Family nurse practitioner Munira MaalimIsaq and Dr. Yeng Yang share how they’ve helped patients from various cultural backgrounds manage high blood pressure and diabetes without giving up the foods that mean the most to them. Learn how culturally sensitive dietary guidance is making a difference in patient outcomes and trust.

Shelley Quiala and Paul Scholtz of Cantus Vocal Ensemble explore the powerful intersection of music and memory through the group’s performances. Quiala, Cantus’ executive director, and Scholtz, artistic co-director, share how song, personal stories and community partnerships transform perceptions of dementia. The conversation highlights how the arts can foster healing and connection.

Dr. Aaron Burnett, medical director for Regions EMS and the St. Paul Fire Department, and SPFD assistant chief Steve Sampson discuss how their teams are confronting the opioid crisis on St. Paul streets. They share how a new program using Suboxone helps first responders treat opioid use disorder more effectively and compassionately. With a focus on community trust, collaboration and meeting people where they are, this conversation highlights the power of innovation in the public health response.

Sumaya Noor, a hospital medicine physician assistant at Regions Hospital, and Ryan Aga, director of clinical simulation at HealthPartners, discuss the origin and impact of innovative training they created after experiences Sumaya had working inside an emergency department. Listen as they share personal stories and data that highlight the importance of addressing bias in health care settings.

The women’s sports medicine program at TRIA addresses the unique challenges female athletes face, such as higher rates of ACL injuries and the effects of hormonal changes on training and recovery. Dr. Heather Bergeson emphasizes the importance of comprehensive care and the need for more research to better support female athletes throughout their lives.

Nicole Wojowski, a registered nurse at Regions Hospital, joins the show to explore the complexities and often misunderstood international adoption process. The discussion delves into myths and misconceptions. Nicole shares her personal experiences as an adoptee and highlights the challenges and triumphs she has faced. The conversation also covers the impact of microaggressions, importance of acknowledging trauma and unique journeys of adoptees.

A pair of experts with Healthcare for the Homeless share their perspectives working with unsheltered populations and addressing homelessness. Kat Donnelly, a family nurse practitioner with Minnesota Community Care, and Josh Leopold, a senior advisor on health, homelessness and housing for the Minnesota Department of Health, join the show to talk about what’s being done in St. Paul.

Xiongmee Chang shares how mentorship and unwavering belief inspired her to accomplish goals and take on roles previously unimagined. The Regions Hospital nurse manager joined the Hmong Nurses Association board of directors in 2024 and helped plan HNA’s second National Nursing Conference after being encouraged by her mentor to attend the first one.

It’s possible for patients to receive hospital-level care inside their homes. HealthPartners Hospital@Home director Tia Radant and medical director Dr. Chrisanne Timpe talk about the program’s evolution as “the virtual unit,” which types of patients are ideal candidates for getting acute care at home, and the role community paramedics and other care team members play in treating patients.

Maxx Enzmann and Zack Nelson, infectious diseases pharmacists and members of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) at HealthPartners, tell us the top three things everyone should know about antibiotics, what’s misunderstood about them and share how the ASP uses equity as its guiding principle.

As the director of web and mobile digital accessibility at HealthPartners, Steve Sawczyn leads a team dedicated to making health care simple and accessible for everyone. Steve, who is blind, has used his own experiences to inspire his team’s accessibility work and says he has learned to challenge what people say is impossible.

Statistics show that women and communities of color are less likely to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation after cardiac arrest. Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah is the emergency medical services director at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and co-founder of Akoma United, an organization with the mission to save lives, especially in communities of color, and goal to empower everyday people to use CPR. She shares why it's important and reminds us that there’s no liability when doing CPR.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to chronic-pain management. Each person’s story is unique and requires individualized care that often includes non-opioid therapies. Sara Hall, a clinical nurse specialist in pain management at Regions Hospital, shares how a 2020 grant helped her team develop a yoga program that’s more accessible for Spanish-speaking patients with chronic pain.

Stephanie Zahrbock suddenly lost all sensation and the ability to move or feel anything below her belly button in 2016 when a lesion was discovered on her spine. The former runner shares how her world changed and how solutions to her challenges can benefit everyone.

It’s important to understand that equity, the quality of being fair and impartial, means we don’t all start from the same place. Equity in the workplace starts with commitment and alignment. Rhonda Cox, vice president of people and culture for Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, shares why equity’s important to her and what inspired her to want to shape, create and influence workplace culture to be more inclusive and equitable for colleagues.

Growing Through Grief is a school-based grief support and crisis management program supported by the Park Nicollet Foundation that provides children with peer support groups, individual counseling, and death-related crisis response after they’ve experienced the loss of a loved one. Nicole Barnes, Growing Through Grief program manager, and Judy Brown, Minneapolis Public Schools mental health manager, outline the prevalence of childhood bereavement and share the C.A.R.E.S. (community, awareness, resiliency, empathy and strength) support group model. The episode will highlight how the partnership between health care and education systems brings additional resources to schools that share education and renewal practices with students that bring hope and healing.

Our focus on reducing disparities led to a partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. A gap in care with our Somali patient population was discovered after reviewing numbers for colorectal and breast cancer screenings, pediatric immunizations and diabetes. In the Season 4 finale, two HealthPartners colleagues, family nurse practitioner Munira MaalimIsaq and senior project manager Greg Fedio, share how the Equity Action Lab project, or what they and participants called "Open Faces," helped assess and better understand the gaps and determine steps for changes. "Off the Charts" returns June 11.

HealthPartners created myGenetics, a community health research program in partnership with Helix, because DNA can tell people about their health and may hold the key to understanding certain health risk factors. Deenya Craig, a HealthPartners patient with a family history of cancer, started having irregular mammograms in her mid-30s and knew DNA testing existed. Through myGenetics, she found out she carries the BRCA2 gene mutation that brings a greater risk of breast and ovarian cancers. She’s now a health advocate and encouraged her family to get checked.

The playing field isn’t always level when it comes to youth sports. Access for kids and communities often depends on whether parents and families can afford the costs connected to teams, training and travel. Lea B. Olsen, a former college athlete with a career in sports, shares her how she found competitive basketball as a kid growing up in South Minneapolis. She talks about how the youth sports model has changed and anxiety’s impact on today’s young athletes.

Allyship is showing solidarity with members of a marginalized or mistreated group to which one doesn’t belong. Kelly Fang, senior on-site well-being program manager and health coach, shares her allyship story that began when her child wanted to dress more masculine. She talks about what allyship is and isn’t, struggling with the concept of “living a double life,” and how to be a resource for others.