Inconvenient Health: Staying Safe in a Denialist World

Anna Pakman has participated in the Easter Seals Disability Film Challenge for seven out of the 11 years that the challenge has been running. This year, she made “Back to the Dark Ages,” a beautiful dramedy short about a woman with long Covid. Join Pakman as she shares her experiences as a filmmaker and health-justice advocate with cerebral palsy.Where to Find Anna Pakman and “Back to the Dark Ages”Instagram: @DarkAgesFilm, @AnnatatedTwitter/X: @AnnatatedYouTube: “Back to the Dark Ages”Additional ResourcesEaster Seals Disability Film ChallengeFDA Information on At-Home Covid TestsCreditsTheme Music: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamlin Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

How has health-justice activism changed (or not) over the decades? What is it like advocating for your own and others’ health as a woman in a male-dominated space? Join ACT UP NY’s Ivy Kwan Arce as she discusses her journey from discovering that she was HIV-positive to becoming an activist herself.Where to Find ACT UP NYActUpNY.comInstagramFacebookAdditional Resources“The Price of Progress: Managing Prescription Drug Spending,” Duke University Press“Save America’s Patent System,” The New York TimesStudies on Vaccine Uptake and Covid Variants:“The path towards herd immunity: Predicting COVID-19 vaccination uptake through results from a stated choice study across six continents”“Perspective Overview of Changing Population Immunity to COVID-19 in the Context of Infection, Vaccination, and Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants”“Effectiveness of Adapted COVID-19 Vaccines and Ability to Establish Herd Immunity against Omicron BA.1 and BA4-5 Variants of SARS-CoV-2”CreditsTheme Music: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamlin Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Join Dr. Marjorie Roberts, a doctor in business turned life coach and health-justice advocate, as she discusses her journey to advocacy for herself and her community. What lessons has she learned along the way, and what can she share with fellow activists? Tune in to find out!Where to Find Dr. Roberts“And Yet Again I Smile” Facebook GroupMaskTogetherAmerica ProfileAdditional ResourcesOctober 2025 Literature Review on the Effectiveness of Masks and Masking PoliciesNIH RECOVER InitiativeMaskTogetherAmerica Resources PageSurvivor CorpsSurvivor Corps Facebook GroupCreditsTheme Music: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamlin Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Just dropping in quickly to wish you happy holidays and a joyous new year, whatever you celebrate (or don’t celebrate). Remember, you are not alone. We protect each other!Additional CreditsMusic: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex HamiltonWintry edition of the Inconvenient Health logo made with the help of Rawpixel.com. Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Join clinical-health psychologist and Tulane professor Dr. Michael Hoerger as he shares his work on collecting and sharing C19 data in the U.S. Learn what that data can tell us and get advice on what to do in response.Where to Find Dr. HoergerWebsite: https://pmc19.com/Tulane Bio: https://sse.tulane.edu/michael-hoerger-phd-mscrSocial Media (X/Twitter, BlueSky, etc.): @Michael_HoergerOther ResourcesMeta-Analysis on Mask and Respirator Usage: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23CDC Wastewater Data: https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-national-data.htmlAdditional CreditMusic: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamilton Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

MaskTogetherAmerica Founder Julie Lam discusses her advocacy, participation in research studies, and experiences with Long Covid. Where to Find Julie Lam and MaskTogetherAmericaWebsite: https://masktogetheramerica.org/Instagram: @MaskTogetherAmericaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/masktogetheramericaResourcesResearch on mRNA Vaccines and Cancer:https://www.nature.com/articles/s43018-025-01088-whttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09655-yNIH RECOVER Homepage:https://recovercovid.orgStudies and Meta-Analyses on Mask Effectiveness:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11715561/https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23"Humanity Behind Masks," Julie Lam's 2020 Medium:https://medium.com/new-york-voice/humanity-behind-masks-6dac2eafa1f3Additional CreditMusic: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamilton Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle Stevens discusses how and why he founded Clean Air Events, a consulting service that helps people and organizations host safer events with advice and tools to help improve air quality in Oregon and Washington State. Tune in for this Halloween edition of Inconvenient Health and get pro tips on affordable ways to layer up precautions using far-UVC and more.Where to Find Clean Air EventsWebsite: https://www.cleanairevents.com/Instagram: @cleanaireventsLinktree: https://linktr.ee/cleanaireventsMore Information on Far-UVCGMS Hygiene and Infection Control: "The impact of far-UVC radiation (200–230 nm) on pathogens, cells, skin, and eyes – a collection and analysis of a hundred years of data," February 16, 2021Columbia University, Irving Medical Center: "New Type of Ultraviolet Light Makes Indoor Air as Safe as Outdoors," March 25, 2022BioMed Research Intermational: "Antimicrobial Activity of Filtered Far-UVC Light (222 nm) against Different Pathogens," October 31, 2023Brands Mentioned in the PodcastNukit: https://www.nukit222.com/Eden Park: Get 5% off with code "CleanAirEvents" — https://edenpark.com/Additional CreditMusic: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex HamiltonHalloween edition of the Inconvenient Health logo made with the help of Rawpixel.com. Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Join opera singer and Covid activist Julia Claire Taylor as she discusses what she’s learned from her experiences with Long Covid and her efforts to stay safe in the performing arts.Julia Claire Taylor on Instagram: @JuliaClaireTaylorMetformin and Covid-19: https://med.umn.edu/news/u-m-study-finds-metformin-reduces-covid-19-viral-load-viral-reboundhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12107632/https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2836528Acupuncture and Long Covid: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9248334/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10232723/Craniosacral Therapy and Long Covid: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36938206/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9392656/Music: “Acta Non Verba” by Alex Hamilton Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel Bessonov, a clean-air activist in Southern California, shares advice on making Corsi-Rosenthal boxes (homemade air purifiers) and discusses his experiences advocating for improved indoor air quality and trying to keep himself, his friends, and his family healthy and safe. Resources:Daniel’s Substack, The Insomniac — https://suddenvalley.substack.comFind a local mask bloc — maskbloc.orgMore on Dr. Joseph Allen and the Healthy Buildings Program — https://healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu/ Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe

Christine, an RN in Ohio, and Jennifer, a DC lawyer, discuss ways to stay safe(r) during doctor visits.Update, Oct. 28, 2025: PPEO.com has duckbills for $0.60 apiece, and we have discovered that the Laianzhi bifold, headstrap KN95s that PPEO sells are (fingers crossed) a more comfortable, easier-to-wear fit for Christine’s father. Get full access to Washington Heights-Inwood Mask Bloc at wahiinwoodmaskbloc.substack.com/subscribe