Hear Me Now Podcast | Season 2 - 2021 Search Keyword: Clear Filters Healthcare politics Feb 8, 2021 Sean Collins, Julie Rovner, & Ali Santore Ali Santore and Julie Rovner join us for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges members of the new Biden administration face as they work to keep campaign promises, deal the nation’s response to a deadly pandemic, and advance access to care for underserved populations in what is now a four trillion-dollar business in America Nominally, the Democrats have an advantage in Congress, but it’s only with a razor-thin margin in the Senate that will necessitate cooperation across both the aisle and within the party itself. That suggests a return to more deliberative processes on Capitol Hill and less drama. Healthcare realities Feb 8, 2021 Sean Collins, Dr. Zahra Esmail, & Christina Rothans Two frontline caregivers describe the realities of working in a hospital in LA County during the most recent surge in COVID-19 patients. The death toll has been unprecedented. Against a backdrop of COVID-19 denialism and super-spreader events, Dr. Zahra Esmail and social worker Christina Rothans have been treating a recent surge of patients with their colleagues in the South Bay of Los Angeles. The two serve on one of the in-house palliative care teams at the Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, Calif. They are responsible for the care of the very sickest patients. The hospital's census of COVID-19-positive patients has climbed steadily for the past two months to heretofore unseen levels. All of the COVID-19 patients have been isolated from their families and many, despite the best efforts of their caregivers, have succumbed to the ravages of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. And despite bracing for what they knew was coming, neither Dr. Esmail nor Ms. Rothans felt fully prepared for the scale of loss they have experienced this winter in LA County. Staffing a pandemic Feb 11, 2021 Sean Collins Call them Unsung Heroes, call them Essential Workers, today we talk with some of the people whose mission-critical work keeps our hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health care open during a pandemic. Episode Notes Last spring, Cylix Shane and some other engineers, using off-the-shelf parts, built a prototype emergency ventilator that could be readily-deployed during the pandemic. “We have some rural hospitals that wouldn’t have access to ventilators if they had a surge in patients, so we wanted to be able to allow them to configure one rapidly using parts they could get locally.” Total cost: about $250. WATCH VENTILATOR VIDEO Cylix Shane Design & Construction Manager Providence St. Joseph Health Spokane, Wash. Heather Martin leads a team of 14 medical librarians who support the work of Providence caregivers in seven states. She says that 75% of her work this past year has been staying on top of research focused on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the treatment of COVID-19. On average, she sees around 1,200 to 1,500 peer-reviewer articles each week, which she prioritizes and passes on to Providence clinicians. “They can do their own research and find evidence, but I’d much rather my doctor was spending time reading the article rather than spending time in a database when they have librarians to do that.” Heather Martin Director System Library Services Providence Astoria, Ore. Donell Grayer is sous chef at Providence Marionwood, a skilled nursing First patient Feb 24, 2021 Sean Collins, Robin Addison, & Andrea "Andi" Leighty In January 2020 a man was admitted to the Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash. and became the first COVID+ patient in the United States. We talk with two of his nurses about his care and the value of being prepared. Also: to mark the end of Black History Month, we listen to an excerpt from a powerful conversation we first brought you in June 2020, "I see you. I hear you. And I ache for you." Medical records and medical literacy Mar 18, 2021 Sean Collins, Dr. Gregg Vandekieft, Nathan Kottkamp, and Maura Wozniak Episode Summary The 21st Century Cures Act is making it easier for patients to have access to their medical records. But will we understand what we read there? And are clinicians writing with patients in mind? Episode Notes On April 5, 2021, a new federal rule mandates that healthcare providers make most medical records available to patients without charge and without blocking. It's a move proponents hope will promote transparency and collaboration between patients and clinicians. But will clinicians tailor their language for patients? Will the average patient understand what's in the medical record? And will this move aimed at transparency cause more confusion than clarity? Healthcare attorney Nathan Kottkamp and palliative physician Gregg VandeKieft join Seán Collins to discuss the new medical records rule and some ways patients and clinicians can use the change for their common good. And then Maura Wozniak joins Seán to talk about how important it is for patients with chronic illness to understand their condition and their treatment options in order to fully participate in their own care. She has lived with cystic fibrosis her whole life and says it's "imperative" that you understand your medical condition. Nathan Kottkamp, JD Partner Waller Law Firm Nashville, Tenn. Founder National Healthcare Decisions Day Gregg VandeKieft, MD Medical Director Palliative Practice Group Providence Institute for Human Caring Palliative Care Physician P We are doctors of the spirit Mar 25, 2021 Sean Collins, Chloe Zelkha, Imam Yusuf Hasan, Danielle Pruitt Cummings Episode Summary As religious communities mark Passover, Holy Week, and Ramadan, we talk with three chaplains from different faiths about the role spiritual wellbeing plays in caring for the whole person. Serious illness and dying can test and reaffirm notions of faith. The ministry of accompaniment is at the heart of the work of chaplains working in healthcare. Episode Notes THE SPIRITUAL CARE OF THE WHOLE PERSON . Imam Yusuf Hasan Chaplain Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center New York, N.Y. MSKCC Spiritual & Religious Care • NYP Pastoral Care • African American Day Parade • Association of Professional Chaplains • HealthCare Chaplaincy Network • Association of Muslim Chaplains • Masjid Malcolm Shabazz . Chloe Zelkha Rabbinical Student Hebrew Union College Cincinnati, Ohio Co-Founder COVID Grief Network Instagram • Twitter • Facebook • Website . . Rev. Danielle Pruitt Cummings Palliative Care Chaplain Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, Calif. Reflections Blog • PLCM Palliative Care Medical technology and the sacred encounter Apr 8, 2021 Sean Collins & Aaron Martin Episode Summary Data, data everywhere, nor any drop to humanity. With apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, it sometimes feels patients are surrounded by a sea of data and technology, but little in the way of TLC. Even as healthcare rolls out new life-prolonging devices and collects and analyzes more information on us, how do we keep medicine human and humane? Aaron Martin, chief digital and innovation officer at Providence, talks about technology’s role in healthcare and how it should remove friction in the sacred encounter between patient and provider. Show Less Episode Notes Aaron Martin Executive Vice President, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer Providence . Palliative care May 6, 2021 Sean Collins, Dr. Diane Meier, and Brynn Bowman, MPA Episode Summary Palliative care is misunderstood, even among medical professionals. Palliative care is a medical specialty that relieves symptoms and stress of serious illness, and typically involves a team of doctors, nurses, chaplains and social workers. Today we speak with two titans in the field who demystify palliative care. Show Less Episode Notes Diane Meier, M.D., is professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York, N.Y., where she also holds a chair in Medical Ethics. Dr. Meier is the director emerita and strategic medical advisor of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) where she has championed the sharing of best practices in the field of palliative medicine. She has been succeeded at CAPC by Brynn Bowman, MPA, the new chief executive officer. They talk with us about palliative care, about goals of training for caregivers, and the expectations for care that patients and families should expect. To find a palliative care program near you, visit getpalliativecare.org or follow them on Twitter. Here's a link to CAPC's Tipping Point Challenge. Nursing during the pandemic May 13, 2021 Sean Collins & Sylvain Trepanier, DNC Providence The pandemic has proved how crucial nursing's role is in providing frontline healthcare. It has also shown the incredible toll it takes on the nurses who take care of us. We talk with Syl Trepanier, Providence's Chief Nursing Officer, about lessons learned this past year and about efforts to be proactive with self-care. Sylvain “Syl” Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP, FAAN, FAONL System Chief Nursing Officer Providence Renton, Wash. Early pregnancy loss May 27, 2021 Sean Collins, Veronika Zantop, MD, & Lexie Fleming As many as a quarter of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But that doesn't make it easy to talk about. On today's program, we explore early pregnancy loss, the way individuals often cope with the trauma alone, silently, and how the loss can persist for years -- sometimes, even a lifetime. Show Less Episode Notes Veronika Zantop, M.D. Medical Director Swedish Center for Perinatal Support and Bonding Medical Director Reproductive Mental Health at Swedish Seattle, Wash. Alexandra Fleming, MSW, LICSW Therapist Swedish Center for Perinatal Support and Bonding Nurturing Wisdom Therapy Seattle, Wash. .. We are collecting stories of pregnancy loss as part of the ongoing Hear Me Now oral history project. On today's podcast, we listen to four women who describe their experiences of early pregnancy losses. Side-by-side with this episode of the podcast we're also publishing extended versions of their stories for you to explore in more detail. Danielle Jenkins and Marie Balance have been friends since they were 13. Danielle describes how she found out she was miscarrying. (47:46) Angela and Eric Hodge are a married couple whose first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. (25:11) Samantha Edwards and Scott Acord – Sam shares her story with Hear Me Now producer Scott Acord and describes the loss of a perceived future for her child. (44:13) Lauren Sawson and Sara Epstein are sisters-in-law. Lauren talks about her decision to have a dilation and curet 1 2 3 Next 24 Result(s) Page 1 of 3