Sarasota Memorial HealthCasts

 Keep your holiday weekend focused on friends, family and fun—not a trip to the ER—with these easy safety tip tips from SMH Trauma Coordinator Leann Putney. 

A stroke - sometimes called a brain attack - kills someone every 4 minutes.  When a stroke is left untreated, 2 million brain cells are lost per minute. Listen in to find out about the types of strokes and some of the signs/symptoms that someone is having a stroke.

Poison-proof your home with these Top Tips from an SMH emergency care pharmacist.

From evacuation prep, taking care of your property all the way through to preparing a personal emergency kit, SMH's Wanda Jackson, Outpatient Care Coordinator helps to get you ready for hurricane season.

If you think you or a loved one may be having a stroke, call 911 IMMEDIATELY and ask them to take you to the nearest Comprehensive Stroke Center. Offering services beyond the scope of primary stroke centers, only Comprehensive Stroke Centers can offer the wider range of specialists and more advanced treatment options needed when standard therapies are not enough. Learn more in this video produced by Sarasota Memorial Hospital's Comprehensive Stroke Center team or visit smh.com/stroke for more information.

 E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular, but are they safer than regular cigarettes? Get the facts on vaping and e-cigarettes–and how they impact users' health—in this livestreamed #AskAnExpert Q&A with Sarasota Memorial Director of Thoracic Surgical Oncology Paul Chomiak, MD. 

Great advancements in surgical techniques makes the removal of the uterus less invasive than even just a few years ago. And while the surgery can be seen as more procedural, the psychological effects must also be considered. Listen as Dr. Gard explains.

From birth to skin-to-skin and all the way through cord clamping, Dr. Gard guides us through some of the major milestones of the birth process.

A vaginal birth versus a C-section birth is a key discussion between the mother-to-be and the doctor. Listen in for the pros and cons about the difference between a vaginal birth and the major abdominal surgery involved with c-sections.

A true SMH'er - she was born at Sarasota Memorial Hospital - Dr. Gard is a graduate of Florida State and has returned to Sarasota to open her OB/GYN practice. She has a true passion to build relationships her patients, partners and families.

Help your kids with tips & exercises to boost their focus & confidence!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Besides the heart, eyes - even your skin - smoking negatively affects many parts of the body. Smoking is also the number one cause of lung cancer, but there are many local resources that can help someone quit smoking. Listen for many of the options.

Depending on what type of cancer exists, there are different treatment options. But one of the biggest factors that determine diagnosis and treatment is what stage the cancer is in. Once the stage is determined, the prognosis - or the expected development - will likely be. 

We are familiar with smoking being a large risk factor - even second-hand smoke. But other, more obscure risk factors like family history, radon gas or cleaning chemicals can also be risk factors. Listen for more information on the risk factors, and on what symptoms to look out for.

Unfortunately, lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer. The traditional categories of lung cancer were small and non-small cell cancers. But advancements in science and research have redefined treatment - and potentially - cure it.

SMH Orthopedics Program Coordinator Lisa Kennedy answers some of the most common questions for before, during and after surgery.

The teen volunteer program has been a great success - and it allows teens with an early interest in the healthcare field. They bring excitement and thirst for knowledge to the whole hospital. Also, one of the most popular groups of volunteers is Pet Therapy! They visit many units and bring joy and unconditional love to so many patients & visitors! 

From the first face-to-face meeting to the final orientation, becoming a volunteer at SMH requires a commitment of time, dedication... and empathy! The new volunteer will shadow a veteran to become more comfortable with directions in the hospital - and everything else will come with experience.

Volunteers make a big difference in our visitor's & patient's lives. Their dedication, caring and talents are on display every day. Listen and meet one of our awesome volunteers!

Delivering gifts, helping people feel more comfortable, handing out free coffee, helping people get to a destination... just a few of the tasks the volunteers perform. They are often the first friendly face people see when they arrive on campus. Listen how you can volunteer too!

In our on-going "Ask an Expert" series, we spoke with Sarasota Memorial's Director of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, and Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Jonathan Hoffberger about minimally invasive surgery. 

When someone is going through inpatient rehab - or anyone who needs support - the Mobility Support Group can visit with a wheelchair user to help them get accustomed to a new life situation. They can also help educate caregivers and family members and providing them with essential resources. Listen to find out how to contact John Berkey.

Whether it's getting out on the links, the baseball diamond or even the tennis courts... there are there are multiple options for participating while being in a wheelchair. Listen in and find out how adaptive sports are popping up everywhere!

We live in a golfer's dreamland. Just because a person is in a wheelchair, that doesn't mean that playing golf is not possible. Listen to find out about how technology and community support has made golf accessible. 

John Berkey is a co-founder of a local support group that helps those people using wheelchairs lead a fuller more robust life. Whether it's a physical, emotional or financial hurdle, John and the group can help find solutions.

It's gift-giving season, and some of those electronics use button batteries - the little coin-sized batteries. Button battery ingestion is on the rise and can lead to serious complications and even death. Listen to learn what to do if a child swallows one.