Assignment 5: Identifying Local Opportunities

1. "Orlando region rank No. 2 for new HIV diagnoses among large U.S. cities" by Naseem Miller for the Orlando Sentinel

• Summary: The Orlando region saw 730 new cases of HIV in 2017, the second highest number of diagnoses among large U.S. cities. Contributing factors include Orlando's rising population, lack of access to health care and transportation, lack of education, poverty, and stigma. There is legislation waiting to be signed by the governor that would allow drug users to exchange their dirty needles for clean ones, which would help with the problem. The Trump administration aims to eliminate HIV in the next decade, but proposed to roll back protections against discrimination in health care for LGBTQ people. 
• The problems: The HIV prevalence rate is alarmingly high in the Orlando area and not much is being done by the local and national governments to alleviate it. The causes of new HIV cases are rooted in longstanding socioeconomic disparities. Finding solutions to this problem requires a holistic approach to prevention and treatment.
• The people: Individuals infected with the HIV virus, drug users who share needles, health care professionals who treat individuals with HIV, HIV testing locations, and individuals who have unprotected sex.

2. "Heed caution with exotic pets" by Steve McIvor for the Orlando Sentinel

• Summary: The Chief Executive of World Animal Protection wrote this op-ed to argue that exotic animals belong in the wild, not in tanks and cages. Many exotic pet owners soon tire of their animals or they grow too big to safely care for them, so the owners release them into the wild. This can have devastating effects on local ecosystems, as with the case of pythons in the Everglades. There are laws that crack down on the exotic animal industry, but they are all too easy to sidestep.
• The problems: Exotic pet owners release their non-native animals into the wild once they no longer wish to care for them, throwing off the delicate balance of the local ecosystem. The practices of the exotic pet industry often involve barbaric treatment toward the animals, as they are snatched from their habitats, packed into small containers and crates where they may not be able to move or breathe, and shipped them across the world.
• The people: Exotic pet owners, prospective pet owners, and people who live in areas where non-native species are introduced.

3. "Rise in depressed seniors - Health study shows state elderly drink, smoke more than those in other states" by Cindy Krischer Goodman for the Orlando Sentinel

• Summary: According to The America's Health Rankings Senior Report, Florida's seniors say they drink and smoke regularly more than seniors in other states. Older adults are at a higher risk of experiencing depression because they lack a sense of purpose and don't feel like they contribute to society as they once did. Sometimes, family members will think their loved one has dementia when they are just anxious or depressed. Often, senior citizens do not seek help because they don't understand that treatment could help them feel better.
• The problems: Senior citizens in Florida are drinking and smoking more than those in other states as a result of the depression they experience as they age.
• The people: Senior citizens in Florida, their friends and family, and their caretakers.

4. "Via Airlines trims its schedule - Pilot shortage a main reason for reduction" by Kevin Speak for the Orlando Sentinel

• Summary: Via Airlines, a start-up airline that offers low fares to cities underserved by larger carriers, has reduced its schedule due to a lack of pilots. Big airlines like Delta and American Airlines have lured their pilots away and the airline simply can't compete. This has led to some bad social media attention from disgruntled customers whose flights were canceled last-minute due to the staff shortage. Although the airline has cut more than a dozen routes, it is still training new pilots and intends to grow.
• The problems: Via Airlines pilots are being offered better jobs with larger carriers, leading to a staff shortage. The shortage leads to canceled flights, which creates unhappy customers who are apt to complain on social media. The inability for the airline to maintain quality service leads to schedule cuts.
• The people: Via Airlines pilots, other Via Airlines personnel, Via Airlines stakeholders, air commuters, and airport personnel.

5. "Another child dies in a hot van, another year House won't help" by Linda Stewart for the Orlando Sentinel

• Summary: Last week, a 4-year-old was left in a hot daycare van for five hours before Jacksonville police responded to reports of an unresponsive child. The temperature outside was 92 degrees. The writer has filed bills the past two legislative sessions to require Florida daycare facilities to install child-alert alarms in their vehicles, all to no avail. Florida ranks second in the nation for children left in hot cars. 
• The problems: Children are left to die in hot daycare vans in Florida due to the absentmindedness of their caretakers. Common-sense legislation that would require daycare vehicles to be equipped with child-alert alarms, preventing these needless deaths, never quite makes it to the governor's desk for signature.
• The people: Floridian children, their parents, daycare staff, bystanders, and police.