For the Love of Health

Imagine living with a tremor so severe that just holding a cup of coffee, signing your name, or sending a text message becomes a daily challenge.

For thousands of people living with essential tremor or Parkinson's Disease, those simple tasks can feel almost impossible. But a groundbreaking treatment is changing that, bringing life-changing results often in a single session. ChristianaCare Physician Executive of Neurosciences Dr. Kim Gannon and Access Coordinator Michelle Bellon join us to explain MRI Guided Focused Ultrasound and how this revolutionary incision-free surgery is delivering immediate, visible change for the right patients.

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When disaster strikes, most people see the response after the fact. What they don't always see is the preparation that happens long before an emergency occurs.

While many emergencies can feel sudden, the people who specialize in emergency management are working constantly to avert worst-case scenarios. To find out what that means in terms of a health system, we sit down with Chris Murtha, Emergency Management Program Manager, and Samantha Berman, Senior Emergency Management Planner, who share how they prepare for everything from severe weather and power outages to disease outbreaks. 

We get into the p...

Measles. Cyclospora. Vaccines. Infectious disease headlines have been everywhere this summer — but what do they really mean for you and your family?

On this special live episode For the Love of Health, ChristianaCare's Associate Chief Infection Prevention Officer Dr. Pam Bailey and Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Stephen Eppes go behind the headlines, separate fact from fear and explain what’s driving recent outbreaks.

We discuss why measles spreads so efficiently when community MMR vaccination rates slip below the protection threshold. We also tackle the other big stressor of the summer: foodborne illness. From Cyclospora tied...

What does it take for student athletes to stay healthy, compete at their best, and bounce back from injuries when they happen?

A new sports season brings fun and excitement, but it can also mean added pressure and a lot of miles on growing bodies. Whether your child is gearing up for that new season or coming back after recovering from an injury, understanding sports medicine can make a big difference. Pediatric sports medicine physician Dr. Charlene Jones joins us to get clear on what actually keeps student athletes healthy when practice volume spikes and the calendar...

According to the CDC estimated global rates of handwashing after using the toilet are only 19%. Once you hear that statistic, every shared surface feels different. On this episode, we sit down with Dr. Pam Bailey, Associate Infection Prevention Officer at ChristianaCare, and Sarah Townsend, ChristianaCare's Director of Infection Prevention, to talk about the most underrated health skill: hand hygiene that actually works.

They walk us through the technique most of us skip, especially thumbs and fingertips, and explain why the problem is usually not the product but the rushed “slap and dash.” We also dig into when visi...

July might feel way too early to talk back-to-school, but the calendar does not care and neither do the forms sitting in your inbox. In this LIVE podcast to kick off Season 4, we turn school prep into a pop quiz that gets you ahead of the stress instead of buried by it. 

Dr. Teresa Matanchuk and Dr. Bridget Peters start with the routine that quietly controls everything else: sleep. Kids and teens can’t snap from summer hours to school mornings overnight. Then we hit the practical checklist that families always scramble to finish, including when to boo...

GLP-1 weight loss drugs are suddenly everywhere, but the loudest voices online rarely explain what these medications actually are, who they are for, and what happens after the first wave of weight loss. We sit down with Dr. Caitlin Halbert, Medical Director of ChristianaCare’s Bariatric Surgery Program, and Dr. Lisa Breslow, Medical Director of the Obesity Medicine Program, to bring the conversation back to science, safety, and long-term health.

We also get practical about decision-making. ChristianaCare's Center for Weight Management brings obesity medicine, bariatric surgery, nutrition counseling, behavioral health support, and movement together to tailor a pl...

Food advice is everywhere, but when you’re staring down a new diabetes diagnosis or trying to protect a healthy pregnancy, you need better advice than "just eat better".

Nutrition is a major part of a healthy lifestyle, and ChristianaCare is continuing to enhance nutrition-focused coaching through the Food is Medicine Program. Community health workers Eric Plautz and Alyssa Benjamin join us to unpack how the Food is Medicine approach becomes real support: medically tailored groceries, weekly nutrition coaching, and hands-on skills that fit into busy lives.

The discussion begins with the evolution of th...

Cancer touches nearly every family in Delaware. But based on new data released by the Delaware Division of Public Health, there's reason for hope.

Between 2008 and 2022, cancer mortality rates decreased by an average of 1.5% per year in both Delaware and the United States. The most important reasons are surprisingly practical: better cancer screening, better follow-up, and better support for patients once the process starts.

To better explain the progress that's been made and where more work needs to be done, we're joined by Dr. Thomas Schwaab, the Bank of America Endowed Medical Director of ChristianaCare's...

Every summer, emergency departments across Delaware see patients who didn't realize how dangerous the heat had become until it was too late. Yet heat-related illness is largely preventable. 

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related death in the United States, and the problem is getting worse: heat-related deaths among adults over 65 have increased 85% since the 1990s, with projections showing they could rise by 370% by mid-century. Delaware, one of the fastest-warming states in the country, is on the front lines.

The challenge in preventing heat-related illness is recognizing the risk before it becomes an emergency. I...

How's your posture? Can you turn at your hips without feeling any pain? Can you suck in your navel?

Two years ago we were joined by ChristianaCare physical therapists Travis Ross and Brian Catania to discuss their nationally recognized Sling Activation Sequence for athletes. Since then, Travis and Brian have been refining their work to show how core strengthening is for everyone, from pro athletes to 77 year old grandmothers who just enjoy staying active.

We discuss how pain leads in inhibition, why sitting and device posture and quietly shut down proper activities, and how the...

Raising teenagers has always been difficult, regardless of the generation. But life in the modern world has introduced a whole new of challenges to navigate, for both adolescents and their parents.

It's more important than ever to stay on top of your teen's mental health and wellbeing. While that may be easier said than done, ChristianaCare psychologist Dr. Narpinder Malhi joins us to share a few clear signs that tend to tell the truth fast, to help you avoid guesswork and spiraling. From getting enough sleep and developing daily routines to limiting screen time and sugar intake...

You need a prescription refill or have a quick question for your primary care provider. So you send a message through your patient portal, expecting your doctor will read it between appointments.

To make sure every patient gets timely, thoughtful care, primary care is no longer a solo effort. Today, doctors are supported by a full care team. And the newest member might surprise you: the Inboxologist.

In this episode, we take a closer look at how modern primary care is evolving with Dr. Priya Dixit-Patel, physician executive of primary care at ChristianaCare, and Mary...

Spring has sprung! And while we're all eager to get outside and enjoy life in the sun again, make sure you're prepared for some seasonal concerns.

On our latest live conversation with Primary Care physicians Dr. Bridget Peters and Dr. Theresa Metanchuk, we discuss seasonal allergies, what you can take to keep them under control, and how to tell the difference between them and a cold or the flu. We offer a reminder about sun safety, be it at your child's soccer meet or a spring break trip to the beach. And we offer some advice on...

When you go to a doctor's appointment, you may recognize the doctors, nurses, and medical assistants on your care team. But there's another essential role making a powerful difference behind the scenes: Community Health Workers (CHWs). 

In this episode of For the Love of Health, we explore how community health workers at ChristianaCare help patients navigate the healthcare system and everyday life challenges that impact health. From managing chronic conditions to accessing food, transportation, and community resources, CHWs serve as trusted guides and advocates - meeting patients where they are.

Erin Ridout, Manager of Community H...

The thrill of the Olympic Winter Games can make anyone believe a gold medal is just a weekend away. But before you start attempting those triple axels and backside rodeo 540s, make sure your body is ready.

ChristianaCare Sports Medicine specialist Dr. Elizabeth Barchi encourages us to stay active and try new things while channeling that Olympic spark into a smart path. Real progress starts with a simple mantra: start low and go slow. From the first wobbly steps on skates to a clean landing on a big jump, we break down why seemingly effortless performance is...

Lung cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. Patients often face a fast-moving disease and few treatment choices.

But what if you could treat lung cancer with something as simple as an inhaler? It's an option that may be closer than you think thanks to groundbreaking research from ChristianaCare's Gene Editing Institute.

At the heart of the technique is at-home CRISPR gene editing, designed to switch off tumor resistance at its source. Drs. Eric Kmiec and Kelly Banas of the Gene Editing Institute unpack the decade-long journey from a big idea to a viable...

Resolutions feel exciting until the third week of January hits - then real life tests whether the plan can withstand stress, snow days, and scroll-bait "hacks."

On this special LIVE episode of For the Love of Health, we sat down with Primary Care physicians Dr. Bridget Peters and Dr. Theresa Metanchuck to help separate what actually moves the needle from what just moves your feed. 

Their approach is simple: start with your goals, then design habits you can sustain. From supplements and protein to sleep, stress, and activity, we build a practical roadmap that fits y...

Do you know how to read your medical bills? Do you know what to do if you can't afford to pay your medical bills?

Financial concerns shouldn't decide whether you see a doctor. On this episode of For the Love of Health, we're pulling back the curtain on hospital billing, financial assistance, and the practical steps that make care affordable - often for people who never imagined they'd qualify. 

ChristianaCare's Vice President of Revenue Cycle, Christina Corkery, and Health Guides supervisor, Dawn Baker walk through how to navigate coverage, who qualifies for help and how t...

The concept of well-being in healthcare doesn't just refer to doctors and nurses. When caregivers feel supported and fulfilled in their work, the patient experience also improves, impacting our entire community.

Dr. Maureen 'Mo' Leffler, ChristianaCare's Chief Wellbeing Officer, joins us to discuss why caregiver wellbeing matters for safety, outcomes, and trust. We discuss how burnout is an occupational injury - not a personal flaw - as well as the evidence linking clinician distress to and lower patient satisfaction, and how targeted programs and tools such as GROW (Get Rid of Waste) and WIN (the Wellbeing Integrated...

Structural heart disease is a condition that affects the heart’s structure, its valves, chambers and walls. Minimally invasive procedures are transforming treatment for these complex conditions.

Many diagnoses that once required open heart surgery can now be treated with minimally-invasive procedures, resulting in shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and a faster return to the activities you love. Dr. Neil Wimmer, Medical Director of the ChristianaCare Structural Heart Program, and Interventional and Structural Cardiologist Dr. Erin Fender join us to unpack how transcatheter therapies work, why outcomes now rival open heart surgery, and what it's like to se...

What if a community could turn generosity into faster answers, wider access, and life-changing research? It's a question that drives ChristianaCare's Office of Philanthropy and the subject of our conversation with Dia Williams Adams, ChristianaCare Vice President of Philanthropy, and Dr. Thomas Schwaab, Bank of America Endowed Medical Director of ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, we start with the heart of philanthropy—love of humankind—and draw a clear line between traditional funding that keeps operations running and donor dollars that push care forward. From...

When you have to take your child to the hospital, it's not a good day for anyone in your family. But a Child Life Specialist can help make your experience a little more positive.

In this episode, we're joined by ChristianaCare's first Child Life Specialist, Shannon Taylor, who explains how fear loses power when kids have a plan, and how preparation, choice, and play can turn stressful hospital moments into manageable ones. We walk through the practical tools that make a real difference. A custom LEGO model of an MRI machine and an app with real scanner...

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. It is one of the most impactful and prevalent health challenges facing women today, highlighting the need for quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

On this episode of For the Love of Health, we're speaking with Dr. Susan Schaffer Whiteman, medical oncologist at ChristianaCare's Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. Dr. Schaffer Whiteman shares her expertise on how to catch breast cancer early, what the different breast cancer diagnoses actually mean, and how complementary therapies such...

Flu is unpredictable, but your plan doesn't have to be. On this episode of For the Love of Health, we sat down with Dr. Marci Drees, Chief Infection Prevention Officer, and Cynthia Griffin, Chief Nursing Officer of Community Care at ChristianaCare, to map out a smarter way to move through cold and flu season without the stress. From vaccine timing to sick-day decisions, we break down what actually works - and what you can skip - to keep your family safer and your schedule intact.

We also introduce ChristianaCare's Cough & Cold Line (302-623-7400), open Monday-Friday, 8 a...

When’s the last time you had a headache? And when it hit, did you just down a cup of coffee or a couple pills to try to get it to pass?

Almost everyone gets headaches, but not everyone really understands what that pain is trying to tell them. From simple daily tension headaches to severe and debilitating migraine, every headache tells a story. And it’s a good idea to listen to your body and get to the root cause.

On this episode of For the Love of Health ChristianaCare neurologists Dr. Rami Al-Hader and...

According to Delaware Health and Social Services, by 2030 more than 150,000 New Castle County residents will be over 60 years old. A majority of those residents are homeowners who hope to stay in their homes.

As Delaware's population ages, physical barriers within their homes threaten their independence and quality of life. When stairs become mountains and bathrooms transform into hazard zones, the consequences extend far beyond inconvenience. Missed medical appointments, preventable falls, isolation, and difficulties for first responders to access patients are the hidden costs of homes that no longer serve their aging residents.

Thanks to a...

According to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest claims more lives globally than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.

But if an emergency happens near you where someone needs CPR, would you be prepared? On this episode of For the Love of Health, we’re joined by Jennifer Oldham, cardiovascular quality and innovation nurse program manager at ChristianaCare.  Jennifer tells us why CPR is so vital during the first few moments after cardiac arrest, provides guidelines and tips on how to perform CPR, and talks about lif...

Back to school season is already here, and although it is just the first week of August, we know the last days of summer go fast. From sleep schedules to screen time, back to school can be overwhelming.

Joining us for some Back to School Tips and Recommendations is Primary Care Provider Dr. Chelsea Hastry. She shares her guidance on how to ease into those transitions and make sure your child has a great first couple weeks back to school.

Chelsea Hastry, M.D., is a dedicated and enthusiastic double certified physician in both internal...

What if the hospital could come to you instead of you going to the hospital?

On the first episode of For the Love of Health in 2023, we discussed ChristianaCare's Hospital Care at Home program - an opportunity for patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes. Two years after that first conversation, we're sitting down with physician Dr. Emilia Adah and paramedic Heather Orkis to discover how hospital-level care delivered at home is changing lives across Delaware.

The Hospital Care at Home program has transformed from an innovative experiment to a...

Mental illness isn't always obvious. Someone suffering with anxiety or depression can still wear a smile, crack a joke and be successful. On this episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Mustafa Mufti, Chair of the ChristianaCare Department of Psychiatry, explains how mental health should be treated the same as physical health. 

Mustafa Mufti, M.D., is the chair of the ChristianaCare Department of Psychiatry. In this role, Dr. Mufti focuses on fostering and maintaining a vibrant, successful psychiatry department, including physician performance, quality, research and scholarly activity as well as the administration of all departmental e...

Our eyes are working for us every second we're awake. Yet eye health often falls at the bottom of our wellness priority lists, taken for granted until problems arise.

Keeping your eyes healthy doesn't just protect your vision - it can prevent serious health problems down the road. But when you have a question about your eyesight, should you see an ophthalmologist and an optometrist? ChristianaCare ophthalmologists Dr. Benjamin Chaon and Dr. Tomilade Adepoju join us to discuss the difference between the two types of providers and when to escalate your care beyond corrective lenses. They also...

Summer is officially here, bringing with it backyard pool days, beach trips, and sunshine-filled adventures. But did you know your unprotected skin can be damaged by UV rays in as little as 15 minutes? That tanned complexion many associate with health is actually your body's response to damage!

Before you head to the pool, take a moment to consider a few summer safety tips with Dr. Dylan McDivitt from ChristianaCare Primary Care at Woodstown. He shares the latest guidance on what kind of sunscreen to use and how often to apply; tips on staying hydrated through summer heat...

Motherhood doesn't always match our expectations. For many new parents, the journey brings unexpected emotional challenges. In fact, CDC research shows that about 1 in 8 women with a recent live birth reported symptoms of postpartum depression. And that's just one of a multitude of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders that can develop during pregnancy and persist for up to three years after delivery.

That's where ChristianaCare's Center for Women's Emotional Wellness comes in. Psychologists Malina Spirito and Spencer Paige Brown join us to share their insights on the number one complication of childbirth, discussing how one parent's mental...

At ChristianaCare, excellence is at the foundation of our nursing practice, having recently secured a fourth consecutive Magnet® designation - the gold standard and ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet designation signifies belonging to an elite group representing just 10% of hospitals nationwide, and ChristianaCare is the first health system in Delaware to achieve a four-peat.

To explain the significance of this milestone, we're joined by Michelle Collins, Vice President of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare, and Paige Merring, ChristianaCare Nursing Excellence Manager. Michelle and Paige unpack what m...

According to the National Institute of Health, there are more than 500,000 clinical trials happening right now around the world. ChristianaCare has been nationally recognized for contributions to this work, as clinicians and scientists at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute collaborate to turn laboratory discoveries into real world therapies.

On this week's episode of For The Love of Health, we're joined by Dr. Greg Masters, ChristianaCare’s National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Principal Investigator. Dr. Masters explains how these vital studies work and why they matter - from testing new medications to...

Have you heard of the term "health care pollution"? It refers to the waste that hospitals produce while providing patient care, as well as hospitals’ carbon emissions.

Nurse Practitioner Deanna Benner and Nursing Professional Development Specialist Ashley Oncay discuss how they found ways to decrease ChristianaCare's carbon footprint. What started as a grassroots initiative has transformed into a $1 million sustainability movement. Through the Medical Supply Donation Program and the Landfill Diversion Project, ChristianaCare is helping the community while reducing waste. 

Whether you're a ChristianaCare caregiver or simply someone concerned about the environment, this episode offers pra...

Improving quality of life is a goal in both healthcare and policing.  ChristianaCare and the New Castle County Division of Police are working together to change lives in our community. 

The collaboration is called the Behavioral Health Unit, a groundbreaking partnership that pairs officers with social workers to transform crisis response. When 911 calls with mental health components come in, these specialized teams respond together. Officers ensure safety while social workers conduct comprehensive assessments to determine appropriate care possibilities beyond the limited options of jail or emergency rooms.

On this episode of For the Love of He...

According to the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 13 million.As Delaware's aging population is expected to grow, the need for memory care is also increasing.

On this episode, Dr. Steven Huege endowed chair of ChristianaCare's Swank Center for Memory Care reveals how a multidisciplinary approach makes all the difference for patients and their families. You'll hear about the different conditions addressed by the Swank Center, their participation in the innovative GUIDE Program to assist caregivers, and what the future holds for memory care in terms...

ChristianaCare's Delaware Medicaid Partners Accountable Care Organization - also known as an ACO - has set the standard for innovative, high-quality care at lower costs.

On this week's episode of For the Love of Health, Dr. Christine Donohue-Henry, ChristianaCare Chief Population Health Officer, and Dr. Rose Kakoza, Senior Medical Director for ChristianaCare's Medicaid ACO, share how this value-based care is changing the lives of Delaware's Medicaid population and highlight how a fundamental shift from illness treatment to disease prevention is helping to drive down costs and keeping communities healthier.

Christine Donohue-Henry, M.D., MBA is...