United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, last week, issued an advisory about widespread loneliness in the country and its impact on public health. Dr. Murthy equated loneliness and its detrimental physical toll to being on par with smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The surgeon general's report, titled, "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation," found that more than half of Americans reported loneliness even before the COVID-19 pandemic and public health policies that kept people separated to curtail the spread of the virus.

The report found that Americans across all age levels are spending less time with one another in person, but this decrease is most pronounced in young people aged 15 to 24.

The advisory and report laid out a framework for a national strategy to deal with the epidemic of loneliness. The multi-faceted approach includes strengthening our social infrastructure especially libraries and parks where people come together. It also calls for evaluating our relationship with technology.

Later on Wednesday's "Sound of Ideas," the Cleveland area is home to world class health care systems, yet infant mortality rates for Black babies are three times the national average here. Maternal mortality rates are also higher for Black women here than their white counterparts.

In this week's episode of our podcast, Living for We, Black women share their personal stories about how they have felt unseen and unheard when dealing with doctors and other medical practitioners. Guests and experts discuss how Black women can advocate for themselves to combat the bias and stereotypes they face in the medical system. Living for We, draws its inspiration from a 2020 study from CityLab of Pittsburgh that ranked Cleveland dead last in terms of livability for Black women.

Please note that one guest in the podcast shares details of a miscarriage that may be difficult for some listeners.

Guests:

-Karen Cook, Director, Healthy Families and Thriving Communities, Institute for HOPE, The MetroHealth System
-Adam Borland, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist with Behavioral Health, The Cleveland Clinic
-Marlene Harris-Taylor, Director Engaged Journalism, Ideastream Public Media, Host
-Dameyonna Willis, Founder, Queen I Am
-Jazmin Long, CEO, Birthing Beautiful Communities
-Betty Halliburton, Journalist
-Chinenye Nkemere, Co-founder, Enlightened Solutions
-Bethany Studenic, Co-founder, Enlightened Solutions