- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of Think Tank with Steve Adubato has been provided by Johnson & Johnson.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

Kean University.

Where Cougars climb higher.

PSEG Foundation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

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[MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC] - Hi everyone, Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program with an important conversation with Corey Feist, who's co-founder and CEO of the Dr.

Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation.

Corey, great to have you with us.

- Thanks for having me, Steve.

Great to be with you today.

- You got it.

Tell everyone who Dr.

Lorna Breen was and why her legacy matters so much.

- Dr.

Lorna Breen was an emergency medicine physician and physician leader in New York City who died by suicide at the peak of the pandemic in April of 2020.

Lorna cared as fiercely about her patients as she did her colleagues and their wellbeing, and was struck with a singular mental health episode because she was overwhelmed by what she saw in the emergency room at the peak of the pandemic.

She was so overwhelmed by that we had to medically evacuate her out of Manhattan and get her first and only mental health treatment of her whole life.

When she started to recover from that treatment, then she talked about the stigma around getting mental health treatment and how that would burden and actually impede her ability to be a doctor, the only thing she's ever wanted to do for her whole life.

Lorna took her life on April 26th, 2020 and thrust her story and our family and now our foundation into a national spotlight where we are envisioning this future where systems care for health workers as fiercely as healthcare workers care for others, and we're really trying to redesign that from the inside out.

But Lorna was really the symbol for many in the country of health workers need to be taken care of.

They care for others so deeply, it's time we look at them and say, "We care about you too," and that's what our foundation has been doing since the summer of 2020 when we began it.

- And, Corey, your family connection to Dr.

Breen, describe it.

- I'm married to her little sister Jennifer.

So Lorna was my sister-in-law, Lorna was the crazy aunt to eight nieces and nephews, including two of my kids, - As I read about Dr.

Breen, loved snowboarding, hanging out with her eight nieces and nephews, as you said, appeared to love life and be committed to her work, particularly during the horrific period, you gotta realize, if she took her own life in April 26th, 2020, that means the pandemic was raging at that point.

We talk so much when we've done programming around suicide, looking for signs, but were there any?

- No, not really, Steve.

I mean, well, let me take you back.

So this happened in about a three to four week time.

So Lorna was getting her MBA at Cornell, she was at the top of her game, she had never had a mental health episode in her life, but she contracted COVID and it knocked her down.

And then she did what so many firefighters on 9/11 did, which is run back into that burning building.

And Lorna was just completely depleted.

So in the retrospect, retrospectoscope, if you will, you could say we should have never allowed a health worker who is in that fragile estate to go back into the healthcare delivery.

And that was really the singular thing that was the root cause of starting this whole thing to begin with.

And then when you add to that the stigma that healthcare workers uniquely have and the penalties that they carry for just doing anything about their mental health, if and when they need it, those are the kind of things that we look at at the foundation and say, "This is a completely preventable issue for healthcare workers, we just need to allow them to be human, as opposed to heralding them as heroes like we did for so many months and years in the pandemic."

- Do you believe Dr.

Breen was particularly worried that if she said something and acknowledged that she was struggling mentally, that she was at risk of losing her medical license?

- Yes, so she told us that as much, and I was a healthcare attorney at the time, and I was running a large medical group of physicians and other advanced healthcare workers at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville at the time, and it was something that I had never heard about.

And when we finally got her mental health treatment, Steve, she said, "Now that I've obtained mental health treatment, my hospital credentials, my ability to work in a hospital is now compromised and my license to practice is at risk."

And what I would just quickly tell you is that this is one of three drivers of suicide among health workers.

Just a few years ago, the American Hospital Association published their first ever suicide prevention guide, and it lists this issue as the first one.

And it is something that we are working to change in New Jersey right now, we've changed these licensing questions now in 37 states across the country and in over 630 hospitals.

We got 10% of the hospitals, we've got another 90% of the way to go, including 100% of the hospitals in New Jersey that we're working with right now.

- Corey, let me ask you something.

Getting regulations changed, like, here's what I'm curious about.

Is it through the legislative process?

Is it through the regulatory/policing process of the industry itself?

How does that happen?

- The way it happens differs a little bit from state to state because it's a state law issue.

In New Jersey, we have introduced legislation, well, not we as a foundation, but our coalition, which we call All In: Caring for New Jersey's Caregivers and the Medical Society, the Hospital Association, Nursing Association and Quality Institute have worked with local legislators to introduce legislation that is not actually required in most states.

And it's something that we are working administratively with in New Jersey to see if there's a possible way to circumvent the legislation.

But from a licensing perspective, it is a state regulated thing.

From a hospital perspective, that is something that organizations, like accrediting bodies like the Joint Commission look at.

- Right.

- And they've all said, "Stop asking these questions."

It then becomes an issue of enforcement.

For us as a foundation, what we're doing is we're teaching them how to do it and we're recognizing them for making the changes and then communicating the changes to their workforce so the workforce can understand what the rules are.

You know, Steve, one of the tragedies upon tragedies, and you've picked up on this, is that Lorna was convinced she was gonna lose her medical license and her hospital credentials.

But as we've done the research, New York state never even has a question on their licensing application about this.

Now, Lorna had only ever worked there.

Why isn't it something that she knew?

Well, it could have saved her life if she had known it.

On the hospital side, we believed that the questions were probably inappropriate, although we've not been able to verify it from her hospital.

So I think that this is one of those issues where we need to change this across the country and then we must communicate what the new rules are to the healthcare workers - And your funding, you're a not-for-profit as we are a not-for-profit media company.

Your funding comes from where?

We'll put up the website right now.

- Yeah, we've been funded by individuals, by grants, by foundations, we've been supported by Johnson and Johnson and many other organizations who have a deep commitment to taking care of health workers.

And so that's how we are funded, yeah.

- Final word to all of us who've been patients, family members of patients who have been served so well by healthcare professionals, what can and should the rest of us who are so dependent upon extraordinary physicians like Dr.

Breen, what could and should we be doing?

Got a minute left.

- Yeah, recognize that health workers in the United States have the worst mental health of any worker class in the United States.

The CDC and NIOSH published a report about this two years ago.

- NIOSH is an acronym for?

- The National Institute for Occupational Safety.

- Okay.

- They identified that about 50% of the workforce is burnt out, about 50% of them intend to leave, and violence and threats among health workers is up to historic levels.

So every individual just, A, needs to be aware that their workforce is at an incredibly fragile state and to treat them like humans and to check in on them when they're asking you as a patient, "Steve, how are you doing?"

Take a pause and say, "Actually, how are you doing?

Are you taking care of yourself?

What can we do as patients to support you?"

I think that would go a incredibly long way, and it's something that every person has the ability to do from coast to coast.

- Corey, thank you.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you, yeah.

- You've made a difference.

- Thank you so much.

- That's Corey Feist, who's the co-founder and CEO of the Dr.

Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation.

We'll be right back.

- To watch more Think Tank with Steve Adubato, find us online and follow us on social media.

- And they say that it is the best hanging tree in the south, because no matter how hard a black woman, man, or child kicks, the branches they will not break.

They were taking Toby to the oak tree?

They were taking my son to the oak tree.

And so I ran until I got to the tree.

- All about communication.

That's what this segment's about.

We have Michaela White, National Catholic Forensic League, Grand National Tournament Speech Champion.

Congratulations, Michaela.

And also your coach.

This is Saul Grullon.

- Yes.

- That's not even, did I say it correctly?

Go ahead.

Correct me.

- Grullon.

- That's what I said.

University High School Speech and Debate District Coach of the Year.

Congratulations to both of you.

By the way, this is part of our Newark Student Leaders of Tomorrow series we're doing in cooperation with the Newark Public Schools.

Saul, tell us about Michaela and how great a communicator she is to be recognized in this way.

Go ahead.

As her coach.

- Absolutely.

So at the very start, Michaela was very shy and I thought that she had to go with like a novice category, but she was very adamant to just showing off that she's a phenomenal communicator and that she is one of the best people in her school and in the district to tell stories that matter.

- Michaela, let me ask you something.

You just heard your coach say you're a little bit shy in the beginning.

Do you remember that version of Michaela versus the strong, confident Michaela now?

- I actually really do.

I remember being afraid to speak out a lot.

I remember being afraid to show who my inner, like dramatic self, like who I was and stuff.

But comparing myself from now to my shy self, I can say I do remember a portion of her, but honestly the person I am now kind of just overpowers that thought now.

- And you are attending my alma mater, Montclair State University in the fall as we do this program in the summer.

- Congratulations.

Hey, so lemme ask you something.

Speaking of getting past one's whatever, anxiety, fear, nerves, is it not a fact that you as a younger man were in our Stand and Deliver public communication leadership series?

The seminar series, were you a part of that?

- Yes, I was.

I was before the pandemic struck us, and my students were two scholars that actually won the scholarship from Stand and Deliver.

So it's good to be back and reunite with you.

- So yeah, our Stand and Deliver program run by our great colleague, my partner, Mary Gamba, who led that program for many, many years.

It was all about public communication of young people, particularly in Newark.

Michaela, let me ask you something.

What do you believe being recognized in this way as this Grand National Tournament Speech Champion, what do you believe it does for you as you move into your college life to be the kind of leader you want to be moving forward?

Talk about that.

- It definitely helped me with future references, like, you know, such as communication, speaking out more, having a voice, and knowing how important it is to have a voice in the future.

And actually now in the present, it is very important and I feel as though this is just a crucial and very important event, very important skill.

And I think it is very beneficial for future references.

- Yeah.

So let me ask you this, your background coming into this field of work, talk about public communication and the challenges you faced.

- So being a native from the Dominican Republic and being here in this country since I was two years old, I did have a thick accent.

And my linguistics in writing and speaking was very easy to detect.

So in the speech and debate community, I was able to rule myself in confidence and learn how to enunciate, pronunciate, and use great diction and have amazing eye contact, have the presence that honestly we all have.

You know, we just need someone to coach us, to find that better version of ourselves.

So ironically enough, my speech and debate coach was able to absolve me of my insecurities as a Hispanic person that had a thick accent.

And you know, nowadays I try to find it, but it's lost somewhere.

- You lost it?

- I kinda think so.

- It's there.

- It's there?

Okay, great.

- It's gotta be there.

Michaela, let me ask you something.

As you listen to your coach, how important is it for you and for others who choose to challenge themselves in public communication, debate, forensics.

How important is it to have a coach who's not just talented because he or she knows skills, but they believe in you as a person?

Go ahead.

- It kind of gets me emotional sometimes thinking about how important it is because as someone who couldn't speak out, sometimes it felt like I always had a muzzle on my mouth.

So when I had somebody who believed in me, when I had somebody who seen the voice in me, it kind of just makes me feel seen and makes me feel heard.

Especially people who are like me, like, as being a young Black woman who can't really speak out sometimes, having someone on your side and someone that can motivate you and tell you that you are important and you have a voice was just so important to me.

And I also wanna bring that out to every other Black woman who is out there in the world, that you have a voice and you can speak out and you are very important.

So honestly, I'm just, it's very important.

- I hate when people say you're too young.

They don't say it to me, but I'll say it to you.

You're too young to possibly remember the great Jesse Jackson, when he was running for president back in 1988, did you know what his message was to young people, particularly people of color?

- He used to say, "I am somebody."

Repeat after me, "I am somebody."

- What's that mean to you?

- It means that you are heard, that you are somebody who is important and you are a human being.

And it means that you can literally change the world in literally a heartbeat.

It can take a week, two months, it can take however long God can make it be.

You can literally change the world just by using your voice.

- Yeah.

Hey Saul, I bet on Michaela.

I'm gonna bet on Michaela that she is gonna change the world and make a difference.

And to you and all the other coaches, and to Roger León, the superintendent, and all the other folks at the Newark Public School system who advocated that we do this programming.

We'll continue to feature Newark student leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you, Saul.

Thank you, Michaela.

Wish you all the best.

- Thank you.

- We'll be back after this.

- To watch more Think Tank with Steve Adubato, find us online and follow us on social media.

- Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about the New Jersey Lottery you're gonna find out right now.

He's back again, James Carey, goes by Jim.

Jim Carey is in fact the executive director of the New Jersey Lottery.

Good to see you, Jim.

- Good to be back, Steve.

All right, tell us right now, why is the New Jersey Lottery so popular?

Go ahead.

- Well, we just celebrated a couple years ago our 50th anniversary.

With 50 years of history in the State of New Jersey, we're part of this state, we're part of the community.

In the past couple of years, we've started doing what we call New-Jersey-centric, New-Jersey-focused tickets.

We had a scratch-off ticket featuring the debate of the great breakfast meet in New Jersey.

We had a lot of fun with that.

We recently did a scratch-off with Shaquille O'Neal, and what I tell people is I think everybody in New Jersey knows Shaquille O'Neal has roots here in New Jersey.

Certainly, everybody in Newark knows he is from Newark.

So, we're a great part of the State of New Jersey, we've been here for a long time, and we're looking forward for another 50 years.

- Jim, we're also putting up the number for 1-800-GAMBLER, the Council for Compulsive Gambling for those who have issues concerned about family members who may have issues with gambling, but help us understand this, what the heck has been the impact of the explosion of online gambling on lottery?

- Well, it's maybe a little too soon to say what the impact has been of online gambling on the lottery.

We've continued to grow since 2018, and sports betting was legalized in the United States and in New Jersey.

So as we've continued to grow, we've been watching.

What we do know is that sports betting and online casinos are generating enormous revenues.

Lots of people are attracted to it.

And we also know that young men are particularly attracted to things like sports betting.

So if the New Jersey Lottery wants to have another 50 years of success and growing income for the state, we're gonna have to adjust to what is a new environment for gaming in the state.

- Yeah, let's talk about adjusting.

Right now you cannot purchase a lottery ticket online, correct?

- Well, you can purchase the lottery ticket online in New Jersey through what are called New Jersey Lottery couriers.

There are four companies currently selling lottery tickets in New Jersey.

Jackpocket, Lotto.com, TheLotter, and Jackpot.

And we work with them, we regulate them, and we oversee them.

And so you can buy a lottery ticket online through a courier.

- Okay, but are you looking to expand the ability to purchase a lottery ticket online?

- So the New Jersey Lottery has been exploring selling tickets online as well.

We're interested in trying to sell our draw tickets online, games like Powerball, Pick-6, Mega Millions, and Pick-3.

It's 2025, and virtually every form of commerce and entertainment has a direct online presence.

If the New Jersey Lottery wants to keep growing, we've got to meet customer expectations, we've gotta be where consumers are.

And you know and I know that people between the ages of 25 and 40 have basically been raised with the internet and on their phones, and they have that expectation that if they're gonna do business with a company, they should be able to do that online, so.

So you can buy a lottery ticket online through one of the couriers, but we think it's necessary to, you know, keep expanding our retail reach and the ways that people can get to the lottery.

- Jim, lemme ask you this.

For those who don't know where the dollars go, I've asked you this in previous interviews you've done with us, explain to folks the revenues for the lottery goes where and to what kinds of programs in the state.

- So the state lottery law that was passed in 1969 said that lottery revenue is supposed to go to support education and institutions.

In 2017, a law was passed that made the lottery a part of the state pension system.

So we are an asset of the state pension system.

As you know, New Jersey did not do a great job historically funding the pensions.

Governor Murphy has made it a central part of his agenda to fully fund the pensions as obligated and make sure that we're able to fulfill our promises to people who have worked for the state.

So we're an asset of the pension system.

All of our profit goes to support pensions, and the bulk of that profit goes to the teacher's pension system.

And I'd say over the last eight years we have contributed more than a billion dollars each year to the state pension system.

- Got it, lemme try this.

What the heck is the deal with New Jersey and California, I think, being seen as luckier states?

You're smiling because, why do we win, people in New Jersey and people in California, win more?

What's up with that?

- Well, it comes from this idea that every time I go out and speak around the state, people tell me, "How come only people in North Jersey win the lottery?"

And I say- - Wait a minute, now it's not even New Jersey, it's North Jersey.

- Yes!

And that's the question that people ask.

And of course I tell people, "Well, it's demographics."

That's where the most people in New Jersey live.

That's where most players live.

And so that's where you'll see the most winners.

But the two biggest wins that I've seen were both in South Jersey.

We had the billion-dollar winner in Neptune, and a couple of weeks later, we had a $200 million Powerball winner in Camden County.

And so when people ask me that question, I say it's all demographics.

And when I go around the rest of the country and meet other lottery directors, other lottery directors always say to me, "You know, the biggest complaint that I get in South Carolina or Georgia is, 'How come people only in California and New Jersey win the Powerball or the Mega Millions?'"

And they say it's about population.

- Yeah.

Before I let you go, how much fun has this job been for you, especially when you're presenting very big checks to people that changes their lives?

- Well, the job's been loads of fun.

And getting to see and meet with people on one of the best days of their lives and present them with life-changing amounts of money.

And it could be, you know, a Jersey Cash 5 jackpot of $150,000.

I meet people like that every week, and that's a load of fun.

But I've been with the state for 25 years, and I've got, you know, that good government sense to me and other things of working with the New Jersey Lottery are lots of fun to me.

Modernizing our efforts.

Now players can get a ACH payment instead of a paper check when they win.

Soon we'll have players being able to submit a claim to us using the New Jersey Lottery app.

So, modernizing our operations is also a great part of what I do.

- Also, finally, you cannot, as the executive director, you cannot play the lottery, correct?

- That was a very disappointing fact for me when I realized that I could not play the lottery.

I knew it coming in, and when I realized that I wasn't gonna be able to play again and I realized that I was not gonna be able to buy that giant boat that I see at the shore when I hit the lottery, that was a shocking fact to me.

- Well, broadcasters with public broadcasting, we can and do engage, and I'm still hoping the big day comes.

Hey, listen, James Carey, Jim Carey is the executive director of New Jersey Lottery, all the best to you and your team at the Lottery.

Thank you, Jim.

- Thank you very much, Steve.

It's always a pleasure to be here.

- Absolutely.

I'm Steve Adubato.

That's the head of the lottery in New Jersey.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Johnson & Johnson.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

Kean University.

PSEG Foundation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

Valley Bank.

And by NJM Insurance Group.

Promotional support provided by NJBIA.

And by NJBIZ.

Here at Kean University, everyone gets their chance to climb higher.

Michael came to Kean and found his passion for health care, and now he's a doctor.

After Tricia graduated, her graphic design work was featured in The New York Times.

Samantha is studying athletic training and finding her path to an internship with the New York Giants.

Real Students.

Real Stories.

Real Success.

Cougars Climb Higher.

Kean University.