We're starting our October Breast Cancer Awareness month reporting with a skilled surgeon from Waterbury Heath System with nearly a quarter century of hands-on experience supporting breast cancer survivors - for an informed and heartening conversation focusing on some positive news regarding breast cancer research, awareness, and recovery.

Then we're returning to a subject we've been covering for several years, bringing you an important update highlighting Connecticut's Workforce Alliance 'Recovery Works' initiative and how it is poise to help employees and employers working through addiction recovery.

And we'll close circling back with the CT Coalition to End Homelessness to get the latest on how COVID-19 is impacting our state's most vulnerable homeless population as winter approaches, and checking in on activities at this week's CCEH Annual Conference.

We're replaying a segment reminding residents about the lingering dangers of lead with an environmental sanitarian from Meriden - who plays a role in a larger statewide effort to remind residents about the dangers posed by lead. We'll learn all the places where lead could still be lurking in places where kids and others could still be exposed - and how that lead exposure can be remediated forever.

Then we'll catch a buzz with the Back Yard Beekeepers Association and learn why becoming even a simple backyard beekeeper could be one of the best holiday gifts you can give yourself, your family, your community and the environment - and why its the best time of year to get into beekeeping.

Finally, Have you ever had a bad experience with an uncaring medical professional? Then meet The Patient Is U Foundation - Helping medical practitioners enhance humanistic, compassionate patient care with unsurpassed "customer service" and sharing its philosophies with patients as well as institutional and non-institutional healthcare providers - anyone who comes into contact with patients or their families. 

As we approach the launch of CT Paid Leave program, which will offer Connecticut workers the opportunity to take time to attend to personal and family health needs without worrying about lost income, we'll check in with the CEO of the CT Paid Leave Authority to help employers and employees better understand the program. 

Next, have you heard about U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's new legislation to promote advance care planning and end-of-life care? To help frame that new national effort, we'll bring in the CEO of Compassion & Choices, the nation’s largest and oldest end-of-life care advocacy organization to discuss how the proposed bill will help empower everyone to chart their end-of-life journey.

And we'll touch base with a CEO overseeing 32 Planet Fitness locations across Connecticut.  As the state continues to navigate the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, his industry is facing ongoing threats of shutdowns or stronger restrictions So we'll hear about why this may be such an ultimately unhealthy move.