Empathy Affect

What does it take to help someone not just survive an overdose, but find their way to recovery? This Recovery Month, Brad Finegood, strategic advisor at Public Health – Seattle & King County, illuminates how his team is trying to answer that question. He opens up about losing his brother to an overdose, how that loss shapes his work, and why empathy is central to public health. We discuss how King County, Washington, cut overdose deaths by roughly a third from 2023 to 2025, the tools making a difference—medications, mobile outreach, a post-overdose center, and new crisis care centers—the promise of opioid...

Colorado has stopped calling wildfire a season and started calling it a year-round condition. At the same time, it’s facing that threat with a firefighter workforce that’s shrinking. Serve Colorado and the Colorado National Guard got together to bring an innovative solution to the table: the first program in the country to let a Guard member serve simultaneously as an AmeriCorps member on a wildfire mitigation crew. 

Serve Colorado Executive Director John Kelly and Colorado National Guard Director of Homeland Defense and Resilience Col. Thomas Banker join us to discuss how two service organizations that had n...

The 2026 National Drug Control Strategy has made a notable shift toward primary prevention—stopping substance use before it ever starts—and reframes what a national approach to substances can look like. We speak with Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roneet Lev and Institute for Behavior and Health (IBH) Vice President Dr. Caroline DuPont about what that shift actually means, why delaying substance use matters so much for the developing brain, how the science of social norming is changing prevention, and why consistent and clear messaging about non-use may be one of the most powe...

What does it take to rebuild trust in a public health institution, and can listening be a leadership strategy? Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. B Cameron Webb explored these questions as he stepped into his role earlier this year, beginning his tenure with a statewide listening tour. Dr. Webb shares what Virginians told him was standing between them and being healthy, how he’s translating community voice into action inside a 3,200-person agency, and why trust is one of the most critical commodities in public health. He also digs into Virginia’s recently released 2025–2029 Plan for Well-Being, what it means...

Military families move every few years. They navigate deployments, career interruptions, childcare waitlists, and the daily weight of a life built around service. So, while service members navigate the changing tides of military life, their families do too. And when military families are strong, supported, and ready, so is the force—because behind every effective warfighter is a family that made it possible. 

This month, in honor of Military Appreciation Month, we sat down with Stephen B. Simmons, deputy assistant secretary of war for Military Community and Family Policy (MCFP), to talk about what it really takes to...

Most of us only visit a government website when we really need something—unemployment benefits, a license renewal, or emergency aid. So when the experience is confusing, slow, or just broken, it doesn't just cost time. It quietly erodes something harder to rebuild: trust. 

Marcy Jacobs is Maryland's first chief digital experience officer and the driving force behind the Maryland Digital Service (MDDS)—a team that's spent the last two years redesigning how six million residents experience their state government. In this episode, Marcy digs into what human-centered design actually looks like inside a bureaucracy: the discovery sprin...

What happens when the people who keep America moving start disappearing faster than we can replace them? Across the country, state transportation agencies are facing a workforce crisis that's been quietly building for years—and most of us have no idea it's happening.   

This episode of Empathy Affect pulls back the curtain on one of the most underreported challenges in public infrastructure: not the roads themselves, but the people behind them. From knowledge transfer and AI adoption to career pipelines and organizational culture, this conversation is something bigger than transportation. It’s about what it takes for any pu...

Most of us don’t think about food safety until something goes wrong—a recall notice or a moment in the kitchen when we wonder, “Is this still safe to eat?” 

In this episode, we take a look behind the scenes at how food safety is ensured long before our food reaches our grocery carts or kitchen tables. Dr. Conrad Choiniere, a senior leader in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Human Foods Program, discusses why fresh produce can be especially challenging when it comes to food safety, how recalls actually work, and the coordination in farming, productio...

Caring for your mental health isn’t just about treatment. It’s about living a full life.

This is how the New York State Office of Mental Health is rethinking how we handle mental health—by centering recovery, resilience, and the whole person—not just a diagnosis. 

The office’s Chief Recovery and Resilience Officer Julie Burton explains what recovery in the context of mental health looks like practice, why thriving—not just surviving—matters, and how empathy, choice, and community connection shape better mental health outcomes. We also explore mental health workforce challenges and how supporting...

Technology has the power to make interacting with our cities and local governments smoother, easier, and more intuitive—but only when it's designed with people at the center. 

We enter Season 4 of Empathy Affect with Boston Chief Information Officer (CIO) Santiago Garces, who shares how the city is using digital tools and AI to strengthen trust, improve services, and deepen the connection between residents and their government. From the everyday impact of Boston 311 to emerging AI pilots that help the city respond faster and more transparently, Santiago explains why innovation in Boston isn't about chasing the newest tec...

Disasters leave more than physical damage. They carry lasting financial consequences for the people, businesses, towns, and cities they impact. A new report from the New Jersey Office of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) lays out in stark terms storms, flooding, and rising recovery costs are increasingly putting pressure on the state’s infrastructure, housing markets, and municipal finances. 

In our Season 3 finale, NJ DEP Chief Economist unpacks the report’s findings—from shrinking tax bases and rising insurance costs to the financial feedback loops that can trap communities in cycles of risk. But they also discuss how local g...

Rural communities are the backbone of America—growing our food, fueling our economy, and sustaining traditions that reach far beyond county lines. But in Pennsylvania, as in much of the country, rural health is under strain. Provider shortages, rising rates of chronic disease, and shrinking access to specialty services like obstetrics (maternal health) leave families and entire towns at risk.

Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health Director Lisa Davis has spent more than 30 years working to address these challenges. In this episode, Lisa shares how rural communities and state leaders are finding creative solutions to ensure care is wi...

PTSD is often called the “invisible wound” of military service. For many veterans, it shows up in nightmares, sudden triggers, or the feeling of being constantly on edge, making everyday life feel like another battlefield. But there’s hope: PTSD is treatable, and recovery is possible. 

Since 1989, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD has been the world’s leading resource for understanding and treating this condition. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Paula Schnurr, the center’s executive director, about how science becomes healing—through groundbreaking research, innovative therapies, and real stories of veterans reclai...

As storms grow stronger and insurance becomes harder to access, Floridians are looking for answers—and support. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is working to stabilize the insurance market while giving homeowners the tools to build resilience before disaster strikes. 

Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky discusses the launch of new wind mitigation resources, the expansion of the My Safe Florida Home program, and how Florida is investing in smarter, safer homes through inspections, grants, and homeowner education. He also explains how these efforts are helping to attract more insurers back into the state and keep pre...

Stories around substance use disorder (SUD) have too often been framed around crisis and moral failing. But SUD is a health condition—no different from heart disease or cancer—and it deserves public response rooted in care, not stigma. San Francisco is working to change that narrative. Through evidence-based treatment, innovative telehealth programs, and groundbreaking stigma-reduction campaigns like Living Proof, the city is reimagining recovery and how public health can meet people where they are. 

Dr. Jeffrey Hom, Medical Officer for Science and Policy in San Francisco’s Department of Public Health Substance Use Services joins us to disc...

Palm Beach County, Florida, was the epicenter of the state’s opioid crisis for many years as pill mills and malfeasance plagued the county’s communities. Since 2017, the county has been addressing the crisis, forming an advisory committee, appointing a drug czar and shifting its response toward a strategy centered on long-term recovery. With opioid settlement money to allocate over the next 20 years, the latest plan looks to spend 90% on social determinants of health—like job training, stable housing, and community support—and 10% on acute care. 

This paradigm shift is rethinking traditional approaches to addressing substance use disorders...

How do you turn complex environmental health data into something people can actually use—and trust?  

In this episode of Empathy Affect, we talk with Matthew Montesano, senior director of data communication at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Environmental Surveillance and Policy. Matthew leads the team behind the city’s Environment & Health Data Portal, a public-facing platform that unpacks key environmental health topics—like air quality, heat, and traffic—and distills complex data into clear, accessible information New Yorkers can use to understand their environment and protect their health.  

We expl...

On the battlefield or in an emergency, military health professionals must make life-or-death decisions under extreme pressure. So how do they prepare to step into a high-pressure trauma scenario without putting real lives on the line? Enter medical modeling and simulation, where virtual reality, augmented reality, high-fidelity mannequins, and other cutting-edge technology are integrated into training to give military health professionals the reflexes and experiences they need to save lives when it matters most. 

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) Defense Medical Modeling and Simulation Office (DMMSO) identifies and adopts these training technologies for the Military Health System. I...

Americans rely on safe roads, railways, and transportation infrastructure every day, so what goes into keeping them resilient and reliable both on the day-to-day and during emergencies? We explore this question with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Assistant State Emergency Operations Coordinator Matt Needham, learning how his team protects Georgians during snowstorms, hurricanes, and other emergencies in collaboration with agency partners. Learn what it takes to keep our communities resilient in the face of extreme weather and hazards in this episode's conversation. 

Matt Needham is the GDOT assistant state emergency operations coordinator. He has dedicated m...

Disasters like the wildfires in Southern California have destroyed homes, displaced people, and are costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars to recover. It raises the question: how can we proactively invest to protect our communities from the impacts of extreme weather and natural hazards? Washington State has looked to answer this question through its Climate Commitment Act (CCA). Passed in 2021, it has generated and reinvested $500 million across the state to reduce emissions and leverage technology to mitigate harmful and large-scale wildfires and other disasters. We speak to Joe Nguyen, one of the legislative proponents of the CCA...

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) created its Veterans Experience Office (VEO) in 2015 with the goal of integrating a customer experience (CX) approach to veteran care, benefit, and service delivery. Since the office’s launch, VA has measured that veteran trust in the department has grown from 55% to 80%. Because of VEO’s collaboration with VA's administrations, veterans have been able to more easily navigate VA websites, have more streamlined and empathy-driven medical care, and more. Denise Kitts, VEO’s enterprise measurement and design executive director, helped stand up VEO and has been a key player in improving how ve...

Although the United States has made great strides in reducing tobacco-related disparities, commercial tobacco use is still the leading cause of today’s biggest health challenges. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has been leading tobacco prevention, cessation, and control. The office's director joins us to discuss the progress the team has made in decreasing tobacco use, as well as the challenges and work ahead.  

While CDC has found that smoking and e-cigarette use are down, new nicotine products threaten progress. OSH works to protect future genera...

The 2024 election season brings fresh and complex challenges to election systems across the country—from mis- and disinformation to threats to security. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) serves as a federal election hub, providing resources, training, grants, and support to our state and local election administrators, helping them prepare for this election so that voters can cast their ballots with confidence. For our Season 2 finale, EAC Commissioner and current Chairman Ben Hovland discusses the hard work that’s gone into developing secure, resilient election administration and systems. So, whether you’ve voted early or plan to vote on Election Day, t...

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women behind skin cancer, with approximately 13.1% of women estimated to receive a diagnosis of breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is pioneering research to understand how we can better prevent breast cancer and promote risk reduction. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, NCI Division of Cancer Prevention Breast and Gynecological Cancer Research Chief Dr. Brandy Heckman-Stoddard about cutting-edge solutions in cancer prevention and how you can talk to your family and doctors to stay ahead in protecting your health.

...