As the coronavirus pandemic continues, our state, our nation and our world are confronted with an extraordinary time of uncertainty. People throughout New Hampshire are grappling with the daily impact of the pandemic and related complications on our society, as well as on their own personal health, family, economic and social situations.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s newsroom is taking a deeper look at the significance of collective and individual trauma, and some of the tools and services available to people who are living with emotional pain or distress. Lifelines: Addressing Trauma in the Time of COVID-19 is a special week-long reporting project featuring nine stories relating to trauma. Stories will consider how being effectively cut off from needed resources, support systems and daily routines can deepen the impact of trauma, or affect different individuals and groups disproportionately.
“Our newsroom actually began a reporting project on trauma – speaking with sources and organizations working in the sphere of trauma care – before the coronavirus pandemic set all of our lives in an unexpected direction,” said Cori Princell, managing editor at New Hampshire Public Radio. “Now, nearly two months into the state of emergency declaration in New Hampshire, and with all the new challenges we as a society find ourselves facing, our newsroom decided to revisit this project. By reflecting on the current times and sharing what we are learning about trauma, we hope to provide a valuable service to our listeners.”
Stories will look at various aspects of trauma, including:
- Defining trauma, from both individual and collective standpoints.
- A look at how trauma affects the brain and the body overall.
- Quarantine and social isolation – what do we know about how our current situation is impacting people with past traumas, or creating new types of trauma?
- Special populations and trauma: inmates, refugees and young people in group homes.
- What’s helping? Exploring how options like remote learning, peer support, prison yoga and gardening may provide relief to trauma sufferers.
Stories in the series will take the form of on-air features and two-way conversations, including interviews with newsmakers from law enforcement, social services, and education.
WHERE TO LISTEN: Tune into NHPR the week of Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8. Interviews and features will run daily M-F during Morning Edition (5 to 9 a.m.), and during All Things Considered (4 to 6 p.m.) from Monday to Thursday.
On Thursday, May 7, NHPR’s weekday talk show The Exchange will spend the hour exploring the experiences of New Hampshire’s refugees and immigrants, some of whom have experienced past traumas and face a disproportionate number of the state’s COVID-19 cases. Listen in from 9 to 10 a.m. on NHPR to hear The Exchange.
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About NHPR
Since 1981, New Hampshire Public Radio has shaped the media landscape in the Granite State and beyond. Our mission is “Expanding minds, sparking connections, building stronger communities.” NHPR is broadcast from 14 different sites, making it by far New Hampshire’s largest (and only) statewide radio news service. Every week, NHPR is the choice of 157,000 listeners as a primary source of in-depth and intelligent news coverage, with thousands more viewing NHPR.org, following our social media sites or listening to our podcasts. Each day, New Hampshire Public Radio delivers several hours of local news reported by its award-winning news team. Locally produced programs and podcasts include The Exchange, The Folk Show, Outside/In, and Civics 101, among others. NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in the Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, and This American Life.
