For the Love of Health

Do you know how to read your medical bills? Do you know what to do if you can't afford to pay your medical bills?

Financial concerns shouldn't decide whether you see a doctor. On this episode of For the Love of Health, we're pulling back the curtain on hospital billing, financial assistance, and the practical steps that make care affordable - often for people who never imagined they'd qualify. 

ChristianaCare's Vice President of Revenue Cycle, Christina Corkery, and Health Guides supervisor, Dawn Baker walk through how to navigate coverage, who qualifies for help and how t...

The concept of well-being in healthcare doesn't just refer to doctors and nurses. When caregivers feel supported and fulfilled in their work, the patient experience also improves, impacting our entire community.

Dr. Maureen 'Mo' Leffler, ChristianaCare's Chief Wellbeing Officer, joins us to discuss why caregiver wellbeing matters for safety, outcomes, and trust. We discuss how burnout is an occupational injury - not a personal flaw - as well as the evidence linking clinician distress to and lower patient satisfaction, and how targeted programs and tools such as GROW (Get Rid of Waste) and WIN (the Wellbeing Integrated...

Structural heart disease is a condition that affects the heart’s structure, its valves, chambers and walls. Minimally invasive procedures are transforming treatment for these complex conditions.

Many diagnoses that once required open heart surgery can now be treated with minimally-invasive procedures, resulting in shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and a faster return to the activities you love. Dr. Neil Wimmer, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Structural Heart Program, and Interventional and Structural Cardiologist Dr. Erin Fender join us to unpack how transcatheter therapies work, why outcomes now rival open heart surgery, and what it's like to se...

What if a community could turn generosity into faster answers, wider access, and life-changing research? It's a question that drives ChristianaCare's Office of Philanthropy and the subject of our conversation with Dia Williams Adams, ChristianaCare Vice President of Philanthropy, and Dr. Thomas Schwaab, Bank of America Endowed Medical Director of ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, we start with the heart of philanthropy—love of humankind—and draw a clear line between traditional funding that keeps operations running and donor dollars that push care forward. From...

When you have to take your child to the hospital, it's not a good day for anyone in your family. But a Child Life Specialist can help make your experience a little more positive.

In this episode, we're joined by ChristianaCare's first Child Life Specialist, Shannon Taylor, who explains how fear loses power when kids have a plan, and how preparation, choice, and play can turn stressful hospital moments into manageable ones. We walk through the practical tools that make a real difference. A custom LEGO model of an MRI machine and an app with real scanner...

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. It is one of the most impactful and prevalent health challenges facing women today, highlighting the need for quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, we're speaking with Dr. Susan Schaffer Whiteman, medical oncologist at ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. Dr. Schaffer Whiteman shares her expertise on how to catch breast cancer early, what the different breast cancer diagnoses actually mean, and how complementary therapies such...

Flu is unpredictable, but your plan doesn't have to be. On this episode of For the Love of Health, we sat down with Dr. Marci Drees, Chief Infection Prevention Officer, and Cynthia Griffin, Chief Nursing Officer of Community Care at ChristianaCare, to map out a smarter way to move through cold and flu season without the stress. From vaccine timing to sick-day decisions, we break down what actually works - and what you can skip - to keep your family safer and your schedule intact.

We also introduce ChristianaCare's Cough & Cold Line (302-623-7400), open Monday-Friday, 8 a...

When’s the last time you had a headache? And when it hit, did you just down a cup of coffee or a couple pills to try to get it to pass?

Almost everyone gets headaches, but not everyone really understands what that pain is trying to tell them. From simple daily tension headaches to severe and debilitating migraine, every headache tells a story. And it’s a good idea to listen to your body and get to the root cause.

On this episode of For the Love of Health ChristianaCare neurologists Dr. Rami Al-Hader and...

According to Delaware Health and Social Services, by 2030 more than 150,000 New Castle County residents will be over 60 years old. A majority of those residents are homeowners who hope to stay in their homes.

As Delaware's population ages, physical barriers within their homes threaten their independence and quality of life. When stairs become mountains and bathrooms transform into hazard zones, the consequences extend far beyond inconvenience. Missed medical appointments, preventable falls, isolation, and difficulties for first responders to access patients are the hidden costs of homes that no longer serve their aging residents.

Thanks to a...

According to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest claims more lives globally than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.

But if an emergency happens near you where someone needs CPR, would you be prepared? On this episode of For the Love of Health, we’re joined by Jennifer Oldham, cardiovascular quality and innovation nurse program manager at ChristianaCare.  Jennifer tells us why CPR is so vital during the first few moments after cardiac arrest, provides guidelines and tips on how to perform CPR, and talks about lif...

Back to school season is already here, and although it is just the first week of August, we know the last days of summer go fast. From sleep schedules to screen time, back to school can be overwhelming.

Joining us for some Back to School Tips and Recommendations is Primary Care Provider Dr. Chelsea Hastry. She shares her guidance on how to ease into those transitions and make sure your child has a great first couple weeks back to school.

Chelsea Hastry, M.D., is a dedicated and enthusiastic double certified physician in both internal...

What if the hospital could come to you instead of you going to the hospital?

On the first episode of For the Love of Health in 2023, we discussed ChristianaCare's Hospital Care at Home program - an opportunity for patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes. Two years after that first conversation, we're sitting down with physician Dr. Emilia Adah and paramedic Heather Orkis to discover how hospital-level care delivered at home is changing lives across Delaware.

The Hospital Care at Home program has transformed from an innovative experiment to a...

Mental illness isn't always obvious. Someone suffering with anxiety or depression can still wear a smile, crack a joke and be successful. On this episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Mustafa Mufti, Chair of the ChristianaCare Department of Psychiatry, explains how mental health should be treated the same as physical health. 

Mustafa Mufti, M.D., is the chair of the ChristianaCare Department of Psychiatry. In this role, Dr. Mufti focuses on fostering and maintaining a vibrant, successful psychiatry department, including physician performance, quality, research and scholarly activity as well as the administration of all departmental e...

Our eyes are working for us every second we're awake. Yet eye health often falls at the bottom of our wellness priority lists, taken for granted until problems arise.

Keeping your eyes healthy doesn't just protect your vision - it can prevent serious health problems down the road. But when you have a question about your eyesight, should you see an ophthalmologist and an optometrist? ChristianaCare ophthalmologists Dr. Benjamin Chaon and Dr. Tomilade Adepoju join us to discuss the difference between the two types of providers and when to escalate your care beyond corrective lenses. They also...

Summer is officially here, bringing with it backyard pool days, beach trips, and sunshine-filled adventures. But did you know your unprotected skin can be damaged by UV rays in as little as 15 minutes? That tanned complexion many associate with health is actually your body's response to damage!

Before you head to the pool, take a moment to consider a few summer safety tips with Dr. Dylan McDivitt from ChristianaCare Primary Care at Woodstown. He shares the latest guidance on what kind of sunscreen to use and how often to apply; tips on staying hydrated through summer heat...

Motherhood doesn't always match our expectations. For many new parents, the journey brings unexpected emotional challenges. In fact, CDC research shows that about 1 in 8 women with a recent live birth reported symptoms of postpartum depression. And that's just one of a multitude of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders that can develop during pregnancy and persist for up to three years after delivery.

That's where ChristianaCare's Center for Women's Emotional Wellness comes in. Psychologists Malina Spirito and Spencer Paige Brown join us to share their insights on the number one complication of childbirth, discussing how one parent's mental...

At ChristianaCare, excellence is at the foundation of our nursing practice, having recently secured a fourth consecutive Magnet® designation - the gold standard and ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet designation signifies belonging to an elite group representing just 10% of hospitals nationwide, and ChristianaCare is the first health system in Delaware to achieve a four-peat.

To explain the significance of this milestone, we're joined by Michelle Collins, Vice President of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare, and Paige Merring, ChristianaCare Nursing Excellence Manager. Michelle and Paige unpack what m...

According to the National Institute of Health, there are more than 500,000 clinical trials happening right now around the world. ChristianaCare has been nationally recognized for contributions to this work, as clinicians and scientists at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute collaborate to turn laboratory discoveries into real world therapies.

On this week's episode of For The Love of Health, we're joined by Dr. Greg Masters, ChristianaCare’s National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Principal Investigator. Dr. Masters explains how these vital studies work and why they matter - from testing new medications to...

Have you heard of the term "health care pollution"? It refers to the waste that hospitals produce while providing patient care, as well as hospitals’ carbon emissions.

Nurse Practitioner Deanna Benner and Nursing Professional Development Specialist Ashley Oncay discuss how they found ways to decrease ChristianaCare's carbon footprint. What started as a grassroots initiative has transformed into a $1 million sustainability movement. Through the Medical Supply Donation Program and the Landfill Diversion Project, ChristianaCare is helping the community while reducing waste. 

Whether you're a ChristianaCare caregiver or simply someone concerned about the environment, this episode offers pra...

Improving quality of life is a goal in both healthcare and policing.  ChristianaCare and the New Castle County Division of Police are working together to change lives in our community. 

The collaboration is called the Behavioral Health Unit, a groundbreaking partnership that pairs officers with social workers to transform crisis response. When 911 calls with mental health components come in, these specialized teams respond together. Officers ensure safety while social workers conduct comprehensive assessments to determine appropriate care possibilities beyond the limited options of jail or emergency rooms.

On this episode of For the Love of He...

According to the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 13 million.As Delaware's aging population is expected to grow, the need for memory care is also increasing.

On this episode, Dr. Steven Huege endowed chair of ChristianaCare's Swank Center for Memory Care reveals how a multidisciplinary approach makes all the difference for patients and their families. You'll hear about the different conditions addressed by the Swank Center, their participation in the innovative GUIDE Program to assist caregivers, and what the future holds for memory care in terms...

ChristianaCare's Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization - also known as an ACO - has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower costs.

On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry, ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer, and Dr. Rose Kakoza, Senior Medical Director for ChristianaCare's Medicaid ACO, share how this value-based care is changing the lives of Delaware's Medicaid population and highlight how a fundamental shift from illness treatment to disease prevention is helping to drive down costs and keeping communities healthier.

Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA is...

For most high school students, field trips are an excuse to just get out of the classroom. But thanks to ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute, some students in our region are getting an opportunity to edit their futures.

On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Education Program Manager Amanda Hewes and Education Program Coordinator Sarah LaTorre take a deep dive into the Gene Editing Institute's Learning Lab and the CRISPR in a Box educational kit to share how they are inspiring students and promoting equity in science education.

Amanda Hewes, M.S., is...

Choosing your profession can be difficult no matter what path you choose. But when medical school is part of that path, life can get a little more complicated.

Sometimes fate can step in, in the form of a mentor. On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Marshala Lee-McCall, Director of the iREACH Harrington Community Partnership Fund, and ChristianaCare OB/GYN resident Dr. Kristyn Mitchell share how their mentor/mentee relationship became so much more and discuss how mentorships are important for achieving equity and representation in healthcare

Marshala Lee-McCall, M.D...

Chronic hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, can be life-threatening for pregnant women. According to the National Institutes of Health, the prevalence of chronic hypertension in pregnancy in the United States doubled between 2007 and 2021.

Research being done at ChristianaCare could change the lives of women around the world. Leading that research is Dr. Matthew Hoffman, the Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., Endowed Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at ChristianaCare, who joins us to talk about the results of those studies, changes in how health providers approach pregnancy care, and what the future may hold for maternal and...

'Tis the season... to be sick. And as we say goodbye to 2024, we want to avoid saying hello to respiratory illness.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Chief Infection Prevention Officer Dr. Marci Drees gives us tips on how to keep the uninvited germs away from your holiday gatherings.

Marci Drees, M.D., MS, is the Chief Infection Prevention Officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare. Dr. Drees serves as a councilor on the Board of Trustees of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and previously served as SHEA's liaison...

The donation of an organ or tissue is perhaps the greatest gift of life and health a person can give. More than 100,000 men, women, and children are on the national transplant waiting list right now.

ChristianaCare has earned the highest level of national recognition from the US Health Resources and Services Administration for its outstanding support of organ and tissue donation. ChristianaCare's Kidney Transplant Program is the only adult transplant center in Delaware. Lead Transplant Social Worker Kealey Johnson delivers insights into the life-changing work happening with the program, while kidney transplant patient Bill Wilson shares his...

If you’ve ever received medical care, you'd likely agree the cost of care can be expensive. According to the National Health Expenditure Accounts, U.S. health care spending grew 4.1% in 2022, reaching $4.5 Trillion. 

In this replay of one of our most popular episodes in our "The Toughest Questions in Health Care" series we're asking the question, "why is the cost of health care so expensive?" ChristianaCare Chief Financial Officer Rob McMurray and ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer Dr. Chris Donohue-Henry share insight on health care economics. Hear how challenges are being met with pioneering solutions to reduce cos...

Prepare to challenge your understanding of gender-affirming care.

In this replay of one of our most popular episodes, Dr. Anna Filip, a primary care physician with ChristianaCare, and Brett Herb, DSW, program manager for the ChristianaCare Gender Wellness Program, deliver critical insights into the complexities of sex and gender, gender dysphoria and gender-affirming hormone therapy, while discussing ChristianaCare's leading-edge approach to providing care to transgender people.

Then we tackle a number of common myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings– from the realities of de-transitioning to how children understand their gender identities.

Join us for a co...

Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It's a challenge for every health system - a challenge with no easy solutions.

ChristianaCare is home to America's 15th busiest ED, and in this replay of one of our most popular episodes, "The Toughest Questions in Health Care," Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, "Why can ED wait times be so long?".

Together, we walk the complex maze of healthcare efficiency, examining the...

While most cuts and scrapes will heal themselves, some wounds can develop into a more serious situation.

In that case, you may need to see wound care specialists. Dr. Jim Ley, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, and Podiatrist Dr. Scott Reich talk to us about the kinds of wounds they see, the specialized treatments they offer such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and when to know if you might benefit from their care.

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Homelessness can impact both physical and mental health, and make accessing medical care difficult. As a result, people experiencing homelessness often face higher rates of poor health outcomes than people with housing.

Which leads us to the next question in our Toughest Questions in Health Care series: How can health care impact homelessness? Dr. Ben Golden, Program Director for the ChristianaCare Medical Respite Program at the New Castle County Hope Center, and Dr. Ashley Panichelli, Clinical Director for ChristianaCare Complex Primary Care share details on the difficulties that arise in providing care for patients experiencing homelessness, steps...

Tremor is a neurological condition that affects approximately 1% of the population overall, and 5% of adults age 60 and over. It is expected to increasingly impact Delawareans as the state's population ages.

A new treatment for people suffering from essential tremor and Parkinson's Disease is a game-changer for ChristianaCare patients. Dr. Justin Martello, Director of the Parkinson's and Movement Disorders Program at ChristianaCare, shares inspiring insights into MR-guided focused ultrasound, including how it works, exciting success stories, and potential uses for this technology for treating other conditions.

Justin Martello, M.D., is a board certified neurologist specializing...

Sometimes hearing medical news and information can be difficult to wrap your head around. But understanding that information can be the difference between a good outcome and a poor outcome.

Low health literacy is associated with more hospitalizations, greater use of emergency care, and higher mortality. Greg O'Neill, ChristianaCare's Patient and Family Health Education Director, and Dr. Himani Divatia, ChristianaCare's Associate Designated Institutional Official, join us to discuss the critical need for clear communication in healthcare, share examples of the Teach-Back method of understanding health instructions, and offer advice on how to better receive health information yourself.<...

The world of technology has expanded rapidly over the past few years, from video chatting to generative artificial intelligence. And while it's all become part of our day to day lives, it's also directly influencing how we receive our medical care.

For our 8th topic in our Toughest Questions in Health Care series we're asking - "How is technology changing health care?"  Randy Gaboriault, ChristianaCare's Chief Digital and Information Officer, and Dr. Tim Shiuh, ChristianaCare's Chief Health Information Officer discuss what it takes to utilize new and innovative technologies that positively impact patient care while also simplifying t...

Did you know that in 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner created the world's first successful vaccine? Since then, vaccines have greatly reduced diseases that once harmed or killed babies, children, and adults. But people all over the world still become seriously ill or even die from diseases that vaccines can help prevent. Which is why it's important to stay up-to-date on vaccinations.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Chief Infection Prevention Officer, Dr. Marci Drees, and Associate Infection Prevention Officer, Dr. Stephen Eppes join us to explain the necessity of continuing to discuss vaccinations as...

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the U.S. population age 65 and over grew nearly five times faster than the total population over the 100 years from 1920 to 2020. As the population ages, more people are worried about aging in place - and being safe, well and independent in their own homes. 

Since 1922, ChristianaCare HomeHealth has helped neighbors in Delaware live independently and get the care they need. 

On this episode of For the Love of Health, Ann Painter, President of ChristinaCare HomeHealth and Pam Szczerba, Director of Quality, Education and Risk Management for ChristianaCare HomeHealth offer va...

High quality and safe care are two things you'd expect from any health care experience. ChristianaCare has achieved national recognitions, awards and accreditations for quality and safety. Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked Maryland as No. 1 and Delaware as No. 2 in the nation for hospital quality. What does it all mean? 

For our 7th topic in our Toughest Questions in Health Care series we're asking - 'Why are quality and safety so important in health care?'  Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare's System Chief Medical Officer and Interim President of the Medical Group, and Tim Bowers, Vice Pr...

Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer worldwide, equally affecting both men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, when colorectal cancer is caught early, 91% of patients survive five years or longer... however, that percentage drops significantly if the cancer has already spread to distant parts of the body before it's found. 

In this episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Bruce Boman, medical director of Cancer Genetics and Stem Cell Biology at ChristianaCare provides invaluable perspectives on his team's research focused on finding a cure for colon cancer.

Whether you're a m...

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, from July to December of 2022, 58.5% of adults used the internet to look for health or medical information. But while most of us have done it, is it the right approach when you need medical attention?

For the sixth episode of our "The Toughest Questions in Health Care" series, we're asking the question, "Can the internet replace primary care?" ChristianaCare Physician Executive for Core and Primary Care Dr. Priya Dixit-Patel and ChristianaCare Virtual Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Melissa VanNeerden explain why the idea of a "medical home" that provides holistic...

In 2023, ChristianaCare's Emergency Departments treated more than 2,000 patients who were victims of violent crimes. In situations like those, a special team of nurses called Forensic Nurse Examiners provide comprehensive, trauma- informed care. 

In this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Forensic Nurse Examiner Coordinator Amy Stier and her colleague, fellow Forensic Nurse Examiner Sarah Peluso explain the vital role Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) play across the country and how ChristianaCare is setting the gold standard in the field. 

Th...

If you've been involved in any type of fitness routine, you've likely tried exercises that focus on the body's midsection. Maybe you've tried crunches or planks, but have you heard of the Row Dog or the Upside Down Turtle?

On this episode of For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare Physical Therapists Brian Catania and Travis Ross deep dive into their nationally recognized Sling Activation Sequence and why you need to be thinking about the core differently.


Brian Catania, MPT, SCS, ATC, is a physical therapist and site manager of ChristianaCare Rehabilitation Services at Glasgow...

If you've ever received medical care, you'd likely agree the cost of care can be expensive. According to the National Health Expenditure Accounts, U.S. health care spending grew 4.1% in 2022, reaching $4.5 Trillion. 

For the fifth episode of our "The Toughest Questions in Health Care" series we're asking the question, "why is the cost of health care so expensive?" ChristianaCare Chief Financial Officer Rob McMurray and ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer Dr. Chris Donohue-Henry share insight on health care economics. Hear how challenges are being met with pioneering solutions to reduce cost while simultaneously boosting the quality of c...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day.  Also, an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic, or ongoing, sleep disorders.

Sleep can impact everything from mental and physical health to our social interactions. In this episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Shilpa Kauta, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Sleep Wellness Center discusses how sleep plays an active role in our health and longevity. 

 Dr. Kauta shares the science behind sleep's healing properties, from hormone regulation to mem...

Residency can be an incredibly stressful part of the medical education experience. In a 2006 study of first-year residents - also called interns - researchers found 4% met criteria for being burnt out at the start of the year. That number was 55% by the end of the year.

For the fourth episode of our "The Toughest Questions in Health Care" series we're looking at a challenge that has plagued teaching hospitals - like ChristianaCare - for decades. Dr. Brian Levine, ChristianaCare Associate Chief Academic Officer and Designated Institutional Official, and Dr. Andrew Blake, a second-year emergency medicine resident at...

Food can play a critical role in someone's health, especially in managing a chronic illness. One approach is helping patients eat better and stay healthier, and it's a concept called Food is Medicine. 

The Food is Medicine program at ChristianaCare is called the Delaware Food Farmacy,  and it is changing the way that patients eat.

In this week's episode of For the Love of Health,  Michelle Axe, program manager of Food and Social Care Initiatives at ChristianaCare, and Rob Gurnee, the executive director of Lutheran Community Services in Wilmington share how the Food is Medicine con...

Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It's a challenge for every health system - a challenge with no easy solutions.

ChristianaCare is home to America's 15th busiest ED, and in the third installment of our year-long series, "The Toughest Questions in Health Care," Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, "Why can ED wait times be so long?"

Together, we walk the complex maze of healthcare efficiency, examining the intricacies behind...

Every minute that a brain is not getting blood flow during a stroke millions of neurons are dying. So, every minute, every second counts when treating a stroke patient.

That is why ChristianaCare's stroke team has been on a multi-year journey of exploring every element, every step of the initial treatment process and the amount of time it takes to get a patient from coming in the door to getting IV blood thinners - known as Door To Needle (DTN) time.

We take a deep dive into how expert stroke teams bring clarity to chaos...

Health care providers have a lot of information on their patients - medical histories, demographics, identity and financial data. That means those providers have a responsibility to appropriately use and protect patient data.

In the second installment of our year-long series, "The Toughest Questions in Health Care," Dr. Ed Ewen, Director of Clinical Data and Analytics for ChristianaCare, and ChristianaCare's Chief Information Security Officer Anahi Santiago help answer the question, "How do we use and protect patient data?"

We journey through the evolution of collecting patient data and examine how health systems use data to...

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Obesity is a serious and chronic health condition.  Weight management can be complicated. It's not always just about willpower and poor food choices.

This week Drs. Caitlin Halbert and Lisa Breslow join us for a frank and enlightening discussion of obesity and the immense but important journey toward better health. We explore the bariatric surgery process - from determining if surgery is right for a patient to the operating room to the incredible results that are possible in the following days, weeks and months. Learn h...

Health care in the US is nothing if not complex - for patients, providers and health system leaders. Over the course of 2024 For the Love of Health is going to have a series of monthly conversations with some of the top minds in health care about a variety of difficult questions and challenges facing the industry.

In the first episode of "The Toughest Questions in Health Care," we tackle the question - What is the future of health care? - with Dr. Janice Nevin, president and CEO of ChristianaCare.

Dr. Nevin shares her wisdom, optimism...

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in America - accounting for 1 in 3 new cancer diagnoses each year. And while there isn’t a big difference across races in terms of rates of getting breast cancer - there are huge gaps in what happens after diagnosis.

In this episode we sit down with Scott Siegel, Ph.D., director of cancer control and population sciences at ChristianaCare, and Dr. Dawn Leonard, chief of ChristianaCare's division of breast surgery, to discuss that alarming disparity. 

They shed light on the urgent issues at play, including hig...

This past week the FDA for the first time approved use of a gene editing-based therapy. The new treatment is for people with Sickle Cell Disease. Gene editing has the potential to transform so many areas of medicine. ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute is the only institute of its kind in the nation at a community-based health system, which has led GEI to take a unique approach to gene editing research.

On this week's episode, we talk with Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer at ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute, about the patient-centered approach his...

"Reach out and touch someone" is more than a vintage AT&T jingle, it can also be the secret to addressing pain, anxiety, stress, nausea and more.

Healing Touch is a heavily researched form of energy therapy that can bring relief and comfort to patients and caregivers alike. Stacy Noel, Nursing Integrative Care Nurse Manager, joins us for this episode to share the benefits and opportunities around this ancient healing art.

Learn how Healing Touch works and what it looks like at the patient bedside at ChristianaCare. Get suggestions on centering, grounding, intentions and affirmations...

Especially due to the pandemic, most of us have had at least one telemedicine interaction - maybe sitting at home talking to a clinician via smartphone app when you have a fever or sore throat.

But virtual interactions can now also be part of your care when you're actually in the hospital.

In this episode discover how virtual nursing is making acute care more efficient and effective. Michelle Collins, ChristianaCare vice president for nursing professional excellence, and Melanie Ries, a nurse providing virtual acute care at ChristianaCare, are with us to share the positive impact...

Lung cancer kills more people in the United States each year than any other kind of cancer - as many as colon and rectal cancers, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Part of the reason for that, the cancer is caught too late, because so few people get screened for lung cancer.

In this episode we learn how primary care can be the key to more screenings and fewer deaths with Dr. Heather Bittner Fagan, a primary care physician at ChristianaCare. She is a leading researcher in this area, studying ways to improve screening rates and strengthen...

Prepare to challenge your understanding of gender-affirming care.

In this episode Dr. Anna Filip, a primary care physician with ChristianaCare, and Brett Herb, DSW, program manager for the ChristianaCare Gender Wellness Program, deliver critical insights into the complexities of sex and gender, gender dysphoria and gender-affirming hormone therapy, while discussing ChristianaCare's leading-edge approach to providing care to transgender people.

Then we tackle a number of common myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings - from the realities of de-transitioning to how children understand their gender identities.

Join us for a conversation that not only educates but...

The average person's heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times during their life. As we age the possibility of developing an irregular heartbeat - arrhythmia - increase.

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of arrhythmia. In this episode Dr. Kevin Tsai, a cardiac electrophysiologist with ChristianaCare's Center for Heart and Vascular Health, tells us about how treating AFib is changing and improving locally and nationally.

Dr. Tsai explains the mechanics of AFib, risks and care options. Then he shares why a treatment technique called catheter-based ablation is becoming more common, why it is...

From Chat GPT to self-driving Teslas, in some ways it feels like we're living in the future we were promised in movies and television. Similar technologies are having a huge and growing effect across the healthcare industry.

In this episode Kat Collard, ChristianaCare Chief Nursing Informatics Officer, and Susan Birkhoff, Ph.D., Program Director for Technology Research and Education at ChristianaCare, open up the world of robots in patient care. They shed light on how mechanical marvels are enhancing efficiency and improving patient outcomes.

Hear about ChristianaCare's own cobot, Moxi, which is designed to handle...

Working in health care is certainly rewarding, but it can also be challenging mentally and emotionally. That's what makes caring for the caregiver such an important part of how health care organizations support their staff.

In this episode we're joined by Katie Godfrey, a psychologist and director of ChristianaCare's Center for Worklife Wellbeing. We dive into the mental stressors health care professionals face and explore a program called Psychological First Aid (PFA), a powerful tool in cultivating empathy and compassion between colleagues.

Discover how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the conversation around the emotional well-being of...

Becoming a parent is both life-changing and challenging. One of the first challenges some new parents face is the need for their baby to receive life-saving care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A small number of hospitals across the United States, including ChristianaCare, offer "couplet care" - having mother and baby cared for in the same NICU room - as a way to make a stressful situation a bit less stressful.

Dr. David Paul, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at ChristianaCare, and Tamie Hotchkiss, assistant nurse manager in the NICU, join us for this...

Medical professionals enter health care to create health. But here's a surprising fact -  medical care only accounts for about 20% of a person's overall health outcomes

The other 80% are the result of many factors, most significantly Social Determinants/Drivers of Health. In this week's episode, we discover what SDOH are and what can be done to address them.

Join us for an enlightening conversation with ChristianaCare's chief bio-psycho-social officer, Erin Booker, and community health worker program coordinator, Chloe Baird. They explain what it takes for an organization to go from being a health system to a...

Parenthood can be one of life's most rewarding, challenging and varied experiences. As children grow up, parents usually play less of a role in their lives. But that is not necessarily the case for parents of children with special health care needs. Many of them face the daunting responsibility of perpetual parenthood. In this week's episode, Dr. Charmaine Wright, medical director of ChristianaCare's Center for Special Health Care Needs, takes us into their experience.

She explains what happens at "the cliff" and shares what parents and other caregivers do to prepare for the day when they are...

Hearing the term "sports medicine" likely conjures up images of professional football players limping off the field, amateur boxers sitting in ice baths or tennis players holding their elbow. But you could also picture a dancer dealing with painful swelling in her ankle tendons.

Today's episode leaps into the world of treating dancers and figure skaters with Dr. Elizabeth Barchi, a sports medicine specialist at ChristianaCare. Join us as we discuss the unique medical needs of performance athletes, from the challenges of having an enhanced range of motion to the fatigue-related injuries they frequently encounter. Hear stories...

Imagine receiving top-notch hospital care right in the comfort of your own home. In this episode we're joined by Dr. Sarah Schenck, medical director of Virtualist Medicine at ChristianaCare, to discuss the game-changing concept of hospital care at home. Through a three-part system - a command center, cutting-edge technology, and in-person care - this innovative approach is providing safe, effective and accessible acute-level health care to people of various ages and diagnoses.

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Schenck, in which we delve into patient eligibility requirements, compare the safety, effectiveness and experience of hospital...

Health care is about more than broken bones and blood pressure readings. 

Starting June 29, join hosts Michael Chesney and Megan McGuriman every other Thursday for engaging conversations about fascinating treatments, innovative programs, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology. 

Learn how medical experts are creating health today and delivering the care of tomorrow. 

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