To inform the public on the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Richard Pan, M.D., launched a new podcast—“Putting the Public Into Health.” Dr. Pan is a pediatrician and State Senator representing Senate District 6 (D-Sacramento). He has been a member of the California Medical Association and the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society since 1999.

Dr. Pan has released 30 episodes of his podcast since it first launched on April 13, 2020, covering a wide array of topics from quarantining with kids to vaccine development and more. The most recent episode includes a conversation with Contra Costa Public Health Officer Chris Farnitano, M.D., regarding how fringe, radical extremists are targeting public health officers across California, and whose abhorrent actions are forcing the resignations of several public health officers.

This Wednesday, Dr. Pan will be releasing the latest episode of his podcast, a conversation with David Lubarsky, M.D., Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences for UC Davis Health. The episode will center on how COVID-19 is impacting the UC Davis Medical Center and hospitalization rates in general. California has seen a marked increase in COVID-19 cases since the state began to reopen. and Dr. Lubarsky links this increase to a drop in public concern and lack of adherence to safety protocols including physical distancing, handwashing and face covering.

The Putting Public into Health podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and an archive can be found here.

Questions for the podcast can be emailed to Dr. Pan’s office at Senator.Pan@senate.ca.gov.