Health is Real

Health is Real

A fun and friendly approach to public health! We discuss real health topics with experts from around central Ohio!

Episodes

November 18, 2025 43 mins

Libraries offer so many public health benefits to our communities! Today we chat with two wonderful guests—Ben Zenitsky from Columbus Metropolitan Library and Katy Hite from the State Library of Ohio—about what’s going on at our local libraries and why literacy is so important. We also answer important questions like: If you had a biography written about you, what would the title be?

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We have apps to find food trucks, so why not have an app to find mobile healthcare? Today’s guest Lauren Van Petten from Nationwide Children's Hospital has all the details about the new Mobile Health Locator app, how to access it and where it’s going in the future. And later, spooky season is a great time to talk about our biggest fears and look at some of the most common phobias, such as heights, snakes and...Spider Man?

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When we think of public health, we may not always consider the role that technology plays. Three of our IT experts, Sondra Burns, Nik Shipman, and DeAngela Watson join the podcast today to talk about protecting your digital health, keeping devices safe at home, and how AI factors in to public health. We even get a quick visit from our own unique AI chatbot! Later we discuss grilling, tailgating, and what old technology we still sta...

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September 16, 2025 29 mins

Today's guest, Josh Poland, is the stadium voice of the Columbus Crew as well as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer with the city of New Albany! We discuss all the wonderful things happening in New Albany and Josh shares some of his favorite Columbus Crew stories! And later, we take a look back at our school days with talk of cornfields, Caligula, and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

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September 2, 2025 35 mins

September is Emergency Preparedness Month and today we chat with our own expert Julio Reyes Gomez about how you can be prepared and the most important things you’ll need in an emergency. We also discuss what a certain 90s action movie can teach us about all this. And later: When were erasers added to pencils? It’s back to school trivia time so get ready for a pop quiz!

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August 19, 2025 26 mins

Did you know that Reynoldsburg, Ohio is the birthplace of the commercial tomato? Today we head to the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival and speak with Mayor Joe Begeny about the big event and the long, proud tradition of throwing tomatoes at others. (That sounds like fun!) And later, what apps do you use the most? We look at the most popular apps in the country and decide that we should focus more on building real life connections. See ...

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August 5, 2025 29 mins

We’re all about active living! Our own Natalie Martin stops by to chat about being an Active Living Coordinator, what all is involved in public health education, and some of the projects she’s most proud of. And we can’t talk about active living without bringing up our favorite workout songs! And later, we debunk some old wives’ tales. Swimming after eating? Do bulls really hate the color red? And what do we think of the 5-second r...

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July 15, 2025 21 mins

It’s so important to be educated about the disease of addiction. Today we’re joined by Victoria Shields, our Naloxone Education & Distribution Coordinator, to chat about Naloxone, some misconceptions about addiction, and how the landscape around the issue has changed. We also discuss what an ACE is and the upcoming ACEs PACEs and Addiction Summit. And later, is it good for kids to be bored sometimes?

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July 1, 2025 38 mins

We Ohioans love our sports, and there’s a big in-state rivalry in soccer between Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati! Today we welcome Health Commissioners from Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Grant Mussman and Greg Kesterman, to chat about the friendly rivalry and what they’re focused on with their health departments. And later, who has a big sports memory from their childhood? From touchdowns on the playground to buzzer beaters to le...

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Our guests today are Jonathan Thomas from ADAMH and Beth Plummer from Recovery Innovations, who discuss the new Franklin County Crisis Care Center! What is it? Who’s it for? And how is it different from going to a hospital? We also chat about how the mental health landscape has changed over the years, and the different techniques you can use to improve your mental wellbeing.

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CHW Day is June 6th! Today we chat with our expert, Devon Abdon, about his journey to public health. He discusses what a Community Health Worker does and how he remains optimistic in the face of challenges. And because CHWs are modern day superheroes, we each decide to pick our own superpowers. Will we choose to benefit humanity...or not?

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Water quality affects everyone! Expert Alyssa Suto is here to talk about what she does for the residents of Franklin County, and also discusses the difference between filtered water, tap water, and bottled water. Also, let's get ready for festival season! We chat about some upcoming local festivals and come up with a few of our own, including a one-of-a-kind idea from Zach that features a certain Hollywood actor!

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May 6, 2025 27 mins

The Asian Festival is coming up! Today’s guest is Dr. Greg Lam from Ohio Health, the Ohio Asian American Health Coalition & the Asian Festival Corporation. We talk about all the upcoming events celebrating AAPI Heritage Month including dragon boat races, table tennis tournaments, and free health screenings. Dr. Lam also talks about health disparities in the Asian community and shares some powerful stats and stories.

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Have you heard about Beautiful Beginnings? It’s a home visiting program for new families offering safe sleep education, postpartum care, and more. Today we’re joined by public health nurse supervisor Breana Francis to learn more and chat about Black Maternal Health Week. And later: “When you’re here, you’re family!” We all have a favorite restaurant (whether it's healthy, or not so much) but what restaurant slogan sticks in yo...

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National Public Health Week is a great time to highlight topics that are important everyone in our community! Today we chat with Susan Polan from the American Public Health Association about climate action, health equity, advocacy, and the future of public health. And later, how much coffee is too much? Our wide-awake co-hosts discuss their favorite caffeinated drinks, including some from days gone by. (Surge, anyone?)

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March 18, 2025 29 mins

Art is everywhere in Franklin County! Today we chat with Lydia Simon and Lauren Emond from the Columbus Museum of Art about the many connections between art and public health. We learn about the history of the museum and what they’re doing to improve public health and accessibility. Also, find out who wants to make a paper mache basketball shoe!

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Community Health Workers help our community every day! We chat with our expert Cassie Baker about how CHWs empower residents to take control of their own health. Also, can listening to music before bed help you get better sleep? What about listening to a public health podcast? (We think so.) Angela and Zach go head-to-head in a sleep quiz, and we learn about everything from how to prevent snoring to lifestyle factors that affect yo...

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February 18, 2025 28 mins

Public health means everyone is included! But how do we make sure we bring everyone to the table? Today we chat with Lisa Dent, Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion at Franklin County Public Health about what DEI means for public health and some important takeaways as we celebrate Black History Month. Also, we discuss some simple things we can all do every day to be more inclusive in our communities!

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February 4, 2025 37 mins

Happy American Heart Month! Today we chat about the importance of good heart health with Nancy Tobbe and Dr. Amrita Karve from the American Heart Association. They discuss warning signs, the importance of prevention and unique risk factors for both men and women. Also...we hear terms like whole grain, organic and free range all the time, but what do these healthy buzzwords actually mean and which ones matter (or don't matter!)...

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January 21, 2025 36 mins

The numbers don’t lie! Today we have not one but TWO data experts here to talk about why data is so important in public health and give some examples of where it’s made a difference in people’s lives. We play some games—of course!—and also check out the FCPH Data Hub to learn more about what’s happening in our communities. The best news is…anyone can use the data hub! Find it here: https://fcph-data-hub-fca.hub.arcgis.com/

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