04/12/2026

The Healthy Matters Podcast

S05_E13 - Too Important to Lose

With Special Guests: Susie Emmert and Jessica Oaxaca

What if one of Minnesota's most essential healthcare lifelines wasn't there when you needed it? We're talking about a Level I Trauma Center for both Adults & Pediatrics, the state's busiest emergency department, and a critical safety-net hospital for the most vulnerable in our state. Most of us may know of Hennepin Healthcare for its emergency care, but there's a lot more to it. It plays a much broader role in our state's healthcare system, and it's safe to say we'd all be at a massive loss without it. But what happens when an indispensable system like this faces a real financial cliff?

On Episode 13, we'll take a closer look at Hennepin Healthcare/HCMC and the current financial challenges it's up against. We'll sit down with Susie Emmert and Jessica Oaxaca, two of Hennepin Healthcare's advocacy and public policy leaders, to discuss what is putting the system under pressure, why it matters far beyond Minneapolis, and why the stakes are so high this time around. We'll even share how you can help ensure that this state institution staple remains here for many generations to come (or you can click on the links below). After all, it's way too important a place to lose. Please join us!

For more: hennepinhealthcare.org/howfar

Help by contacting your state representatives.

View the current legislation that is being considered: SF 4986 / HF 4841

Got healthcare questions or ideas for future shows?
Email - healthymatters@hcmed.org
Call - 612-873-TALK (8255)

Get a preview of upcoming shows on social media and find out more about our show at www.healthymatters.org.

03/29/2026

The Healthy Matters Podcast

S05_E12 - Hyperbaric Medicine - What the Heck is That?

With Special Guest: Dr. Thomas Masters

Pressure makes a diamond, and as it turns out, higher atmospheric pressure can help our bodies heal, too! Welcome to the world of hyperbaric medicine, where patients climb into a chamber, breathe pure oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure, and let their bodies do something remarkable — heal faster than they ever could at sea level. It sounds like science fiction, but it's been around since the 1600s, and today it's FDA-approved for everything from stubborn wounds, to carbon monoxide poisoning, to radiation injuries. But how does it work? Is it safe? And what's it like inside that chamber?!

On Episode 12, we'll sit down with emergency medicine physician Dr. Thomas Masters, who will walk us through the basics of hyperbaric medicine, how it works, the conditions it treats, and of course, what it's like to spend time inside the chamber (bring a book...). This is a great chance to learn about a fascinating part of medicine, that most people have never even heard of, from an expert in the field. Join us!

Got healthcare questions or ideas for future shows?
Email - healthymatters@hcmed.org
Call - 612-873-TALK (8255)

Get a preview of upcoming shows on social media and find out more about our show at www.healthymatters.org.

03/15/2026

The Healthy Matters Podcast

S05_E11 - The SKinny on GLP-1s...

With Special Guest: Dr. Maureen Martin, PharmD, MPH

You really can't escape the marketing tactics of GLP-1s these days - because they're everywhere... But beyond the odd names there's a lot to know about them, and we're still learning about all the things they can do! Although they were originally meant to treat type 2 diabetes, these drugs have emerged as one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the past decade. But is it all roses? Who should take these drugs and for how long? What happens when you stop taking them? And who comes up with these names, anyway?

One Episode 11 we'll be joined by Dr. Maureen Martin (PharmD, MPH) to get to the bottom of the most pressing questions around these metabolic "miracles". We'll talk about how they work, their current and emerging uses, the proper ways they should be prescribed and administered, the potential pitfalls and why there's so damned expensive (at least in the U.S.). Join us!

Got healthcare questions or ideas for future shows?
Email - healthymatters@hcmed.org
Call - 612-873-TALK (8255)

Get a preview of upcoming shows on social media and find out more about our show at www.healthymatters.org.