Charlotte Talks

Carolinas HealthCare System has always been an innovator, launching a nationally known stroke center and a massive children’s hospital. Now they’ve turned their attention to making behavioral and mental health far more accessible across their system. They’ve recently launched a pilot program to bring behavioral health care to primary care offices around the region. To do so they are implementing a rising new type of medicine called telemedicine, in this case, telepsychiatry. 

The temperature is creeping up, swimsuits are being donned and grills are being fired up! Its summertime in the Queen City and that means there are lots of seasonal foods to be eaten and refreshing beverages to be drunk. But that’s not all: There are also a ton of farmer’s markets to check out for juicy berries, food events nearly every weekend and restaurants changes that may be worth checking out. Next time on Charlotte Talks, we’ll be joined by three area professionals to devour the yummy details.

After a century in the minority, the North Carolina Republican party seized power in 2010.  Since then, the party has been busy establishing a brand and advancing their agenda. With a Republican governor and resources from national groups, we'll talk with a leader of the state party about the midterm elections and their hopes for the state.

Midterm election season is in full swing. In North Carolina education reform and a pay raise for teachers is being hotly debated. Renewal of a large film incentive package is on the table, calls for infrastructure spending is rising and there are extremely tight races in districts all over the state. Several scandals have emerged, challenging both parties' images. Money is pouring in from outside of North Carolina with plenty of national interest on some local races. Against that backdrop we will talk to officials in the state Democratic and Republican parties in successive weeks. First up, the Democrats. 

The popularity of yoga seems to be exploding.  An exercise for the body, the mind and, some say, the soul –there were only a few places to practice yoga in Charlotte a few years ago and now there are dozens. We’re going to talk to some local yogis about this phenomenon. They say yoga is for everyone, not just affluent, flexible folks. But just how affordable is it and who are all these people stretching into strange positions?

Plastics have become a huge part of our lives, whether in the form of bottles, bags, or packaging. The hope is that these items are reused or recycled, but recycling programs can be expensive, and many items end up in landfills or, worse, in our waterways. Our guests today are working to educate people on what happens to plastics. We meet a representative from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, an artist who uses plastic debris to create environmental art, and a local sustainability officer.

When it comes to things like smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs, many of us migrate quickly from old devices to the newest and think nothing of tossing the old stuff out. According to the EPA, more than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste or e-waste is produced every year in the U.S. alone. Some of these things end up in landfills and that can be very bad for the environment. On this Earth Day, we look at some possible solutions.

As we know, there’s ongoing financial uncertainty going on around the world, and although we think of our economic crisis as a new thing, our guest today says different. Philip Coggan, a columnist for The Economist, says that the accumulation of debt that we’re seeing world wide is an age-old problem.

During election season there is no lack of blame to go around between the presidential candidates but how much can the president truly do? Our panel of political experts says there is often a misconception on exactly what the president can and cannot do so we’ll take a look at the extent of presidential power, both real and perceived.

Additional content:
Presidential powers.

In the 1970’s two movements dovetailed to create a perfect storm of controversy that continues to the present day. The woman’s movement was in full swing. While bras were burning in protests nationwide, the health care industry was developing a new breast cancer screening technique called the mammogram. Almost from its inception the mammogram has been hailed as either a major breast cancer fighting tool or a political tool that did not make women’s health a top priority. Our guest, Dr.