As we mark Earth Day, we have just experienced the hottest March on record. But climate change’s impact isn’t stopping with the weather; it’s also affecting our mental health, says Dr. Gary Belkin, director of the Billion Minds Project at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Climate anxiety, which refers to having distressing feelings related to climate change impacts, is increasingly prevalent in communities where the impact is the most severe.   And the problem is only getting worse. ... Read More Read More The post Is this Earth Day Making You Nervous? How to Han ..read more

What happens when music therapists and neuroscientists team up? Patients win, says Dr. Francis Collins. From adults with Parkinson’s disease to children with autism, music has the power to help people walk, talk, ease pain and so much more. Dr. Collins recently stepped down from his role as the longest-serving director of National Institutes of Health. As he faces a personal battle against prostate cancer, he’s exploring the promising impact that music and art therapy could hold for patients with... Read More Read More The post Why NIH’s Dr. Collins Accompanies Opera’s Renee Fleming in Highlig ..read more

Originally published April 4, 2024 It’s about seven months to election day and our regular panel of health care journalists sees a lot of divisions in the electorate. Joyce Frieden, who’s in charge of MedPage Today’s coverage of Washington and health policy, says the debate over abortion is driving voter interest. Yet Ben Leonard, a health care reporter at POLITICO, notes that Republican voters place issues such as immigration ahead of health care. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Weixel, a health policy reporter... Read More Read More The post Reporters’ Roundtable: Why Health Care Will Impact the Electi ..read more

The recent death of former college football player Craig Roh from colon cancer at age 33 has brought attention to the “alarming” increase of colorectal cancer in young people. The American Cancer Society reports colon cancer is now the most common cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and second for women under 50. Dr. Alan Venook at the University of California-San Francisco is one of the nation’s leading colorectal cancer researchers. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and... Read More Read More The post Young Deaths from Colorectal Cancer Skyrocket as New Research Emerges appeared ..read more

Originally broadcast on March 14, 2024 The family planning revolution has a new chapter and journalist Valerie Bauman is both documenting it and participating in it. She and others pursuing alternatives say they’re frustrated with fertility clinics because of the cost, what they call the discriminatory nature of the system and the lack of insurance coverage. Bauman explains how she met her sperm donor and why others like her say it makes sense for them. Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret... Read More Read More The post Super Sperm Donors – America’s Underground Surrogacy Movement: Author Explain ..read more

Originally broadcast on February 29, 2024 Americans say nursing is the most respected profession, but nurses say their challenges tell a different story. They’re sounding the alarm on staffing shortages, violence in the workplace and racism (63% of nurses say they have personally experienced an act of racism in the workplace). The American Nurses Association is also fighting an American Medical Association policy recommending advanced practice registered nurses be licensed and regulated by both state medical and nursing boards. Our... Read More Read More The post Nurses Ask: Where is the respe ..read more

Originally broadcast on February 22, 2024. U.S. spending on primary care fell again, to a mere 4.6% of total health care dollars spent. Primary Care Collaborative is the only national multi-stakeholder organization focused on whole-person primary care. Primary Care Collaborative President & CEO Ann Greiner joins hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss better compensation and reimbursement for primary care clinicians and efforts to increase training, expanding access to community health centers, and opportunities for primary care to help... Read More Read More The post Better Pr ..read more

Originally broadcast on February 15, 2024 Across the board, children of color in America receive less treatment and fewer life-saving interventions than white children, according to a research review published in Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. The data find that strongest disparities between whites and children of color involved pain management; kids of color are less likely than their white peers to get painkillers for a broken arm or leg, for appendicitis or for migraines Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, pediatrician and... Read More Read More The post Damning Research Reveals Extent of Pediatrics ..read more

Originally broadcast on January 25, 2024 There are many ways to address addressing the social determinants of health but do we need to pay more attention to the one right in front of us? The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative thinks so, and it’s focused on addressing health inequities by making homes healthier, safer and more energy efficient. Ruth Ann Norton leads the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, a national nonprofit operating in 65 communities that’s helping residents understand that... Read More Read More The post How Clean Homes Save Lives & Reduce Health Inequities appeared f ..read more

Originally broadcast on January 18, 2024 Experts praise community health workers as the keys to building a more equitable and fair health care system in America. Is there a way to unlock more success for hiring and retaining them? Dr. Shreya Kangovi thinks so; she developed the IMPaCT Care program, which is saving money and quickly growing. “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter talked to her about how it’s a standardized, scalable program that transforms the... Read More Read More The post Helping Community Health Workers Succeed: Ideas From an Innovative Prog ..read more