The TSET Better Health Podcast

We hear it every holiday season – it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But it’s not for those who are grieving a loss or are feeling stressed out or alone during the holidays. It can also be a challenging time for our physical health, when time off and holiday gatherings can make it easy to let healthy habits slide by the wayside. Check out the next episode of the  TSET Better Health Podcast...

As few as 1.5 percent of Oklahomans who are eligible to get a lung cancer screening actually get them – 1.5 percent. Episode 32 of the TSET Better Health Podcast will explore who qualifies for lung cancer screenings, reasons why rates are so low in our state, the high importance of getting screened, and the programs in place to increase awareness of, and accessibility to, these lifesaving tests. S...

“It’s easy to quit,” Ken Allen, a Muscogee Creek, said of tobacco. “I quit every day, probably 20 times. It was just staying quit is the problem.” The Perkins resident finally quit smoking after more than 35 years with help from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline – and no help from a commercial tobacco industry that markets heavily to Native Americans. Allen shares his long journey toward better health...

Oklahoma students are back in school, where kids and teens often get the nutrition and energy they need to learn and stay active from meals and snacks served in the cafeteria. In fact, school nutrition is crucial for the health and well-being of Oklahoma kids both during and outside of school hours. With school in session and Child Obesity Awareness Month arriving in September, Episode 30 of the T...

We Oklahomans often find ourselves behind the wheel or behind a desk, causing us to fall behind on physical activity. When our built environment lacks sidewalks, trails, bike lanes – in other words, walkability and active transportation – it becomes even harder to get up and be physically active.  Efforts are underway within communities of all sizes to make them easier and safer to walk, jog, run...

We all know that eating well-balanced nutritious meals is important for energy and good health. But that can be difficult for Oklahomans who rely on dollar and convenience stores for their groceries because they lack access to faraway supermarkets. Fortunately, families and individuals can shop for healthy foods at smaller stores, and this episode’s guests provide resources, strategies, and servic...

TSET’s commitment to healthier communities throughout Oklahoma bears repeating. So the TSET Better Health Podcast will present an encore presentation of the “TSET Community Impact” episode that featured stories of partnerships between TSET Healthy Living Program grantees and local community members that helped bring new school playground equipment to Prague, sidewalks to Newkirk for pedestrian saf...

We all know that nicotine addiction is bad for the body, but what about the mind? This month, the TSET Better Health Podcast takes a deep dive into how tobacco impacts mental health with three special guests: Tony Stelter from ODMHSAS discusses the toxic relationship between nicotine addiction. Krysten Isaac of Rescue Agency and Dr. Thomas Ylioja of National Jewish Health talk about two innovative...

The Health Promotion Research Center, or HPRC, is on the front lines of behavioral change technology. Join HPRC co-directors Michael Businelle and Darla Kendzor for an inside look at the Center's work and ground-breaking scientific research into mobile apps and financial incentives to quit smoking. All music licensed through PremiumBeat. Full transcripts and music credits available at tset.ok.gov/...

Take a tour through some of the inspiring stories from TSET's Healthy Living Program. Hear from coordinators Melinda Caldwell, Arianna Derr and Hillary Mead about how they're collaborating with local leaders and organizations to improve the health of their communities. New municipal tobacco policies, Cherokee Nation health partnerships and summer feeding programs for kids are just the start of how...

2022 is in full swing. Making New Year’s resolutions are a common practice, but we often struggle with maintaining them through the year. For this episode, special guests Dr. Jon Hart, Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Director, and Dr. Ashley Weedn, a pediatrician specializing in childhood obesity, walk us through what it takes to make lasting lifestyle changes for health and wellness. All music licensed...

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) was a ground-breaking agency upon its establishment in 2001. Unlike its counterparts in other states, the agency’s operations and missions were dictated by and for the people of Oklahoma by statewide vote. As a result, the agency remains innovative and effective in saving countless lives and changing the course of our state’s future. Take a look back a...

Storytelling is a central tenet of impacting human behavior and generating real social change. That's why the TSET Health Communication (HC) team is an important part of executing the agency's mission. But creating messages that resonate is no easy task. Hear from three special guests about the logic, strategies, and execution of TSET's award-winning HC team: Renee Nolen Rosencrans of the Centers...

In this episode, listeners meet William Poole, who was diagnosed with cancer and given less than a year to live in 2012. After numerous surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy, he had exhausted all options. But when he discovered the TSET Phase 1 Clinical Trials program at Stephenson Cancer Center, everything changed. The Stephenson Cancer Center and TSET have a longstanding partnership with benefits...

Join the TSET Better Health Podcast team for an inside look at the annual Oklahoma Municipal League conference and how TSET grants benefit cities and schools. Since 2012, TSET has awarded Healthy Incentive Grants to more than 130 cities and towns and to numerous school sites and districts, and every grant creates healthier local environments – as determined by local residents and officials. This e...

Explore the exciting world of stem cell research with Courtney Griffin, Ph. D., Scientific Director at the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research. This innovative approach to regenerative care shows promise in areas across the medical spectrum from blindness to COVID-19. Join your hosts and TSET Executive Director Julie Bisbee to learn about this state-of-the-art research facility right here...

The Youth Action for Health Leadership, part of TSET's Healthy Youth Initiative, inspires and incentivizes young people to become advocates for public health. Jessica Davis, TSET Assistant Director of Programs, and Caryle Hausbeck, Senior Program Manager at Rescue Agency, give us an inside look at this innovative approach to youth engagement and generational impact. Music licensed through PremiumB...

Join the Better Health podcast team and special guests for a discussion on systemic causes and effects of poor nutrition in Oklahoma and some partnerships that are addressing it. Marc Jones, CEO of Homeland Acquisition Corporation, and Richard Comeau with Hunger Free Oklahoma break down the realities of food insecurity and what the Double Up Oklahoma program is doing to help. Jonathan Veal with Re...

TSET welcomes its first national guest and public health powerhouse, Dr. Steven A. Schroeder, to discuss the importance of prevention and why it should be a priority in Oklahoma and the United States. Dr. Schroeder wrote the 2007 Shattuck Lecture " We Can Do Better ," a landmark report on the status of health and mortality in America. His findings suggest that despite high health care spending and...

Food insecurity in Oklahoma was higher than the national average before the pandemic. Since then, the need for food access has only increased, especially in rural areas and smaller cities in Oklahoma. This episode highlights a few inspiring stories from recipients of the 2020 TSET Food Systems Impact Grants. These projects make a little go a long way: RSVP of Enid, a multifaceted food and services...

Public health advocates have identified a root cause of many health issues plaguing Oklahomans: insufficient health education in public schools. In this episode, State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, Healthy Schools OK Executive Director Lindsi Lemons, and new TSET Program Officer Laura Matlock provide their expert opinions and on-the-ground perspectives about what it will take to improve health ed...

Swap Up is an exciting new statewide education campaign from the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative. Focused on youth nutrition and obesity prevention, Swap Up is collaboration between TSET and Rescue Agency and is tailored to the specific health needs of Oklahomans 13-18. Join James and Cate as they pull back the curtain on this groundbreaking campaign as it positions itself to help build a brighter f...

What is Big Tobacco’s influence in our government? Public health policy experts Sarah Rivin with the American Heart Association and Doug Matheny with the TSET Health Promotion Research Center join hosts James and Cate to discuss preemption, Big Tobacco lobbying, and vaping regulation.  (Music: “Hoist”, “Space”, “Scramby Eggs”, “Sheffield Hall”, and “A Perceptible Shift” by Andy G. Cohen , released...

Seasons greetings from TSET! This month, James and Cate spread holiday cheer with guests Jae Morrison and Valarie Carter. Jae Morrison, an obesity prevention specialist for the Oklahoma State Department of Health, talks about ways to stay physically active during the winter season and best practices for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions. Valarie Carter, chef and culinary medicine instructor...

In honor of the Great American Smokeout, a national holiday to encourage tobacco cessation for one day, James and Cate explore the current state of youth vaping with advocates and professionals alike. Hear conversations with Rescue founder Jeff Jordan and Tulsa Public Schools physical education coordinator Jen Sanders about the myths, facts, figures and advice for youth vaping. Paola Klein of the...