Vegas PBS offers ‘Recession Rx’ in response to downturn

By Nicole Lucht

Friday, April 3, 2009 | 2 a.m.

This column is brought to you by the letters P, B and S and the number 10.

Vegas PBS created a 13-episode series, “Recession Rx,” to offer advice and assistance to viewers of the public television channel.

The first episode will focus on the state’s foreclosure information workbook, helpline 2-1-1, and mortgage scams. There will also be a personal story of an unemployed man who is coping with the recession while trying to find job.

Executive Producer Cathy Hanson is also hosting the half-hour shows, formatted more like a news program than a documentary. Reporter Jay Jones is contributing, she said.

Hanson formerly was executive producer and host of “Caucus Countdown” and “Capitol Issues” on Vegas PBS.

The basic formula for the episodes will be homeownership, health, jobs and life in general, she said.

“I’m excited about this because it’s a way to connect with our community on many levels,” Hanson said. “(But) this isn’t all about making it depressing.”

A Web site, linked through VegasPBS.org, makes it easy for viewers to find more information on the topics, such as the foreclosure workbook. The show will also be available on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube.

“When we send someone somewhere, we’re sending them somewhere valuable,” she said.

The focus of “Recession Rx” is to provide a “prescription for getting through these times.”

Small-business owners, too, can benefit from watching the show, which will tackle workplace issues, she said.

“What if you’re a business owner and you have to lay people off? How do you do that?” she said.

Even Hanson, a visiting professor at UNLV since 2004, was laid off last year.

“I think we’re all touched by this,” Hanson said. “We wanted a way to cut through the clutter.”

Topics span foreclosures and mortgages to health care to unemployment, jobs searches and training.

The program will take a look at resources for combating common social effects of a recession, such as depression, suicide, spousal abuse, substance abuse, other mental health problems and family living transitions.

The program will also take a look at some positive happenings in the recession, featuring success stories of people who persevered in a time of personal crisis.

“We need to educate ourselves about how to navigate through current financial hardships and decisions,” Vegas PBS General Manager Tom Axtell said in a statement. “The creation of ‘Recession Rx’ was the direct result of so many within Southern Nevada being affected by the current economic downturn.”

Except for the week of April 20 because of scheduling conflicts, “Recession Rx” can be viewed on Channel 10 at 7:30 p.m. Mondays and at 12:30 a.m. Tuesdays; on Cox cable channel 111 on at 1 a.m., 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesdays; and on Cox cable channel 110 at 5 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Saturdays, and at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sundays.

United Way of Southern Nevada, KNPR 88.9-FM, HELP of Southern Nevada, Consumer Credit Counseling, Legal Aid and United Labor Agency of Nevada contributed to the development of the series.

“Recession Rx,” as PBS puts it, was made possible by Nevada JobConnect and Bank of Nevada.

In other news:

This April marks the fifth-annual Hispanic Safety Month in Nevada.

Because of the disproportionate number of Hispanic workers injured or killed on the job, the state’s Industrial Relations Division’s safety consultation and training section is reaching out to businesses to educate them and their workers.

In 2007 at least 18 percent of fatal occupational injuries and 29 percent of nonfatal injuries in Nevada were Hispanic workers, according to state statistics. The number could be higher because Hispanic workers may not report their injuries because of citizenship issues.

“Although we are experiencing a smaller workforce, safety training to Nevada’s Hispanic workforce is a critical part of ensuring safer environments on job sites across the state,” Jan Rosenberg, chief administrative officer for the section, said in a statement. “With a smaller workforce, employers become less willing for their employees to attend safety trainings. However, without this safety training, the actual cost of a lost time injury exceeds the cost of safety training.”

Free bilingual classes on safety and health in the workplace will be offered this month in Las Vegas. For information on class times, visit 4safenv.state.nv.us.

Nicole Lucht covers health care, workplace and banking issues for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-8832 or at [email protected].