Health Care

You’ve Lost a Loved One. Don’t Lose Your Health Too!

Robin Fiorelli, Sr. Director of Bereavement and Volunteers at Vitas Healthcare the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care joins eHealth Radio and the Emotional Health, Health Care & Health News Channels.
Robin Fiorelli has spent her career thinking about loss, death and grief. From what to say to a friend who is grieving to what a community needs when a public tragedy strikes, her education and experience as director of bereavement and volunteer services at VITAS Healthcare have served her, VITAS and the public well.
 
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Robin Fiorelli discuss the following:
Does grief affect our overall health? Specifically what about our physical health and psychological health?
What is complicated grief and what risk factors are associated with it?
What are the indications that grief is moving from its normal course and becoming a problem?
What are some current theories on how our bodies process grief?
What are some tips for coping with grief – and keeping our own wellness in mind?
Summary: Grief is universal and it is a normal human reaction to losing a loved one.  Because the grief experience can be so difficult though, we often think we are losing our minds. So, it helps to understand what normal grief looks like, how we can help those who are grieving and what steps we can take to prevent grief from significantly affecting our health. 
 
Robin Fiorelli, LCSW, is senior director of bereavement and volunteer services for VITAS Healthcare. Robin develops, implements and standardizes VITAS’ volunteer and bereavement services nationwide. She also serves as the liaison between Global Partners in Care and VITAS’ 17 African hospice partnerships, and is liaison between VITAS Community Connection, a non-profit affiliate, and VITAS Healthcare. Additionally, she provides support and education to VITAS ethics committees nationwide. Robin has more than 25 years of social services and bereavement support experience. She joined VITAS in 1993 as a social worker in San Diego. She has served in her current position since 2003. “It was through my experience observing grief outcomes,” Robin says of the topic she will discuss, “that I began to conclude that those mourners who were able to gradually adjust emotionally, socially and spiritually also seemed to sustain better physical health overall. And they seemed to survive longer after their loss. Social support, faith and the individual’s psychological makeup have all been shown in the literature to greatly affect an individual’s grief outcome. “That’s why, at VITAS, we are careful to individually assess each bereaved caregiver’s history—coping with prior loss, social support, internal strengths—to develop a plan of care tailored to their current needs for grief support.”  Robin has received the national VITAS Award for Excellence in Management, been named to VITAS’ Leadership Council and won the Social Worker of the Year Award for the San Diego chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She recently served two terms on the NHPCO bereavement steering committee—officially known as the National Council of Hospice and Palliative Professionals section of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.She is the author of many of the resources on VITAS.com written for grieving friends and family, and has contributed throughout her career to published books and articles on grief and loss and their effects on health.Robin earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work at the University of California, Berkeley.
 
Website: www.vitas.com

Calm Instead of Crisis: A Conversation with A Hospice Doctor

Dr. Joseph Shega, MD, senior vice president and national medical director for VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care & Health News Channels.
 
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Joseph Shega discuss the following:
Hospice is a scary concept. Why shouldn’t people put it off for as long as possible?
How does someone know when it’s time for hospice? Who makes that decision?
What does the hospice admission process involve?
Describe the four levels of hospice care in laymen’s terms.
What is the role of the physician in hospice care?
What can someone expect once they become a hospice patient?
 
Joseph Shega, MD, is senior vice president and national medical director for VITAS Healthcare. Dr. Shega oversees the regional medical directors and the director of physician services. He joined VITAS in 2013 as a regional medical director and in 2016 was promoted to national medical director. Dr. Shega has devoted his career to improving the care of older adults at the end of life. Prior to joining VITAS, he was an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago in geriatrics and palliative medicine. In this role, he helped expand the palliative medicine program, including accreditation of a fellowship program in hospice and palliative medicine, integration of palliative care into oncology, and furthering the understanding of pain assessment and management in persons with dementia.  “The best hospice doctor,” he believes, “is an advocate, someone who appreciates and respects individuality, values personhood and matches each care plan to that personhood.”In conjunction with his work at VITAS, Dr. Shega serves as the chair of the ethics committee for the American Geriatrics Society, as co-editor of the Pain and Aging section of Pain Medicine, and as an editorial board member for the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. He serves on the National Academy of Medicine’s roundtable on quality care for people with serious illness. Dr. Shega is a key contributor to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s UNIPAC education series and serves as managing editor of the upcoming 5th edition. Dr. Shega earned his bachelor’s degree from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Chicago.
 
VITAS® Healthcare has more than 35 years of experience caring for fragile patients and managing care transitions: from hospital to home, from curative to palliative, from chronic to end-stage. VITAS operates 44 hospice programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia, employing 12,051 professionals who care for seriously ill patients daily, primarily in the patients’ homes but also in the company’s 32 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities. In the third quarter of 2016, VITAS reported an average daily census of 16,341 patients.
Learn more at VITAS.com or call 800.93.VITAS.

The Caregiver's Journey Through Alzheimer's and Dementia

 
Health writer and nutrition educator Barbra Cohn again joins eHealth Radio and the Alzheimers Information and Nutrition Channels. Barbra is also the author of Calmer Waters: The Caregiver's Journey Through Alzheimer's & Dementia.
 
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Barbra Cohn discuss the following:
You cared for your husband who had early-onset Alzheimer's disease for 10 years. What is the number #1 health concern that caregivers face?
There are so many books about Alzheimer's, how is yours different and where is it available?
You're a nutrition educator, as well as a health writer. Can you talk about some nutrition tips that help relieve stress?
Your book includes 20 chapters on healing modalities and activities that care partners can do together to help them to relax and feel more connected. What did you and your husband do?
What is the most important thing about providing care for someone with Alzheimer's disease?
What tips can you give for instant stress relief?
 
Barbra Cohn is a health writer and certified nutrition educator who offers support to caregivers, guiding them to make healthy food and lifestyle choices. She cared for her husband for a decade before he died from younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. Afterward, she was compelled to write "Calmer Waters: The Caregiver's Journey Through Alzheimer's and Dementia to help caregivers feel happier, healthier, less stressed, more confident, sleep better and to experience inner peace.Barbra has written hundreds of articles for national and regional publications and health newsletters including First for Women, Better Nutrition, Energy Times, Delicious! and YM magazine. She currently writes a blog called thehealthycaregiverblog (http://barbracohn.com) and is on the editorial board of Care Connections, a newsletter for caregivers.As president and owner of Cohn Writing Solutions, Barbra writes sales copy, newsletters and articles, and analyzes scientific studies for cosmetics and nutritional supplement companies. In addition to holding a Master’s degree in professional writing, she has a Certificate in Nutrition from the Bauman College of Nutrition. When she is not writing, Barbra can be found hiking in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, dancing salsa and tango or playing with her adorable grandchildren. Email her at healthwriter1@gmail.com.
 
 
Websites: www.barbracohn.com | www.cohnwritingsolutions.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmerWatersforCaregivers Twitter: @healthwriter1
The views and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.

MedjetAssist: Your premier global air-medical transport provider

 
John Gobbels, the Chief Operating Officer/Vice President and transport expert for MedjetAssist, the premier global air-medical transport membership program for travelers which is a great supplement to travel insurance again joins eHealth Radio and the Travel Health Care Information Channel.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest John Gobbels discuss the following:
What is MedjetAssist, and how does it compare/contrast to basic travel insurance?
What are some of the different kinds of Medjet memberships?
With the recent attack in Germany, we are reminded that travel safety is very important. How would a Medjet membership benefit a traveler in Berlin at that time? 
As winter sports season has begun, would you recommend Medjet for skiers and snowboarders?
Would Medjet cover snowbirds or students studying abroad who are away from home for an extended period of time?
 

 
John Gobbels brings over 25 years of pre-hospital and hospital service and management experience to his role as vice president and COO of MedjetAssist. Since joining the premier air-medical transport membership program in 2006 as director of transport operations, Mr. Gobbels has been responsible for complete oversight of all transport and repatriation operations.
Before moving from his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Medjet’s headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, Mr. Gobbels spent 13 years with STAT MedEvac, the air ambulance arm of the renowned University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). During his tenure, he played integral roles in almost all aspects of the program, from base operations to communications and clinical operations.
For six years Mr. Gobbels served as clinical director of STAT MedEvac, overseeing compliance with the Commission on Air-Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), as well as the continuing education requirements for all clinical staff. Previously, he was a flight nurse and paramedic. Mr. Gobbels began his career with UPMC in 1991 as a critical care nurse.
John Gobbels holds a Masters degree in Management and Information Technology from Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA., as well as multiple degrees in health care.
 
 
Web Site: medjetassist.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: www.facebook.com/medjetassist  Twitter: @MedjetAssist

Healthcare Providers Have a Vital Role to Play in Educating Patients About Illegal Online Pharmacies

Libby Baney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, a non-profit organization dedicated to making the Internet safe for consumers worldwide again joins eHealth Radio and the Pharmaceutical & Health News Channels.
ASOP Global recently launched a campaign to educate pharmacists, doctors and other healthcare providers about illegal online pharmacies, counterfeit medicines and the tools they need to help keep their patients safe online.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Libby Baney discuss the following:
What is the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies?
Why is the focus of your new campaign healthcare providers?
How prevalent are illegal online pharmacies?
What are the risks associated with buying prescription drugs from illegal online pharmacies?
Can you tell our listeners what to look out for to avoid these dangers?
Summary: What can consumers do to stay safe when shopping for medicines online? Consumers should visit www.BuySafeRx.pharmacy to verify whether a website is safe BEFORE they order any prescription medicines online. We also encourage consumers to look for websites that end in dot-pharmacy, like www.medlife.pharmacy and www.safe.pharmacy, because only entities that are approved by NABP legally qualify to have a dot-pharmacy website. 
Libby Baney is the executive director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global), an international non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. which she founded in 2009. In this capacity, Libby leads ASOP operations, shapes public policy, and advocates for increased international attention to the issue of illegal online drug sellers.
A lawyer by training and health advocate by nature, Libby is a prolific speaker and writer, regularly engaging with diverse audiences on issues at the intersection of Internet technology and healthcare. She leads strategic workshops and speaks on these issues worldwide; writes policy documents; and interacts with international corporate leaders and policymakers.
Libby’s work spans multiple continents, which has been covered by local, national and international media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Politico, Roll Call, The Hill, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Washington Times, The Indianapolis Star, Inside Health Policy, Pharmacy Today, ABC News, CNN, and C-SPAN.
In addition to her work for ASOP, Libby is a partner at FaegreBD Consulting and Counsel with Faegre Baker Daniels LLP where she works on Internet policy, intellectual property rights, pharmacy, telemedicine/telehealth, and pharmaceutical supply chain matters.
Website: www.BuySafeRx.pharmacy
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/BuySafeRx Twitter: @BuySafeRx

Dr. Glen Stream: Health is Primary Campaign

Dr. Glen Stream, MD, President and Board Chair of Family Medicine for America’s Health joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Health News Channels to discuss the Health is Primary Campaign and its efforts to transform health care in the US.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Glen Stream discuss the following:
How is the return of the family doctor, a good thing for the patient, doctor and for the US healthcare system?
Describe how the health care system used to be focused and how it’s transitioning to something very different.
What advances are modern primary care offices making to improve care and keep costs reasonable?
What options are available to patients who want to see a doctor but have a high-deductible plan?
What other throwbacks from old-fashioned health care are making a comeback ?
Duration: 12:05
Dr. Glen Stream, a family physician in Rancho Mirage, California, is past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He serves as the chair of the board of Family Medicine for America’s Health. 
A Washington State native, Dr. Stream attended the University of Washington, Seattle, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. He earned his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and completed his family medicine residency at the Swedish Hospital Family Medicine Residency program, also in Seattle. He also completed a Master of Biomedical Informatics degree at the Oregon Health and Science University in June 2007. 
Dr. Stream worked for six years in a three-physician rural family medicine practice in Cashmere, Washington before joining the Rockwood Clinic, a large multi-specialty practice in Spokane in 1991. At Rockwood he served as board member, chief privacy officer, medical director of clinical information services and, most recently, as chief medical information officer in addition to patient care.
Website: www.healthisprimary.org
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/HealthIsPrimary Twitter: @HealthisPrimary

Workplace impacts on your health

 
 
Ray Carney, WELL AP and Vice President at Markon Solutions, a consulting firm with expertise in facilities strategy and program management joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Health News Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Ray Carney discuss the following:
What are the costs and impact of Poor Wellbeing in the Workplace?
What can we do to shift these costs into opportunities?
What are the concepts of the WELL Building Standard?
Can you provide a few examples of how you see wellness installed in the built environment?
What is the best way for a company to get started?
Duration: 9:39
Ray Carney, WELL AP, is a Vice President at Markon Solutions, a consulting firm with expertise in facilities strategy and program management. Mr. Carney’s areas of focus include leadership, sustainable design, workplace strategy and modification, and design thinking.
Ray received his MBA with a concentration in Leadership and Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in Business Technology from John Carroll University. Mr. Carney is a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP), a Project Management Institute (PMI)-certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Six-Sigma certified Yellow Belt, a certified SCRUMMaster, and a LEED Green Associate.
 
Website: www.markonsolutions.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markoninc Twitter: @MARKONInc

Innovation in Healthcare Asset Disposition

 
Joanne Frogge, the President of BidMed, a healthcare technology company assisting clients globally to buy and sell medical equipment, using a proprietary data system and an innovative web-based software joins eHealth Radio and the Healthcare and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Joanne Frogge discuss the following:
Tell us about your industry and why you started this company.
What services does BidMed provide and how do they solve problems that healthcare facilities are facing?
Tell us about BidMed’s innovative technology products and how they support the services BidMed offers.
Why would facilities have surplus assets, and in what situations do they face large-scale liquidations? Who buys surplus assets?
Do you work with GPOs (Group Purchasing Organizations)? How can healthcare facilities utilize your services through GPO’s? What is the advantage?
Duration: 14:18
Joanne Frogge is the president of BidMed, a technology leader in the healthcare asset disposition industry, specializing in the buying and selling of pre-owned medical equipment. BidMed’s goal is to create a transparent marketplace that helps healthcare facilities reduce their capital expenditures on procurement and maximize returns on disposition.
Joanne earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. She began her career in the Aerospace Defense Industry, working as a Systems Engineer on a missile defense project. Joanne discovered her true passion was solving complex business problems, which led her to pursue an MBA and transition to the healthcare industry. Given the challenges facing the healthcare industry, Joanne recognized a tremendous opportunity in this space, and in 2012, co-founded BidMed.
With over 15 years of business management experience and a strong technical background, Joanne plans and executes BidMed’s strategic direction resulting in successful achievement of the company’s vision and financial goals. Joanne has been instrumental in attaining an annual average growth rate of 40% year after year since BidMed’s inception. On a day-to-day basis, she integrates and manages the company’s major business functions of technology, operations, finances and marketing. Joanne is member of ACHE, CHEF, and she founded and serves as the Executive Director of DonateMed, which provides medical equipment, supplies and medicines to community clinics in need.
 
 
Website: www.bidmed.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/bidmedllc Twitter: @bidmed

Certified Geriatric Pharmacist Credential Moving to the Board of Pharmacy Specialties

William Ellis, Executive Director of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties® in Washington, D.C. joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care and Health News Channels. BPS, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the premier post-licensure certification organization serving the pharmacy profession.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest William Ellis discuss the following:
What is the Board of Pharmacy Specialties?
How many pharmacists are currently BPS board certified?
What sets BPS board certified pharmacists apart from other pharmacists?
What role does the BPS board certified pharmacist play as an integral member of the healthcare team?
BPS recently announced that pharmacists board certified by the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy will now be BPS Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacists. Can you tell us about the implications of this news?
Duration: 8:52
William M. Ellis is the Executive Director for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties® (BPS), an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), in Washington, D.C.  From 1997-2011, he served as CEO and Executive Director of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation.  Ellis was the Executive Vice President for the Pennsylvania Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists from 1986-1997. Ellis also serves as Chair of the Council on Credentialing in Pharmacy which provides leadership, guidance, public information, and coordination for the profession of pharmacy's credentialing programs. In 2014, he was appointed a commissioner to the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. After receiving his pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP), Ellis completed an executive residency with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 1986 and earned his Master of Science degree in health education from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 1994. Currently he also is serving as the chair of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy’s Board of Visitors.
Website: www.bpsweb.org
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoardofPharmacySpecialtiesTwitter: @BPSweb

Debunking common myths about medications, vitamins and hormones

Dr. Mylaine Riobe, a Board-Certified Medical Doctor and specialist in traditional Chinese medicine and Integrative medicine of the Riobe Institute of Integrative Medicine in Stuart, Florida joins eHealth Radio and the Health News Channel. Dr. Riobe is here to discuss debunking common myths about medications, vitamins and hormones.

Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Mylaine Riobe discuss the following:Why are so many medications unsafe long-term?Why all the controversy about vitamins?Why are hormones so controversial?Are there safe alternatives?How can a consumer know where to begin?
Duration: 24:27
Did you know that for the first time in 200 years, our children are not expected to live as long as we do?
The reason for this is that our American medical system is based on the prevention of death rather than prevention of disease. 50% of Americans have life- shortening diseases by age 18.
Did you know that rates of cancer are expected to rise 42% by 2025? We spend more than the entire continent of Europe on cancer care and have over 700,000 more deaths per year than they do! Almost every American is touched by the epidemic of cancer.
The reason for this is that our American medical system is based on the prevention of death from cancer rather than prevention of cancer.
Dr. Riobe proves why early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer to prevent death is no longer acceptable. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Riobe has developed a ground-breaking integrative fusion technique that provides a dynamic approach that is effective, safe and prevents and treats diseases including cancer, by addressing their root causes.
Dr. Riobe's undergraduate studies were completed at Columbia University/Columbia College in NYC where she grew up. She obtained her medical degree at NY Medical College and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of South Carolina. There she learned conventional medical practices that she used for four years following her graduation and board certification in OB/GYN. During this time, she grew frustrated with the cookie-cutter medicine that she learned. Although this form of medicine serves its purpose for acute, life-threatening conditions, she felt that her patients who suffered from chronic conditions such as fatigue, poor sleep, low sex drive, and overweight were often frustrated and incompletely treated.
Her close relationship with her grandmother, who introduced her to holistic healing methods as a child, planted her passion to treat her clients as a whole.
She set out to learn methods that evaluate and treat root causes rather than mask symptoms. This calling led her to study traditional Chinese medicine and integrative medicine over the following 8 years. She completed her studies at The Academy of Pain Research, a University of California, Irvine-affiliated institution; The University of Miami, and The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
She incorporates these disciplines into her practice to provide an integrative, customized approach combining leading-edge modern medical testing and technology with time-tested energy-based methods of traditional Chinese medicine.
In her upcoming books, The Tao of Integrative Medicine and The Answer to Cancer, she makes sense out to the chaos that is our current health crisis and sets a path to prevention of diseases such as cancer as practiced at The Riobe Institute. The Riobe Methods also provides effective treatment of chronic symptoms and conditions after they take hold.
She enjoys practicing what she preaches by living an active life of healthy eating, balanced lifestyle and exercise. As a woman and a mom, she knows first hand how we can all be consumed by a hectic lifestyle. That’s when it’s more important than ever to get on the path to prevention by obtaining your Annual Integrative Check-up.
For more information visit MylaineRiobeMD.com to pre-order your copies of The Tao of Integrative Medicine and The Answer to Cancer.

Website: MylaineRiobeMD.com
Follow Dr. Mylaine Riobe:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiobeInstitute
Twitter: @RiobeIM
The views and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.