Welcome to Prescription for Healthcare, a podcast collaboration between the WFHB Local News and Medicare for All Indiana, broadcasting the second Thursday of every month as part of the Local News at 5:15 PM.

This month we interview Karen Palmer, adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University in BritishColumbia, Canada, an independent health policy analyst, health systems researcher, and consultant.  She also serves as a board advisor to Physicians for a National Health Program, PNHP, here in the US. 

From the podcast:

Karen Green Stone:  Karen, we recently heard you talk about the Canadian healthcare program, which is called Medicare, specifically physician recruitment to Canada, and physicians in the US choosing to move to Canada to work in the Canadian Medicare system. You said that the goal of the health ministry is to find a place for every qualified healthcare practitioner who wants to work in BC. Other provinces are doing the same. Will you please talk about what is happening with US physicians and other medical professionals moving to BC and Canada?

Karen Palmer:  Yes, I will. So that is a real change from the past when it was so difficult for healthcare providers to move here from the States. Like many countries in the world, and for many reasons, Canada is facing healthcare staffing shortages, especially in family medicine and nursing and rural and remote care. In response several provinces, especially British Columbia, have launched, pretty aggressive recruitment campaigns targeting healthcare workers from the States. What I can talk about a little bit is, how many healthcare providers from the States have applied, how many have actually been hired, and why, some say that they are choosing Canada at this particular time in history. I’ll just tell you a little bit about what BC’s Minister of Health said in June of 2025, and I’ll quote her. She said that, “With the chaos and uncertainty happening in the US, we are seizing the opportunity to attract the talent we need to join and strengthen our public universal healthcare system in British Columbia.” These campaigns are attracting significant interest because Canada’s offering faster licensing pathways than in the past, a publicly funded healthcare practice for physicians, of course, and a relatively stable social and political environment. This has been supported by the Canadian Medical Association, and I’ll read you a quote from what they said, “Reducing barriers for all internationally trained physicians qualified to practice in Canada will help close critical gaps in the health workforce and make it easier in the short term for anxious US-based healthcare workers to live where quality of care meets quality of life”…

 As of March 2026, since launching its targeted US recruitment campaign in March 2025, the year before, BC has received nearly 2,800 applications from US health professionals, so nearly 3,000. Over 3,000 have expressed interest through various webinars and recruitment efforts and events. The numbers from British Columbia’s Ministry of Health show that between March 2025 and January 2026  more than 400 health professionals from the US had accepted jobs in British Columbia including 89 doctors, 42 nurse practitioners, 216 nurses, and 23 allied health professionals…

 A major reason healthcare professionals  are leaving is dissatisfaction with the US healthcare system. I think many US healthcare professionals, we all know this, say that they are worn out by insurance paperwork and corporate healthcare systems and staffing shortages and workplace stress. I mean, those first two, the insurance paperwork, we don’t have a multi-payer system in Canada. We have a single-payer system for medically necessary hospital and physician services, so there’s one payer in each province and territory. And we don’t have these corporate structures to the extent that you have in the States. Some have specifically mentioned that they want to practice in a universal publicly funded system instead of dealing with so many insurance companies. Another reason is political and social concerns in the United States. Some have cited political polarization, reproductive rights issues, gun violence…

Listen to the entire show above.

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“If Not Now, Tell Me When” by Carrie Newcomer is used with permission.

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CREDIT:

This is the WFHB Local News for Wednesday, June 17th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, you’ll hear Rick Seraphinoff, a local man who builds period-accurate reproductions of horns from hundreds of years ago. Head inside his workshop later in the show in a feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, “Movin’ But Not Groovin’” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News.

Featured Segments:

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Let’s say you want a historically accurate reproduction of a classical music horn from 200 years ago. The ancestor of the modern French horn, known in the music world as “natural” horns. The kind Beethoven wrote music for. The guy you want for that job lives and works right here in Bloomington, Indiana. Richard Seraphinoff is a music professor who plays these period-correct instruments and also makes them by hand. Simply Google “natural horns” and Richard’s website will be very near the top of your search results. Rick and his wife Celeste are the power couple of the classical horn world. Correspondent Henry Holloway has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

Up next, “Movin’ But Not Groovin’” on Better Beware – your weekly consumer-watchdog segment on the WFHB Local News. We turn to host and producer Richard Fish for more.

Credits:

Most Americans move a dozen times in their life, and most moves do not cross state lines. But that still means millions of people need to hire a professional moving company. There are some very nasty scams that can trap the unwary — and not only trash your bank account, but everything you own! Here is a quick look at the worst con games and some important tips on how to get from one place to another safely.

This month on Civic Conversations, Indiana University Professor Jessica Story-Nagy, a political and linguistic anthropologist, discusses how private talk with friends and family can influence voting behavior. She is a research associate and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Anthropology and the Russian and Eastern European Institute. She is also the President of the Hungarian Studies Association and Associate Editor of Social Sciences, Hungarian Studies Review. In the podcast, Story-Nagy discusses how disinformation shapes political identity and warfare, with a focused analysis of Hungary under Victor Orban, Russian disinformation in the Ukraine War, and parallel tactics visible in US political discourse.

Each week Volunteer Connection brings you four ways to get involved in your community through volunteer service. The show is your weekly snapshot of how people of all ages can match their time and talents to local needs.

Volunteer Connection is a co-production of WFHB and the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network

Links to Content Mentioned in the Episode:

The City of Bloomington Volunteer Network aims to build a strong, healthy and engaged community by inspiring, supporting, and celebrating volunteerism in our community. For more information, visit www.bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org or call 812-349-3433.

En este episodio conversamos con Liliana León, estudiante de doctorado en Antropología en Indiana University, periodista, antropóloga visual e investigadora con más de 20 años de experiencia trabajando en temas de educación, comunidades indígenas, medio ambiente, cultura y alimentación en Colombia y Ecuador.

El tema de este episodio fue: Las injusticias alimentarias que enfrentan los inmigrantes latinos en Bloomington, Indiana. Durante esta profunda e interesante conversación exploramos cómo la comida va mucho más allá de la nutrición: es identidad, memoria, cultura y un vínculo con nuestras raíces. Hablamos sobre las barreras y desafíos alimentarios que enfrentan muchas familias inmigrantes latinas, y de las formas en que la migración transforma nuestra relación con la comida y el impacto emocional de extrañar los sabores del país de origen. Esta entrevista nos invita a reflexionar sobre cómo la alimentación también es una cuestión de justicia social, identidad cultural y bienestar comunitario.

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CREDIT:

This is the WFHB Local News for Tuesday, June 16th, 2026.

In today’s newscast, you’ll hear Tanner Terrell, a senior director at IU’s Walter Center for Career Achievement. Gen Z needs a job – is anyone listening? Hear more later in the show in a feature report.

Also coming up in the next half hour, we have a new segment called Volunteer Connection – in collaboration with the Bloomington Volunteer Network.

Featured Segments:

Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson gave updates and answered questions from local residents during a town hall last night at the Monroe County History Center. Mayor Thomson was joined by Parks and Recreation Director Tim Street to share more about city projects and initiatives. WFHB Correspondents Ben Sharpe and Jorge Casillas report on the mayor’s remarks as part of her traveling town hall series. That’s coming up next on the local news.

Chris Arsenault needs a job. This new IU grad is fresh out of college and…uhhh…it isn’t going well. Gen Z is navigating a historically tough entry-level job market, and we’re not sure Chris is ready. Over at the Indiana University Walter Center for Career Achievement, Tanner Terrell is offering sound advice, but is anyone listening? Correspondent Jack Hogan has that story in a feature report produced in partnership with The Media School at Indiana University.

Construction has become a familiar sight along Kirkwood Avenue in recent months. WFHB News Correspondent Aidan Verde speaks with Bloomington residents about the ongoing work, outdoor dining and what they hope to see from Kirkwood in the future.

Up next, we have a new segment on the WFHB Local News in collaboration with the Bloomington Volunteer Network. We turn to Aubrey Seader and Kade Young for the segment, Volunteer Connection, highlighting volunteer opportunities in Bloomington.

Credits: