Spring Break is around the corner and as parents, we all want our young people, especially our daughters, to have a good time. That is especially true after what all we have been through the past two years. However, this can also be a time of excessive alcohol, peer pressure, and sometimes, date rape or other unwanted sexual advances. Cindy Burnette, RN, and SANE Program Director at Texas Health Resources joins us to talk about safety tips of how kids can have a good time and stay safe as well.

Then, with new statistics freshly out from the CDC, Steve and Marjorie Quint-Bouzid, RN, - Senior Vice President, Women & Infant’s Specialty Health at Parkland Health & Hospital System discuss the community health topic of maternal mortality. That is defined as women who die up to a year after giving birth and the death can be attributed to the pregnancy and delivery. Sadly, Texas has one of the highest maternal mortality statistics in the country, so this is something we need to keep shining the spotlight on until our numbers come down.

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In the first half of the show, Dr. Brian Lima, Surgical Director of Heart Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at Medical City Heart Hospital talks about the breakthrough new procedure first performed in December at the Hospital - the Donation After Cardiac Death (DCD) Transplant. As Dr. Lima describes, this procedure has been performed in very few locations in the US, after originating in Europe about 2 years ago. This was the first of its kind in Texas and once again the DFW Metroplex shows its brilliance as a center of medical excellence. Dr. Lima walks us through this procedure that literally revives a deceased heart in order to save another's life.

We continue the theme with Dr. Tiffany Simms-Waldrip, Clinical Director of Stem Cell Transplant at Children’s Health and Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She talks about a national database registry where people like you and I can register to donate stem cells that could possibly safe a child’s life. 

The program is called "Be The Match" and is a wonderful way to know that your willingness to be a stem cell donor could give a child somewhere in the US another chance at life.

The link for "Be The Match" is https://bethematch.org/

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Dr. Shadi Damanpour, a Board-Certified Dermatologist at North Dallas Dermatology Associates joins us to talk about taking care of our skin - the largest organ in our body. And one statement Dr. Damanpour tells us about tanning beds will shock you: It is safer to smoke than to tan! 

Next, we talk to Dr. Tonya Fuqua, a partner at Fuqua Advanced Dental in Southlake and also serves the dental needs of low-income children in our community through Cook Children’s non-profit dental program, “Save a Smile.” 

Dr. Fuqua is a wealth of information and tells us the biggest childhood disease is tooth decay. Listen to this information not only for your kid’s sake, but there’s a lot of good information for us adults, too.

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Domestic violence affects 81% of women and 43% of men sometime in their lifetime, according to national statistics. 

Sheyla Camacho is Public Health Educator, Victim Intervention Program at the Rape Crisis Center at Parkland Health & Hospital System. She joins us to unpack this very important topic, and begins with a definition of DV that may rock you back on your heels and cause you to look at your close relationships more closely. 

In the second half of the show, we talk about the emerging trends of more digital connection in healthcare with Matthew Albers, Assistant Vice President of Digital Experience at Cook Children’s Healthcare System. 

Matt uses a recent family trip to Disney as a springboard for what healthcare might look like in the future. 

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Cook Children’s Medical Center is incorporating something you probably wouldn’t think of related to healthcare that is having a profound impact on the kids (patients), their families, and the staff. It is truly a triple-win. 

Dogs! 

Currently there are six dogs in their program, and we’re going to learn about it from Laura Sonefeld, Facility Dog Program Coordinator at Cook Children’s.

In the second half of this week’s show, we talk to Dr. Srinivas Yallapragada, Interventional Cardiologist at Medical City Las Colinas about the long-term impacts Covid-19 is having on people’s hearts. 

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The Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to race across the country and North Texas, so we’re talking to Dr. John Carlo, CEO of Prism Health North Texas and Chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Council on Legislation. Dr. Carlo shares his take on the “zigs and zags” of this latest Covid-19 variant. 

Medical City Green Oaks has offered a “Work Returns Program” for many years. Diane Partin, Administrative Director for Behavioral Health at Medical City Green Oaks joins us to talk about this valuable service. 

In our final segment, we asked her some questions about dealing with Covid, emotionally. Her answers are invaluable and worth all of us hearing. 

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There is a very real situation happening every day in our world that many people (particularly parents) are not aware of: Human Trafficking.

North Texas is a particularly vulnerable area because of the flow-through of Interstate Highways and our airports. We talk to a lady (who is disguised) named "June" who was sold into this dark lifestyle by her mother at age eleven. While your kids may not be subject to that side of this issue, they do face uninvited sexual advances starting at an alarmingly young age. And if you have college students, you should be particularly interested in what "June" has to say.

Next, Cindy Burnette, the SANE Program Director at Texas Health Resources explains what the "Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners" program is and how it could help anyone who has experienced any kind of unwelcome sexual assault. It is important to note that many of our hospitals across North Texas offer the SANE program by these specially-trained nurses, so if this has happened to you, help is closer than you might think.

Finally, we talk to Dr. Megan Fitzpatrick, Diagnostic Radiologist at Baylor University Medical Center about a high-risk breast screening program they are now offering patients whose regular mammograms indicate a higher than normal risk of developing breast cancer. What happens next? We will find out from Dr. Fitzpatrick.

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There is a wonderful program in North Texas that exemplifies "The Human Side of Healthcare." It is the Health to Home Medical Respite Program and Ryan Haley, BSN, RN is the Program Manager with Texas Health Resources. She stops by to explain the post-acute care, hosing, and support this program offers. Currently it is only for men, but that will be changing soon when housing is completed to be able to offer this service to women as well.

In the second half of the show, John Burruss, M.D., CEO of Metrocare Services joins us to discuss the ever-growing topic of "Covid Fatigue" that most of us are feeling regarding the pandemic, now entering its third year. Dr. Burruss has some great advice on getting back to the core fundamentals that help all humans get through difficult life circumstances, including this one.

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We kick off 2022 by checking in with our dear friend, Janet St. James. Many of you in North Texas remember her from WFAA, Channel 8 News. She is now Assistant Vice President of PR and Media Communications at Medical City Healthcare.

Janet is also 3-years post-diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, a journey of which she has been very public and open, helping others who are facing the same. 

In this heartwarming interview, we hear how 2021 was for Janet and get a glimpse into her optimistic, hopeful attitude which makes her such an inspiration to so many. 

Then we visit with Dr. Robert Haley, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Internal Medicine Department at UT Southwestern Medical Center about the latest on the Omicron variant, which continues to drive hospitalizations up in North Texas and across the world. 

Ending on a high note, Danelle Parker, RN, BSN, Director of Community Health Improvement at Texas Health Resources for Collin, Denton and Wise counties talks about the THRIVE program in the Sanger school district. This is a program that is directly addressing childhood and teenage obesity with a unique approach to hands-on education. 

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Flu Season is upon us, and it is certainly not too late to get a flu shot, but don't wait! Dr. Cesar Termulo, Associate Medical Director at Parkland’s Hatcher Station Community Oriented Primary Care Health Center tells us why. In our second segment, Dr. Termulo shares a deeply personal tragedy that affected his family directly and is the very reason why he is so passionate about this message.

Dr. Claudia Perez, Neuro-intensivist at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, tells her story of immigrating to the US at age 5, growing up in Garland, then entering medicine after the birth of her daughter. For anyone considering healthcare as a career, this is an inspiring story, indeed.

Finally, we talk to John Drake, President at Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation, about a wonderful employment assistance program to help veteran-employees at Baylor Scott & White Health. If you would like more on the program, you can go to bswhealth.com/supportveterans

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