Health Story

Signs of progress against the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States are encouraging, yet infection rates continue to surge in some regions of the world, and lack of access to vaccines abroad and vaccine-hesitancy at home raise the risk of virus variants and future infections. The on-going need to remain on-guard includes ready access to mental health services. Manish Sapra, MD, executive director of the Behavioral Health Services at Northwell Health, discusses today's unique mental health challenges, and explains why Telehealth and Telepsychiatry are vital tools in the practitioner's kit.

Social distancing and quarantine can magnify pandemic anxiety. For those who feel isolated, a holistic nurse practitioner provides a guided meditation to build awareness of shared connections.

Focus on everyday purpose and meaning with a parable about work, then find encouragement with a brief meditation created especially for essential workers by a holistic nurse practitioner.

Working from home can work your last nerve while you share limited space with others. Learn a simple way to slow down and calm frustration with a reset that works for any age. Jen Caliendo, from the Northwell Health Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine, shares her work-from-home experience, and how a brief exercise lowers stress for her and her family.

A mother's concern for her daughter, a critical care nurse, inspired this capsule meditation to calm and encourage health care workers on the frontlines. Holistic nurse practitioner Deborah McElligott, of the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine, bears witness to the trying experiences on the frontlines, then leads you through the process of preparing to deliver treatment with compassion for patients and yourself.

Northwell Health’s Peconic Bay Medical Center (PBMC) in Riverhead is the setting for conversations about the demands and rewards of caring for loved ones outside of hospital settings. Volunteers explain how a Caregivers Center at PBMC enables them to share information, encouragement and mutual support in a space designed for and solely-dedicated to serving their needs. It's an idea adopted from the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center in Westchester. Plans are to expand the program for caregivers throughout the region.

A doctor, hospital administrator and nurse-educators explain how a military-inspired program enlists the entire Northwell Health community to ensure teamwork and patient safety.

Dr. Lance Becker, chair of emergency departments for North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center describes research and shares his experiences on the subject of restoring life to people well-beyond traditional time limits of clinical death. Dr. Becker is also an investigator at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and is chair of emergency medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. In this conversation he demystifies a once-miraculous process, and says revivification may one day be routinely available for use by ambulance crews in a variety of settings and locations.

This edition of Health Story features an informal conversation with Dr. Matthew Weiss, deputy physician-in-chief and director of surgical oncology, Northwell Health Cancer Institute. Dr. Weiss describes the goals and practices of the Institute, and explains how its multi-disciplinary approach to targeting cancers supports and benefits physician-patient relationships, and encourages participation in research toward more successful outcomes.

New York native Toni Fabric returns from Chicago for care and treatment at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. Director of Surgical Oncology Dr. Matthew Weiss and institute-associate Dr. David Tuveson of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Lustgarten Foundation discuss pancreas cancer, Toni's positive outcome, and the Northwell Health Cancer Institute's multi-disciplinary strategy against this all-too-common illness, including; chemotherapy, surgical intervention, support for physicians, and patient-participation in genetic research.

A surgical team employs email correspondence to gain insights about the lives, loves and enthusiasms of their patients. Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, explains how information about subjects including Italian meatballs and the music of Pink Floyd can build rapport among his colleagues, their patients and the patient's loved ones, contributing to favorable outcomes.

A New York mom approaches midlife with a heavy heart, and heart disease. A presentation produced by the Katz Institute for Women's Health for female employees inspired Kathy Khodadadi to seek help. Kathy and members of the Katz cardiology team discuss game-changing strategies for addressing heart-health challenges confronting women.

Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health President and Chief Executive Officer, and Coauthor Charles Kenney conclude a three-part discussion of their new book and present evidence of how optimism, effort, respect and persistence are keys to a successful "reboot" of the U.S. health care system. Topics include Northwell Health as a model for consolidation and trends in health care policy.

In Part Two of a three-part series, Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health President and Chief Executive Officer and coauthor Charles Kenney describe energizing megatrends in medicine, including; new practices in education, brain health, information technology, and health care value. Micheal J. Dowling, Charles Kenney, Health Care Reboot, hospital consolidation, brain health, To Err is Human,

In the first of a three-part series, Michael J. Dowling, Northwell Health President and Chief Executive Officer and Coauthor Charles Kenney discuss their new book, and support their case for renewed confidence in the American health care system. The authors describe Health Care Reboot as, "optimistic in a realistic way."