Hate Winter? Breaking Down Barriers So All Northeast Ohioans Embrace Rather Than Avoid Cold Weather

Governor Mike DeWine says the state is working to develop a centralized system for scheduling COVID-19 vaccines, but the site is not ready yet.

Ohio lags behind other states such as New York that have had centralized systems in use for several weeks.  Instead, Ohio has left the distribution and rollout of vaccines to providers and health departments on the local level and has left it up to Ohioans to navigate their way to finding available vaccines and appointments.  The combination of the scarcity of the vaccine and the de-centralized process has led to frustration and confusion for some Ohioans.

The governor is also pressing school districts to get students back into classrooms by March 1.  The resumption of in-person learning is a key part of Ohio putting teachers and school staff on the prioritized list to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  But the governor has expressed frustration that some schools say they are unable to meet the deadline. He says vaccines may be pulled if districts do not follow-through on a return to in-classroom learning.

We begin the show with a discussion with our Ohio Statehouse team about the state’s vaccine rollout and response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Then, during the pandemic our parks and public spaces have been especially valuable as one of the few remaining places to use for entertainment, exercise, and enjoyment. 

We are in the depths of winter with a succession of storms and cold temperatures battering Northeast Ohio.  The harsh conditions may leave many to stay inside, but outdoor enthusiasts say we can learn to embrace the snow and cold. 

All this week, we are talking about how to get outside despite the weather to improve mental and physical health.  But making the attitude shift may be easier for some rather than others. Today we'll talk about how winter magnifies some of the inequities that keep Black people and people of color from embracing the outdoors in general.  And our guests will talk about what they're doing to change that.

 Finally, we would like to share a project we're doing here at ideastream that we're very excited about. It's a podcast called "Health's Up" that explores "healthy choices through kids voices" and it's aimed at, and produced with, middle school students at Mary Bethune Elementary School in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood.

SYATT Web SIte

Youth Outdoors Cleveland Metroparks

Health's Up Podcast

Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV  
Erika Hood, Co-Founder, Director of Social Equity and Engagment, SYATT   
Jesus Sanchez, Recreation Specialist, Youth Outdoors, Cleveland Metroparks 
Anna Huntsman, Health Reporter/Producer, Ideastream  
Shelli Reeves, Community Engagement Specialist, Ideastream  
Kristi Westphaln, CNP, Ph.D., UH Rainbow Center for Women and Children