Harry Wiland

By the year 2043, the US Census Bureau predicts that caucasian people will no longer be the majority race in this country. We will be a nation of blended, mixed races--- African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American; they will outnumber whites. We will all be Americans.

The Opioid Epidemic is the worst man-made epidemic in the history of our nation. More people die each year from an opioid overdose than in automobile accidents. The statistics are staggering. This episode traces how an aggressive pharmaceutical mass marketing campaign for the new drug OxyContin mislead doctors and the public into our current crisis of death and addiction. The FDA and healthcare organizations became co-conspirators in endorsing long...

Rural America was among the earliest and hardest hit by prescription opioid addiction and overdose deaths. The stories in this episode center primarily in Kentucky, the ground zero of the epidemic. Whole communities have been devastated. Some schools don’t hold parent teacher meetings because many of the parents are either dead, in rehab, or jail. Regional health experts, local government, law enforcement, journalists, and the DEA all weigh in on...

Early in the 21st century, a small town, Sheridan, in Northern Wyoming decides it must change how it cares for its elders and its frail. More retirees are arriv-ing; more people with disabilities and frailties need home care. What might they do? In 2004, community leaders see a glimpse of what their town's future could become. They watch a video that depicts the very first Green House Project model built for elders in Tupelo, Mississippi. Though the...

Giving hope to the hopeless dominates the stories in Seattle, WA and Columbus, OH. Among those spotlighted are: a program to reform the foster care system, and an organization reuniting children with parents who were incarcerated. Too many poor youth end up in the juvenile justice system. The Echo Glen facility hopes to heal, rather than punish young incarcerated teens.

Children living in fractured homes and poverty can’t achieve equally with children who are financially and emotionally secure. Underserved children need extra services to be competitive. Equal is not Equitable. We illustrate this point in Duluth, MN, Boston, MA, Springfield, MO, and Nashville, TN. A grade school offers wrap-around-services including free food, family meals, clothing

With deteriorating classroom conditions and the worst test scores in the nation, this alarming episode casts its eye on the current educational crisis in Detroit. In this cautionary tale, both public and unregulated charter schools suffer from high teacher turnover, a shortage of up-to-date textbooks, lack of funding and financial accountability. We visit with students, teachers, parents and educational leaders in their innovative attempts to improve...

A documentary series spotlighting communities examining the issues they face in identifying and addressing the opportunity gap. The series profiles younger generations, their families and their communities examining inter-twining circles of influence: families, parenting, schools, socio/economic status, legal justice and communities that impact today’s youth.

Did you know that today, we have more parents to care for than children? Eldercare has replaced childcare as a leading healthcare issue. The groundbreaking PBS series And Thou Shalt Honor brings to light the challenges facing today's caregivers. The struggles and rewards of caregiving are given equal treatment in this incisive and thoughtful series. Sensitively hosted by Joe Mantegna, the purpose of the program is to promote awareness of the issue,...

For the first time in American history, more people (80 per-cent) are living in cities than in rural areas. Though people move to urban areas for better job prospects and a better life, this demographic shift inevitable places an enormous strain on natural resources, such as air, water, and energy reserves. Edens Lost and Found highlights what communities all across the country are doing to revive their ecosystems and, as a result, improve the quality...