December 2, 2023 • 29 mins
Ryan Gorman hosts an iHeartRadio nationwide special featuring Dr. Robyn Neblett Fanfair, Acting Director of CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention. Dr. Neblett Fanfair joins the show for World AIDS Day to discuss the progress made in combating the HIV epidemic, along with the latest information on the amount of Americans impacted by the disease and which groups are most at risk. Cole Lyle, USMC Veteran & Executive Director of Mission Roll Call, also joins the show. Cole Lyle breaks down the latest Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Suicide Report and discusses ways to help prevent veteran suicide moving forward. Finally, Jennifer Streaks, Senior Personal Finance Reporter for Business Insider, checks in. Jennifer Streaks joins the show for insight into spending best practices during the holiday season and important information on how to deal with stolen or missing packages.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a publicaffairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting
you this week. Here's Ryan Gorman. Thanks for joining us here on iHeartRadio
Communities. I'm Ryan Gorman, andwe have a few important conversations lined up
for you for this show. Ina moment in light of World Aid's Day,
We're going to spend some time gettingcaught up in the progress being made
(00:21):
in the fight against HIV here inthe US. Plus, a recent report
from the Department of Veterans Affairs onveteran suicide included some troubling findings. We'll
talk to a US Marine Corps veteranabout the report and what needs to be
done to help prevent veteran suicide.And finally, with the holidays here,
we'll check in with Business Insiders PersonalFinance reporter for some tips on spending and
(00:45):
how to deal with missing or stolenpackages. So that's something you're definitely going
to want to stick around for rightnow. To kick off the show,
I'm joined by doctor Robin Neblitt Fanfare, the acting director of the CDC's Division
of HIV Prevention. She's here aswe mark World Aids Day. Doctor Neblett
Fanfare. Thanks so much for comingon the show. And before we get
(01:06):
into the progress that's being made onthis issue, let's start with the basic
question help everyone understand the disease.Can you explain the difference between HIV and
AIDS. Absolutely, thank you,Ryan. Well, HIV is the virus.
So when we really talk about WorldAs Day, we're talking about a
day to remember and commit and commemorateall of those who unfortunately have lost their
(01:33):
lives to HIV related illnesses. SoHIV is the virus itself, and AIDS
is how it can progress to thedisease if unfortunately it goes untreated. Let's
talk about the virus itself, HIV. What do we know about it?
What have we learned about this virusover the past couple of decades as it's
been researched extensively, and what shouldeveryone listening know about how it affects the
(02:00):
Body's amazing to know about HIV andhow it impacts the body is that it
can really impact our body's ability tofight off infection. So thankfully, over
the past few decades there have reallybeen wonderful advances in therapeutics and treatment for
HIV. So that it doesn't advanceto AIDS. However, if someone is
(02:23):
unaware of their diagnosis or does nottake medications, what happens is that it
can really impact the body's ability tofight off infections. Can you help put
into perspective the progress that we've madein dealing with HIV, because from when
it first appeared here in the UnitedStates to where we are today, incredible
(02:47):
strides have been made over the pastcouple of decades. But it's now been
more than forty years since HIV wasfirst identified, and this year for World
Age Day, it commemorates thirty sixthanniversary of this important day. Unfortunately,
during that time, we have lostseven hundred thousand lives to HIV in this
(03:09):
country and millions worldwide. Currently,there are one point two million people in
this country who are living with HIV, and one in eight of those don't
know that they have it. Butwe are seeing progress in these numbers.
So in the eighties and nineties therewere over one hundred thousand new HIV infections
(03:29):
eat year, and through remarkable work, that is now down to around thirty
two thousand new infections eat year.And over the past five years we've seen
a twelve percent reduction in new HIVinfections, So are really what the shows
us is that our national efforts aremoving in the right direction, and that's
something on World Age Day to reallybe proud of. I'm Ryan Gorman,
(03:52):
joined by doctor Robin neblit Fanfair,acting Director of CDC's Division of HIV Prevention.
She's here as we can commemorate WorldAid's Day. What are some of
the reasons for the progress that youjust highlighted in dealing with the HIV epidemic.
I'd like to say all of usdoing this work today really stand on
(04:14):
the shoulders of passionate and dedicated advocates, Black Brown, LGBTT plus communities,
clinicians, all the health officials peoplewith HIV who have helped to drive decades
of scientific and clinical advances. Sothese games that we're seeing today, Ryan,
are due to improve testing, treatmentand preventions, including something called pre
(04:35):
exposure prophylaxis or press prep, isa medication to help prevent HIV. It
can be taken as kills or injections, and it's highly effective at preventing HIV.
When taken as prescribed, it's upto ninety nine percent effective. So
all of those advances are why we'veseen so many of these promising declines EHAV
(05:00):
over the decades. When it comesto who's most at risk for getting infected
with HIV, are there certain groupsor communities that have a higher risk level
than others? Well, we doknow that life saving HIV treatment and prevention
it's not reaching everyone, and thisreally is due in parts the long standing
(05:21):
inequities, deeply entrence, systemic factors. So we just talked about preps.
What we see is that although we'vebeen successful there, the reach of PREP
is far from equals. So overthe past few weeks that CDC we've put
out our most recent data which showsthat ninety four percent of white people who
(05:43):
could benefit from PREP have been prescribedit. But that's compared to only thirteen
percent of black and twenty four percentof Hispanic Latino people. So the impact
of racism, homophobia, trans phobia, and stigma continues to significantly exacerbate how
disparities that are experienced within communities thatare impacted by HIV. So, of
(06:03):
course that leads me into my nextquestion at the CDC, in particular your
division of HIV prevention, What areyou working, what are you focused on
to help bridge these gaps in HIVprevention among the different communities that you just
mentioned. Well, there are quitea few things I'd love to first start
(06:25):
with PREP and then highlight some ofthe work we're doing so in PREP.
Most recently, we developed the cswell campaign as sees well It's Before Us
by Us initiative, which has nowshown improved outcomes including PREP knowledge, awareness,
and conversations with helpcare providers about PREP. We have a recent study for
(06:46):
PREP which is looking to evaluate strategiesthat will increase PREP among Black women where
they're already seeking care. And similarly, we have Transcend for women of transgender
experience to be able to access PREPwhere they receive gender firm and care.
And it also lets to highlight anew campaign that will be coming out soon
that will focus specifically Black and Hispanicssame gender living men to increase PREP awareness
(07:12):
of uptakes Li's pivot now to testingNow. We provide funding to health departments,
community based organizations, and programs suchas Together Take Me Home, which
is the largest HIV self testing programin history act Together take Me Home Please.
People can go and access it nowand get free HIV tests that are
available to anyone seventeen years or older, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.
(07:38):
And finally, I would just liketo say at CDC, we can't
do any of this work without ourcritical partners, So we fund and work
with federal states vocal partners on effortsto reduce disparities in HIV prevention in the
communities where the need is greatest.I'm Ryan Borman, joined by doctor Robin
Neblett Fanfare, Acting Director of theCDC's Division of HIV Prevention. She's with
(08:00):
me for World Aid's Day, anddoctor nebl Fanfare, based on your extensive
work in this area HIV prevention andthe HIV epidemic, what do you think
it will take to end that epidemichere in the United States once and for
all. Thanks so much for answeringthat question. I think on this on
(08:22):
World Day's Day, it's just soimportant to think that we are at a
cross roads and without sufficient investment inHIV prevention, we are turning back the
clocks on so much of the progressyou've been discussing. Quite frankly, HIV
prevention resources have not kept pace withme and investing in HIV prevention stage lives
(08:43):
so as a country, we haveto do three critical things. Number one,
we have to increase investments so thateveryone can benefit from life saving,
game changing HIV treatment and prevention.Number two, we have to maximize innovation
like AHAV self testing and long actingtreatment and prep options. And number three,
(09:03):
it's critical to center health equity inevery single aspect of our work to
address the root causes of disparities andinequities that continue to persist today in HIV
care. Brian, we really dohave the tools to end AHIV, we
need the resources and resolve to finishthe job. So we've been talking a
lot about system level efforts in thisbattle against HIV. What about for individuals?
(09:31):
For those listening to the show,what should they be taking away from
all of this? What can theydo to help prevent the infection of HIV
in others and bring an end tothis HIV epidemico. I think first is
if you don't know your HIV status, to take the first step today and
(09:54):
get tested for HIV. Our datashows that viewer than half of all adults
have ever had an HIV test.Simply, we have to do better,
and there are lots of ways andplaces to do this with your doctor's office
health department a free and confidential selftest to take it home. I would
employ your listeners to not be afraidof the results and know that knowledge is
(10:15):
power and that they can find atext near them at get tested dot BDC
dot go now. If you findout you have HIV stark treatment right away
so you can live a long,healthy life. HIV is no longer a
death sentence, and when you taketreatment is prescribed. You can't transmit HIV
to your sexual partners if you don'thave HIV. I would employ your listeners
(10:39):
to talk to their provider and findout if PREP is right for them.
PREP is about your sexual health andan act of self love. They can
also visit preplocator dot org to learnmore about PREP. And then last question
for you, any final thoughts,anything else you want to mention about the
work the CDC is doing in thearea of HIV prevents, or more broadly
(11:01):
speaking about the HIV issue here inthe United States. Well, I would
just like to say that we arecloser than ever being able to end the
HIV epidemic in this country. We'vemade remarkable progress, but we really need
to ensure that that progress is reachingall equitably, and on this World Age
Day, I'd also like to acknowledgethis weekend the release of Renaissance, a
(11:24):
film by Beyonce. And this filmis being released because it really provides the
space for us to renew collective commitmentending the epidemic and to honor and remember
those we have lots to HIV,including the seven hundred thousand in this country
alone, which also includes for UncleJohnny, a major inspiration for this album.
So as a black woman, Iwould just say that Renaissance is my
(11:46):
anthem. Has inspired me so manyother communities impacted by HIV to live unapologetically
and so up is our authentic self. Today is the day that we commit
to a national run of sponse thatdoubles down on our decades long commitment to
ending the HIV epidemic in this country. Doctor Robin Neblett Fanfair, acting director
(12:07):
of CDC's Division of HIV Prevention,with us as we mark World AIDS Day.
Doctor Neblet Fanfare, I want tothank you so much for the work
your division is doing on this reallyimportant issue and for taking the time to
come on the show. We reallyappreciate it. Thanks so much for having
me here today. Ryan. Allright, I'm Ryan Gorman here on iHeartRadio
Communities. The Department of Veterans Affairsrecently released its latest veteran suicide report and
(12:33):
the numbers are extremely concerning. Totalk more about this, let's bring in
our next guest. We're joined byUS Marine Corps veteran and executive director of
Mission Role Call Cole Lyle. Youcan learn more about this organization and support
the work they do at Mission rollCall dot org. Cole, thank you
so much for coming back on theshow, and before we get to that
(12:54):
report from the VA, give usan overview of the work you do at
Mission Call. Yeah, Ryan,thanks for having me on so. Mission
roll Call is a national advocacy programdesigned to unify the voice of the American
veteran and provide it to policymakers inWashington, DC, completely unfiltered. So
to give you an example, aweek, get a question from a member
(13:18):
of Congress who's trying to craft aveteran policy. We turn around and form
formulated question and send that out tothe veterans to have opted into our text
and email polls. We then feedthat back to the policymaker giving them instantaneous
feedback from the thoughts and the bettercommunity. And we can do this at
the local level, the state level, or the national level. So that
(13:39):
is what we do. And suicideprevention is our number one priority because we
routinely hear that that is the veteran'sone priority. Let's talk about this report
that came out from the Department ofVeteran Affairs. It's Veteran Suicide Report.
Give us some of the statistics,which I think are just eye opening,
and then we'll die. I've beento some of what can be done and
(14:01):
some of what you're doing a missionroll call to help turn this around.
Yeah, So the US Department ofVeterans Affairs released as an annual report on
veterans suicide, and it's a fewyears lagged because of the time it takes
for them to collect the data fromthe state and then to the CDC to
(14:22):
the VA. So this one isreflective up to two thousand and one,
and as you know, twenty twentythe lockdowns from COVID and then of course
in twenty twenty one we had theAfghanistan withdrawal, which we've discussed before,
had a negative effect on veterans suicideand betterent mental health. So this report
said the rate actually increased, andit was the largest single year increase since
(14:46):
we've been reported and the highest numbersince we've been recording and observing this.
In two thousand and one, itwas one hundred and twelve per one hundred
thousand, which is a thirty eightpercent increase from twenty twenty to twenty twenty
one, and as I mentioned,the highest observed in twenty years. Of
course, COVID and the lockdowns hadsomething to do with us. I think
(15:07):
we all know that that had anegative mental health effect. This is the
first report where we're seeing proof andevidence that it did have a real negative
effect on the veteran community. Andthen you couple that with again in the
Afghani Standadrawal, which was devastating toa lot of Afghan and global warranteer veterans.
(15:28):
So it's a huge problem because theVA only touches less than fifty percent
of veterans across the United States.So fundamentally, we just need a new
approach to veteran suicide prevention. We'rejoined by Colellisle, a US Marine Corps
veteran and executive director of Mission RoleCall, which you can learn more about
at Mission Rolecall dot org. Basedon your conversations with veterans and the feedback
(15:54):
that you've been getting at Mission RoleCall, what are some of the things
that we could be doing, whetherit's the VA or just more generally as
a country to help support veterans andhelp prevent veterans suicide. Yeah, that's
a great question, Ryan. Imean, the number one thing that Mission
Role Call advocates for right now froma legislative and federal standpoint is increasing the
(16:15):
budget for what are called Fox Grants, which is short for Staff Stargant Parker
Gordon Fox. It was a grantprogram that was instituted in twenty twenty about
one hundred and seventy three million dollarsover a three year span that provides up
to seven hundred and fifty thousand dollarsper organization on the ground locally doing the
lord's work in to financial stress assistance, relationship counseling, employment transportation. It
(16:44):
kind of runs the gamut on suicideprevention work. And this is important because
remember I said, less than fiftypercent of veterans in the United States use
the BA. Some don't use itbecause they have private health insurance. Some
don't use it because they've heard horrorstories and don't want to deal with the
bureaucracy, or they had a negativeexperience and they'll never use it again.
But the VA is unlikely to everengage with every single veteran in the country
(17:06):
for one reason or another. Sowe need to leverage local organizations doing the
upstream work to try to prevent veteransfrom filing down that path and ultimately taking
their life in a critical mass ofdespair. These local community organizations are so
powerful, and if anybody wants tohelp, that's listening, just go volunteer
(17:30):
your time. It doesn't necesarily evenhave to be a veteran organization. As
long as they are an organization thathas a program or helped veterans in some
way, you can make a difference. You have an incredible personal story that
you've told many times about your closecall with suicide as a veteran, and
(17:53):
I'm wondering, what are some thingsthat all of us who know veterans,
have veterans in our lives, familyfriends, what are some things we should
be watching for to keep an eyeon and to help make sure that veteran
who served this country so bravely doesn'tend up becoming part of the veteran suicide
(18:15):
report. Yeah, there's no onething I can point to, Ryan,
because everybody's different. I mean,there was a great I saw a great
PSA the other day. It wasactually a soccer at where two you know,
fans are shown up in the stadium. One is very quiet and the
other one's very very loud, Andit gets to the end of the ad
and the guy that was loud andseemingly happy the whole time was the one
(18:37):
that ended up taking his life.And that's true of anybody. You could
be a happy person and be fightingbattles that nobody knows because you don't talk
to anybody about your issue. Somy biggest piece of advice would be,
you know, you know the personthat you're close with, you know your
family member, you know your friends. You know that veteran better than other
people or random bureaucrats at the VAwill know them, so you know what
(19:00):
their baseline of behavior is and itjust starts to deviate, especially during the
holiday season that can be lonely.You know, Seasonal depression is the thing
just reached out to them and kindof lean into that relationship a little bit
more, encourage them to you know, engage in activities with you or or
their family or you know. Imean it's different for everybody, but connection
(19:23):
is ultimately what I'm saying, howimportant is that veteran to veteran communication in
a lot of these organizations. Veteranshelping veteran seems to make a really big
difference because there's that common understanding.Yeah, yeah, it's huge because as
a marine, right, you canrun into another marine that you didn't serve
(19:47):
with, served in a different generation, served in a different time place,
everything, But because they're a marineand they went through boot camp and stood
on the old fook prints, andwe call it camaraderie through mutual suffering,
right like it's we say it jokingly, but we all went through some sort
of uh, you know, trainingor something. We have a common background
(20:07):
in the Marine Corps. And forso many of America's youth that join the
military, they do it to getaway from you know, their hometown or
a disadvantaged kind of background, orthey you know, need the opportunity to
go to school or whatever. Butthey find in serving and cause higher than
themselves, brothers and sisters that theyhave a bond with forever. So I
(20:29):
mean that's a huge thing. Itry to stay connected with a lot of
the men and women I serve with, even if it's just social media or
shooting them a text or getting ona FaceTime or call. I try to
engage with with folks on a regularbasis because it really is astounding. You
know how much time can pass andyou see somebody that you haven't seen in
years, and it's like no timeis past. It's just it's a great
(20:52):
connection. It's huge pull. LyleUS Marine Corps veteran and executive director of
Mission Role Call that you can learnmore about at Mission Role Call dot org.
Cole want to thank you so muchfor the work you're doing on this
issue, for your service to thiscountry, and for taking a few minutes
to come on the show. Weappreciate it. Thanks so much time.
All right, I'm Ryan Gorman hereon iHeartRadio Communities. And finally, with
(21:14):
the holidays upon us, lots ofdeliveries are being made, lots of spending
is taking place, So for someinsight into dealing with things like stolen packages
or the best way to go aboutmaking certain purchases. Let me bring in
Jennifer Streaks, senior personal finance reporterfor Business Insider. Jennifer, really appreciate
you coming on the show, andlet's start with that issue of packages.
(21:37):
If a package doesn't show up,maybe it gets stolen. What exactly should
we do. Well, the firstthing you're going to want to do is
track the package. Make sure thatit actually was supposed to arrive when you're
looking for it. Look and seewhen it actually left the seller, retailer,
what post office went to, becauseeach city has their main post office,
(22:03):
and oh, say it went fromAmazon and it went to this particular
post office and then it should beout to you. So if you can
actually verify that, hey, thispackage left, you know that my post
office should have been here today andnow it's not here. I think that
it's been stolen, then you've gotto move forward with the next step,
which is contacting the retailer and lettingthem know that something happens to your package.
(22:26):
Maybe it's something on the retailer side. Did it leave the warehouse on
time they still have it? Isthere some lack of communication between the retailer
and the shipper and if that's ifeverything is okay with that, then the
next thing you're going to do isfile acclaim with the shipping company. And
that's going to be your fed actuallyas even your local post office and say,
(22:49):
you know, I didn't get mypackage. I think it might have
been stolen or lost even can youopen up an investigation and really start to
look into this, And that's whatyou're going to do in terms of the
seller, the retailer, the postoffice, and the shipping company. But
if you think your package has beenstolen, the next thing you're going to
(23:11):
do is file a police report.Because hopefully we all by now because we
know of porch trot pirates. Weknow that we have to have these cameras
if you can, on our porches, and if you have that video and
you see that they're porch pirates,try to file a police report because that
is what's going to help you withthe next step, which is trying to
engage the purchase protection on your creditcard or even involving your homeowner's insurance for
(23:38):
a stolen package. And the numbersof packages that are stolen around the holidays
pretty alarming number. There was asurvey that you quoted in your piece at
business insider dot com about thirty fivepercent of Americans have had a package or
delivery stolen. Yeah, that's alarge percentage of Americans that have experienced.
(24:00):
You know, a stolen package isjust sitting out there and you know,
porch pirates, they're going to takeit from you. It's also I think
it's a good idea to have aplace where to put your packages, even
if you have to communicate with yourregular delivery person with redex or ups and
say, you know, if youcould put it around the corner or around
(24:21):
the side of the house, maybeput it in the trash bin or the
recycling bin. Don't make it asobvious that I received the package. Try
to be home when you think you'regoing to expect your package, and that
way it's not sitting on your porchfor hours. People to drive in front
of your house and see, oh, you know, there's a package that's
delivered, because they're going to takea chance, especially during the holiday season,
(24:44):
that something valuable and well priced isbeing delivered to your homes. Now,
let's switch to another story that yourecently did, and again I'm joined
by Jennifer Streakes, senior personal financereporter for Business Insider. Most of us
around the holidays, when we're makingour purchases, we're using that credit card
to try to get all those pointsor whatever the reward is on that particular
(25:07):
card. But you detail a coupleof times where it might make sense to
use a debit card instead. Tellus about that. Definitely during the holiday
season. This is the time wherewe're all spending money on food, you
know, groceries, gifts, everythingfor the holiday season. It is so
easy to just swipe with that creditcard. A credit card gives you a
(25:29):
false sense of the real money thatyou have. This is a time when
if you want to control your spending, use your debit card. Your debit
card is linked to your bank account, that is your pack that is what
you have on hand, which youdefinitely have to spend. If you want
to control your spending, using adebit card is a really, really good
(25:52):
way to do it. I alsodiscussed if you need to withdraw cats.
There are this time of year,people may trying to use their credit card
to get a cast advance. Understandthat a cast advan comes with a high
percentage rate, a high interest rate, actually a higher interest rate than what
you're paying on your regular purchases throughyour credit card. So if you can
(26:17):
use your debit cards, just getto the APM, or even if not,
you can go to the grocery store. You can go to a target
and when you are checking out,you will get that question do you want
to withdraw cats? And you cantake care of it there and it's free.
Also, if you're finding that you'rehaving a difficult time paying off your
credit card balance and full every month, then maybe you don't want to use
(26:41):
your credit card as much, becausewe all know carrying that balance is a
quick way to end up in creditcard debt. You pay a higher interest
rate. We're all experiencing higher interestrates now, so you're paying more on
that purchase than you normally would.So if you can't pay the balance off
in full every months, then useyour debit card instead. Now, for
(27:03):
those who are going to be usingtheir credit cards and can use their credit
cards without falling into those traps thatyou were just describing, what are some
ways that we can utilize them anduse those rewards that were receiving on so
many of them to help with theholidays this year, well, your awards,
(27:26):
your awards account that portal on yourcredit card with your credit card issuer.
You might start there in terms ofgetting gifts because you might be able
to turn rewards into gift cards.Gift cards are actually like the number one
requested gifts and a lot of creditcards portals. They might have gift cards
to various restaurants. May see Bloomingdale'sTarget Walmart. Where you take a lot
(27:53):
of the guest works out of whatto buy for you're intended, you can
just give them a gift card andbe done with it. Also, you
can use a statement credit. Atthe end of the holidays, you get
the bill and the mail and you'retrying to pay it off. You want
to pay it down. You canuse your rewards and turn that into statement
(28:14):
credit and that will lower the amountof your credit card bill because that those
rewards with points will actually turn intocast like a cash back on your credit
cards. So there are definitely wayswhere you can use rewards to your advantage
during this holiday season. You caneven use your awards and points for travel,
airline tickets, hotels, and rentalcards. And finally, is there
(28:38):
a tip or two that you havegoing into the new year. Some just
best practices that we should all keepin mind to keep our finances on the
right track. I think that itstarts now. I think in terms of
limiting our spending as much as possible, especially on credit cards. You don't
want the January headache or the Januaryhangover after the holiday season when the bills
(29:03):
now come in the mail and you'rethinking about, oh wow, I have
this debt that I now have topay. Try to stay within a limit
or budget where you can see yourselfpaying that debt off easily and it's not
hanging around in the spring. Insummer months, it's all fun and games
until those bills start rolling in backJanuary. Jennifer Streaks senior personal finance reporter
(29:26):
for Business Insigner. You can findall of her work at businessinsider dot com.
Jennifer really appreciate the insight and tips. Thanks so much for coming on
the show. Thank you so muchfor having me. All Right, that's
going to do it for this editionof Ihear Radio Communities. I'm your host,
Ryan Gorman. I want to thankyou all so much for listening.
We'll talk to you again real soon.
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a publicaffairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting
you this week. Here's Ryan Gorman. Thanks for joining us here on iHeartRadio
Communities. I'm Ryan Gorman, andwe have a few important conversations lined up
for you for this show. Ina moment in light of World Aid's Day,
We're going to spend some time gettingcaught up in the progress being made
(00:21):
in the fight against HIV here inthe US. Plus, a recent report
from the Department of Veterans Affairs onveteran suicide included some troubling findings. We'll
talk to a US Marine Corps veteranabout the report and what needs to be
done to help prevent veteran suicide.And finally, with the holidays here,
we'll check in with Business Insiders PersonalFinance reporter for some tips on spending and
(00:45):
how to deal with missing or stolenpackages. So that's something you're definitely going
to want to stick around for rightnow. To kick off the show,
I'm joined by doctor Robin Neblitt Fanfare, the acting director of the CDC's Division
of HIV Prevention. She's here aswe mark World Aids Day. Doctor Neblett
Fanfare. Thanks so much for comingon the show. And before we get
(01:06):
into the progress that's being made onthis issue, let's start with the basic
question help everyone understand the disease.Can you explain the difference between HIV and
AIDS. Absolutely, thank you,Ryan. Well, HIV is the virus.
So when we really talk about WorldAs Day, we're talking about a
day to remember and commit and commemorateall of those who unfortunately have lost their
(01:33):
lives to HIV related illnesses. SoHIV is the virus itself, and AIDS
is how it can progress to thedisease if unfortunately it goes untreated. Let's
talk about the virus itself, HIV. What do we know about it?
What have we learned about this virusover the past couple of decades as it's
been researched extensively, and what shouldeveryone listening know about how it affects the
(02:00):
Body's amazing to know about HIV andhow it impacts the body is that it
can really impact our body's ability tofight off infection. So thankfully, over
the past few decades there have reallybeen wonderful advances in therapeutics and treatment for
HIV. So that it doesn't advanceto AIDS. However, if someone is
(02:23):
unaware of their diagnosis or does nottake medications, what happens is that it
can really impact the body's ability tofight off infections. Can you help put
into perspective the progress that we've madein dealing with HIV, because from when
it first appeared here in the UnitedStates to where we are today, incredible
(02:47):
strides have been made over the pastcouple of decades. But it's now been
more than forty years since HIV wasfirst identified, and this year for World
Age Day, it commemorates thirty sixthanniversary of this important day. Unfortunately,
during that time, we have lostseven hundred thousand lives to HIV in this
(03:09):
country and millions worldwide. Currently,there are one point two million people in
this country who are living with HIV, and one in eight of those don't
know that they have it. Butwe are seeing progress in these numbers.
So in the eighties and nineties therewere over one hundred thousand new HIV infections
(03:29):
eat year, and through remarkable work, that is now down to around thirty
two thousand new infections eat year.And over the past five years we've seen
a twelve percent reduction in new HIVinfections, So are really what the shows
us is that our national efforts aremoving in the right direction, and that's
something on World Age Day to reallybe proud of. I'm Ryan Gorman,
(03:52):
joined by doctor Robin neblit Fanfair,acting Director of CDC's Division of HIV Prevention.
She's here as we can commemorate WorldAid's Day. What are some of
the reasons for the progress that youjust highlighted in dealing with the HIV epidemic.
I'd like to say all of usdoing this work today really stand on
(04:14):
the shoulders of passionate and dedicated advocates, Black Brown, LGBTT plus communities,
clinicians, all the health officials peoplewith HIV who have helped to drive decades
of scientific and clinical advances. Sothese games that we're seeing today, Ryan,
are due to improve testing, treatmentand preventions, including something called pre
(04:35):
exposure prophylaxis or press prep, isa medication to help prevent HIV. It
can be taken as kills or injections, and it's highly effective at preventing HIV.
When taken as prescribed, it's upto ninety nine percent effective. So
all of those advances are why we'veseen so many of these promising declines EHAV
(05:00):
over the decades. When it comesto who's most at risk for getting infected
with HIV, are there certain groupsor communities that have a higher risk level
than others? Well, we doknow that life saving HIV treatment and prevention
it's not reaching everyone, and thisreally is due in parts the long standing
(05:21):
inequities, deeply entrence, systemic factors. So we just talked about preps.
What we see is that although we'vebeen successful there, the reach of PREP
is far from equals. So overthe past few weeks that CDC we've put
out our most recent data which showsthat ninety four percent of white people who
(05:43):
could benefit from PREP have been prescribedit. But that's compared to only thirteen
percent of black and twenty four percentof Hispanic Latino people. So the impact
of racism, homophobia, trans phobia, and stigma continues to significantly exacerbate how
disparities that are experienced within communities thatare impacted by HIV. So, of
(06:03):
course that leads me into my nextquestion at the CDC, in particular your
division of HIV prevention, What areyou working, what are you focused on
to help bridge these gaps in HIVprevention among the different communities that you just
mentioned. Well, there are quitea few things I'd love to first start
(06:25):
with PREP and then highlight some ofthe work we're doing so in PREP.
Most recently, we developed the cswell campaign as sees well It's Before Us
by Us initiative, which has nowshown improved outcomes including PREP knowledge, awareness,
and conversations with helpcare providers about PREP. We have a recent study for
(06:46):
PREP which is looking to evaluate strategiesthat will increase PREP among Black women where
they're already seeking care. And similarly, we have Transcend for women of transgender
experience to be able to access PREPwhere they receive gender firm and care.
And it also lets to highlight anew campaign that will be coming out soon
that will focus specifically Black and Hispanicssame gender living men to increase PREP awareness
(07:12):
of uptakes Li's pivot now to testingNow. We provide funding to health departments,
community based organizations, and programs suchas Together Take Me Home, which
is the largest HIV self testing programin history act Together take Me Home Please.
People can go and access it nowand get free HIV tests that are
available to anyone seventeen years or older, regardless of health insurance or immigration status.
(07:38):
And finally, I would just liketo say at CDC, we can't
do any of this work without ourcritical partners, So we fund and work
with federal states vocal partners on effortsto reduce disparities in HIV prevention in the
communities where the need is greatest.I'm Ryan Borman, joined by doctor Robin
Neblett Fanfare, Acting Director of theCDC's Division of HIV Prevention. She's with
(08:00):
me for World Aid's Day, anddoctor nebl Fanfare, based on your extensive
work in this area HIV prevention andthe HIV epidemic, what do you think
it will take to end that epidemichere in the United States once and for
all. Thanks so much for answeringthat question. I think on this on
(08:22):
World Day's Day, it's just soimportant to think that we are at a
cross roads and without sufficient investment inHIV prevention, we are turning back the
clocks on so much of the progressyou've been discussing. Quite frankly, HIV
prevention resources have not kept pace withme and investing in HIV prevention stage lives
(08:43):
so as a country, we haveto do three critical things. Number one,
we have to increase investments so thateveryone can benefit from life saving,
game changing HIV treatment and prevention.Number two, we have to maximize innovation
like AHAV self testing and long actingtreatment and prep options. And number three,
(09:03):
it's critical to center health equity inevery single aspect of our work to
address the root causes of disparities andinequities that continue to persist today in HIV
care. Brian, we really dohave the tools to end AHIV, we
need the resources and resolve to finishthe job. So we've been talking a
lot about system level efforts in thisbattle against HIV. What about for individuals?
(09:31):
For those listening to the show,what should they be taking away from
all of this? What can theydo to help prevent the infection of HIV
in others and bring an end tothis HIV epidemico. I think first is
if you don't know your HIV status, to take the first step today and
(09:54):
get tested for HIV. Our datashows that viewer than half of all adults
have ever had an HIV test.Simply, we have to do better,
and there are lots of ways andplaces to do this with your doctor's office
health department a free and confidential selftest to take it home. I would
employ your listeners to not be afraidof the results and know that knowledge is
(10:15):
power and that they can find atext near them at get tested dot BDC
dot go now. If you findout you have HIV stark treatment right away
so you can live a long,healthy life. HIV is no longer a
death sentence, and when you taketreatment is prescribed. You can't transmit HIV
to your sexual partners if you don'thave HIV. I would employ your listeners
(10:39):
to talk to their provider and findout if PREP is right for them.
PREP is about your sexual health andan act of self love. They can
also visit preplocator dot org to learnmore about PREP. And then last question
for you, any final thoughts,anything else you want to mention about the
work the CDC is doing in thearea of HIV prevents, or more broadly
(11:01):
speaking about the HIV issue here inthe United States. Well, I would
just like to say that we arecloser than ever being able to end the
HIV epidemic in this country. We'vemade remarkable progress, but we really need
to ensure that that progress is reachingall equitably, and on this World Age
Day, I'd also like to acknowledgethis weekend the release of Renaissance, a
(11:24):
film by Beyonce. And this filmis being released because it really provides the
space for us to renew collective commitmentending the epidemic and to honor and remember
those we have lots to HIV,including the seven hundred thousand in this country
alone, which also includes for UncleJohnny, a major inspiration for this album.
So as a black woman, Iwould just say that Renaissance is my
(11:46):
anthem. Has inspired me so manyother communities impacted by HIV to live unapologetically
and so up is our authentic self. Today is the day that we commit
to a national run of sponse thatdoubles down on our decades long commitment to
ending the HIV epidemic in this country. Doctor Robin Neblett Fanfair, acting director
(12:07):
of CDC's Division of HIV Prevention,with us as we mark World AIDS Day.
Doctor Neblet Fanfare, I want tothank you so much for the work
your division is doing on this reallyimportant issue and for taking the time to
come on the show. We reallyappreciate it. Thanks so much for having
me here today. Ryan. Allright, I'm Ryan Gorman here on iHeartRadio
Communities. The Department of Veterans Affairsrecently released its latest veteran suicide report and
(12:33):
the numbers are extremely concerning. Totalk more about this, let's bring in
our next guest. We're joined byUS Marine Corps veteran and executive director of
Mission Role Call Cole Lyle. Youcan learn more about this organization and support
the work they do at Mission rollCall dot org. Cole, thank you
so much for coming back on theshow, and before we get to that
(12:54):
report from the VA, give usan overview of the work you do at
Mission Call. Yeah, Ryan,thanks for having me on so. Mission
roll Call is a national advocacy programdesigned to unify the voice of the American
veteran and provide it to policymakers inWashington, DC, completely unfiltered. So
to give you an example, aweek, get a question from a member
(13:18):
of Congress who's trying to craft aveteran policy. We turn around and form
formulated question and send that out tothe veterans to have opted into our text
and email polls. We then feedthat back to the policymaker giving them instantaneous
feedback from the thoughts and the bettercommunity. And we can do this at
the local level, the state level, or the national level. So that
(13:39):
is what we do. And suicideprevention is our number one priority because we
routinely hear that that is the veteran'sone priority. Let's talk about this report
that came out from the Department ofVeteran Affairs. It's Veteran Suicide Report.
Give us some of the statistics,which I think are just eye opening,
and then we'll die. I've beento some of what can be done and
(14:01):
some of what you're doing a missionroll call to help turn this around.
Yeah, So the US Department ofVeterans Affairs released as an annual report on
veterans suicide, and it's a fewyears lagged because of the time it takes
for them to collect the data fromthe state and then to the CDC to
(14:22):
the VA. So this one isreflective up to two thousand and one,
and as you know, twenty twentythe lockdowns from COVID and then of course
in twenty twenty one we had theAfghanistan withdrawal, which we've discussed before,
had a negative effect on veterans suicideand betterent mental health. So this report
said the rate actually increased, andit was the largest single year increase since
(14:46):
we've been reported and the highest numbersince we've been recording and observing this.
In two thousand and one, itwas one hundred and twelve per one hundred
thousand, which is a thirty eightpercent increase from twenty twenty to twenty twenty
one, and as I mentioned,the highest observed in twenty years. Of
course, COVID and the lockdowns hadsomething to do with us. I think
(15:07):
we all know that that had anegative mental health effect. This is the
first report where we're seeing proof andevidence that it did have a real negative
effect on the veteran community. Andthen you couple that with again in the
Afghani Standadrawal, which was devastating toa lot of Afghan and global warranteer veterans.
(15:28):
So it's a huge problem because theVA only touches less than fifty percent
of veterans across the United States.So fundamentally, we just need a new
approach to veteran suicide prevention. We'rejoined by Colellisle, a US Marine Corps
veteran and executive director of Mission RoleCall, which you can learn more about
at Mission Rolecall dot org. Basedon your conversations with veterans and the feedback
(15:54):
that you've been getting at Mission RoleCall, what are some of the things
that we could be doing, whetherit's the VA or just more generally as
a country to help support veterans andhelp prevent veterans suicide. Yeah, that's
a great question, Ryan. Imean, the number one thing that Mission
Role Call advocates for right now froma legislative and federal standpoint is increasing the
(16:15):
budget for what are called Fox Grants, which is short for Staff Stargant Parker
Gordon Fox. It was a grantprogram that was instituted in twenty twenty about
one hundred and seventy three million dollarsover a three year span that provides up
to seven hundred and fifty thousand dollarsper organization on the ground locally doing the
lord's work in to financial stress assistance, relationship counseling, employment transportation. It
(16:44):
kind of runs the gamut on suicideprevention work. And this is important because
remember I said, less than fiftypercent of veterans in the United States use
the BA. Some don't use itbecause they have private health insurance. Some
don't use it because they've heard horrorstories and don't want to deal with the
bureaucracy, or they had a negativeexperience and they'll never use it again.
But the VA is unlikely to everengage with every single veteran in the country
(17:06):
for one reason or another. Sowe need to leverage local organizations doing the
upstream work to try to prevent veteransfrom filing down that path and ultimately taking
their life in a critical mass ofdespair. These local community organizations are so
powerful, and if anybody wants tohelp, that's listening, just go volunteer
(17:30):
your time. It doesn't necesarily evenhave to be a veteran organization. As
long as they are an organization thathas a program or helped veterans in some
way, you can make a difference. You have an incredible personal story that
you've told many times about your closecall with suicide as a veteran, and
(17:53):
I'm wondering, what are some thingsthat all of us who know veterans,
have veterans in our lives, familyfriends, what are some things we should
be watching for to keep an eyeon and to help make sure that veteran
who served this country so bravely doesn'tend up becoming part of the veteran suicide
(18:15):
report. Yeah, there's no onething I can point to, Ryan,
because everybody's different. I mean,there was a great I saw a great
PSA the other day. It wasactually a soccer at where two you know,
fans are shown up in the stadium. One is very quiet and the
other one's very very loud, Andit gets to the end of the ad
and the guy that was loud andseemingly happy the whole time was the one
(18:37):
that ended up taking his life.And that's true of anybody. You could
be a happy person and be fightingbattles that nobody knows because you don't talk
to anybody about your issue. Somy biggest piece of advice would be,
you know, you know the personthat you're close with, you know your
family member, you know your friends. You know that veteran better than other
people or random bureaucrats at the VAwill know them, so you know what
(19:00):
their baseline of behavior is and itjust starts to deviate, especially during the
holiday season that can be lonely.You know, Seasonal depression is the thing
just reached out to them and kindof lean into that relationship a little bit
more, encourage them to you know, engage in activities with you or or
their family or you know. Imean it's different for everybody, but connection
(19:23):
is ultimately what I'm saying, howimportant is that veteran to veteran communication in
a lot of these organizations. Veteranshelping veteran seems to make a really big
difference because there's that common understanding.Yeah, yeah, it's huge because as
a marine, right, you canrun into another marine that you didn't serve
(19:47):
with, served in a different generation, served in a different time place,
everything, But because they're a marineand they went through boot camp and stood
on the old fook prints, andwe call it camaraderie through mutual suffering,
right like it's we say it jokingly, but we all went through some sort
of uh, you know, trainingor something. We have a common background
(20:07):
in the Marine Corps. And forso many of America's youth that join the
military, they do it to getaway from you know, their hometown or
a disadvantaged kind of background, orthey you know, need the opportunity to
go to school or whatever. Butthey find in serving and cause higher than
themselves, brothers and sisters that theyhave a bond with forever. So I
(20:29):
mean that's a huge thing. Itry to stay connected with a lot of
the men and women I serve with, even if it's just social media or
shooting them a text or getting ona FaceTime or call. I try to
engage with with folks on a regularbasis because it really is astounding. You
know how much time can pass andyou see somebody that you haven't seen in
years, and it's like no timeis past. It's just it's a great
(20:52):
connection. It's huge pull. LyleUS Marine Corps veteran and executive director of
Mission Role Call that you can learnmore about at Mission Role Call dot org.
Cole want to thank you so muchfor the work you're doing on this
issue, for your service to thiscountry, and for taking a few minutes
to come on the show. Weappreciate it. Thanks so much time.
All right, I'm Ryan Gorman hereon iHeartRadio Communities. And finally, with
(21:14):
the holidays upon us, lots ofdeliveries are being made, lots of spending
is taking place, So for someinsight into dealing with things like stolen packages
or the best way to go aboutmaking certain purchases. Let me bring in
Jennifer Streaks, senior personal finance reporterfor Business Insider. Jennifer, really appreciate
you coming on the show, andlet's start with that issue of packages.
(21:37):
If a package doesn't show up,maybe it gets stolen. What exactly should
we do. Well, the firstthing you're going to want to do is
track the package. Make sure thatit actually was supposed to arrive when you're
looking for it. Look and seewhen it actually left the seller, retailer,
what post office went to, becauseeach city has their main post office,
(22:03):
and oh, say it went fromAmazon and it went to this particular
post office and then it should beout to you. So if you can
actually verify that, hey, thispackage left, you know that my post
office should have been here today andnow it's not here. I think that
it's been stolen, then you've gotto move forward with the next step,
which is contacting the retailer and lettingthem know that something happens to your package.
(22:26):
Maybe it's something on the retailer side. Did it leave the warehouse on
time they still have it? Isthere some lack of communication between the retailer
and the shipper and if that's ifeverything is okay with that, then the
next thing you're going to do isfile acclaim with the shipping company. And
that's going to be your fed actuallyas even your local post office and say,
(22:49):
you know, I didn't get mypackage. I think it might have
been stolen or lost even can youopen up an investigation and really start to
look into this, And that's whatyou're going to do in terms of the
seller, the retailer, the postoffice, and the shipping company. But
if you think your package has beenstolen, the next thing you're going to
(23:11):
do is file a police report.Because hopefully we all by now because we
know of porch trot pirates. Weknow that we have to have these cameras
if you can, on our porches, and if you have that video and
you see that they're porch pirates,try to file a police report because that
is what's going to help you withthe next step, which is trying to
engage the purchase protection on your creditcard or even involving your homeowner's insurance for
(23:38):
a stolen package. And the numbersof packages that are stolen around the holidays
pretty alarming number. There was asurvey that you quoted in your piece at
business insider dot com about thirty fivepercent of Americans have had a package or
delivery stolen. Yeah, that's alarge percentage of Americans that have experienced.
(24:00):
You know, a stolen package isjust sitting out there and you know,
porch pirates, they're going to takeit from you. It's also I think
it's a good idea to have aplace where to put your packages, even
if you have to communicate with yourregular delivery person with redex or ups and
say, you know, if youcould put it around the corner or around
(24:21):
the side of the house, maybeput it in the trash bin or the
recycling bin. Don't make it asobvious that I received the package. Try
to be home when you think you'regoing to expect your package, and that
way it's not sitting on your porchfor hours. People to drive in front
of your house and see, oh, you know, there's a package that's
delivered, because they're going to takea chance, especially during the holiday season,
(24:44):
that something valuable and well priced isbeing delivered to your homes. Now,
let's switch to another story that yourecently did, and again I'm joined
by Jennifer Streakes, senior personal financereporter for Business Insider. Most of us
around the holidays, when we're makingour purchases, we're using that credit card
to try to get all those pointsor whatever the reward is on that particular
(25:07):
card. But you detail a coupleof times where it might make sense to
use a debit card instead. Tellus about that. Definitely during the holiday
season. This is the time wherewe're all spending money on food, you
know, groceries, gifts, everythingfor the holiday season. It is so
easy to just swipe with that creditcard. A credit card gives you a
(25:29):
false sense of the real money thatyou have. This is a time when
if you want to control your spending, use your debit card. Your debit
card is linked to your bank account, that is your pack that is what
you have on hand, which youdefinitely have to spend. If you want
to control your spending, using adebit card is a really, really good
(25:52):
way to do it. I alsodiscussed if you need to withdraw cats.
There are this time of year,people may trying to use their credit card
to get a cast advance. Understandthat a cast advan comes with a high
percentage rate, a high interest rate, actually a higher interest rate than what
you're paying on your regular purchases throughyour credit card. So if you can
(26:17):
use your debit cards, just getto the APM, or even if not,
you can go to the grocery store. You can go to a target
and when you are checking out,you will get that question do you want
to withdraw cats? And you cantake care of it there and it's free.
Also, if you're finding that you'rehaving a difficult time paying off your
credit card balance and full every month, then maybe you don't want to use
(26:41):
your credit card as much, becausewe all know carrying that balance is a
quick way to end up in creditcard debt. You pay a higher interest
rate. We're all experiencing higher interestrates now, so you're paying more on
that purchase than you normally would.So if you can't pay the balance off
in full every months, then useyour debit card instead. Now, for
(27:03):
those who are going to be usingtheir credit cards and can use their credit
cards without falling into those traps thatyou were just describing, what are some
ways that we can utilize them anduse those rewards that were receiving on so
many of them to help with theholidays this year, well, your awards,
(27:26):
your awards account that portal on yourcredit card with your credit card issuer.
You might start there in terms ofgetting gifts because you might be able
to turn rewards into gift cards.Gift cards are actually like the number one
requested gifts and a lot of creditcards portals. They might have gift cards
to various restaurants. May see Bloomingdale'sTarget Walmart. Where you take a lot
(27:53):
of the guest works out of whatto buy for you're intended, you can
just give them a gift card andbe done with it. Also, you
can use a statement credit. Atthe end of the holidays, you get
the bill and the mail and you'retrying to pay it off. You want
to pay it down. You canuse your rewards and turn that into statement
(28:14):
credit and that will lower the amountof your credit card bill because that those
rewards with points will actually turn intocast like a cash back on your credit
cards. So there are definitely wayswhere you can use rewards to your advantage
during this holiday season. You caneven use your awards and points for travel,
airline tickets, hotels, and rentalcards. And finally, is there
(28:38):
a tip or two that you havegoing into the new year. Some just
best practices that we should all keepin mind to keep our finances on the
right track. I think that itstarts now. I think in terms of
limiting our spending as much as possible, especially on credit cards. You don't
want the January headache or the Januaryhangover after the holiday season when the bills
(29:03):
now come in the mail and you'rethinking about, oh wow, I have
this debt that I now have topay. Try to stay within a limit
or budget where you can see yourselfpaying that debt off easily and it's not
hanging around in the spring. Insummer months, it's all fun and games
until those bills start rolling in backJanuary. Jennifer Streaks senior personal finance reporter
(29:26):
for Business Insigner. You can findall of her work at businessinsider dot com.
Jennifer really appreciate the insight and tips. Thanks so much for coming on
the show. Thank you so muchfor having me. All Right, that's
going to do it for this editionof Ihear Radio Communities. I'm your host,
Ryan Gorman. I want to thankyou all so much for listening.
We'll talk to you again real soon.
Host
Manny Munoz
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!