Talk! With Audrey

Medicare’s new Plan Finder makes it easy to review and compare Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans. Plan Finder provides a personalized experience to help you learn about different options and select the coverage plan that best meets your needs. My guest is Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Today the food industry is facing many challenges, fraud, contaminations and complex supply chains. Susanne Livingston, director of the IBM Food Trust Network, joins me with information about block chain technology and how it's improving the global food supply and working to ensure your plate is safe from foodborn illnesses.

It’s no secret men can be notoriously bad about keeping up regular doctor’s visits. This November marks National Men’s Health Awareness month, a time of year when Northwestern Medicine encourages men to take charge of their health. Dr. Joshua Halpern, Urologist and assistant professor at Northwestern Medicine is Audrey’s guest.

In the aftermath of another Election day, American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford is hoping that Americans will pause to remember just who it is that makes it possible to freely choose our elected officials.

It’s important people with Medicare understand their coverage options and select the plan that best suits your health needs. This is an important decision for our nation’s Veterans, as they have the opportunity to maximize their coverage by electing to enrol in a Medicare Advantage plan for 2020 that will complement any Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits they may have. Ed Sandrick, Director of the Veterans Channel for Humana is my guest.

Did you know that, a Stroke is a “Brain Attack” and can happen to anyone at any age?  Dr. Andre Fredieu, medical director, Oklahoma Stroke & Neurological Institute, Hillcrest Medical Center joins me to talk about the signs of a stroke and what you should do if someone you know experiences a sudden onset of symptoms.

Marissa Price, senior strategist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) joins Audrey to talk about why they feel it’s important to discuss the effects that animal agriculture has on our environment and how the leather industry is contributing to world-wide climate change.

Approximately 30 percent of women diagnosed with earlier stages of breast cancer will eventually develop a form of the disease for which there is no cure – metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Dennis Slamon, Director of Clinical/Translational Research of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA and Jamil Rivers, a metastatic breast cancer patient have information about the latest clinical trial data and what it could mean for people living with metastatic breast cancer.

If you have a Medicare health or prescription drug plan, you only have until the end of Open Enrolment, December 7, 2019 to make changes to your 2020 plan. We talked with Ray Hurd, Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid and he'll talk about everything we need to know about the Medicare Open Enrolment period.

As a busy pet parent, it’s important to check in with our pets regularly to ensure they stay happy and healthy. When it comes to helping Fido enjoy life to the fullest, there are some things to keep in mind. My guest is veterinarian, Dr. Lisa Lippman has tips to help us keep our furry friends safe as the cooler weather approaches.   

One third of a woman’s life may be spent in menopause, yet few people talk about it. Silence around menopause can make women feel invisible, but it’s time to have this new era of voices heard. Lets change that by having a frank conversation to remove the stigma and empower the current and next generation of women to continue to be seen and heard as they experience menopause. My guests are Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg, PhD, chief of the division of behavioral medicine at MacDonald Women's Hospital/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Shirley Weir, Founder of Menopausechicks dot com and author of Cracking Open the Perimenopause Conversation with your Doctor.    

World Wellness Weekend is a world-wide event that will be celebrated September 21 and 22 in the U.S. During the weekend over 2,000+ spas, salons, yoga studios, fitness clubs, sport associations in 100 countries will open their doors to celebrate creating and maintaining a lifestyle focused on total wellness for body & mind. The goal of World Wellness Weekend is to bring people together to participate in activities such as fitness challenges, wellness workshops, or a relaxing spa experience.  Joe Magnacca of Massage Envy and official U.S. sponsor of World Wellness Weekend tells us how to enjoy the weekend. 

Every day, over 100 Americans die after overdosing on opioids, including prescription pain medications. To help fight the opioid crisis, Northwestern Medicine launched innovative strategies for reducing the number of pills prescribed by surgeons and is offering patients a safe, clinic-based disposal option for their unused pain medications. Dr. Jonah Stulberg, Opioid Stewardship Lead at Northwestern Medicine is my guest.

For women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are of childbearing years and considering becoming pregnant there can be a lot of frustration, confusion and fear about how their disease may impact their ability to have a healthy pregnancy. My guest is Dr. Marla Dubinsky Co-Director of the Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one out of three children aged 5 to 17 years missed one or more school days due to illness or injury. With health coverage, you can ensure your children are better equipped to learn so they realize their full academic potential by staying healthy throughout the year. Dr. Cara James for the Consortium for Medicaid and Children’s Health Operations Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has information for parents about how MEDICAID AND CHIP HELP ELIGIBLE CHILDREN OBTAIN COVERAGE YEAR-ROUND.

When most people think of stroke, they may picture an individual in their 50’s or older, often times in poor physical health.  But a stroke can happen to anyone, of any age, at any time. Dr. Adam Barnathan, an Emergency Physician at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Tampa and Lauren Barnathan, Dr. Barnathan’s wife, 31-year-old stroke survivor and Speech Pathologist trained in stroke rehabilitation.

Protecting our skin from the sun should be top of mind, especially this time of year. But a new survey by the Skin Cancer Foundation revealed that most Americans are not aware of a potentially threatening skin cancer known as “CSCC.” Audrey's guests are Dr. Ariel Ostad and Ron Maniloff; they talk about the survey and why skin cancer awareness is so important.

There is a record amount of U.S. wind power under construction, I speak with American Wind Energy Association CEO Tom Kiernan and Roy Falcon, an 18-year veteran of the wind industry, we talk about Annual American Wind Week and the latest economic and environmental benefits of American wind farms and factories.

A new treatment gives hope to patients with Unresectable Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. My guest is Dr. Kristin Higgins, Radiation Oncologist at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.        

Jersey’s City’s Puertorriqueños Asociados for Community Organization, Inc (PACO) has an initiative to help grow the local police force. They are offering a Free, 3-Day Law Enforcement Entry Level Prep Course.  Julio Garcia PACO Executive Director is Audrey's guest.