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The Price We Pay: The longevity of working-age Americans

A Unity Health Care patient gets his ears checked.
Unity Health Care
A Unity Health Care patient gets his ears checked.

Wednesday, Nov. 24 2021

Editor's note: This show originally aired Aug. 31, 2021.

In another deep dive in WFAE’s health care series The Price We Pay, Charlotte Talks looks at why working-age Americans have been dying at higher rates from drugs, alcohol poisoning, suicide and cardiovascular diseases from obesity. One of the many factors of these early deaths is a lack of education.

Americans with a bachelor’s degree are doing OK,but people without a bachelor’s degree are getting sicker.We sit down with experts and a medical professional to learn why having a bachelor’s degree can significantly impact a person's quality of life, how rural areas are affected and learn about a few resources available to community members.

Guests:

Kathleen Mullan Harris, James E. Haar distinguished professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mark Holmes, professor for department of health policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jerome Englebert Williams Jr, senior vice president of consumer engagement at Novant Health

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Dante Miller is a community engagement producer for WFAE and a Report for America (RFA) Corps members. Dante first joined WFAE in 2020 through RFA to work as part of a unique partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Digital Public Library of America. Her work in that project allowed her to use radio, online stories, Wikipedia entries and events to meet the community's news and information needs.