe alternative. Fact when you
actually look at the data and look at the literature,
and children who actually vape and continue to vapor are
actually more likely to smoke cigaret. But go a problem.
And back in the United States, there's about two and
a half million in cool dates and what the Lung
Association and the ads they partner to create talk about
(32:12):
vaping dot org, which is.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Oh, yeah, I'll tell you what, why don't you try
to clean up his line there? Okay, whatever you could do,
let me know, let me provide. We're talking with doctor
Rutland of the American Lung Association, doctor Cedric Rutland. But
we just lost that connection and sometimes when we line
up people at night, they might be traveling, and sometimes
(32:41):
you just never know whether whether or not we have
lost the connection, lost the signal. H he's back now, Okay,
doctor Rutland. I don't know if you're in a car
or not, but I think we lost you there for
a moment or so. Are you are you stationary?
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Oh? Did you know I'm here? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, yeah. I hope you're not walking around your house
because I do that and there are these little points
in your places in your house where will you drop
it off? So? Okay, So here's the figures that I have.
The percentage of kids in Massachusetts high schools. We have
about I think it's close to seven hundred thousand, but
(33:22):
only three and a half percent smoke regularly. That's not bad.
I guess none of it is good, but it's not bad.
But high school students who use e cigarettes one in six.
Speaker 5 (33:33):
That's extraordinary.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
That is extraordinary. And then male high school students who
smoke cigars seven point two percent. Kids under eighteen who
try cigarettes for the first time every year nine thousand.
That's almost equivalent to the number of deaths that are
attributable in Massachusetts. Adults in Massachusetts ten percent of our
population still smoke ten point four percent, and proportion of
(33:59):
cancer deaths and Massachusetts attributed to smoking twenty eight point
one percent. Those are staggering statistics, and I assume that
every state in the Union. I don't know where we rank.
I'm a little afraid to ask where we rank in
those statistics, but I don't think we're doing great in Massachusetts.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
No.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
You know, it's interesting. The average is ten percent of
high school kids vaping, and Ye're at seventeen percent, So
you are above average in that sense, which is really
interesting considering the degree of education within that state. Right,
that's one of the higher educated states in the country,
one of the higher educated regions in the world, and
to be that educated to have those statistics, it's pretty staggering.
(34:42):
You are correct about that.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, is this Is there any area in the country
that's doing better? Or is this just the power of
nicotine and the power of tobacco marketing? It just insists.
I thought a few years ago that the America tobacco companies,
we're going to take their marketing prowess to other countries
(35:05):
around the world. You know, horrible to think of from
a moral point of view, But from a practical point
of view, I'd rather have them marketing overseas than here.
And that's probably not the politically correct thing to say,
but I think you understand what I'm trying to say.
I thought they were going to basically give up on
marketing tobacco products in America because there have been so
(35:28):
much publicity about it. But I guess there's still very
much in the game here in the US.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Yeah, there's still very much in the game. There are
states who are doing better than Massachusetts. Right, So if
you look at the state of California where I reside,
five percent of the high school kids that are actually vaping,
which again it's better than most states, but it's built
too high. When I think about the path of physiology
of vaping, which can induce a lot of inflammation in
the body, and you can actually produce molecules that are
(35:55):
carcinogens and can cause cancer when you look at it
from a cell to cell standpoint. But when you think
about the tobacco companies and marketing, you bring up an
interesting point. You know, the tobacco companies are obviously marketing
to children because they have all these different flavors that's one,
and then number two is there actually is some evidence
that shows that tobacco companies have purchased some food processing
(36:16):
companies as well, So they're still around and they're still
doing their thing, which I find quite interesting.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
Doctor Mardlinn. If folks want to see some of this information,
where where can they go and where can they send
their children and their grandchildren. What's the website?
Speaker 5 (36:35):
So the website is talkabout vaping dot org and on
that website, parents can actually download a guide for having
that conversation with your child. You're going to learn kind
of strategy to be able to have that conversation. Obviously,
our campaign is directed that kids who are ten to fourteen,
and we want parents to understand that they are the
best people to talk about vaping. I've got a nine
(36:55):
year old and eleven year old. Obviously I'm a pomonologist,
but they understand and the lung and how it works.
But I talk to them and their friends about the
consequences of vaping. So talk about vaping dot org is
the website to get information on smoking and you can
also get information on how to quit. You can go
to lung dot org as well, and there's plenty of
information on that website to talk about how to quit
(37:18):
smoking and where you can go for help.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
And there's also a great breakdown. I don't want to
overwhelm people, but this one that I'm looking at right now,
which is Tobacco Free Kids all one more Tobacco Free
Kids dot org. And you're listening anywhere outside of Massachusetts,
there is a pull down. You can just pick whatever
state you live in and see how young people are
(37:41):
doing in your state in terms of their relationship they're
sometimes terrifying relationship with tobacco. The toll of tobacco in
each state broken down. Doctor Rutland, thank you so much.
I really do appreciate your time. You're a great guest.
I'm sorry we lost you there for a few seconds,
but that's the Internet for you. Thank you, Thank you
so much.
Speaker 5 (38:02):
Apologize sorry, Thank you so much for having me. We'll
talk to you next time, you bet you.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
We'll talk again when we get back here. On nightside,
we're going to talk about what is going on, what
those little critters, those mosquitoes are doing. It is very
dangerous out there right now, they are spraying. We're going
to be talking with a very interesting guest, a doctor
who is not only a veterinarian, but an epidemiologist as well.
(38:26):
Her name is doctor Catherine Brown, and we will talk
to her. She actually is in Plymouth tonight. I believe
she'll join us from Plymouth where there is spraying underway.
So we have lots to talk about. Next hour about
Tripoli and also West now virus. Coming back on Nightside
It's Nightside. Who's Dan Ray, I'm busy Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Thanks very much, Nicole. As we start off at Tuesday night,
we have four hours to go between now at midnight.
I'm here with you virtually every weeknight from Monday through Friday.
Occasionally get a few nights off. I'll have a few
nights off next week, but we'll have some good host
sitting in for me. I'm not exactly sure of the schedule.
I'll have that for you probably tomorrow night and let
(00:30):
you know who's to be sitting in. And we continue
along here with Nightside, and I'm approaching the start of
our year, number eighteen, just a little over a month away.
Before I begin tonight, I want to do a big
shout out to a big fan over in South Boston, Mary,
and I guess her nickname is Southy Mary Keller. She's
(00:51):
a graduate of South Boston High School, the classmate of
former Boston mayor and Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn.
And I'm told that Mary is a very loyal Nightside listener,
and she just passed a milestone birthday. But of course,
a gentleman never mentions a lady's birthday. But I want
(01:13):
to send out a big happy birthday wish on behalf
of everyone here at nightside the audience as well as
all the staff people to marry Southy Mary Keller, a
lifelong South Boston resident, proud graduate of South Boston High
School back when Ray Flynn was playing some basketball before
he went to Providence College. So Mary, I know you
had a great birthday and many many more to come.
(01:37):
Before we start off, I will tell you we are
going to learn a lot about Tripoli equine encephalitis, eastern
equine encephalitis tonight, as well as West Nile virus. We'll
be talking with doctor Catherine Brown the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health, a veterinarian, an epidemiologist. And I'm sure all
of you that will be at nine o'clock have heard
(01:58):
about this huge, huge public data breach two point nine
billion that's with a B record stolen from National Public Data,
a Florida based credit and criminal background check company. Well,
they got some splaining to do here, and we're going
to talk with a professor from the University of Illinois,
(02:21):
the founder of the computer science program, and find out
what the heck you can do to defend yourself when
the bad guys have your social security information. Very important
issues to talk about tonight, A very important issue to
start off with. Our good friend, friend of the program,
Massachusetts Republican Senator Bruce Tar Bruce, Welcome back to Night Side.
(02:42):
How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Thanks? Dan, I'm doing very well and I want to
congratulate you on coming up on eighteen years of incredible programming.
And I also want to join you in congratulating Southie
Mara on her birthday. So two very big landmarks here
on the radar screen tonight, I would think so.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I think she's a little older than eighteen, but will
hit eighteen this October. First, Bruce, we're here to talk
about the Massages of Maternal Health Bill that is expanding
access to midwifery, birth centers and do laws here in Massachusetts.
The Governor Healy signed this bill. I know that there's
(03:22):
been some things that have kind of got bottled up
at the legislature this year, but this was one I
assumed that had a lot of support across party lines.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
It definitely did. And Dan, before we get to the bill,
I want to just take a step back and remember
that you were kind enough to have me on the
show to talk a while ago about a budget amendment
that I had offered to the Senate version of the
state budget relative to maternal health. And sometimes, Dan, we
don't often get the chance to come back and say
thank you, but I wanted to do that tonight because
(03:53):
that amendment in a different form passed, and so you
and I had talked about the fact that it should
have been a no brainer. Well, I'm very pleased to
report that both sides the House and the Senate, Republicans
and Democrats, agreed on that amendment, which now directs the
Department of Public Health to create a feasibility study for
(04:14):
an application for your phone or your computer, your tablet,
so that you'll be able to access things that are
important with regard to maternal health, whether it be transportation,
mental health services, physical health services. And Dan, you helped
us get the word out about that amendment, and with
the stroke of Governor Healey's pen when she signed the
(04:36):
state budget, that feasibility study is on its way to
being done, and that will lead to us having an
incredibly powerful tool for parents across the Commonwealth. So thank
you for your help with that.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, Bruce, you guys did the work on that one,
So thank you very much. You're very kind. Let me
put it like that, but this is a moment of clarity.
Every once in a while, everybody at Peak and Hill
gets together on something. Let's talk about the maternal health
build that the governor has signed. So you're here to
tell us all about a piece of legislation. I'm sure
the Governor Healy's really proud.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Of as well well, and I think we all are, Dan,
and I think it's a shining example of how we
can still have bipartisan collaboration, even in these politically charged
times where it seems like it can be difficult to
reach across party lines and to reach across chambers between
the House and the Senate. This bill is a shining
example of the fact that we still can get things done.
(05:32):
And Dan, it is true that the conference committee wasn't
able to be filed, the report wasn't able to be
filed before we ended formal sessions, and we could talk
about that if you'd like, but it still got done
in an informal session, which means that no one objected.
There was consensus around this bill. It's a very important bill,
(05:54):
and I'm really pleased that it got signed into law.
I did amend the bill. There were numerous amendments to it,
and they all got reconciled by a six person conference
committee of our confrere and the Senate Republican Caucus with
Senator Patrick O'Connor from Weymouth. But all the conferees did
a great job and Dan. This bill is largely a
(06:16):
response to a report that was completed by the Department
of Public Health last November, and that report really raised
a red flag of alarm about access to maternal health
services in Massachusetts. We are world famous, and rightfully so,
for our healthcare system and our healthcare delivery system, but
(06:38):
the report that was filed back on November fifteenth of
twenty twenty three really sounded the alarm about us needing
to do more around maternal health. And this bill does
do more.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So let's talk about some of the specifics. I talk
about midwifery, birth centers, and duelas in Massachusetts. Again, I
think everyone knows what we're talking about, But how does
this expand access? Does it make it easier for a
community to license this sort of work necessary?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Well, it does, So let's take midwifery first, and one
of the things this bill does is set up a
commission in Massachusetts to license midwives and create a process
so that everybody meeting the same standards, and we'll have
the ability to ensure quality of care, and we'll have
the ability to sanction folks by license suspension or revocation
(07:34):
if they don't deliver quality care. And that is really
important because the use of a midwife is an important
choice that folks ought to have, and one dan that's
been concerning about that choice not being as available as
it might otherwise be. I think folks that are on
the North Shore are familiar with the situation that we
(07:55):
faced with the birthing center at Beverly Hospital being closed
and that closed off some access to midwives. We're all
working on restoring that access. But being able to have
access to midwife free and having insurance coverage for it
is very important, and so that is one of the
(08:16):
fundamental things that this bill does. It's not that we
didn't have midwives before, but now we will have licensed
midwives that have to meet a set of standards and
deliver quality care.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Now every confidence will Previously there was no licensing procedure.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
It sounds to it there was a licensure system, but
it was not as formal as the one that's included
in the bill. And the bill also sets up a
new panel for that registration and for that licensure, which
didn't exist before, and.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Some of the same opportunities of birth centers now will
be monitored a little bit more carefully. And doulas are
different dum as. I understand that midwives provide medical care
and doulists provide emotional, physical, and informational support not only
for the moms and the moms to be, but also
(09:09):
for extended family members.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
So well, that's absolutely true. And Dan, you raise an
important point. When we talk about maternal health. Oftentimes we
think about mothers, but it's also important to think about
fathers and parents generally, because everyone is involved here. And
for instance, one of the things that we talk about
in this bill is having access to screening for postpartum depression,
(09:32):
not only for mothers but also for fathers, so that
we can have that complete access to healthcare. And one
of the amendments that I offered to the bill provided
that screening not only where there has been an actual
live birth, but also for folks that have less fortunate consequences.
Of still birth, a miscarriage, those still have tremendous effects
(09:55):
on mental health, and so I amended the bill to
ensure that those parents too, who would be eligible for
screenings and ultimately mental healthcare.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
All Right, so sounds like a win win win for everyone.
Senator Bruce Tarr, thanks so much for being up there
and maintaining some level of bipartisanship in a tough political
climate both locally and nashally. As always, you're always welcome here.
Thank you again for your kind words. Very much appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Thanks Dan, thanks for your support and look forward to
talking with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Have a great absolutely, Bruce Tar. Ladies and gentlemen, one
of the members the Republican members of the Massachusetts State Senate.
We get back when we talk about something that I
think all of us can identify with, and that is
Labor Day, weekend travel. It could get busy, I'm told,
and we're going to talk with a USA Today reporter,
consumer travel reporter right after this break here on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I guess is Zach Wictor He is USA Today's Consumer
Travel reporter, and I guess, Zach that this weekend, Labor
Day weekend is going to be one for the ages
from all of the the stories, the previous stories I've
been reading. I am not traveling this weekend, and I
(11:22):
am happy to be not traveling. How are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
I'm good. Thank you so much for having me on.
And I think they're right. It's going to be a
crazy travel weekend. So for those people who are hitting
the road or going to the airport, there's some stuff
that they can do to be ready or at least
to mentally prepare for the crowds that they're short to encounter.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Well, before I ask you what they can do to
be prepared, I'm going to guess that there's the end
of summer travelers, and there's the college kids going back
to school or starting college for the first time, maybe
with the parents. So are those the factors that are
kind of working together here to make this a memorable
(12:07):
Labor Day weekend?
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, I mean, I think it's the same stuff that
we see every year, sort of as summer winds down,
as people get ready to go back to school or
to go to colleges. You said maybe for the first time,
or just to move back into the dorms. They're trying
to either squeeze out that last vacation or get started
on that new chapter in life. And so we see
(12:29):
every summer that the roads and the airports and the
other ways of getting around are crowded this weekend of
the year, but especially this year, it looks like the TSA,
for example, is expecting particularly high passenger volumes at the airport.
Speaker 5 (12:44):
And I think you're.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Really seeing kind of the COVID recovery has really fully
been realized, and so whatever pent up demand was left
is now being answered and people are really getting out there.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
So is this the end of the pent up manned
toothpaste tube that it's just finishing up here and it's
going to get back to a more normal every you know,
it seems like that Christmas Thanksgiving we hear all these
this is the busiest travel day, that's the busiest travel day.
Is this just the busiest travel Labor day? Or is
(13:18):
this going to be right up there with the busiest
travel weekend without the complications of things like snowstorms and
stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Yeah, so this summer has been basically the busiest summer
for travel on record, and I think you're kind of
seeing a new normal. The sort of broader backdrop to
all of this is that people are spending more to
travel now. I think part of what COVID did is
sort of spur people to value more experiences, and so
(13:49):
what we're seeing again, kind of more broadly across the
industry is that people are foregoing some other things in
their regular day to day life so that they can
save up and travel. And the result of that is
more people than ever are traveling, and that means that
these popular weekends for travel are even busier than they've
ever been. The TSA, for example, said that the top
(14:13):
ten travel days for passenger screenings at the nation's airport
in its history have all happened since May twenty twenty four.
So I think that this is really just the new normal.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Well, that is an amazing statistic, that is the ten
busiest travel days. I realized that the population is increasing
and expanding. I came back with a group of nightside listeners.
We were in Italy earlier this month and the airports
were packed. We didn't have any problem, don't get me wrong,
(14:48):
but the planes were packed, and by the way, zach
I noticed something on the airplanes. All the seats are
smaller than they used to be. It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, no, that's howbsolutely true. And I think that again
just goes back to the demand that airlines are trying
to answer, and also the price sensitivity that we're seeing.
People really often shop solely by price when they're buying
airline tickets, and part of the way airlines answer that
is by cramming more seats onto the plane. It means
(15:19):
that they're able to lower those airfares, and so we
hear people understandably complain that amenities and comfort on airplanes
have gotten worse over the years. But the fact of
the matter is that in order to stay competitive and
in order to give people those competitive ticket prices, airlines
need to offer increasingly bare bone service. And then of
(15:42):
course they diversify their products by offering more premium seating
and amenities, which obviously you have to pay.
Speaker 5 (15:49):
A little bit for.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And airlines are seeing actually increase demand for those premium
products too. People like I said, who are saving up
to travel more, are also say saving up to purchase
more luxurious travel experiences when they're getting out there.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
Yeah, it's really interesting to see the planes and to
be in a couple of you know, airports in Italy,
Rome and Maples just packed, just absolutely packed. And in
Italy you had a sense that just relax, you know,
we'll get you through a long time. But obviously there's
(16:27):
all that angst. I don't want to miss my connection,
I don't want to have to spend the extra day,
all of those all of those problems. Do you think
it's going to continue or do you think at some
point all of us are going to say, Okay, we've
traveled quite a bit. Now we can kind of chill
and relax, or do you think it's going to get
worse next year the year after that. Is this something
(16:49):
that just the population is getting larger and more and
more people are are are expanding their vistas.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Yeah, I think as we kind of talked about free
pandemic and then you know, excluding those few years where
things are really messed up, but generally the trend year
on year has been a growing demand for travel, both
as the population expands, and then is people's kind of
priorities for how they're spending their money change. Like I said,
people are emphasizing these experiences, and so I think that
(17:20):
it's gonna you know, the crowds are here to stay,
and so people need to be ready to face those
crowds at the airport. But that doesn't mean it's worth
getting stressed over. You know, if you leave yourself enough time,
if you kind of have your plan for how you're
going to get to the airport, how you're going to
navigate your travel experiences, you're still going to have a
(17:40):
great time. And it's just really important, I think when
you go to the airport to stay patient and be
nice to those around you, especially the airport and airline employees.
If something goes wrong, they're the first line of defense.
They're just doing their jobs, and so it's really important
to keep your cool. As frustrated as you might be,
you'll get home, get where you're going eventually.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Yeah, they can always mess with your ticket. We realize
that real quick last question and the quick last answer.
We're focused on your life travel. Will car travel and
train travel also match their heights this this weekend as
far as you know?
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, the quick answer is, yes, it's going to be
busy no matter how you're going and how you're getting
where you're going.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
All right, even if you're going by tricycle, You've got
to plan ahead. Hey, thanks so.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Much, right, Zach Wick, My pleasures for having me say.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Today's Consumer Travel Report. Appreciate it, Zach. When we get back,
we're going to talk about a great charity, the Angel
Fund with Rich Kennedy. The Angel Fund is for ALS
Research hosting a Walk for Hope coming up on Saturday,
September seventh in Wakefield. That is not this coming Saturday,
but it's the following Saturday, and it's one that everyone
can participate in. Looking forward to that. My name's Dan Ray.
(18:52):
This is Nightside, Boston's News Radio. If forever any reason
you have trouble getting us on the over the the
terrestrial radio feed, you can always go to the iHeartRadio app,
you know, loaded downloaded anyway. You can listen to WBZ
wherever you are, whenever you want, and it's all free.
(19:13):
Back on Nightside with Rich Kennedy, President of the Angel Fund.
Right after the news break.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
All right, I think all of us are familiar with
ALS UH so called lou Garrigg's disease, just one of
the cruelest diseases that could touch any family with us
as Rich Kennedy, He's the president of the Angel Fund.
His family has been touched by this horrific disease, and
(19:48):
the Angel Fund, of which he is the president, basically
funds research, ALS research and the hope. They are hosting
their annual Walk of Hope for ALS. I remember a
year ago we mentioned this and I hope a lot
of Nightside listeners will have a chance to participate on Saturday,
September seventh in Wakefield. Rich Kennedy, welcome back to Nightside.
(20:09):
How are you.
Speaker 6 (20:10):
I'm fantastic, Dan, Thank you very much, and thank you
for having me on once again. I really appreciate this.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Well. You know, between you and our good friend Mike
Timlin and the Boston Red Sox, you guys are warriors
in this battle against this horrific disease. Tell us about
the Angel Fund and what it has done over the
years and what it continues to do.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
All right, Yeah, the full name is the ALS, the
Angel Fund, the ALS Research. Sure, and after losing my
dad and then five years later my younger brother, the
youngest of nine, I've subsequently lost an older brother to this.
So watching this is horrendous watching somebody slowly strength pass
(20:56):
away and gone. So I with a lot of like
minded people with family history, et ceterist out of the
Angel Fund, and I'm proud to say We've raised millions
of dollars. But I'm more proud to say that I've
never taken a penny. The whole board of directors, no
one takes anything, goes directly to ALS research for supporting
(21:18):
doctor Robert Brown at UMass Medical School, and that's seen
unbelievable research with us.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Is this the sort of disease that potentially we can,
if not cure it, at least control it a little
bit more within our lifetimes or is this something that
is something that we can only hope to slow down?
If you know what I'm trying to.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
Get at here, You're exactly right. And again with progress.
There are different medications out a lot of other organizations
raising money for this also. So I've seen great progress
in the lab.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Excellent, excellent. Now tell us about the walk. This is
the Walk of Hope. It's every year it's around this time,
I think this Saturday after Labor Day, people are back home,
vacations are over, and this year it starts on September seventh,
nine am to two pm. It's the twenty third annual
(22:24):
Walk for Hope for Als and it's in Wakefield. If
I recall, it's around a huge lake in Wakefield, Is it.
Speaker 6 (22:32):
Not exactly right? Lake Kuanapowit. It's a three and a
half mile walk around it, absolutely beautiful setting Wakefield, calmness
where it starts and ends, and one loop around the
lake and I will be there, Doctor Brown will be there.
We typically go about one third of the way around.
(22:53):
They're in greet everybody coming around and fantastic.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
As I understand, you have a whole bunch of teams.
People can go and sign up and and and participate
as as an individual or as a couple or as
a family. But then you have teams. I see this
whole list of of various groups together. Is it too
late to get a team together? Or is it too
(23:19):
late to sign up for the walk? What's what's the limitations?
Like anything else? I know, you gotta sign up for
these things in advance. Tell us, tell us where do
we stand uh on on on this this project this year?
What do you need more walkers? I'm sure you do that.
That's probably the easiest question of.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
The night, right, Yes, of course we always do. We
welcome absolutely everybody, teams and individuals. You can sign up
online at the Angel Funds dot o r J or
show up that day and just simply sign up that day,
and individuals, teams, whatever, will take absolutely anything because it
(24:02):
spreads awareness and all kinds of information available to you there.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
And I assume that you're hoping, particularly with teams, that
people will go out and get some pleasures and you
raise some money for this. I guess there's nothing to
stop someone just for falling in and walking by themselves,
but you were hoping that everybody will make some donation,
small or large. Every dollar, every dollar is going to
(24:29):
help in the fight. You never know which dollar is
going to be the dollar that provides the funding that
leads to a real breakthrough.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
Right, absolutely right, You've got all the information and just
spreading the word. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
All right, So it is simply all you have to
do is go to all one wordthanngelfund dot org and
you can. You'll find it on their web page. Walk
for Hope for Als twenty twenty four, and again it's Saturday,
No Saturday, September seventh. So it's not this Saturday, which
I think is the thirty first, it's the following of August.
(25:07):
It's the following Saturday, and it is at a beautiful lake.
It's a three and a half mile walk beginning at
what's called Lower Common in Wakefield, and all the Moneys
go to support research again to find a cure for
als lou Garrig's disease. This world renowned researcher doctor Robert
(25:30):
Brown at UMass chan Medical School. And I know whenever
I talked to Mike Timlin when he does his events
generally in May, he's a huge fan of doctor Brown.
He and I know you are as well. Rich.
Speaker 6 (25:47):
Well, absolutely, yes, I did my homework inside of that
all the money should go to him and the slope
we've raised, everything we raised goes to him. So thank
you for splaining the word A really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Well, Rich, thank you, and thank you for being so
so much in the lead on this. I've known a
lot of folks and a lot of families who have
been impacted by this, and you're right, it's one of
the worst diagnoses that anyone individual or any family could receive.
And I know that it has touched your family in
so many adverse ways, but you guys, the Kennedy family
(26:25):
is fighting back and you're leading the charge. So thanks
so much for what you do. And I hope as
many of our listeners as possible we'll get out there
and participate on Saturday, September the seventh. Thanks again, Rich.
I do appreciate Rich Kennedy that president.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Once again, Thank you to you. Dan. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
My pleasure. We'll talk soon. Thanks, Rich, appreciate it. Those
are the heroes amongst us. Trust me. It's the Angel
Fund Als Research and again that website. You know you
want to get out, get a little exercise, raise some money,
and get some pledges for some friends. All you gotta
do is go to the angelfund dot org and they
(27:07):
will They will sign you up as quick as possible.
It's a great website. Check check it out. When we
come back, we're going to wrap this hour here on
Nightside and we're going to talk about youth vaping. Young
people still vaping. They may not be smoking cigarettes in
the same way that they used to smoke cigarettes. That
(27:27):
word has gotten out, but vaping is just as dangerous
and we'll be talking with doctor Cedric Rutland on the
other side of the break Here on a Tuesday night
edition of Nightside.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Now back to Dan Way live from the window World,
Nice Side Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
My guest is doctor Cedric Rutland. Lung cancer and smoking
cost a lot of lives, and the American Lung Association
reminds everyone that that parents are the best defense against
youth vaping. Doctor Rutland, Welcome to Night's Side.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
How are you tonight, sir, Hey, thanks for having me tonight, Dan.
Pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And Boston, Yeah, you were more more than welcome. I'm
looking at these statistics from Massachusetts and you're talking to
more than Boston. By the way, we get into about
thirty eight states in this radio station over with just
a terrestrial signal, but we're focused on Massachusetts, and you
folks provided us that there are nine thousand, three hundred
(28:31):
deaths every year in Massachusetts attributable to people having smoked,
killing more people than alcohol, aids, car crashes, illegal drugs,
murders and suicides combined. That is a staggering statistic.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
Yeah, you know, it is a staggering statistic. But when
you think about smoking. A lot of people think that
when you smoke a cigarette, because you're inhaling that smoke
the pipes that carry air to the lung. We know
that the cigarette smoke actually has percentagenes that can induce
rellular change and lead to cancer. That's easy. But what
we think about is impact on the arteries within the box.
(29:14):
So smoking actually leads to a disease called athosleurosis, which
is inflammation and deposition in the artery walls which narrow
those arteries and can lead to heart attacks. It can
lead to strokes, and all of these things can lead
to morbidity and mortality as well. And that's why that
f number is higher than you might think.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
After all these years and all the warnings and all
the public service announcements of people you know who were smokers,
and they have those tubes in their throat of those
devices which allow them to sort of make a sound
that is similar to a voice. That still hasn't convinced
everyone that smoking is just a vice, that that is
(29:59):
a no value to anyone. I mean, I just I've
never smoked a cigarette in my life because I wanted
to play a lot of sports in high school, and college,
and I carried on my dad had been a two
pack of day Smoker camels, unfiltered World War two veteran,
and I can remember going to the store variety store
Missus Mceilroy's in Walcott Square, and I think spending a
(30:23):
quarter for a pack of cigarettes. Now a pack of
cigarettes is like eight.
Speaker 5 (30:28):
Or nine bucks, right, yeah, really can king. I wouldn't
know because I don't smoke either, but you're right, you know,
individuals still continue to smoke with What that shows you
is a the power of marketing from the tobacco industry,
what they can do and be the power of nicotine,
which is a really addictive drug, probably the most addictive
drug in the world, right, and so nicotine is something
(30:50):
that people cray and once they have tasted it, they
keep wanting more and more and they're willing to do
anything to get it. And smoking probably the number one thing.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Probably upset a lot of listeners. But if you if
you ever kiss someone who's a smoker, I mean, it's
it doesn't add to the to the romance of the moment.
We put it like that, kissing and kissing an astrak o.
(31:21):
Uh yeah, And I look back at the old back
in you know, in the forties and fifties, all the
movie stars and the and the great athletes. You know,
we're endorsing cigarette smoking. And I thought to myself, you know,
we didn't know how bad it was back then. But
since the Surgeon General's report, and now on top of that,
we got this thing called vaping, which a lot of
(31:41):
young kids are doing because I think they've been told
or they've been led to believe that vaping is a
safe alternative, and it's not.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
No, vaping is not a safe alternative. Fact when you
actually look at the data and look at the literature,
and children who actually vape and continue to vapor are
actually more likely to smoke cigaret. But go a problem.
And back in the United States, there's about two and
a half million in cool dates and what the Lung
Association and the ads they partner to create talk about
(32:12):
vaping dot org, which is.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Oh, yeah, I'll tell you what, why don't you try
to clean up his line there? Okay, whatever you could do,
let me know, let me provide. We're talking with doctor
Rutland of the American Lung Association, doctor Cedric Rutland. But
we just lost that connection and sometimes when we line
up people at night, they might be traveling, and sometimes
(32:41):
you just never know whether whether or not we have
lost the connection, lost the signal. H he's back now, Okay,
doctor Rutland. I don't know if you're in a car
or not, but I think we lost you there for
a moment or so. Are you are you stationary?
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Oh? Did you know I'm here? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, yeah. I hope you're not walking around your house
because I do that and there are these little points
in your places in your house where will you drop
it off? So? Okay, So here's the figures that I have.
The percentage of kids in Massachusetts high schools. We have
about I think it's close to seven hundred thousand, but
(33:22):
only three and a half percent smoke regularly. That's not bad.
I guess none of it is good, but it's not bad.
But high school students who use e cigarettes one in six.
Speaker 5 (33:33):
That's extraordinary.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
That is extraordinary. And then male high school students who
smoke cigars seven point two percent. Kids under eighteen who
try cigarettes for the first time every year nine thousand.
That's almost equivalent to the number of deaths that are
attributable in Massachusetts. Adults in Massachusetts ten percent of our
population still smoke ten point four percent, and proportion of
(33:59):
cancer deaths and Massachusetts attributed to smoking twenty eight point
one percent. Those are staggering statistics, and I assume that
every state in the Union. I don't know where we rank.
I'm a little afraid to ask where we rank in
those statistics, but I don't think we're doing great in Massachusetts.
Speaker 6 (34:19):
No.
Speaker 5 (34:19):
You know, it's interesting. The average is ten percent of
high school kids vaping, and Ye're at seventeen percent, So
you are above average in that sense, which is really
interesting considering the degree of education within that state. Right,
that's one of the higher educated states in the country,
one of the higher educated regions in the world, and
to be that educated to have those statistics, it's pretty staggering.
(34:42):
You are correct about that.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yeah, is this Is there any area in the country
that's doing better? Or is this just the power of
nicotine and the power of tobacco marketing? It just insists.
I thought a few years ago that the America tobacco companies,
we're going to take their marketing prowess to other countries
(35:05):
around the world. You know, horrible to think of from
a moral point of view, But from a practical point
of view, I'd rather have them marketing overseas than here.
And that's probably not the politically correct thing to say,
but I think you understand what I'm trying to say.
I thought they were going to basically give up on
marketing tobacco products in America because there have been so
(35:28):
much publicity about it. But I guess there's still very
much in the game here in the US.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Yeah, there's still very much in the game. There are
states who are doing better than Massachusetts. Right, So if
you look at the state of California where I reside,
five percent of the high school kids that are actually vaping,
which again it's better than most states, but it's built
too high. When I think about the path of physiology
of vaping, which can induce a lot of inflammation in
the body, and you can actually produce molecules that are
(35:55):
carcinogens and can cause cancer when you look at it
from a cell to cell standpoint. But when you think
about the tobacco companies and marketing, you bring up an
interesting point. You know, the tobacco companies are obviously marketing
to children because they have all these different flavors that's one,
and then number two is there actually is some evidence
that shows that tobacco companies have purchased some food processing
(36:16):
companies as well, So they're still around and they're still
doing their thing, which I find quite interesting.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
Doctor Mardlinn. If folks want to see some of this information,
where where can they go and where can they send
their children and their grandchildren. What's the website?
Speaker 5 (36:35):
So the website is talkabout vaping dot org and on
that website, parents can actually download a guide for having
that conversation with your child. You're going to learn kind
of strategy to be able to have that conversation. Obviously,
our campaign is directed that kids who are ten to fourteen,
and we want parents to understand that they are the
best people to talk about vaping. I've got a nine
(36:55):
year old and eleven year old. Obviously I'm a pomonologist,
but they understand and the lung and how it works.
But I talk to them and their friends about the
consequences of vaping. So talk about vaping dot org is
the website to get information on smoking and you can
also get information on how to quit. You can go
to lung dot org as well, and there's plenty of
information on that website to talk about how to quit
(37:18):
smoking and where you can go for help.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
And there's also a great breakdown. I don't want to
overwhelm people, but this one that I'm looking at right now,
which is Tobacco Free Kids all one more Tobacco Free
Kids dot org. And you're listening anywhere outside of Massachusetts,
there is a pull down. You can just pick whatever
state you live in and see how young people are
(37:41):
doing in your state in terms of their relationship they're
sometimes terrifying relationship with tobacco. The toll of tobacco in
each state broken down. Doctor Rutland, thank you so much.
I really do appreciate your time. You're a great guest.
I'm sorry we lost you there for a few seconds,
but that's the Internet for you. Thank you, Thank you
so much.
Speaker 5 (38:02):
Apologize sorry, Thank you so much for having me. We'll
talk to you next time, you bet you.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
We'll talk again when we get back here. On nightside,
we're going to talk about what is going on, what
those little critters, those mosquitoes are doing. It is very
dangerous out there right now, they are spraying. We're going
to be talking with a very interesting guest, a doctor
who is not only a veterinarian, but an epidemiologist as well.
(38:26):
Her name is doctor Catherine Brown, and we will talk
to her. She actually is in Plymouth tonight. I believe
she'll join us from Plymouth where there is spraying underway.
So we have lots to talk about. Next hour about
Tripoli and also West now virus. Coming back on Nightside
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