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There are about 15,000 children in temporary foster care in Pennsylvania. Most of them will return to their family of origin.

It can be painful for kids to be separated from their parents or families and for younger children, it may be hard to understand what’s happening to them and around them.

A new children’s book called The Watchful Owl tells the story of a young fox that loses his parents and lives with another animal family.

It was written by Heather Paterno, an attorney who focuses on families and children’s issues and is a board member of Dauphin County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children or CASA. The artwork in the The Watchful Owl also tells the story and will keep kids’ attention. It’s illustrated by artist P.D. Murray. Both Heather Paterno and P.D. Murray were with us on The Spark Wednesday.

Paterno surmised the story,"The story is just a parable of sort of what could happen to a child in the foster care system, sort of told through a family of animals, so that children can understand it. And essentially what happens to Fennec is he doesn't have a father who's around. His mother's working hard, raising the family. And tragically, something happens to her. She gets picked up by a hunter and the great owl, that's a watchful owl, has always circled around the woods and looked out for all of the the creatures in the woods. And he gathers the community together. And they come up with a plan to look out for Fennec and his siblings."

Fennec, the young fox is taken in by the deer family after he loses his mother. Paterno that's part of the story behind the story,"There is a lesson there. And really it is how a child can walk through the dependency system. This is a very common thing that we do. We have what's called family group conferences, where whenever a child is in care, obviously you want to keep them and the most natural place that you can. So that's why we look to family members. That's why we look to to community members. You never want to have to pick up a child and put them with strangers. Now this fox winds up being with strangers. But he also has two siblings that wind up living with family members. And it's very common. You'll see that a lot in the dependency system. They have these family group conferences and they bring in everybody. And how can we keep the child in their most natural environment of origin? And who are the supports? Who are the people that we can bring around to help assist this family?"

Murray's illustrations help tell the story, especially of Fennec, who is vulnerable,"He's small in most of the scenes. He's little in these environments of these dark woods and larger animals and such. You know, people talk a lot about the importance of representation of kids, how they look, skin color, gender, all of those things in books. But I think it's really critical to -- and Heather has done this wonderfully to capture the needs state of children and to have representation of that. So this does a wonderful job of preparing children or children that aren't in the foster system. Probably build some empathy out of reading a story like this."

Murray was asked what the takeaway is from The Watchful Owl,"I think it's a heartwarming story without being pollyannish. It really tells about the foster system when everything goes right, when there's a champion for a child."

Proceeds from sales of the book will go to Dauphin County's CASA. Paterno explained what CASA does,"These are volunteers, community volunteers who get trained in child abuse and the dependency system. And then they are appointed either one child or one sibling group, one family group. And they also help to advocate for the child's best interests through their entire court proceedings. And, what I can tell you in Dauphin County itself, we have over 350 children right now who are in foster care. That's a lot of kids. And while each child has what I was, which was a guardian ad litem, I can tell you, is g

The Farm to Hospital program, conceived by Dr. KimberLee Mudge, has emerged as a beacon of holistic healthcare in York County. Addressing the root causes of illnesses through interventions such as diet and exercise, the initiative aims to combat food insecurity by supplying fresh, nutritious produce to UPMC Memorial patients, staff, visitors, and the wider community.

Partnering with York Fresh Food Farms (YFFF), a local non-profit committed to cultivating and distributing affordable produce, the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation has facilitated the employment of a farm manager and farmhands for daily operations. Through careful selection and seasonal rotation of crops, the YFFF team ensures a year-round supply of fresh food to both patients and the community. With ambitious goals in sight, the program seeks to establish and manage a year-round farm spanning 3-5 acres, yielding approximately 10,000 lbs. of fresh produce annually. Distribution efforts will extend to York City's food deserts, UPMC Food Services, and local food banks. Moreover, the initiative emphasizes the importance of nutritional education, tracking co-op participant data, and the establishment of a permanent produce stand, and critical to the program's success are major donors, including the Memorial Health Fund of the York County Community Foundation, the Powder Mill Foundation, and York Excavating Co.

In shifting the narrative from illness to wellness, the Farm to Hospital program underscores the significance of fresh food in combating prevalent health issues such as heart and renal diseases. Pairing dietary interventions with fitness, mindfulness, and spiritual healing, the initiative endeavors to foster a healthier community. The collaboration between UPMC Memorial, the UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, and York Fresh Food Farms signifies a concerted effort towards community wellness. Commencing with the creation of a walking trail on the hospital campus, repurposed from a former golf course, the initiative gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic as the community embraced outdoor activities.

Further enhancing the wellness campus, the installation of the Breast Cancer Garden of Hope at the trailhead offers emotional solace to visitors. Leveraging high tunnels for crop cultivation, the program ensures sustainable practices through drip irrigation, solar power utilization, and water conservation efforts. Future endeavors include educational programs aimed at empowering the community with knowledge on urban farming and nutrition. Volunteers will play a pivotal role in the program's success, receiving training and schedules to assist with harvest activities.
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Three construction workers were killed while working on Interstate 83 in York County last week. The victims were sealing cracks in the highway in the early morning hours last Wednesday when a box truck collided with a construction vehicle and veered into the workers.It brought attention to just how potentially dangerous construction zones can be for those working and motorists driving in them.

Nationally, there were 891 fatalities and almost 38,000 injured in work zones in 2022. Since 2010, work zone deaths have increased 52 percent.

Why are those tragic numbers going up and what can be done to make work zones safer for both workers and motorists?

Joining us on the program Tuesday were PennDot District 8 Traffic Engineer Chris Flad and Fritzi Schreffler, Safety Press Officer with District 8 Penndot.

Flad was asked why crashes in work zones are increasing,"I think a lot of it has to do with more aggressive driving behaviors that are occurring in society lately and in general. I mean, we all seem to feel like, we need to get somewhere very quickly. Maybe it's a little bit of entitlement, but that sort of leads to aggressive driving behavior. Speeding. Cell phone use, not paying attention. And it doesn't take much to sway outside your lane in a blink of an eye which could change lives for the worse."

Flad talked about what it feels like when traffic is driving by you,"When you're a novice you notice it more often. So you will be spooked by traffic. You'll be more cognizant of well, now trucks are going by, the noises. It's a lot of sensory overload in some cases. Because you have a job to do out there, and yet you have traffic within an arm's shot of you. And, as time progresses, you do get a little more comfortable working around. It doesn't make it any more dangerous. But some of that does go away. But, when you do stop and think and when you look at motorists driving alongside the work zone that you're working in, and you see some of the behaviors, that a lot of them might not even be looking at the windshield because they're looking down at their phones or, and things like that, changing their radio stations. It's a little scary. And you think why are they not caring enough? I am out here. I'm trying to better the world through keeping up our infrastructure. Try and do my job. I know they have their jobs to do. Please respect my job. And please allow me the safety to do what I need to do."

According to federal highway safety officials, the most common mistakes made in work zones include speeding, following too closely, failure to yield the right-of-way, improper or unsafe lane movements, and driver inattention.

Drivers cite poor visibility in work zones, altered traffic patterns, uneven surfaces, sudden stops and poorly marked hazards in work zones for many of the crashes.

Schleffer pointed to what PennDot does to make work zones safer,"We do a lot of advance notice that we're going to be out there, even if it's an emergency repair that we have to do. We get information out to the media and to the public as soon as we possibly can. So there's signs, there's a lot of lights that are out there. Sometimes people say, well, how can you have all these trucks out there and they're only working in one spot? Well, per federal standards, there are and state standards, certain amounts of protection. So you have something called an attenuator truck. When you see the chevron on the back of that is there to protect the work zones and protect the workers in the work zone. Because that can take a hit and it can take the force of the hit provided somebody doesn't bounce off of them and into the workers. But, we follow standard operating procedures and try and have the right number of vehicles out there so that somebody isn't just going along in their lane and not paying attention. But unfortunately, it still happens."

 

 

 
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April marks Autism Acceptance Month, shedding light on the experiences of autistic individuals, particularly adults, with an estimated 7 million in the US who may be unaware of their diagnosis. Dr. Thomas Pineo, Medical Director at UPMC Community Osteopathic, joined The Spark to share his journey as part of the "lost generation" of autistic adults, emphasizing the transformative impact of his diagnosis on his personal and professional life.

Dr. Pineo's recent paper on caring for autistic adults in the inpatient setting underscores the importance of advocating for marginalized groups, drawing from his leadership in healthcare. As an autistic physician, he highlights the need for acceptance and accommodation, stressing that simple gestures can significantly benefit autistic individuals. During this month of April, Autism acceptance encompasses various aspects from addressing sensory concerns to providing predictable routines and workplace accommodations. Understanding the significance of repetitive behaviors as coping mechanisms is crucial, along with recognizing communication differences and implementing strategies to bridge gaps.

In healthcare, Dr. Pineo raises concerns about the unmet needs of autistic individuals, leading to health disparities and a shorter life expectancy compared to non-autistic peers. He advocates for sensory accommodations and clear communication to ensure equitable healthcare access and outcomes. Efforts to support autistic individuals extend beyond awareness to actionable steps, such as offering sensory aids, creating conducive environments, and fostering understanding in healthcare settings. And, by embracing acceptance and making meaningful accommodations, society can enhance the well-being and inclusivity of autistic individuals.
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April 22nd is Earth Day – 54 years since the first Earth Day that is credited with starting the environmentally movement and led to changes to protect the environment.

However, Earth Day today is different. Climate change will be the focus of most of the Earth Day activities around the world. There will be talk about the changes in temperature, water levels, extreme weather and the dangers they pose physically to the planet. But how will climate change affect our brains and behaviors?

A new book – The Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains describes a profound and what could be depicted as a frightening future of neurological diseases, developmental disorders and increased anger and maybe even violence.

The book was written by Clayton Page Aldern, a neuroscientist turned journalist , who was with us on The Spark Monday.

Aldern explained how a changing claimate could impact our brains," There are cellular effects, those that are taking place at the level of the individual neuron, the individual brain cell. There are those that manifest at the level of the whole organism or at the individual, what's happening to us and our cognition and our behavior. And and then there are the effects that manifest again neurologically, but in the manner in which we treat one another right, in the interactions between people, the effects that manifest at the level of culture and socializing and and so, just to zoom the lens in a teeny bit very quickly at that cellular level, we're really talking about brain disease. We're talking about neurodegeneration and zoological diseases. This is the kind of stuff like bats, ticks, mosquitoes, all of these disease vectors that are responsible for brain diseases like yellow fever and cerebral malaria -- they're increasing their habitable ranges as a function of climate change. So even if we don't do anything differently as people, just the fact that there are more opportunities to come into contact with the ticks that cause brain disease will imply that there's going to be more brain disease in the future. And this is also true of the fact that climate change is really good at exposing us to neurotoxins. Environmental degradation is really good at exposing us to neurotoxins that we might not otherwise come into contact with. Air pollution is a great example. Particulate matter is really, really bad for your brain. It's one of these things that can cause low level inflammation in your brain. That chronically is likely one of the causes of something like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. So, these are really cellular level scientific effects at the level of the individual. It's more about behavior. Think about the fact that, you're maybe a little slower of a thinker on a hot day. You're not a you're not as good at solving problems. I certainly feel like I'm a little sluggish when it's really warm out. And and we know from behavioral economics studies, for example, that, students are less good at taking exams on, on hot days. It's also true that immigration judges, for example, are less likely to rule in favor of an asylum applicant on a hot day. All else equal. So so there there are some effects with respect to, cognition and impulsivity that manifest at the level of the person. And then there are the effects that are all about the manner in which we treat one another. And what is this doing to culture? And I think aggression is a nice example of that. The fact that people tend to be more aggressive on hotter days. We're more prone toward violence. This is an effect that has been understood for centuries effectively, and I've again certainly felt it. But but the point here is that this is a this is a universal shared experience in terms of anybody, or anything with, a nervous system, basically a brain higher temperatures appear to be related, to aggression. And so as temperatures continue to rise, we should expect to see, more aggressive acts. And indeed, again, when you look at

Coming up on this week's program.

A new book about how star baseball players like Babe Rith and Shoeless Jow Jackson avoided military service in World War I by playing baseball for Bethlehem Stell plants., including in Lebanon and Steelton, also on the program we talk with former Obama social secretary and Author Deesha Dyer about her new book.
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