Hear Me Now Podcast

An online transcript is available On today's program, host Seán Collins welcomes Dr. Steven Salloway, Dr. Rudy Tanzi, and David Shenk to discuss recent advances in Alzheimer's research and the possibility of early intervention and prevention. They highlight the significance of targeting amyloid plaques in the brain, but also emphasize the need for treatments that can be administered earlier and more widely — the way statins are used to forestall or prevent atherosclerotic heart disease. The researchers discuss the role of public funding in drug research and the challenges of developing affordable and accessible treatments. They also touch on the role of imagination in driving scientific discovery and the importance of accurate and responsible journalism in reporting on Alzheimer's research. Overall, they express optimism about the future of Alzheimer's treatment and the potential for significant progress in the coming years...Steven Salloway, M.D., MSFounding DirectorThe Memory and Aging ProgramButler Hospital Professor of Psychiatry and Human BehaviorProfessor of Neurology Warren Alpert Medical School Brown UniversityProvidence, R.I...Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D. Director Genetics and Aging Research UnitDirector McCance Center for Brain HealthMassachusetts General Hospital Professor of Neurology Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, Mass...David ShenkAuthorThe Forgetting — Alzheimer's: a Portrait of an Epidemic  Senior AdvisorCure Alzheimer's Fund Advisor, dementia-related issuesPresident's Council on BioethicsBrooklyn, N.Y...  

A transcript is available online Today, host Seán Collins welcomes Dr. Nwando Anyaoku, Chief Health Equity and Clinical Innovation Officer for Providence. They  discuss the importance of diversity and cultural understanding in healthcare. She shares a personal story about a patient from Liberia who felt understood and cared for because Dr. Anyaoku shared a similar background and experiences. Dr. Anyaoku emphasizes the need for healthcare providers to recognize and address disparities in care based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other factors. She discusses the concept of concordance, where patients and providers with similar backgrounds can have better communication and outcomes. Dr. Anyaoku also highlights the importance of cultural humility and building partnerships with community organizations to address health disparities. ..Nwando Anyaoku, M.D., MPH, MBAGVP & Chief Health Equity and Clinical Innovation OfficerProvidence ..WATCH Dr. Anyaoku's TED Talk from Bellarmine University, recorded February, 2023.. MORE READING:Physician–patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns  (PNAS)Association of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Concordance Between Patients and Physicians With Patient Experience Ratings  (JAMA)Association of Surgeon-Patient Sex Concordance With Postoperative Outcomes  (JAMA Surgery).. 

This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation and planning. If you are thinking of harming yourself, please call or text, in English or Spanish, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.   Help is available.  Deaf & hard of hearingEste episodio incluye una discusión sobre la ideación y la planificación suicida. Si está pensando en hacerse daño, llame o envíe un mensaje de texto, en inglés o español, a la Línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis al 988.   Hay ayuda disponible.   Sordos e hipoacúsicos.In this episode of the Hear Me Now Podcast, host Seán Collins discusses the health benefits of gratitude with Dr. Robin Henderson, Chief Executive for Behavioral Health for the Oregon Region of Providence. They begin by listening to the story of JD, who found practicing gratitude helped him overcome suicidal thoughts and depression. They discuss the science behind gratitude, including its impact on serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain. They also explore practical strategies for incorporating gratitude into daily life, such as journaling, gratitude jars, and sending thank-you cards. They emphasize the importance of gratitude in improving mental health, fostering positive relationships, and creating a more positive and empathetic society. The episode concludes with a discussion on the role of healthcare providers in promoting gratitude as a form of self-care and healing for their patients..Robin Henderson, PsyDChief Executive for Behavioral Health Providence Oregon RegionSenior Clinical OfficerWork2BeWellPortland, Ore...The music heard at the end of the episode is "Dreamers of the Shore" by Volcan Peaks feat. Cody Francis. Used with permission. ..FURTHER READING:Key Lime Pie for Thanksgiving (New York Times)Greater Good Magazine: Gratitude (UC Berkeley)Health Benefits of Gratitude (UCLA)The Ignatian Examen (The Jesuits)"Spiritual Exercises" of Ignatius of Loyola (Ignatian Spirituality)  text"Effects of gratitude meditation on neural network functional connectivity and brain-heart coupling" (Nature)"The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis" (Einstein)"Gratitude in Health Care: A Meta-narrative Review" (Psychiatry)"The impact of gratitude interventions on patients with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review" (Frontiers in Psychology)"A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors" (Journal of Psychosomatic Research)"The Cultivation of Pure Altruism via Gratitude: A Functional MRI Study of Change with Gratitude Practice" (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)"The Scientific Effects of Gratitude: A Review" (Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing)...   

A class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide agonists (GLP-1 agonists) is proving to be beneficial for people with chronic kidney disease and atherosclerotic heart disease. These medications are being called game changers because they not only help with weight loss but also provide organ protection and reduce the risk of dying and disease progression. These medications have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of deadly conditions and improve population health. However, there are financial pressures and healthcare policies that may hinder access to these medications for patients who could benefit from them. On today's program, host Sean Collins talks with two Physician-Researchers working on the front lines of the coming change...Katherine R. Tuttle, M.D., FASN, FACP, FNKFExecutive Director for Research, Providence Inland Northwest HealthProfessor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Kidney Research InstituteRegional Principal Investigator, Institute of Translational Health SciencesUniversity of Washington.Radica Alicic, M.D., FHM, FACPAssociate Director for ResearchProvidence Health Care in Spokane..Management of Chronic Kidney Disease in People with Diabetes Read more about Retatrutide, the triple agonist 

Providence Hospice, Los Angeles County has launched a program to provide hospice care for homeless people. The program aims to support those experiencing homelessness and facing a terminal illnesses by providing them with the option of a safe and secure environment to receive holistic care. Homeless people face unique challenges and vulnerabilities, including an increased incidence of mental health issues, frequent distrust of healthcare providers and environments, and often issues of substance dependence. The team at Providence Hospice, LA County works closely with facility care teams to ensure that patients receive the care they need while also respecting their individual needs and preferences. Guests include Martina Meier, M.D., medical director of Providence Hospice, LA County; Nycole Snodgrass, director of operation at the hospice; and Marcella Kubalsky, who was chaplain when the program began. This episode also includes audio from an interview Marcella conducted with "Bob," a patient who had been chronically unhoused when he entered the program this past summer. Click here for more information on Providence Hospice, LA County.For an extended excerpt from Marcella's interview with Bob, follow this link.    

A transcript is available onlineWe explore the kind and quality of healthcare available in rural hospitals in an age of growing technological and resource-heavy medicine. Do we risk a two-tiered system where the best care possible is only available in large cities near major medical centers? And are there options available for people who might have to travel hundreds of miles for specialist care?   Guests include Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association; Theresa Gleason and Erica Manor from the Providence Hickel House, a hospitality facility on the campus of the Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage; and with Geraldine Picha, who stayed at Hickel House during her son's medical emergency last year...N.B.  Beginning with this episode, we are shifting the release date of the podcast to the first and third Thursdays of the month. 

An online transcript is availableDoes it seem counter-intuitive to say that the future of person-centered healthcare is the use of more and more tools utilizing AI, artificial intelligence?Dr. Maulin Shah is Chief Medical Information Officer for Providence and VP of Informatics and Engineering. He talks with host Seán Collins about AI and the ways innovative healthcare sytems will make use of it to free-up precious time for human caregivers: doing everything from taking notes during your visit with your doctor, to suggesting that the clinic call a ride for patients who have uncertain transportation.Saving clinicians 3-hours each day with improvements to the way they practice is like handing caregivers a chunk of their life back -- and that could be one of, maybe the best, solution to healthcare burnout. ..  

An online transcript is available At the end of last year, The New Yorker and ProPublica documented fraud and mistreatment in some for-profit hospices across the country. The exposé shouted something that has been whispered for a long while in circles concerned with the care of the dying: hospice needs saving.Begun as a visionary mission run by charities, hospice care has morphed into a 22 billion dollar industry where margin trumps mission. On today's program, host Seán Collins discusses the state of hospice, its future, and ways to preserve quality of care when caring for people at the end of their lives. Guests are Drs. Ira Byock and Glen Komatsu, longtime hospice physicians and thought leaders in the field. ..Glen Komatsu, M.D.Chief Medical OfficerProvidence Hospice, Los Angeles CountyTorrance, Calif..Ira Byock, M.D., FAAHMPEmeritus Professor of MedicineGeisel School of Medicine at DartmouthAuthor, Dying Well (1997), The Four Things That Matter Most (2004), and The Best Care Possible (2012)Missoula, Mont. ..FURTHER READINGHow Hospice Became a For-Profit Hustle by Ava Kofman (New Yorker)Endgame: How the Visionary Hospice Movement Became a For-Profit Hustle by Ava Kofman (ProPublica)Joint statement from The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) responding to Ava Kofman's reporting.Dr. Tara Friedman's response to the New Yorker article (President, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine)Hospice Needs Saving by Ira Byock  (STAT First Opinion)Hospice Industry: Start with Apologies by Ira Byock (STAT First Opinion)National Hospice Locator  (Hospice Analytics)Hospice Compare (medicare.gov)A simplified description of the person from Dr. Eric Cassell's "The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine."..   

A transcript is available online Addiction and overdose rates have reached historic levels in the last several years. And while fentanyl and synthetic opioids are responsible for much of the surge, cocaine and other stimulants such as methamphetamine are playing an increasingly common role. Addiction problems are not rare (it's estimated that 10% of the population has substance use disorder) and they don't go away because someone is pregnant. Substance use during pregnancy -- whether of licit or illicit substances -- can complicate pregnancy and may pose a risk for the fetus. And because of the stigma associated with substance use, many people forego prenatal care, further complicating the pregnancy.Host Seán Collins talks with two healthcare professionals about their efforts to reach people with substance use disorders to help them care for themselves and their fetus.Collin Schenk, M.D., is an Addiction Recovery Services physician at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. Kirsten Lavery, RN, MSN is the Nurse Manager for Addiction Recovery Services. In addition, we hear from Jennifer Justice, a parent ally at the FIRST Legal Clinic in Seattle, about her own story of recovery and her work now helping others during their pregnancies. .An extended excerpt from Jennifer Justice's conversation with Kirsten Lavery is available here. Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Learning Collaborative  (WSHA) 

A transcript of this episode is available online  • A list of mental health resources is available on our website"Everyone has anxiety and you can't really survive childhood without some anxiety," says psychiatrist Dr. Maureen Nash. "It is, at least theoretically, what prevents us from doing catastrophically negative things like walking off a cliff, or hugging the stove when it's red hot."The fight-or-flight response has its place. We're hard-wired to preserve our overall well-being at the expense of a few anxious moments when we're threatened. But, as Dr. Nash adds, "an anxiety disorder is when you have fight-or-flight gone awry and it is either in excess of what is useful to you or it actually debilitates you."A growing number of young people are showing symptoms of anxiety, in part due to the zeitgeist (consider a future of global warming, longterm economic prospects, and pushback on efforts to foster inclusion and diversity) and nearly continuous stimulus from electronic devices and social media."Trigger after trigger after trigger," says Dr. Robin Henderson, Chief Clinical Officer of WORK2BEWELL, a mental health and wellness program focused on providing mental health resources and education for teens, parents, and educators.  "When we look at increasing rates of anxiety -- we see numbers as high as 40% of females, 36% of males, young adult, high school having some symptoms, if not a full on diagnosis of anxiety -- we see numbers that has to be what we're seeing out of the pandemic and all of those stressors there and what we're seeing in social media and, candidly, what we're seeing in the political environment, not limited to climate change, politics, racism, and all of those things. It's a very stimulating world."But there's hope. There are ways to cope with anxiety even to treat it as one's "superpower."  Today's episode also includes conversations with two college students who not only live with anxiety, but who are working to help others cope with the stressors they face in the world today. And they share their insights into strategies they use to manage their anxiety. Billie Henderson is a college student in Oregon and Dominic Brown attends college in Southern California. Both have worked to help other young people through WORK2BEWELL..RESOURCESNeed to talk now?  or call 988Anxiety Grounding TechniquesWORK2BEWELL websiteWORK2BEWELL Instagram accountState-by-State Mental Health ResourcesAnxiety Disorders (NAMI)"Hiding in Plain Sight" documentary  PBS | AmazonProvidence ElderPlace..    

A transcript is available onlineAmerica is obsessed with food. And it's killing us.It's estimated that half of all Americans will be obese within a decade. Overweight and obesity are directly tied to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, joint disorders, erectile dysfunction, high blood pressure, stroke, and contribute to dementia and some cancers. On today's program we focus on how the object of our obsession could — just maybe — become the means to our better health.What does it mean to think of food as medicine? Our guests are Dr. Miles Hassell, board certified in internal medicine and in private practice at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. He established the Integrative Medicine Program at Providence Cancer Center and is Associate Medical Director/Professor at Pacific University School of Physician Assistant Studies. He uses evidence-based nutrition and exercise options in his medical practice and lectures widely to physician groups regarding the use of nutritional medicine. Along with his sister Mea, Dr. Hassell is the author of "Good Food, Great Medicine: A Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Guide.".Check out these excerpts from Dr. Hassell's book.Meal planning tipsPantry Basics (Shopping list)Risk Reduction Action Plan (Start with your pantry)Risk Reduction Action Plan (Secret weapon: Protein + Good Fat + Fiber).Chef Josh Galliano grew up in New Orleans where life is a little slower and the food is a little more amazing. After studying History as an undergrad and Political Science as a grad student at LSU, he went to London and Le Cordon Bleu where he received the Grand Diplôme. Galliano cooked and honed his skills in Angela Hartnett's MENU and at Roussillon, both in London, Restaurant Daniel in New York, and Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Galliano moved to St. Louis and found community and support that rewarded him with a loyal following and awards such as ‘Food and Wine's Best New Chef: Midwest' and multiple nominations for the James Beard-Best Chef in the Midwest award. Today he's elbow deep in dough at Companion Baking, making breads steeped in tradition and new breads that express healthfulness, place, and awareness of community.. 

A transcript is available onlineAn alarming fact about childbirth in America is that after years of decline, the maternal mortality rate has risen for the past 10 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 800 and 900 women die in the U.S. each year from complications of childbirth. Black women are up to four times more likely to die during or as a result of childbirth than non-Hispanic white women.In Seattle, an innovative program combines world-class obstetric care with doula support, cultural understanding, community connection, and respect for family traditions. The program is led by a fourth-generation birth doula named Sauleiha Akangbe."Healthy mom and healthy baby is a bare minimum," Akangbe says. "Can we please get a happy mom, a fulfilled mom, an empowered mom, a baby that's going home to know that mom is going be able to take care of me afterward because she didn't have to go through all this traumatic stuff when she had me?" On today's program, conversations about the JUST Birth Network between Sauleiha Akangbe and her sister, Safia Alakbar -- and with host Seán Collins, who also talks with Dr. Emily Norland who is System Chief for Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Swedish Medical Centers in Seattle and the Chief of OB/GYN at the Swedish First Hill Campus...    

An online transcript is availableFor years, heart disease was thought of as "a man's disease." But the truth is quite different and quite sobering: one-in-three women in America dies of heart disease. Symptoms go unnoticed, warning signs are often ignored, and delays in seeking care make heart disease the #1 killer of women in the U.S. On today's program, we talk with Dr. Lori Tam, a cardiologist at the Providence Heart Clinic in Portland, Ore., about the ways heart disease in women differs from heart disease in men and some of the particular warning signs women should be aware of.  Also, we talk with Kris Kleindienst, a small business owner in Missouri who had a heart attack a year ago. She tell us about her experience seeking care and the ways she's changing her life in recovery. Lori Tam, M.D.Providence Heart ClinicSt. Vincent Medical CenterPortland, Ore. Kris KleindienstOwnerLeft Bank BooksSt. Louis, Mo..READ MORE:Women and Heart Disease (CDC)Go Red for Women (American Heart Association)Listen to Your Heart (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)MINOCA Heart Attacks (Providence)Broken Heart Syndrome (American Heart Association).      

An online transcript is availableEarly in May 2023, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, announced an end to the COVID-19 Global Health Emergency. But Dr. Ghebreyesus was quick to add that thousands of people were still fighting for their lives in ICUs and many millions more were living with post-COVID health conditions.On today's program we explore life post-COVID with Dr. James Jackson, author of "Clearing the fog: From surviving to thriving with Long COVID — A practical guide" (Little Brown Spark, 2023).Dr. Jackson has been a pioneer in treating ICU survivors and that work prepared him to help patients as they emerged from the initial infection with SARS-CoV-2 and entered the uncharted -- and sometimes, baffling -- territory of Long COVID..James. C. Jackson, Psy.D.Assistant Director ICU Recovery Center,Director of Long-term OutcomesCritical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship Center,Vanderbilt University Medical Center,Associate Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of MedicineNashville, Tenn...Read an excerpt from Clearing the Fog  Chapter 7: THE WOUND IS WHERE THE LIGHT ENTERS: Post-traumatic growth after COVID.  

An online transcript is available. The book from which these reflections are drawn is available to download or read online..On today's program, we are listening to nurses as they reflect on their experiences on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are stories of uncertainty and fear, of anger and resilience, dedication, recovery, and camaraderie. But most of all these are stories about caregiving. The readings that make up this episode are drawn from the book, Providence Nurses Inspire Hope through Healing: Reflections from the Frontlines of the COVID-19 Pandemic, edited by Hilary Alison, Katie Adams, Katie Grainger, and Hayley Pike. Our thanks to the editors and to all the nurse-contributors, including:  Syl Trepanier, SVP Chief Nursing Officer, Renton, Wash. •  Shandria Dyer, Critical Care Nurse, Santa Rosa, Calif. • Nanny Rawlings, Nurse Navigator, Complex Care Management, Bainbridge Island, Wash. • Starr Salvatore, Clinic/Triage Nurse, Lacey, Wash. • Amanda Meyer, ICU Nurse, Spokane, Wash. • Ana Rocha, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Santa Monica, Calif. • Ashlee Dowling, Senior Clinical Informatics Specialist & ICU Nurse, Missoula, Mont. • Lady Lou S. Sayson, Certified Registered Nurse, Lubbock, Texas • Christine Marshall, Emergency Care Center Nurse, Orange, Calif. • Jennifer Gentry, Chief Nursing Officer Central Division, Portland, Ore. • Illeana Bassoco-Barajas, Med Surgery Oncology Nurse, Fullerton, Calif... 

A transcript is available onlineSickle cell disease is an inherited disorder of the blood protein hemoglobin. It has multiple ways to impact the health of someone with the disease — with a hallmark symptom being excruciating chronic pain. The vast majority of people with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease are Black. Until relatively recently, there has been only one drug to treat the disease.On this week's program, host Seán Collins talks with Dr. Titilope Fasipe, co-director of the Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center in Houston about advances in both the treatment of sickle cell disease and progress toward a cure..Titilope Fasipe, M.D., Ph.D.Co-DirectorSickle Cell & Thalassemia ProgramTexas Children's Cancer & Hematology CenterAssistant ProfessorPediatrics & Hematology/OncologyBaylor College of MedicineHouston, Texas.To produce this episode, we collected stories from people living with sickle cell disease. These interviews are excerpted in this podcast episode and we invite you to listen to more of the conversations by following the links below. Andre Marcel Harris speaks with his sister Alexis HarrisSijaama Branch talking with producer Scott AcordHeather Avant in conversation with her cousin Dr. Bria Davis   ..To learn more:A full list of resources is available on our websiteSickle Cell & Thalasemmia Program   (Texas Children's)Sickle Cell Disease CoalitionA “Narcotics Contract” for a Patient With Sickle Cell Disease   Pediatrics / (the "care-seeking" article) Building access to care in adult sickle cell disease  Blood AdvancesCure Sickle Cell Initiative  NIHSickle Cell Gene Therapy Education Project   NIHAddressing SCD: A Strategic Plan and Blueprint for Action   NASEMA Review of Sickle Cell Disease (and Reply) JAMAHospital Use and Mortality in Transition-Aged Patients With Sickle Cell Disease  Hospital PediatricsStill seeking balance in opioid management for acute sickle cell disease pain   Pediatric Blood & Cancer..   

A transcript is available online We all know how the classic 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" ends: Dorothy taps her heals together and reminds herself that 'there's no place like home.' And that's true for many people in need of long-term care.On today's program, two conversations about some of the challenges faced by two different groups of people wanting to stay in their homes and receive needed services there: people with a disability and the elderly. Both groups often find that living in their homes and in communities they're familiar with benefits them in multiple ways.But the cost of long-term assistance from caregivers can make staying at home difficult, if not impossible.Dr. Maureen Nash is a geriatric psychiatrist. She talks with host Seán Collins about the many psychological benefits of receiving care in a familiar setting for those who choose "aging in place."And we hear from Dr. Lisa Iezzoni from the Harvard Medical School about the many barriers that exist for people with a disability, regardless of their age, remaining in their own home...Dr. Nash has recently been named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. She previously was a guest on this podcast's episodes that focused on Dementia and memory care and Family Caregiving..Maureen Nash, M.D., FACP, FAPA, DFAAGPMedical Director Providence ElderPlace — PACE OregonPortland, Ore...Dr. Iezzoni is the author of Making Their Days Happen: Paid Personal Assistance Services Supporting People with Disability Living in Their Homes and Communities.  She previously was a guest on this podcast's episode that focused on Doctors & Disabilities..Lisa Iezzoni, M.D., MSc.Professor of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolHealth Policy Research Center—The Mongan InstituteMassachusetts General HospitalBoston, Mass...FOR MORE INFORMATIION: Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home  National Institute on AgingBook review of Making Their Days Happen   Disability and Health JournalDignity of risk and living at home despite severe disability   Perspectives in Biology and MedicineInformal and formal home care for older adults with disabilities    Health AffairsRemaining at home with a severe disability   Health AffairsHistorical mismatch between home-based care policies and laws governing home care  Health Affairs  

A transcript is available online.The COVID pandemic showed us how critical the problem of professional fatigue is in healthcare. It has led to early retirement, reduced staffing, and increased costs throughout healthcare systems. But the syndrome that's commonly called "burnout" existed long before the pandemic and it will — undoubtedly — exist after it.  Our guests today believe that healthcare burnout is a systems problem that is manifest in individuals: a symptom of a disease that is often not apparent until a talented professional resigns and leaves the clinical setting altogether.  On today's program, we hear from a number of front-line healthcare professionals about their experiences with a pilot program that connects certified coach-physicians with medical staff who are feeling some degree of professional dissatisfaction and are concerned about their well-being.  Could physicians-coaching-physicians bypass the cultural stigma against receiving help, provide much needed professional development, offer refinement of personal mission, and optimize mental health and personal resilience?  Happily we can report that the answer appears to be yes. .Chrissie Ott, M.D.Internal Medicine & PediatricsMedical DirectorCenter for Medically Fragile ChildrenProvidence Regional Medical Director of Well-beingPortland, Ore..Tricia James, M.D.Internal Medicine Residency FacultyMedical Director, Wellness Providence Portland Medical CenterPortland, Ore..To read an executive summary of the Medical Staff Coaching Initiative, a partnership between Providence and Coaching for Institutions, please click here. (.pdf)  To read the presentation slides from the 2022 International Conference on Physician Health, click here. (.pdf) ..Hans Moller, M.D.Orthopedic SurgeryProvidence Seaside ClinicSeaside, Ore..Kimi Powers, PA-CFamily MedicineProvidence Center for Weight ManagementPortland, Ore..Maneesha Ahluwalia, M.D.Infectious DiseasesCertified Life CoachBaltimore, Md..To hear more of Dr. Ahluwalia and Ms. Powers' conversation, click here...Christina Rothans, LCSWPalliative Care Social WorkerSanta Monica, Calif..Zahra Esmail, DOPaliative MedicineProvidence Little Company of Mary Medical CenterTorrance, Calif.Today's program begins with an excerpt from COVID-19 Realities, an episode of our podcast that featured the stories of two palliative caregivers describing the stresses of working through the pandemic surge in Southern California, in January 2021. You can listen to the rest of their remarkable story, here...  

A transcript is available onlineOne of the unforeseen consequences of the COVID pandemic has been increasing popular awareness of a nursing shortage that was already well in place. COVID just made it worse. Nurse turnover has cost healthcare organizations enormously — both in terms of dollars, but also in lost expertise and institutional memory. On today's program, host Seán Collins talks with two senior nurse leaders about a vision for how hospitals might be structured moving forward and the new models of care that will ensure nurses are able to focus on the tasks that require their training and expertise as well as their professional license. .Cynthia Salisbury, RN, MSN, CPHQ, CPPS, NEA-BCNorthern Division Chief Nursing OfficerProvidence Seattle, Wash..Jennifer Gentry, MSN, RN, NEA-BCCentral Division Chief Nursing OfficerProvidencePortland, Ore..This episode was prompted by a LinkedIn post by Providence SVP and System Chief Nursing Officer Syl Trepanier, DNP, which engaged quite a number of nurse leaders across the country. ..    

Building on their longstanding efforts to meet the educational needs of refugee children, for the first time ever, in Ukraine, the people at Sesame Workshop are producing specialized content for children living in an active war zone. In this excerpt from this week's podcast, our host Seán Collins speaks with Shanna Kohn, Director of International Education at Sesame.You can hear more about Sesame's work in Ukraine — along with three other conversation about the impact of the war on the men, women, and children living through it — on this week's podcast: Ukraine and civilian war trauma. 

CW: war fighting, sexual violence, genocideAn online transcript is available.The latest iteration of Russia's war on Ukraine has entered its second year prompting us to examine the issue of war trauma — especially the toll war takes on civilians. Russia's indiscriminate targeting of civilian housing, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure has not only made civilians witnesses of war, but victims of it. War-rape, which was only recognized as a crime against humanity following the war in the former Yugoslavia, is being used by Russian forces and paramilitaries as a means of terrorizing civilians.On today's program, four conversations about civilians during and after war..Sr. Donna Markham, OP, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and Dominican sister, heads Catholic Charities USA. She describes her encounters with Ukrainian civilians during her recent trip to the war zone and the tasks that face the people of Ukraine today. (Watch: Catholic Charities' webinar on Sr. Donna's visit to Ukraine.).Next: we talk with Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, MBBS, Ph.D., a physician who co-directs the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto about the long-term effects of maternal and child health of living in a war zone and the very real developmental deficits that can arise by disruption of adequate nutrition, normal schooling, and play. (Watch: Aga Khan University's Lecture by Dr. Bhutta on the future of maternal and child health.).And we have a conversation with Shanna Kohn who is Director of International Education at Sesame Workshop. In addition to its longstanding effort to meet the educational needs of refugee children, for the first time ever, Sesame Workshop in Ukraine is producing content for children in an active war zone.  (Watch: the entire episode "Гровер сумує" ["Grover is Sad"]).And finally, we talk with Dr. Nena Močnik, Ph.D., author of Trauma Transmission and Sexual Violence: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Post Conflict Settings about the use of rape as a tool of war and the ways victims can begin to recover from the trauma of it. (Watch: Project Eirene's video of Dr. Močnik's webinar on "Women and Post-War Transitions: Oral history,").BONUS: Listen to our episode "Life During Wartime"  (Episode 041) from March, 2022 where we examined the early days of the Russian War on Ukraine through the lens of whole-person care; how every aspect of a person's life is thrown out of balance in the midst of war. It features conversations with displaced people, ex-pats and people of Ukrainian ancestry living in the U.S. eager to help people back home, relief workers assisting refugees, and a journalist with a long history of covering Putin and the Ukraine.    

An online transcript is availableMore than 60 million Americans live with a disability and that number will grow as the baby boomers continue to age. But new research throws into question whether those people are receiving the best care possible. More than four out of five physicians say someone with a significant disability has a worse quality of life than someone without a disability. A minority of physicians — only 42% — feels strongly confident that they can provide equal quality of care to their patients with disabilities as they provide to other patients. And a large number of doctors say they do not strongly welcome disabled patients to their practice. On today's program, a conversation with Harvard's Lisa Iezzoni, M.D. — a researcher at the Health Policy Research Center at Mass. General Hospital. She has been studying healthcare for people with disability for a generation now and finds the attitudes of her fellow physicians alarming, even 30 years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act...Lisa Iezzoni, M.D.Health Policy Research CenterMassachusetts General HospitalProfessorHarvard Medical SchoolBoston, Mass...FURTHER READING:Physicians' Perceptions Of People With Disability And Their Health Care, Lisa I Iezzoni, M.D., M.Sc. et al., Health Aff (Millwood). 2021 FebruaryWhat should we teach about disability? National consensus on disability competencies for health care education, Susan Havercamp, Ph.D., et al. (Disability and Health Journal)A call to action: Preparing a disability-competent health care workforce, Christina Neill Bowen MSW, LICSW et al. (Disability and Health Journal)The Ohio Disability and Health PartnershipNisonger Institute at The Ohio State University ..   

An online transcript is available  .There's growing evidence that the routine practice of meditation improves quality of life (including relief from anxiety, increased focus, and the mitigation of negative emotions) and that these benefits can be seen after as few as five sessions of meditation. But we didn't really need scientific journals to tell us that: Practitioners of mindfulness meditation have been enjoying the benefits of this natural brain hack for millennia.  On today's program, host Seán Collins talks with a pioneering neuroscience researcher who describes what goes on in the brains of people who meditate, with a hospice doctor who trains his colleagues in techniques of meditation to help them deal with the stresses of their work, and with the founder of a program in Southern California that teaches at-risk youth to meditate as part of a program in effective social and emotional learning..Michael Posner, Ph.D., M.S.Professor EmeritusDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of OregonEugene, Ore..Glen Komatsu, M.D.Chief Medical OfficerProvidence Hospice, Los Angeles CountyTorrance, Calif..Patricia JonesFounderP.S. I Love You FoundationRedondo Beach, Calif..Seán refers to the Balance app — a personalized meditation coaching tool which is available for both the Apple and Android platforms..MORE INFORMATIONShort-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation (Tang, Posner, et al., 2007)Short-term meditation induces white matter changes in the anterior cingulate (Tang, Posner, et al., 2010)Mechanisms of white matter change induced by meditation training (Posner, Tang, & Lynch, 2014)Circuitry of self-control and its role in reducing addiction (Tang, Posner, et al., 2015)Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Escitalopram for the Treatment of Adults With Anxiety Disorders (Hoge, et al. 2023)..    

An online transcript is available On the next episode of the HEAR ME NOW Podcast, we'll explore Mindfulness Meditation with three great people who have connections to the practice. Dr. Michael Posner is a brain researcher who has demonstrated changes in brain tissue of people who meditate AND shown changes in how they deal with stress and anxiety.Patricia Jones has been helping at-risk youth in Los Angeles to meditate for 25 years.And Dr. Glen Komatsu, a hospice and palliative medicine physician in Southern California, teaches Mindfulness Meditation techniques to his colleagues to help them deal with the stress of their work. Dr. Posner's research shows that as few as five short sessions of meditation can begin to change how people feel and react to stress. In this four minute BONUS episode, Dr. Komatsu coaches us in a simple meditation technique that you can try out before listening to the next podcast episode. 

.A video of the episode that includes captioning & ASL interpretation is available online. A transcript is also available. .If you take only one fact away from this podcast today, it should be this: more than 30 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, healthcare providers in the United States remain ill-equipped to meet the needs of deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing people who come to them for care. On today's program, host Seán Collins talks with Drs. Poorna Kushalnagar and James Huang of Gallaudet University about the barriers that exist in the healthcare setting for people with hearing loss and some of the steps medicine can take to make the best care possible a reality for all patients.. Poorna Kushalnagar, Ph.D., MADirector of the Center for Deaf Health EquityChief Research OfficerOffice of ResearchGallaudet UniversityWashington, D.C.. James Huang, M.D. FAAFPFamily PhysicianMedical Director, Student Health ServicesGallaudet UniversityWashington, D.C.. We also present excerpts from a conversation between Christine Kostrubala and her friend Sarah Rasmussen about some of the hurdles Christine has faced as a deaf person seeking treatment for cancer. An extended version of this conversation will be available by 6:00p PST on Thursday 12 January. .MORE INFORMATIONThe Center for Deaf Health EquityThe Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing LossesA print-ready transcript of this episode is available..  

An online transcript is available Complete episode notes can be found herePlaylists:  Apple Music     Spotify     .pdfTrouble listening? Right-click to download an MP3 "Self-care" became a common discussion topic at the start of the pandemic to the extent that it's now not unheard of for relative strangers to share their life-hacks with each other. So, as we come to the end of 2022, with all of the stress and craziness that come from turning the page of a calendar, we offer you a life-tested playlist for well-being: deep cuts our guests recommend for those moments when you want to pull back, recharge, take stock, reset, and find that special sweet spot between listening-and-hearing where you connect with your wellness and can be restored. .Many thanks to all our panelists today. And from all of us at the Hear Me Now Podcast, we hope the year ahead is sweet. .You'll find the (nearly) complete Well-being Playlist on Apple Music and on Spotify. And you can download a printable list, too. A few cuts heard on the podcast episode are not available on streaming services but are available for you to hear elsewhere: "Don't Think Twice" ft. Billy Strings, "Barbara Allen" ft. Emmy Rossum, "Barbara Allen" ft. Emmylou Harris, and an unplugged version of Spencer LaJoye's "Plowshare Prayer," as heard on the podcast. ...Jeremy EdmondsOutreach & Marketing Liaison Providence ElderPlace - PACEGuest on the debut of this podcast:  Ep. 001 "I see you. I hear you. And I ache for you" and on Ep. 022 "George Floyd revisited: Our first anniversary."Vashon Island, Wash."Love's in Need of Love Today" by Stevie Wonder on "Songs in the Key of Life"...PRODUCERS' PANEL: Melody FawcettCare Experience ManagerProvidence Home & Community CareTukwila, Wash."Spanish Steps" by Van Morrison on "Poetic Champions Compose"...Dr. LJ PunchTrauma Surgeon & Founder of the BRIC — the Bullet-Related Injury ClinicRecent guest on this podcast:  Ep. 50 "When Bullets Wound"Saint Louis, Mo."Chrysalism" by Toonorth on "Chillhop Essentials Spring 2020""Go Up Moses" by Roberta Flack on "Quiet Fire""Right On" by the Roots, Joanna Newsom, STS" on "How I Got Over""Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley & The Wailers on "Legend — The Best of Bob Marley""Song Song" by Ben Wendel on "What We Bring"...Steve SilbermanAuthor, "NeuroTribes: the Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity"Recent guest on this podcast:  Ep. 57 "Neurodiversity"San Francisco, Calif."Kids and Dogs" by David Crosby (ft. Jerry Garcia) on "If Only I Could Remember My Name"...Dr. Anna McDonaldFaculty,Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Global Health ResidencyRecent guest on this podcast:  Ep. 54 "Family medicine building bridges"Seattle, Wash./Mangochi, Malawi"Particula" by Major Lazer & DJ Maphorisa on "Know No Better"...Eric ThoelkeFounder, TOKY Branding + DesignSaint Louis, Mo."The Breaking of the Fellowship" by Howard Shore on "LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring""Days of the Ring" by Howard Shore on "LOTR: The Return of the King"...PRODUCERS' PANEL: Mike DrummondExecutive Director, CommunicationsProvidence HealthDana Point, Calif."Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan performed by Billy Strings...Gwen ThompkinsWriter and Host of Music Inside OutGuest on this podcast:  Ep. 007 "COVID winter strategies"New Orleans, La.Two recordings of "Barbara Allen" (trad.) sung first by Emmy Rossum and then by Emmylou Harris....Bob BoilenNPR host and producer, musicianAll Songs Considered  & Tiny Desk ConcertsSilver Spring, Md."Opening" by Michael Reisman, Philip Glass, and The Philip Glass Ensemble on "Glassworks.""Retracing Home" by Bob Boilen on "Hidden Smiles." ... Alexandra BeersPoetBrooklyn, N.Y."Someone to Watch Over Me" by Ira Gershwin performed by Keith Jarrett from "The Melody at Night, With You."...Dr. Ira ByockPalliative Care Physician and Founder of the Providence Institute for Human CaringMissoula, Mont."My Life" by Iris DeMent from "My Life."...PRODUCERS' PANEL: Scott AcordCommunications ManagerHear Me Now storytelling projectProvidenceLos Angeles, Calif."Plowshare Prayer" by Spencer LaJoye...Seán CollinsHost and co-producer of the Hear Me Now PodcastSaint Louis, Mo."1/2" by Brian Eno from "Ambient 1: Music for Airports"...

A transcript is available online Women outnumber men in American medical schools, but in the operating room it's still an Old Boys' Club. Surgery remains a bastion of male privilege, prerogative, and power in American healthcare. But that is changing. On today's program, Seán talks with three surgeons who understand firsthand the challenges faced by the women who routinely suffer insults and aggressions in an antiquated system. .Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., MA, FACS, FSSO Chair, Department of Surgery  (bio video)Leon Goldman, M.D. Distinguished Professor of SurgeryProfessor, Department of MedicineAffiliated faculty, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy StudiesUniversity of California, San FranciscoEditor-in-ChiefWorld Journal of SurgerySociété Internationale de Chirurgie  .Dr. Sosa on Twitter • Mastodon..Shenia Theodore, M.D.Trauma & Acute Care SurgeonBoston Medical CenterBoston University School of Medicine.Dr. Theodore on Twitter..M Cristy Smith, M.D., FACSCardiothoracic & Heart Transplant SurgeonSurgical Director, Heart Transplant/Mechanical Circulatory SupportProvidence Sacred Heart Medical CenterSpokane, Wash..Dr. Smith on LinkedIn.,.The episode includes this piece by Brooklyn- and Berkshire mountains-based poet, Alexandra Beers, MS Ed., MFA:.Recoveryfor Seán Collins.They open your heart the way dentists open your mouth, as if they can just peek inside, and then they start with the loud drills and suction and all manner of vocabulary is tossed about and picking and pulling until they have cleaned you up, and afterward you are supposed to just spit and go on living the way you did, your teeth or your chest or your whole self sore for a bit, and you avoid hard candies and proceed with caution. Then you almost forget and you just bite and swallow and breathe easily again. Only if you are alive, really alive to this you are never the same. You are deeply in love with the people who fixed you and you want to stay in their care forever. Yet you must rise, rise each day to the blessing of blue true nothing of all knowingness that they bestowed on you as they sewed you up with the twine of science and grace and sent you out to join the rest of us. Be brave, and share.—Alexandra Beers...   

A transcript is available online.Today we're tapping the storytelling skills of veteran science and tech reporter, Steve Silberman.In 2015, Silberman's book NeuroTribes: The legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity was published and soon took a place on The New York Times bestseller list. And in Britain, it was awarded the Samuel Johnson prize for best nonfiction writing in English.The work was groundbreaking: exploring both the legacy of autism, but also the future of neurodiversity.  It brought clarity where there had often been confusion and it began to explore new avenues and answer questions that have lead to even more fascinating questions.Steve Silberman is Seán's guest on today's program...TELL US YOUR STORYWith this podcast episode, we're inaugurating a project to collect oral histories of autism — stories from autistic people and people who work alongside them, or care for them, or love them.Let us know if you're interested in being part of that project and would like to tell us your story...Steve Silverman's website www.stevesilberman.com includes an extensive list of resources for parents, clinicians, and autistic people (many written by autistic people.)  NeuroTribes: The legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity by Steve SilbermanThe forgotten history of autism (TED) The Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical (ISNT)Autistic Self-Advocacy Network Asperger/Autism NetworkDon't Mourn for Us by Jim Sinclair (Our Voice, 1993)An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks (The New Yorker, Dec 27, 1993) .  

Before the pandemic, one-in-five children in America faced a challenge with their mental, emotional, or behavioral health. Since the pandemic, symptoms of depression and anxiety among young people have doubled, worldwide.We all have a role in protecting the mental health of kids. And we can start by making it something that it's OK to talk about. On today's program, two youth advocates for mental health – Billie Henderson and Kaiya Bates – discuss what they've experienced and how they've worked to make things better for other young people..A transcript of this episode is available online..CONTENT WARNING: Billie and Kaiya's conversation includes discussion of self-harm and suicide, which may be troubling for some listeners. If you are struggling, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8. Someone is available to talk with you now.. RESOURCES:Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory (.pdf)Suicide & Crisis Lifeline    call 988 anytimeWork2BeWell: Mental Health Resilience Support for Teens & AdultsThe Trevor Project    call 866-488-7386   |  chat   |   text "START" to 678-678The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline (RAINN)    call 800-656-4673   |   chatHow do we connect with our kids?  Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D. & Dr. Becky Kennedy, Ph.D. (video)Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness a film by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers (video/paywall) .

In 2019, Tembi Locke's book From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home found a place in Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club and on the New York Times bestseller list. It has now been adapted as an eight-part series on Netflix starring Zoe Saldaña and Eugenio Mastrandrea.Tembi Locke talks with Seán about the adaptation that she helmed with her sister Attica Locke, about the experience of watching Zoe Saldaña portray a character based on Tembi's life, and about the thickly-woven fabric of family, food, love, serious illness, loss, and grief that's at the heart of Tembi's story. .Tembi mentions her recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana being used to feed the cast and crew during filming. Read the recipe (.pdf) here.Closing credit music: Anime Imperfette sung by Matteo Bocelli, From Scratch (Soundtrack from Netflix series) Laura Karpman & Raphael Saadiq.   

Tembi Locke's best-selling memoir, From Scratch, has been turned into an eight-part series streaming now on Netflix. It's the story of life and love and loss... and the healthcare choices a family makes. Tembi will be our guest on the next episode (10/27/2022) of the podcast. Check out "From Scratch" on Netflix and then make a plan to join us on the next Hear Me Now Podcast.

• A transcript of this episode is available online • They describe the program as bi-directional: Family medicine residents from Seattle do some of their training at the Mangochi District Hospital in Malawi and some of the family medicine registrars from Malawi's Kamuzu University of Health Sciences travel to Seattle for training in the Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency. Splitting their time between the two locations are faculty members Anna McDonald, M.D., and Jacob Nettleton, M.D. The goal: Address global health inequity. We examine a macro view of what happens when there's a collaboration and a sharing of human resources, building bidirectional medical rotations, and where learners are teachers and teachers are learners. Additional Information:Malawi Global Health Program/Swedish Family Medicine ResidencyWonca — Global Family DoctorsAfriWon — Africa chapter of WoncaSeed Global Health  ♫  Mojo by the Malawian musician, Driemo  (Official video)

Last year in the U.S., more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses. It's a staggering statistic that was unthinkable just a few years ago. A paper by Dr. Honora Englander and attorney Corey Davis in the New England Journal of Medicine took hospitals and policy-makers to task last month for not doing enough to support and engage people who use drugs and who are hospitalized. They write, "The United States is in the throes of a decades-long exacerbation of drug-related harm. Hospitals are a key domain for implementing person-first, evidence-based interventions for reducing that harm. Yet despite the obvious need, hospitals have been slow to enact reforms to improve the health of people who use drugs. We believe that systemic reform, led by the federal government, is necessary to mitigate the ongoing crisis of drug-related harm." † In this episode they talk with Seán about current impediments to the best care possible and their vision for improving standards of care nationwide. ..Honora Englander, M.D.Professor of MedicineDirector/PI, Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT)Division of Hospital MedicineSection of Addiction Medicine in DGIMDepartment of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science UniversityPortland, Ore...Corey Davis, J.D., M.P.H.S.Deputy Director, Southeastern Region OfficeDirector, Harm Reduction Legal ProjectNetwork for Public Health LawEdina, Minn...† Englander, H. & Davis, C. (Aug. 25, 2022) Hospital standards of care for people with substance use disorder, New England Journal of Medicine, 387:672-675. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2204687  (N.B. Article is behind paywall, though free access is possible with registration.)..   

Today,  we look at well-being with wisdom gleaned from the first two years of this podcast. We listen with an ear to taking care of ourselves in ordinary times from people in the throes of extraordinary times… warfare… pandemic… social change… illness… and the challenges of just being human..Explore the complete list of past episodes...BE UNCOMFORTABLEProvidence caregivers Jeremy Edmonds and Victoria Johnson reflect on their experiences of racism in our first podcast episode, "I see you. I hear you. I ache for you," published just weeks after the murder of George Floyd...UNPLUGGING IS OKSyndicated advice columnist Amy Dickinson talks with Seán about her strategies for the first winter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the episode, "COVID Winter Strategies," published in October 2020. ..ANIMALS ARE OUR FRIENDSMazie B. is 11 years old and she offers advice for social distancing and building relationships with pets. Also heard in the episode, "COVID winter strategies," from October 2020. ..PERSON TO PERSON IN WARTIMEProvidence caregiver Inna Pashniak talks with her friend Oleksyi  Kurka who is internally-displaced in Ukraine. He talks about the ways people are reaching out to one another, even as missiles are fired at civilian targets, in the episode "Life during wartime" from March 2022...GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR KIDSIn June 2022, we talked about the standards of care for trans kids with pediatricians and endocrinologists and we augmented that conversation with stories from trans youth, parents of trans kids, and trans and non-binary adults. Sam Pleger, who is 19, talks with his mom Erin about his experiences as a kid in Montana and her experiences parenting a trans kid...COVID-19 REALITIESDr. Zahra Esmail and social worker Christina Rothans, palliative care team members, talk about the realities of caring for dying patients during the height of a COVID-19 surge in Southern California in an episode from January 2021. ,, 

The syndrome that's appearing after someone is infected with COVID is an emerging global health crisis. Yet, confusion about Long COVID remains. Which symptoms get ruled-in? Which get ruled-out? Can anything be a symptom of Long COVID if it occurs after a COVID infection?On today's program, we talk with researchers studying the illnesses that people who have had COVID are living with, including persistent fatigue, loss of the sense of smell, vascular conditions, and brain fog and other neurological problems. We also talk with a psychologist who began support groups for Long COVID patients who often feel their symptoms are ignored (or not understood) by their doctors and families. And four patients describe their life with Long COVID for us. .James R. Heath, Ph.D.PresidentInstitute for Systems BiologySeattle, Wash.The Heath Lab.Jason D. Goldman, M.D., MPHInfectious Disease SpecialistSwedish Center for Comprehensive CareSeattle, Wash..Drs. Heath and Goldman are co-principal investigators of the PASC study — (Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19) — published in the March 3, 2022 issue of the journal Cell.  It is part of a nationwide initiative to study the aftermath of COVID-19 infection known as RECOVER: Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery..James C. Jackson, Psy.D.Research Associate Professor of MedicinePsychiatry and Behavioral SciencesDirector of Long-Term Outcomes, ICU Recovery CenterVanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tenn..Dr. Jackson welcomes email from clinicians interested in starting Long COVID support groups at their institutions...PATIENT STORIESThis episode begins with the voices of four people who are living with Long COVID in conversations facilitated by producer Scott Acord. We're grateful for them taking the time to talk about their experiences. You can listen to extended cuts of their conversations here:Pam & Lyla Bishop: Bedbound  Alicia Swift: Bone-tired Suzanne Martin: The hardships of having Long COVIDTJ Roseberry: A wanderer is homebound..  

Bullet wounds go more than skin deep. LJ Punch, M.D., is a trauma surgeon and the founder of the BRIC — the Bullet-Related Injury Clinic in Saint Louis, Mo.. The BRIC is where shooting victims come for wound care and education, help with pain management, care for the emotional and social impact of being shot, and the acknowledgement that their bullet wound could likely have profound spiritual meaning for them, their families, and their communities.They also find a place of warm welcome. "Trauma is a communal injury and must be healed in community," says Dr. Punch. "The medical world is missing out because it's abstracting this one tiny part of it." He says the treatment that's needed to heal a bullet wound is not happening in hospitals.We also talk with Pierre Underwood, who was shot early this year and is recovering from his bullet wound with the help of the staff of the BRIC. 

It's estimated that 1 in 10 of us hear voices, which may be a sign of mental illness. Or not. We examine the phenomena through Caroline Mazel-Carlton. She's part of a movement of people who have come to find meaning in the experience of hearing voices (or seeing visions) and who learn to incorporate those experiences in their life. Many forgo use of some or all medications and are seeking wellness through peer-support networks and harm-reduction strategies.Mazel-Carlton tells host Seán Collins that many of the voices she hears have a cautionary or protective role in her life and have reminded her to be more mindful of the aspects of her life the voices comment upon.She serves on the board of the HEARING VOICES NETWORK—USA  (@HVN_USA) and works at the Wildflower Alliance (@WildflwrAlliance) in western Massachusetts, a grassroots peer support, advocacy, and training organization with a focus on harm reduction and human rights. Her work includes training in suicide alternatives.Earlier this year, Caroline Mazel-Carlton was profiled in a story in the New York Times reported by Daniel Bergner: Doctors gave her antipsychotics. She decided to live with her voices.If you are thinking about harming yourself, HELP IS AVAILABLE. Call or text 988 and connect with someone today. FURTHER READINGA comprehensive review of auditory verbal hallucinations: lifetime prevalence, correlates and mechanisms in healthy and clinical individuals. by S de Leede-Smith, E, Barkus   Frontiers of Human Neuroscience. (2013)    

The current outbreak of monkeypox is unusual because the viral illness is rarely seen outside the places where it's endemic. (It is most often seen in Central and Western Africa.) Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infectious person or animal, or by contact with material (clothing, bedding) that an infectious person has used. It's a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting 2-4 weeks. Rarely deadly, cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems. .GUEST INFORMATIONRebecca Bartles, DrPH, MPH, CIC, FAPICExecutive Director, System Infection PreventionProvidence.Rosemary Martin, ASCP (M)CM, CLSSBB, CICProgram Manager, System Infection PreventionProvidence..INFORMATION RESOURCESUpdated information on the U.S. outbreak 2022 (CDC)Updated U.S. case count & map / Updated global case count & map  (CDC) Prevention (CDC)Facts for people who are sexually active (CDC) Social gatherings, safer sex, and monkeypox (CDC)Monkeypox: be aware but don't panic (GMHC) Monkeypox: Key facts (WHO)These resources are being updated by the source organizations and may contain more current information than that found in the podcast audio.

Host Seán Collins talks with Dr. Carlos Blanco, lead author of a perspective piece published June 16th in the New England Journal of Medicine titled, "Research to Move Policy — Using Evidence to Advance Health Equity for Substance Use Disorders."The authors note that, despite substantial efforts to address the epidemic of drug-overdose deaths in the United States, racial and ethnic disparities in treatment access and outcomes among patients with substance use disorders have widened. Rates of overdose deaths are rising faster in Black, Latinx, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations than in White populations.Dr. Blanco talks with Seán about barriers to the best care possible along with ways medicine can make that care available to all regardless of race and ethnicity...Carlos Blanco, M.D., Ph.D., MSDirector, Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention ResearchNational Institute on Drug AbuseNational Institutes of HealthRockville, Md..Link to the piece in the New England Journal of Medicine: Research to Move Policy — Using Evidence to Advance Health Equity for Substance Use Disorders.   

A discussion of the accepted standard of care when assessing and treating pediatric patients whose gender expression is different from what was assigned at birth. In addition to clinicians and  public health experts, we hear from parents of trans+ kids, others who love them, and trans+ kids themselves..Not seeing the glossary & all of the resources below? Try this link to our podcast website....PERSONAL STORIES (BONUS MATERIAL)Longer versions of the stories excerpted in this episode are available as BONUS MATERIAL for you to listen to at your leisure along with additional one-on-one interviews from trans+ & non-binary people, and their loved ones. These stories are being archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress as part of the HEAR ME NOW oral history project, the largest collection of healthcare narratives in the country.  If you're interested in talking with someone about your experience with Trans+ healthcare, write to us and tell us something about your story. Our email: HearMeNowStories@providence.org .SAM & ERINSam Pelger, a 19-year-old trans man in New York, talks with his mother Erin Pelger about his transition when he was younger and living in Montana. (44:34).EVY & HOLLYHolly talks with her daughter Evy (14-year-old trans girl) about her transition seven years ago. (49:09).KAREN & DANIELRabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard talk about their young son's transition, about support they have received in their family, school, and faith communities — and the threats they face from the state legislature as parents of a trans child in Missouri. (30:42).VINNY & HENRYVinny and Henry Fox discuss their life together and Vinny's identification as a queer non-binary trans+ person. (38:03).CARMEN & ELBECarmen Marshall talks with her friend Elbe about shared experiences as mothers of trans+ individuals. (48:45).ELBE & ELLAElbe talks with daughter Ella, a preteen trans girl. (38:33).JAMI & SCOTTProducer Scott Acord talks with Jami Gramore, a queer non-binary adult. (40:49).TRAVIS, CINDY, & ROWANA  conversation between Travis, a pre-teen trans boy, and his parents Cindy & Rowan… who've asked us to use pseudonyms when referring to their family. (27:53).JAYNE & SCOTTProducer Scott Acord talks with  his colleague Jayne Hopke, who identifies herself as pan sexual. (39:53)...PODCAST GUESTSPonrat Pakpreo, M.D., MPH  Pediatrician focusing on Adolescent HealthProvidence Medical GroupSpokane, Wash. Marcie Drury Brown, M.D. Pediatric EndocrinologistProvidence St. Vincent Medical CenterPortland, Ore. Bentley Moses, MPH Senior Program ManagerTrans+ Health InitiativeProvidence Institute for Human CaringGardena, Calif. .,.RESOURCESWorld Professional Association for Transgender HealthAmerican Academy of PediatricsSociety of Adolescent Health & MedicineThe Endocrine SocietyLGBTQIA+ Comprehensive Treatment at SwedishTransgender Health at SwedishGLAAD Transgender ResourcesNational LGBTQIA+ Health Education CenterTransgender Law Center / Health ResourcesHRC Resources for Providers & Hospital AdministratorsThe Trevor ProjectThe Lavender Rights ProjectGALAP: Gender-Affirming Letter Access ProjectStraight for Equality: Trans Ally MaterialsICATH: Informed Consent for Access to Trans HealthcareUS Trans Survey...GLOSSARYA guide to some of the language you'll hear used when we talk about gender. CISGENDER – Describes someone whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.GENDER — The behavioral, cultural or psychological traits associated with one's sex, which can vary depending on time and place. Sex and gender are not the same.GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE – Medical care that affirms a person's gender identity. For minors, this can include the use of puberty-blocking hormones. For adults, this could mean hormone therapy, speech therapy, and various surgical procedures.GENDER DYSPHORIA – A term for the psychological and physical distress that can occur when one's sex assigned at birth does not align with their gender.GENDER EUPHORIA – The satisfaction and happiness someone feels when their gender is affirmed.GENDER EXPRESSION – How someone presents their gender outwardly, through behaviors, mannerisms, clothing, name, pronouns, and more.GENDER IDENTITY – One's internal knowledge of one's own gender. For many, it aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. But others may identify with another or multiple genders.GENDER TRANSITION – The multilayered process of aligning one's life with one's gender identity. This can include social, cultural, medical, and legal changes.MISGENDER – An action when someone refers to another person by the wrong gender, either accidentally of intentionally.NONBINARY – A term used by people whose gender identity or expression does not align neatly with "male" or "female."SEX – Usually assigned at birth and based on the appearance of external anatomy. It's typically categorized as male, female, or intersex.TRANS+ – An inclusive term relating to people with gender expressions such as transgender, genderqueer, agender, or nonbinary.TRANSGENDER – Describes someone whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.TRANSPHOBIA – Prejudice or hatred shown in speech or actions toward transgender or gender-nonconforming people. This bias is centered on gender identity. .Based on a series of Instagram posts  published in April 2022 by the washingtonpost newspaper...            

A  conversation between Travis, a pre-teen trans boy, and his parents Cindy & Rowan… who've asked us to use pseudonyms when referring to their family. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids. 

Producer Scott Acord talks with  his colleague, Jayne Hopke, who identifies herself as pan-sexual. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Producer Scott Acord talks with Jami Gramore, a queer non-binary adult. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids. 

Carmen Marshall talks with her friend Elbe about their shared experiences as mothers of trans youth. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Vinny and Henry Fox discuss their life together and Vinny's identification as a queer non-binary trans person. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Rabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard talk about their young son's transition and about the support they receive in their social and faith communities, and the threats they face from the State Legislature as parents of a trans child in Missouri. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Elbe talks with daughter Ella, a preteen trans girl. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Holly talks with her daughter Evy, a 14-year-old trans girl, about her transition seven years ago. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

Sam Pelger, a 19 year old trans man, talks about his transition with his mother, Erin. This extended interview is part of a podcast on Gender-affirming care for kids.

A small number of first year medical students each year are significantly older than the norm. They've come to medicine as a second or sometimes third career. Do those other work experiences make a difference in how they make their way through their training and, more importantly perhaps, do they make a difference in how the individuals practice medicine?Seán talks with four physicians who began their training later in life. .JOIN US ONLINE ON JUNE 16thHUMANIZING HEALTHCARE EXPERT SERIESFor information on the June 16th online event, Remote Palliative Care: A telehealth roadmap to reaching rural communities, visit this link. Registration is now open..Kevin Murphy, M.D.Executive DirectorPalliative Practice GroupProvidence Institute for Human Caring Tuckwila, Wash..Rebecca Armendariz, M.D. Physiatrist LaJolla, Calif..Tara Kimbeson, M.D.Neurologist Locum Tenens.Tom McNalley, M.D.Pediatric Palliative Care and Rehabilitation PhysicianUCSFOakland and San Francisco, Calif.. 

Dr. Bill Richards has been researching the therapeutic uses of psychedelic substances for 60 years and he believes there's a legitimate role for them in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and interpersonal withdrawal. He believes these substances behave in a novel way among psychiatric medications: it's the memory of an experience that's therapeutic and that you carry with you. You don't have to keep taking medication every day to have the effect. You experience something so profound, that it changes your whole concept of who you are. William Richards Ph.D.Research PsychologistCenter for Psychedelic and Consciousness ResearchJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Md.author: Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences.Ira Byock, M.D., FAAHPMFounder/Senior Vice President for Strategic InnovationProvidence Institute for Human CaringMissoula, Mont.author: The Four Things That Matter Most and The Best Care Possible.JOIN US ONLINE ON JUNE 16thHUMANIZING HEALTHCARE EXPERT SERIESFor information on the June 16th online event, Remote Palliative Care: A telehealth roadmap to reaching rural communities, visit this link. Registration is now open.