The Pursuit of Health Podcast

On this episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, we continue our visit with Dr. Elizabeth Sassi, a Nurse Practitioner on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic in a large public school system just outside New York City. As a nurse with 38 years of experience, including 20 years in critical care and a background in Epidemiology, she brings a unique perspective to the role that public education plays in balancing health and education in these difficult times.   

 
In Part 1, we followed Dr. Sassi and her colleagues through their arduous and compassionate efforts to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. In Part 2 she provides keen insights on facing the pandemic through the Winter and into the Summer of 2021. She remembers some of the emotionally trying moments with her students, their families, and her colleagues.  

 
Dr. Sassi dives further into the role of public education as an entry point into the U.S. Healthcare System, particularly for the underserved such as America’s newest immigrants.  She shares the story of one particular young immigrant student who left a lasting impact on her life in response to a moment of kindness from Dr. Sassi and her family.  
 

We discuss the myriad obstacles that new Immigrants face as they try to reach for a better life. Dr. Sassi has seen the lack of access to medical services, inequities due to language barriers, the fear of losing a job at odds with the needs for accurate reporting of health status, and the effects on health due to limited housing.  

Dr. Sassi reminds us that we are a land of immigrants and that it takes a community to raise a child well.  She asks us all to prioritize our health above the fears that we face daily. She makes us believe again that together we can go beyond fear and build a better community and society.  
  

Dr. Elizabeth Sassi and the resources of her school system can be reached at www.mw.k12.ny.us.  
 
You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).  

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

On today's episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Sassi, a Nurse Practitioner on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in a large public school system just outside New York City. As a nurse with over 38 years of experience - including 20 years in critical care and a background in Epidemiology - she brings a unique perspective to the role that public education plays in balancing health and education in these difficult times.  

She took us through her team’s and community’s experience beginning in early 2020.  As information regarding the spread and dangerous effects of the virus, SARS-CoV-2, poured in through the Spring and Summer of 2020, she stepped in to protect her thousands of students and staff. We share her struggle and frustrations through this process, but she never gives in to fear in her role as caretaker, administrator, and healer.  

Through Dr. Sassi’s lens, we get a glimpse into the immense coordination required to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic while trying to maintain the high education standards of her school. She humbly admits that everyone was just doing their best in the face of this daunting event. Together, she and her colleagues break new ground as they try to hold their community together.  

As social and economic inequities became apparent, the school stepped in to help with access to technology so that learning can continue remotely. As the long Summer of 2020 ended, Dr. Sassi’s colleagues worked to bring the students safely back to school and reestablish activities such as sports and music programs. Utilizing the latest science behind the spread of illnesses, she implemented the tools of Contact Tracing, Quarantine, and Social Distancing.  

Dr. Sassi shares the lessons that she has learned along the way with our audience. She emphasizes the key roles of:   

1. Open communication
2. Consistency in approach amongst her team and surrounding communities, 
3. The impact of building architecture on creating a safe environment,
4. Compassion for those with less resources, and 
5. Learning to anticipate a problem such as a COVID-19 surge in advance so that appropriate protective measures can be implemented.  

We will continue our conversation with Dr. Sassi in Part 2 of Episode 4 next week. We look forward to her insights on dealing with the pandemic through the Winter and into the Summer of 2021.  She also dives further into the role of public education as an entry point into the U.S. Healthcare System, particularly for underserved communities such as America’s newest immigrants.

You can learn more about Dr. Sassi and the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District on their website, www.mw.k12.ny.us  

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).  

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

On today’s episode of the Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Dr. Theresa Hamlin, the Associate Executive Director at The Center For Discovery in Harris, New York. This residential facility provides for over 300 adults and children with complex developmental disabilities, including autism.  

The Center is a school, a day-care center, a farm, a medical clinic, a research center, and so much more. It has become a major contributor to the economic revitalization of their surrounding community, and is now a world leader in their unique and comprehensive approach to autism, HealthE6.

During this conversation, we discuss Dr. Hamlin’s professional journey with her team through over 30 years of learning and addressing what was not working in autism. We cover how she helped take the conventional wisdom on autism beyond the status quo, a process which she codified in her 2016 book - Autism and the Stress Effect.  

We finished up by exploring how the lessons learned at The Center can be applied to broader US Healthcare issues such as Stress, Anxiety, and Alzheimers, as well as how it can be viewed as a working model for a US Medical Home. Dr. Hamlin also touches on the future of The Center For Discovery, with its new hospital and research program, which aim to take their message and experiences beyond the boundaries of their already 200-acre campus.  

So sit back and join us now for our discussion at the Center for Discovery with Dr. Theresa Hamlin.  

You can learn more about The Center For Discovery on their website, thecenterfordiscovery.org .   

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd).  

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

On today’s episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke continues his conversation with Meghan Kelly, the Director of the Child Life  Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. On our last episode, we introduced Meghan and her work in the field of Child Life. On this episode, we review Child Life as a field still fighting to claim its true legitimacy.  

We discuss disparities on where and to whom Child Life services are offered. We then focus on Child Life's mission to treat and heal everyone, as well as the role Child Life plays in addressing implicit bias in the healthcare environment.  

Meghan shares with us her experiences of teaching Child Life treatment strategies to hospitals in South Africa, and she catches Dr. Fethke at a heartfelt and emotional moment, as she illustrates the impact of this work through the story of one of her most inspiring patients.  

We close by covering Meghan's views on the future implications for Child Life in America's healthcare system and her mission to help make this system more equitable at all of its levels.  

Use the links below to learn more about the field of Child Life, the Child Life Program at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, or Child Life internship opportunities in the US and South Africa:  

www.ChildLife.org
www.CHAM.org/programs-centers/phoebe-h-stein-child-life-program
www.connect-123.com   

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd)

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

On today’s episode of The Pursuit of Health Podcast, Dr. Fethke sits down with Meghan Kelly, the Director of the Child Life  Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. They discuss her work in the unique healthcare specialty of Child Life and its implications for our greater U.S. health system. 

Ms. Kelly invites us into her world and teaches us about the valuable role and evolution of this little known specialty - Child Life - that has had a major impact on the health of sick children. She explains how her team has overcome the economic challenges facing them as they continually strive to provide their services to children and families too often left behind in our current healthcare environment.

Given the richness of this discussion, this episode has been divided into two parts.  In this episode, Part 1, we will cover:

-> The history of the field of Child Life
-> The process of becoming a Child Life Specialist
-> The growth of Child Life over the past few decades
-> The valuable role of Child Life in clinical care through the stories of our empowered patients 
-> Gaps in Child Life - What are the current challenges that are holding us back?
-> The transition from inpatient to outpatient-based care in pediatrics   

Next week, The Pursuit of Health Podcast will return with Part 2 of this discussion:

-> Implicit bias and disparities in access to care through the eyes of Child Life
-> Future implications for Child Life in America's healthcare system    

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd
(This episode is also available in video format on Youtube @drfethkemd)

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

Dr. Eric Fethke continues his discussion of our current healthcare system from Part 1 of this first episode. With the history behind the American healthcare system explained, he now reviews the current status of our health system and explores the returns on our investment - what we are getting for our money. 

This episode makes an often daunting and confusing healthcare system more comprehensible by making it more relevant to our daily lives.  We briefly look to other countries to see how the US compares. Dr. Fethke ultimately concludes that, whatever form our system eventually takes, it must address our uniquely-American values and aspirations. 

Always optimistic as a clinician, Dr. Fethke finishes Part 2 by suggesting some possible solutions and new approaches. 

With the conclusion of this introductory first episode, we now have a launching pad from which to begin our Pursuit of Health together.

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4

Dr. Eric Fethke begins this first episode with an introduction to the mission and philosophy of The Pursuit of Health. As our host, he invites us to recognize the role that our healthcare system plays in promoting the value of every individual’s life, so that we as a people may rediscover the revolutionary principles of our founding fathers. 

After this introduction, Dr. Fethke kicks off the main content of the Pursuit of Health Podcast by sharing the experiences of his own patients within the current healthcare system. He tells the remarkable stories of two of his patients with chronic medical conditions, who must overcome unforeseen obstacles in the US healthcare system just to stay alive.

He also provides a brief but thorough history of our American insurance system over the past century. By exploring the initial altruistic goals of this system, Dr. Fethke reveals how we have lost sight of the original pursuit for comprehensive and equitable access to high-quality medical care. 

Dr. Fethke continues this discussion in Part 2 of this first episode, where he analyzes the efficacy of our current healthcare system and outlines some of his suggestions for how we can improve. 

You can follow Dr. Eric Fethke on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok @drfethkemd

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook @ericfethkemd and checkout my website at www.EricFethkeMD.com.

My brand new book, The Privilege of Caring, is out now on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP6H6QN4