The Human Side of Healthcare

There is a program that many of our North Texas hospitals participate in to help bridge the gap between a patient with a specific pharmaceutical need to be able to obtain that from the drug companies on what is called a “Compassionate Care” basis. We talk to Dr. Micha Koentz, PharmD, Investigational Pharmacy Supervisor at Cook Children's Medical Center about their Compassionate Care program specifically for kids with cancer. 

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Texas statewide has a real problem with maternal mortality, up to even a year after giving birth. Cardiovascular disease is often a contributor, and that can lead to preeclampsia, or dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy or after delivery. Theresa Patton, MD, OB-GYN at Methodist Dallas Medical Center joins us to discuss what women can do to prevent or treat this serious condition. 

We’re happy to have Lizzy Brown, Family ...

It’s been so hot in Texas that even an evening motorcycle ride couldn’t cool you off. However, since we are out and about on bikes, skateboards, etc., what about head injuries if something happens? We are joined by Dr. Christopher Shank, Neurosurgeon and Neurotrauma Program Medical Director at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth to discuss helmet safety and the latest in neurotrama treatments. 

Speaking of summer, the ...

One of the unwelcome surprises many people have in their 50s, 60s and beyond is a retinal tear. As Dr. Nikisha Kothari, Board-Certified Ophthalmologist and Retina Specialist at Texas Health Resources explains, it is akin to wallpaper being ripped off the wall. That can happen inside our eye. Dr. Kothari gives us a great education about how to care for our eyes, both preventively and should we have this happen to us. 

Dr. Glenn Harde...

We have a special Independence Holiday episode this week, celebrating America’s 246th birthday! 

Dr. Bhagya Boggaram, Medical Director Stroke Program at Medical City North Hills joins us to talk about stroke awareness. 

Then Dr. Donna Casey, Internist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas offers family advice for caring for our elderly loved ones, especially when that difficult time comes to make changes in their care and even...

The CDC estimates there are 40-Million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, but another 100-Million that may have pre-diabetes. These are staggering numbers, especially considering the cost of treating it. Betsy Richter-Gifford, RN, Diabetes Care and Education Specialist at Texas Health Resources joins us to talk about this, and encourage patients and their families dealing with it. 

In the second half of our show, we salute Texas Hea...

We are focusing on our kids for the first half of the show in light of recent events in Texas. Dr. Stevie Puckett-Perez joins us from Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center to process many of the emotions our kids and teens are feeling as the 2022 summer break begins across North Texas. 

There is an easily-preventable cancer that many people get, but with a simple, early diagnostic procedure, can be completely removed ...

It’s the Memorial Day holiday weekend and we’re on top of it with one of the big topics as summer officially begins: Protecting your skin. If you know someone who has faced Melanoma, or some other kind of skin cancer, you will be quick to make sure fresh sunscreen is part of your summer regimen. 

We are delighted to have Dr. Shadi Damanpour, Board-Certified Dermatologist at North Dallas Dermatology Associates to help insure you are ...

Gout is a disease that has sudden onset, and while not life-threatening, it certainly is painful enough to be life-altering. Dr. Imran Iqbal, Rheumatologist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, joins us with a comprehensive explanation of how Gout appears, how painful his patients say it is, and how it is treated. 

Next, if you or someone you love is thinking of a knee or hip replacement surgery because pain has become too ...

Dr. John Carlo stops by to talk about one big thing we learned from the Covid-19 pandemic that can help keep you well all year. He also updates us on the stark reminder that we are still very much living with Covid, and people are still having to go to the hospital, although thankfully, in much fewer numbers than in the past. 

There’s a new healthcare podcast that is being produced here in the Metroplex. “Raising Joy” is a Cook Chil...

Spring will soon be summer in North Texas and most of us want nothing more than to get outside, exercise, move our bodies, play sports again and enjoy the company of others. 

That always means there will be some sprains, tears, and even fractures on the sports fields. 

Dr. Paul Whatley, Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Specialist at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton, joins us with excellent tips and ideas how we can keep our ki...

All of our North Texas hospitals serve the communities surrounding them. They are also incredible economic drivers of employment and many service-related businesses that support them. Healthcare is a valuable community-based service that often affects lifestyle, not just health. 

Angela Morris, Senior Director, Community Relations at Parkland Health & Hospital System joins us to describe the vast reach Parkland has across North ...

Parents, there’s a rather harsh reality that vaping is something your school-age child will encounter at some point. The statistics are that far more teens and pre-teens are vaping than admitting they are vaping. And many adults vape as a “safer way to smoke.” 

How safe is vaping? What do we know about it? And can it cause lung cancer, similar to the cigarettes it it supposed to “replace?” 

We explore all aspects of this question wit...

Kids and teens have been through so much the past two years, as their social lives came to a halt, they were told to keep away from their friends, and important school events were canceled, including graduation. 

Helping our kids is the topic of the first half of this week’s show, especially when parents earn their kid’s trust by being good listeners. 

Lizzy Brown, Family Therapist at Cook Children’s Health Care System has valuable i...

Some of the stories we love the most at the Human Side of Healthcare are related to new medical technologies that help doctors deliver better outcomes to their patients. 

In the fist half of our show, we talk to Dr. Amelia Tower, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Medical Director of the Breast Program at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth about a new imaging technology that allows surgeons to remove all of the affected t...

It’s springtime in North Texas and that means severe storms and allergies. Dr. Curtis Johnson, Medical Director of Emergency Services at Medical City North Hills joins us to talk about the differences between a seasonal allergy flare-up and Covid-19. 

Then, a topic that has become all-too-familiar these past two years for many North Texas: Grief after losing a loved one or close friend. Flor Leal, PhD, Palliative Care Psychologist a...

Healthcare has always been a stable, economically neutral career where people are able to often make a good living through service to others. 

Rose Johnson is Administrative Director of Academic Partnerships and Nurse Leader Development at Medical City Healthcare. She joins us to talk about a program Medical City offers their employees, the “Texas Two-Step.” It’s a path to an RN degree and clinical nursing practice - absolutely free...

This is one of the Spring Break weeks for North Texas schools and we continue the conversation we started last week with Cindy Burnett talking about Spring Break safety, particularly for our daughters. 

This week, we talk with Dr. Helen King, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at UT Southwestern & HIV and Sexual Health Provider at Parkland Health & Hospital System. Dr. King discusses...

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 saf...