In This Together Cambria, The Tribune-Democrat, and Pitt-Johnstown are pleased to present the virtual town hall series, COVID Questions.
The town halls are moderated by Chip Minemyer, editor of The Tribune-Democrat, and held bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 7 pm live on Zoom through Pitt-Johnstown and Facebook Live on In This Together Cambria’s Facebook page. A variety of local experts and community stakeholders address important pandemic-related issues that impact Cambria County residents.
Future COVID Questions events will be shared on this page, and we encourage you to share the live videos on your social media.
- Higher Education (4/27/21)
- Vaccine Update (4/13/21)
- K-12 Education (4/6/21)
- Economic Impact (3/23/21)
- Local Leaders Forum (3/9/21)
- Specialists Forum (3/2/21)
- Vaccine Update (2/23/21)
- Helping Kids & Families Cope (2/16/21)
- Mental Health (2/9/21)
- By The Numbers (1/26/21)
- Vaccines (1/12/21)
- Gatherings (12/22/20)
PAST COVID QUESTIONS EVENTS
COVID Questions: Higher Education
April 27, 2021
Higher education has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Students vacated their dorms, classes moved online, and eventually hybrid forms of online and in-person learning returned. Students and their families felt the financial pinch, one of several issues contributing to a significant drop in enrollment — all in an era of declining public funding for higher education.
In this panel, we discuss COVID’s effect on community colleges and universities. Topics include student success, financial repercussions, enrollment, changes brought about by the pandemic, and what the future might look like now that vaccines are widely available.
The forum featured Dr. Steve Nunez, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College; Dr. Janet Grady, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor and Chairperson of the Division of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Erin McCloskey, assistant vice president for communications and marketing at St. Francis University; and Dr. Kara Laskowski, Professor of Communication Studies at Shippensburg University.
COVID Questions: Vaccine Update (4/13)
April 13, 2021
It’s time for another COVID Questions: Vaccine Update. Topics will include the latest about COVID vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania, common myths and misconceptions about the vaccines, differences between the available vaccines, and more.
The forum features Jill Henning, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at Pitt-Johnstown, and Matthew Tracey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Pitt-Johnstown.
COVID Questions: K-12 Education
April 6, 2021
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, children and educators across the country were forced to find ways to adapt. New models – like distance learning, hybrid learning, and virtual learning – were adopted. Locally, many school districts have been able to reopen, although many students are still taking classes virtually.
In This Together Cambria, The Tribune-Democrat, and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown presented another free forum, COVID Questions: K-12 Education, to discuss not only how school districts have coped with the challenges of the pandemic, but also what happens next – including how learning deficiencies caused by intermittent closings will be addressed.
The forum featured Tom Mitchell, superintendent of the Westmont Hilltop School District; Dr. Rebecca Castiglione, principal of Conemaugh Valley Elementary School; Michael Dadey, principal of Greater Johnstown High School; and Jessica McConnell, MS, LPC, NCC, school-based outpatient therapist for the Alternative Community Resource Program (ACRP).
COVID Questions: Economic Impact
March 23, 2021
COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on the nation’s economy. In This Together Cambria, The Tribune-Democrat, and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown presented another free forum, COVID Questions: Economic Impact, to take a closer look at the challenges various sectors in the local economy have faced since the pandemic hit a year ago – as well as avenues for relief, opportunities in the crisis, and innovative tactics businesses have used to survive.
The forum featured Joshua Boland, executive director of the Somerset County Economic Development Council; Amy Bradley, president and CEO of the Cambria Regional Chamber; Mayor Frank Janakovic, City of Johnstown; and Linda Thomson, president and CEO of JARI.
COVID Questions: Local Leaders Forum
March 9, 2021
In This Together Cambria, The Tribune-Democrat, and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown presented another free forum, COVID Questions: Local Leaders, featuring leaders on the federal, state, county, and city level discussing the COVID crisis, on March 9, 2021.
The forum featured U.S. Senator Bob Casey, PA State Representative Jim Rigby, Deputy Director / EMA Coordinator Art Martynuska from Cambria County Department of Emergency Services, Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes, and Johnstown City Councilwoman Rev. Sylvia King.
COVID Questions: Specialists Forum
March 2, 2021
COVID’s effects on the body can vary considerably from individual to individual. For some people, the virus is a relatively mild respiratory infection causing symptoms similar to the flu — for others, it’s a much more serious, sometimes even fatal disease. Some survivors, sometimes called “long-haulers,” contend with long-term effects of the disease. In this COVID Questions forum, we’ll talk with medical specialists about how COVID affects the different systems of the body, what is currently understood about long-term effects of the disease, how doctors treat these long-term effects, and what areas still need more research.
The forum features Elizabeth Klings, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center and the Center for Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease at Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center; and Devanshu Verma, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Rheumatology Division at West Virginia University.
COVID Questions: Vaccine Update
February 23, 2021
The long-awaited COVID vaccine is finally here! Dr. Henning and Dr. Tracey returned to our COVID Questions series to share recent updates about the COVID vaccines and answer your questions about the science behind vaccinations.
The forum features Jill Henning, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at Pitt-Johnstown, and Matthew Tracey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Pitt-Johnstown.
COVID Questions: Helping Kids and Families Cope
February 16, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on children and teens, disrupting almost every facet of their lives. In “COVID Questions: Helping Kids and Families Cope,” experts discuss how kids and their families can better cope with pandemic-related issues such as remote schooling, quarantines, and isolation, along with external events such as political unrest and additional stressors.
The forum features Heidi Niebauer, family advocate with Magellan Health; Tracy Tredennick, MSW, LCSW, licensed therapist with Pediatric Care Specialists Behavioral Health Services; and Martha Faust, M.Ed., program director for Beginnings Parents as Teachers in-home visiting program.
Our panelists recommended some online resources, which are collected in this post.
COVID Questions: Mental Health
February 9, 2021
Even as COVID takes a toll on the physical health of our community, it also deeply affects our mental health. COVID Questions: Mental Health presents a closer look at the problem, including effective ways to cope during a crisis.
The forum features Angie Richard, MSW, LCSW, clinical director for Croyle-Nielsen Therapeutic Associates of Johnstown and Somerset; and Dr. Mary Berge, licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience.
Our panelists recommended some online resources, which are collected in this post.
COVID Questions: By The Numbers
January 26, 2021
Statistics paint a picture, but they can also be misleading. In COVID Questions: By The Numbers, we answer community questions about COVID-19 statistics, both locally and nationally.
The forum features Paul Ricci, freelance statistician living in Johnstown who tracked local COVID statistics since the beginning of the pandemic, and Tulsi Shrivastava, a junior business intelligence analyst at Learning Sciences International. Jill Henning, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at Pitt-Johnstown, was on hand to answer questions about COVID-19.
COVID Questions: Vaccines
January 12, 2021
In COVID Questions: Vaccines, we answer community questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. The forum features Jill Henning, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at Pitt-Johnstown, and Matthew Tracey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Pitt-Johnstown.
COVID Questions: Gatherings
December 22, 2020
In COVID Questions: Gatherings, we discuss the sacrifices many families made to limit gatherings during the holiday season. The town hall features Jill D. Henning, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology at Pitt-Johnstown, and Susan M. Wieczorek, PhD, Associate Professor of Communication at Pitt-Johnstown.