Health Dialogues Episodes

July 2010: Rural Health in Northern California Rural areas attract few hospitals or specialists.  Transportation and weather conditions can add to difficulties in getting health care for a population that has higher rates of poverty than cities. Health Dialogues takes a road trip down Highway 299 to learn how medical professionals are working to bring quality care to a remote part of Northern California. June 2010: Prison Health Care The health care system for California's inmates has been troubled for years, and a court-appointed receiver currently oversees prison health care. Now the Schwarzenegger administration wants the University of California to run the system. Health Dialogues looks at prison health care today, and what it might become in the future.     May 2010: California Brownfields Throughout California, there properties that lie unused due to some kind of pollution. These so-called brownfields can be detrimental to the public health in a variety of ways. Health Dialogues explores California brownfields: some ignored, some successfully cleaned up and others somewhere in between.  April 2010: Caring for the Developmentally Disabled Join Health Dialogues as we discuss why the state wants to close a residential care facility for the developmentally disabled, and what this closure might mean for the community. We also examine other services that help families take care of their loved ones living with developmental disabilities.     March 2010: Organ Donation Join Health Dialogues for a journey into the complicated world of organ donation, an agony of life, death and waiting. We’ll explore the phenomenon of donor rings, with altruistic donors, designed to reduce wait times for an organ. We’ll also hear how race, income and social status can affect access to transplants and the insurance to cover them February 2010: Teens Coming of Age Join Health Dialogues as we talk about teens coming of age. We’ll explore the health issues surrounding the transition from childhood to being an adult. How do parents and schools talk to teenagers about responsible sex and positive, loving relationships? How do teens interpret the images of health and sexuality that they see in the media? And, what are some of the most pressing health issues for teenagers on their journey to adulthood?   January 2010: Pain Pain has been called America's silent epidemic. It is estimated that between 50 and 90 million Americans live with some kind of pain, which affects a person's family, job and community. Pain costs billions of dollars in lost productivity and health care bills each year, and yet, it remains a complex and mysterious issue. Health Dialogues explores many aspects of pain: the different types, the latest research on pain and the brain, pain relief, addiction, even attitudes towards pain.