Karen Brown

Mental Health Court Offers Alternative to Jail

Karen Brown — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:38:33 +0000

Listen Now (6:15)

People with mental illness are jailed at a much higher rate than the general population — but should they be? To separate criminal cases from clinical ones, about 150 special mental health courts have cropped up nationwide in recent years. WFCR’s Karen Brown reports on a new court in Springfield — the second in Massachusetts, after Boston. First aired on WFCR on July 28, 2010.

(To download mp3, right-click here)

Child Obesity - One Community’s Approach

Karen Brown — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:43:02 +0000

This three-part series looks at growing rates of childhood obesity through the efforts of one community health clinic in Holyoke, MA. Approximately half of all children in this predominantly low-income and Puerto Rican community are overweight or obese. Nationally, an estimated 30 percent of all children are overweight or obese. The series first aired on WFCR in July, 2010.

Listen to Part One

Childhood obesity has become a public health crisis in the US - and one of First Lady Michelle Obama’s main causes. More than 30 percent of all children in the US — about 11 million — are considered clinically overweight or obese. In Holyoke, Massachusetts, which has many Puerto Rican and low-income residents, the problem is even worse than the national average. In the first of a series, WFCR’s Karen Brown reports how one community health center is trying to reverse this trend.

(to download mp3 audio, right-click here)

Listen to Part Two

In Part 1, we profiled a clinical effort to reduce rates of obesity and diabetes, especially among low-income and Latino populations. In Part 2, we check in with one Holyoke family trying to follow their doctor’s advice.

(to download mp3, right-click here)

Listen to Part Three

The Holyoke Health Center runs an intensive weight loss program for children. But can families keep up the momentum - and spread it to the community - after the program is over? WFCR’s Karen Brown has the final report in our series.

(to download mp3 audio, right-click here)

Teaching Kids about Sex - or not? Teen Pregnancy in Western Massacchusetts

Karen Brown — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:36:09 +0000

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Chrystal Concepcion, Denise Shaw-Miranda, Somali Santos

Massachusetts will soon release its annual statistics on teen pregnancy. For the past several years, the cities of Holyoke and Springfield - both among the poorest in the state - have traded the dubious honor of most teen births per year, which is why advocates are working to get sex education in the public schools.

This story aired on WFCR on March 25, 2010. To download audio, right click here

Intensive Mental Health Program on Chopping Block

Karen Brown — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:15:27 +0000

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State budget cuts in Massachusetts this year have led to some wrenching choices, and critical mental health services have been hit. To save the jobs of 80 caseworkers and other services within the Department of Mental health, the state plans to cut two intensive programs for the chronically mentally ill – including one based in Springfield.

This story aired on WFCR on January 29, 2010.

To download story, right-click here

Primer on Health Reform - A Conversation in Boston and Amherst

Karen Brown — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:01:05 +0000

WBUR health reporter Sacha Pfeiffer, and myself, teamed up for an on-air conversation about the state’s health reform programs — looking at some geographic differences between Eastern and Western Massachusetts, and highlighting some of the people we’ve each interviewed on the ground. WFCR and WBUR both aired it in two parts, on December 1-2, 2009.

Listen here for Part 1, focusing on affordability of health care in Massachusetts.

Listen here for Part 2, looking at access to health care.

Smith Cheerleaders Challenge Stereotype

Karen Brown — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:08:56 +0000

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Smith College in Northampton is one of the nation’s most academically rigorous women’s colleges — and alma mater to several notable feminists, including Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan. So one thing people don’t expect to find on campus… is a cheerleading squad. The Smith “Spirit Squad” is bucking that stereotype and raising questions about women’s roles in athletics and who owns the definition of feminist.

This story aired on WFCR on Nov. 13, 2009.

Urgent Care Clinics — the Primary Care Overflow

Karen Brown — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:22:44 +0000

As it gets more difficult to make an appointment with a primary care doctor, one business model is picking up the slack: walk-in medical centers. Walk-in clinics — from drugstore chains that offer limited services from a nurse to stand-alone clinics operated by emergency room doctors — are increasingly treating people who either don’t have a regular doctor or can’t get in to see one when they need to. And if Congress succeeds in passing a nationwide health insurance mandate, the urgent care industry expects even more growth.

Listen to local story:

Or click HERE for national NPR story.

Aired on WFCR on October 8, 2009, and on NPR’s All Things Considered, Nov. 20, 2009.

Download local audio by right-clicking here

Veterans on Campus — Challenges Adjusting

Karen Brown — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:26:25 +0000

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Thanks to the federal G.I. bill, the number of veterans on American college campuses is expected to jump by 30 percent this year — some estimates put it at 100,000 people nationwide, with about 400 at Umass-Amherst alone. But even with financial help, the transition from combat to campus can be tough.

Story first aired on WFCR, Sept. 30, 2009. A version also aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition, Oct. 10, 2009. Click here for national story.

To download mp3, right-click here

A Father’s Grief — and A Garden

Karen Brown — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:58:57 +0000

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Mario Hornsby Jr

A father of a slain teenager — who was the unintended target of a gang hit in Springfield, MA — tries to overcome his grief, and help the city, with a poignant memorial. He’s erecting a community garden on the very spot where his son’s killers carried out their crime.

This aired on WFCR on Aug. 19, 2009.

To download this audio, right-click here

A Taxpayer Advocate’s Perspective

Karen Brown — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:58:08 +0000

An interview with Michael Widmer, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, about his take on

Michael Widmer

Massachusetts health reform, and its cost to the state. He says it’s not as expensive as you might think.

Click here for the interview on the WFCR website. Story aired July 24, 2009.