The North Shore-LIJ Health System debuted a half-hour TV news magazine, “Focus on Health” last Saturday morning featuring media-savvy cardiologist Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum as its host.
The show premiered on WLNY-TV and cable stations in the New York metro area with an episode about breast cancer, including interviews with patients who shared their stories of survival.
Steinbaum said the show is a natural extension of what she’s been doing as part of her job at Lenox Hill Hospital, where she is director of women’s heart health.
As national spokeswoman for the Go Red for Women heart health campaign of the American Heart Association for the past 10 years, Steinbaum has frequently appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, WPIX and Fox as a commentator on women and heart disease and cardiology issues.
“I always had a passion to educate and take very complex issues and make them simple,” Steinbaum said. “For me, this is part of my mission and what I love to do. This is my next step because this is what I do in my everyday life.”
Upcoming segments already filmed in the 13-part “Focus on Health” series will address diabetes, infection prevention, mental health, neurology.
Steinbaum said she will interview North Shore-LIJ President and CEO Michael Dowling on health care reform in one episode. Segments planned for the series will focus on cardiology, veterans programs, adolescent services and wellness and personal finances.
Patients and physicians are featured in interviews with Steinbaum on the show, which is divided into three segments of seven minutes.
“It brings to life what people are going through with health issues,” Steinbaum said. “We really talk about everything. It’s a really entertaining and informative format.”
She describes the show as “‘60 Minutes’ meets health care,” but said she thinks her show is more entertaining than “60 Minutes”.
Steinbaum’s presence on TV started during her first week of internship at Beth Israel Hospital when the chief of internal medicine asked her to participate in a segment CBS was coming to shoot about medical education, she said.
“That was the first time I did anything on TV and it just hasn’t stopped,” she said.
The show supplants a “Medical Update” show North Shore-LIJ aired on cable outlets for the past several years.
Steinbaum said her media experience prompted her selection as host of the new show.
“TV is a regular part of my life here. I’ve done enough so that they know what I’m like on television,” Steinbaum said.
Steinbaum also authored a book published in January, “Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum’s Heart Book: Every Woman’s Guide to a Heart Healthy Life.”
She has been interviewed for U.S. News and World Report, the WebMD Web site and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and other Web sites.
The show airs on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and will be accessible on Cablevision channel 10, Verizon FiOS channel 10 and HD channel 510, DIRECTV channel 55 and HD Dish Network channel 55 and Time Warner channel 55. Non-cable subscribers can access the show on channel 55.
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
