PrevenTable: A PreventEd Podcast

PreventEd Process Analyst Intern Justin Boyle joins the PrevenTable to share the backstory of how he entered the prevention education space as an intern this summer. He reflects on what motivates him, describes a few community-engaged learning experiences in both his college and home community, and explains his goal of seeing basic awareness and knowledge of injustice lead to positive change.

KSHE 95 Morning Show Host A.D. Rowntree joins us for a conversation on how he utilizes his radio platform to advocate for change. A.D. describes his attempts to break down mental health stigmas in a relatable way, discusses everyday management of his mental health, and talks with Nichole about the benefits of exercise and meditation.

Alicia Jenkins from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services joins Nichole for a discussion about public health and community. She shares the extensive variety of work she does as a public servant, emphasizes the department’s goal of getting Missourians access to health services from anywhere, and praises the power of digital media in dispersing public health information to large audiences.

Co-founder and Executive Director of Foster Together, Laura Storm, sits down to explain more about the organization, which provides essential items to foster children and families in St. Louis. She talks about her mission to restore dignity to kids, seeing foster children as more than a statistic, and how lucky she feels to have passionate volunteers.

Sports radio host Anthony Stalter joins Nichole at the PrevenTable for a conversation about St. Louis’s medication bag disposal project, which Anthony currently promotes on 101 ESPN St. Louis. The pair discuss mental health and substance use in sports, the value of going to therapy, and the importance of extending empathy, not judgment, to all.

Lisa Carter, Co-Director at Mid-America ATTC, and Sherrie Watkins, Technology Transfer Specialist at Opioid Response Network, join the PrevenTable to talk about the importance of supporting service providers, upstream and downstream solutions, the resurgence of stimulants, and the power of knowledge.

After tragically losing her best friend to an act of sexual violence, Rachel Ebeling began to grow hope from grief. On a mission to help other victims through the healing process, she started The Angel Band Project. She joins the PrevenTable alongside music therapist Tracie Sandheinrich to share more about the organization’s music therapy program, the power of peer support, and finding solace through music.

Research Assistant Professor Alexander Hatoum joins the PrevenTable to share more on his collaborative study on human genomes and substance use disorder. He talks about the heritability of substance use disorder, explains the addiction risk factor model, and even gets into a more recent development — the risk of using artificial intelligence for certain treatment methods.

Ben Wood, Director of Substance Misuse and Behavioral Health Services at Williams & Associates, shares more about the organization’s mission to address health disparities in marginalized communities. Ben emphasizes the importance of promoting health equity and explains the variety of health support services Williams & Associates provides to address these types of issues.

Annie O’Donoghue and Laura Silverman join Nichole for the second time to discuss the alcohol-free movement that has gained SO MUCH momentum. They explain the difference between the words that float around the AF space, like zero-proof, non-alcoholic, alcohol-free, and mocktails, and why they prefer some over others.

Brandon Anderson, Vice President of Safety at Associated General Contractors, and Ricky Reams, Vice President of Safety and Quality with Murphy Company, highlight initiatives that are addressing mental health, suicide prevention, and substance misuse in the construction industry. The pair reveal how hard discussions are saving lives and emphasize the real change that’s occurring in the field.

Acting Executive Director of MONetwork, Michelle Charbonnier, has been offering harm reduction services and recovery support to community members in South City since she began volunteering in 2017. She joins Nichole to discuss the meaning of harm reduction and how resources like fentanyl test strips and syringe services programs work to keep people who use drugs alive and safe — the basic goal of reducing harm.