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 life-saving measures that we all should take, be it to help others or ourselves. 

Don’t be caught unprepared if you find yourself in a situation where someone has lost consciousness and stopped breathing. Listen now for an episode that could truly save a life.

Jennifer Oldham, MSN, RN, CEN, is a cardiovascular quality and innovation nurse program manager at ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health. Jennifer has dedicated the last three decades to teaching others about harnessing the power of CPR to save patients and loved ones.

Links:

• ChristianaCare News - Jennifer Oldham Champions Life-Saving CPR Care
• ChristianaCare Center for Heart & Vascular Health
• American Heart Association
• 2025 Wilmington Heart Walk - American Heart Association
• Deputy Heart Attack program Early Heart Attack Care educational course
• Hands-Only CPR Instructional Video

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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 medicine and pediatrics. In her role, she works with patients from babies to the elderly and is passionate about taking care of the entire family.

Links

• ChristianaCare Primary Care
• ChristianaCare Pediatrics
• ChristianaCare News - Keeping Student Athletes Healthy
• ChristianaCare News - Nurturing Your Child’s Social Health in the Digital Era
• ChristianaCare News - It's All About the Backpacks
• CDC FastStats: Sleep in High School Students
• CDC FastStats: Sleep in Children

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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 healthcare game-changer, now having served almost 2,000 patients. The program has expanded beyond acute care to include post-acute services traditionally provided in skilled nursing facilities, creating a comprehensive home care ecosystem that meets patients where they are.

From remarkably simple technology to the personal touch of in-home visits, Hospital Care at Home is providing patients with dramatically better outcomes: zero hospital-acquired infections, minimal delirium, less physical deconditioning, and readmission rates below 10%. But just as compelling as statistics are the personal stories of patients who have gone through the program (spoiler alert: grab your tissues before listening).

Listen now to learn how the future of health care may be right in your own home.

Links:

• ChristianaCare Hospital Care at Home
• For the Love of Health - Hospital Care at Home with Dr. Sarah Schenck
• ChristianaCare News - Hospital Care at Home Honored with DAISY Team Award
• ChristianaCare News - Innovative ways for you to receive hospital-level care in your own home
• ChristianaCare News - 'Just the Best Thing Ever'-Hospital Care at Home Program Celebrates Milestone

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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 educational, clinical and academic programming.

Links:

• ChristianaCare Adult Outpatient Psychiatry & Therapy
• ChristianaCare Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• ChristianaCare Inpatient Psychiatry
• National Institute of Mental Health

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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 share important information about common eye conditions such as dry eye, inflammatory eye disease, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, along with critical warning signs that everyone should be aware of.

Don't be left in the dark over what's happening with your vision. Listen now for an eye-opening conversation to protect your precious sight.

Benjamin Chaon, MD, is Medical Director of the Wilmington Eye Clinic, and member of the Christiana Care Department of Ophthalmology. He specializes in the medical and surgical management of uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases, such as iritis, scleritis, retinitis, and ocular infectious diseases, as well as the medical treatment of retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular diseases. Dr. Chaon also performs both routine and complex cataract surgeries, using the latest cutting-edge technology.

Tomilade Adepoju, MD, is an ophthalmologist who specializes in treating patients diagnosed with glaucoma and other related eye diseases. Her focus includes helping her patients with general ophthalmic needs, ranging from diabetic eye care to routine eye exams. She works with her patients and families to understand their eye disease diagnosis and to create a comprehensive eye care plan.

Links:

• ChristianaCare News - Why Your Eye Health Is So Important
• ChristianaCare News - Ophthalmologist or Optometrist? Keep an Eye Out.
• ChristianaCare Ophthalmology

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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; and the best ways to avoid accidents while swimming. And don't forget the importance of getting trained in CPR!

Don't let sunburn or heat stroke ruin your day at the pool - a few minutes of prep now will help you enjoy those long, lazy summer days all season long.

Dylan McDivitt, D.O. is a dedicated and enthusiastic board-certified family medicine physician. In his current role, he works with adult, senior, and pediatric patients to treat their day-to-day non-emergency/primary care needs and to develop strategies for their ongoing health and wellness management.
 

Links

• ChristianaCare News – Put on Your Sun Armor!
• ChristianaCare News – Don’t Go Out Without Your Water Bottle
• ChristianaCare News – Eight Essential Water Safety Tips
• CDC Sun Safety Facts 
• ChristianaCare Primary Care

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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 health can have a ripple effect through the entire family, along with the warning signs that family members should be on alert for.

With early intervention, these issues are highly treatable. Don't wait until things feel "that bad" to seek help. Listen now to take the first step towards reclaiming the joy in your parenting journey.

Malina Spirito, M.Ed., MA, is a licensed psychologist at the ChristianaCare Center for Women’s Emotional Wellness, specializing in support for women before, during, and after pregnancy. Dr. Spirito provides consultations, assessments, and treatment to women and their families regarding perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Spencer Paige Brown, Psy.D, MS, brings her passion for working with patients from marginalized backgrounds to her role as a dedicated and empathetic licensed psychologist. In her current role as a clinical psychologist at the ChristianaCare Center for Women’s Emotional Wellness, she specializes in treating and supporting adult patients with a range of mental health needs that arise before, during, and after pregnancy.

Links:

• ChristianaCare Center for Women's Emotional Wellness
• ChristianaCare News - Veronica’s Story: The Art of Making Moms a Priority
• Postpartum Support International
• CDC Symptoms of Depression Among Women
• Perinatal Depression - National Institutes of Health

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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 makes ChristianaCare unique, including the use of a comprehensive system-wide approach; a transformation to a professional practice model that has led to an increased BSN rate to 83% and an increased certification rate to 65%; and a collaborative spirit that encourages teamwork across all disciplines.

Ready to experience the difference nursing excellence makes? Listen now to discover how ChristianaCare is shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, advanced education, and unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care.

Michelle L. Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, leads ChristianaCare's systemwide efforts to support nursing practice innovation and problem-solving. She also has led ChristianaCare to achieve its fourth Magnet designation, a preeminent excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Paige Merring, MSN, RN, CCRN, is the Nursing Excellence Manager at ChristianaCare. In this role, she facilitates strategic planning for nursing, supports professional governance councils to empower nurses, and leads teams to improve patient experience.

Links

• Nursing at ChristianaCare
• ChristianaCare Magnet® Designation
• ChristianaCare News - Four-Peat! ChristianaCare Achieves Magnet®–the Top Recognition for Nursing Excellence–for 4th Time
• American Nurses Credentialing Center

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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 exploring innovative treatment combinations, each trial represents hope for patients facing difficult diagnoses.

We're also joined by Robert Robinson, a prostate cancer survivor who himself participated in a clinical trial at ChristianaCare. He shares how his clinical trial not only saved his life, but sparked his mission of talking about men's health. 

For its excellence in clinical trials, the Delaware/ChristianaCare NCORP in 2024 earned the prestigious Platinum Award for Exceptional Achievement from the NCI/NCORP. 

Gregory A. Masters, M.D., has been a ChristianaCare lung cancer specialist since 2003.  In addition to his investigative work with NCORP, Dr. Masters serves as an associate professor at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School in Philadelphia, and is a highly published expert and a reviewer for many of the leading oncology clinical publications.

Links

• ChristianaCare Cancer Clinical Trials
• ChristianaCare News - National Leader in Cancer Clinical Trials: ChristianaCare Advances Pioneering Therapies
• National Institute of Health Clinical Trials Database
• Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy or Conventional Radiation Therapy After Surgery in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer (Robert's clinical trial)
• Robert Robinson's Podcast, The Lions Den 

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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 practical inspiration showing that one person's trash truly is another's treasure.

Links

• ChristianaCare News - Environmental Sustainability Initiatives Keep 7.7 Tons of Medical Supplies Out of Landfills
• ChristianaCare News - ChristianaCare Team Wins Environmental Excellence Gold Award
• Environmental effects of surgical procedures and strategies for sustainable surgery
• Project CURE
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore Goods Donations

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