HealthCetera

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash Telehealth can be a convenient approach to getting health care but barriers to its use persist. When is it appropriate to use telehealth and when is it inappropriate? What are the obstacles to using telehealth more often and how can we address some of these to make telehealth more available. To answer these and other questions about telehealth. Heaelt...

Photo by Angiola Harry on Unsplash Cancer remains a prevalent health concern. It’s estimated that almost 2 million people are newly diagnosed with cancer each year. While cancer used to mean a death sentence, it is now largely considered to be a chronic illness so that people are living longer and better than they have in the past because of new methods of cancer treatment. What is called cancer s...

Photo by Akram Huseyn on Unsplash January is cervical cancer month. There is now a self-screening test for cervical cancer that could have a significant impact on its early detection. Dr. Erica Liebermann, PhD, RN, is a registered nurse and Assistant Professor of nursing at the University of Rhode Island and a fellow in the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators. HealthCeter...

Photo by Intricate Explorer on Unsplash What does Kentucky have in common with New York State? Both states have a low percentage of people who are uninsured. That doesn’t mean that these states have high-performing health systems and that people in these two rural states are able to get the care they need. Dr. Susan Bornstein, MD, a physician and the founder of Asclepius Initiative, took a look at...

Photo by Microsoft Copilot on Unsplash New York State began implementation of a new law in 2025 that requires schools to develop policies and procedures for restricting students’ use of smartphones and other devices while at school. But what do we know about the effects of smartphones on the health of children? HealthCetera producer and host, Dr. Diana Mason, RN, speaks with Dr. Sunny Hallowell, R...

Photo by Hu Chen on Unsplash No one wants to have a baby born prematurely. Premature babies are at risk for a number of complications and may have prolonged hospitalizations. But even if the baby does well in the early days and months and years of childhood, there is evidence that they may carry extra burdens of health problems as adults. To discuss this issue, HealthCetera producer and host Diana...

Photo by New York Suburban Homes on Unsplash New York State has been providing funds for villages, towns and cities to revitalize their communities. A couple years ago, Roxbury received some of these funds and now Margaretville and Stamford have had their proposals funded. Lissa Harris wrote much of Margaretville’s proposal for the Mark Project for what is now called NY Forward. She’s also the out...

Photo by Gizem Nikomedi on Unsplash GLP-1s are all the rage these days, helping obese people to lose weight and improve their health. Everyday, there seems to be a new report on other benefits of GLP-1s, including helping people with longstanding addictions to reduce their substance use. As the popularity of these medications spreads and insurance companies cover some of their costs, questions are...

Photo by Troy T on Unsplash Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Over 2/3 of those adults who smoke want to quit and more than half try to do so in any given year; but only 1 in 10 will be successful. Nicotine e-cigarettes were designed to help people to stop smoking cigarettes but their use for withdrawing from regular cigarettes has b...

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash Margaretville Hospital is taking advantage of its affiliation with Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley, a network of health care services that is part of WMC Health, by tapping specialists in Kingston to come to Margaretville to provide outpatient specialty services. One of these specialists is Elly Wagner, PA-C, a women’s health physician assistant....

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash Congress passed HR.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, last year and President Trump signed it into law in July. It requires people on Medicaid to meet certain work requirements or lose their coverage. Several states had already put such a rule into place and one would think that Congress and the President would pay attention to the experiences these states had. G...

Photo by Thomas Loizeau on Unsplash The Reporter is a newspaper covering the Catskill region, with a focus on Delaware County. Joan Lawrence Bauer, a reporter for The Reporter, talks with HealthCetera producer and host, Diana Mason, RN, about two topics she is reporting on for the newspaper: 1) an annual tour of artists’ studios in SouthEastern Delaware County, and 2) the fourth agreement be...

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Mental health problems have worsened in the United States, worsening since the COVID pandemic. It’s particularly a problem among young people, as they appear to be experiencing higher rates of anxiety and depression, among other problems. It’s crucial for local communities to examine how to promote mental health and how to ensure that people with mental health prob...

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash In 2015, the Primary Care Development Corporation conducted an analysis of primary care capacity in counties in New York State. Delaware County in the Catskill region of the state was found to be a primary care desert. Since that time, Margaretville Hospital, a critical access hospital that is part of Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley and WMCHealth...

Photo by Curology on Unsplash You may know someone who has had a horrible gastrointestinal illness with “explosive diarrhea” with no obvious cause. Well, it may be cyclosporiasis that is spreading throughout the country. HealthCetera producer and host Dr. Diana J. Mason, RN, talks with Dr. Luis Marcos, MD, a Professor of Medicine in the Renaissance School of Medicine at the State Unive...

Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash The misinformation and disinformation about vaccines has been on the rise, particularly since the COVID pandemic and, more recently, since Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. assumed the position of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump Administration. KFF is a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization that recently conducted a national...

Photo by Marlon Lara on Unsplash Stigma surrounding substance use disorders (SUD), including addictions, is a major barrier to people seeking treatment. Many healthcare providers can also consciously or unconsciously contribute to the stigma that people with SUDs may feel, including through the language they use, images, and how they treat their patients. Addictions are physiological states, not f...

Photo by Kristine Wook on Unsplash HR.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Donald Trump signed into law a year ago, cuts Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding substantially and makes changes in the Affordable Care Act’s insurance coverage such that an estimated that over 10 million people will become uninsured and millions more becoming food insecure from cuts...

Whether or not one agrees with the science that unequivocally confirms that our planet is becoming warmer and more polluted, we are all seeing the negative impacts of humans on our planet, whether worsening storms, flooding and rising seas, warming of seas, extension of deserts, loss of biodiversity, plastic pollution, and more. Dr. Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, and Dr. Katie Huffling, DNP, CNM, RN,...

Photo by Mockup Graphics on Unsplash Health professionals often think that the public understands that high blood pressure is dangerous for their health. But many people may not even understand what a blood pressure reading represents, let alone the acute and chronic damage it can do to your body. To explore what a blood pressure reading means and the impact of high blood pressure on our health, H...

As cutbacks in programs and funding for health care and social services escalate at the federal level under the Trump Administration and Congress, the need for local action to support the most vulnerable among us in the Catskills is escalating, whether it be advising people on how to maintain their enrollment in Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or helping with hous...

Photo by Yassine Khalfalli on Unsplash Keeping people out of hospitals depends, in part, on robust ambulatory services, whether primary care or specialty care. Margaretville Hospital, part of the Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley and WMCHealth, is a critical access hospital in the Catskill region of New York State that has been expanding its ambulatory care services. Vicky Misner and April Brim...

The Reporter is a local newspaper that covers issues in Delaware County, NY, and Catskills towns and villages. Joan Lawrence-Bauer is a reporter for the newspaper and HealthCetera host Diana Mason, PhD, RN, talked with her about some of the issues and stories the paper covered in May 2026. This interview first aired on HealthCetera in the Catskills on WIOX Radio on May 20, 2026. The post The Repor...

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash When older adults talk with their peers of the same age group, they often talk about whether their forgetfulness is a sign of dementia. None of us wants that diagnosis for ourselves or those we love. Most of us know people who have been caregivers for people with dementia and have witnessed the emotional toll it takes on family and friends, as well as the per...

Photo by Dose Juice on Unsplash HR1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, was enacted on July 4 th of 2025. The law includes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, that have already resulted in over 3 million people losing this important benefit. On June 1 st , the federal government issued the regulations that operationalize the law’s requirement that people between the...