Zachary Baeseman, MD, Uses Radio Show to Discuss Health Topics
Family medicine physician Zachary Baeseman, MD, views his radio show on WILW-LP 96.3 FM as a way provide community members with vital health information.
“Instead of sharing a piece of education about high blood pressure with a single patient, for example, I can share it with the whole Waupaca community,” said Dr. Baeseman of ThedaCare Physicians-Waupaca. “The show is a great way to catch as many people as possible with health information.”
WILW-LP is community run and was looking for different program ideas. Dr. Baeseman approached station leaders with his idea for the Rural Remedies show, a bi-monthly show focused on healthcare. Each 30-minute show is played multiple times each month so it can reach a wider audience. It is also posted on the station’s SoundCloud page so people can listen to it whenever they want.
Dr. Baeseman varies program topics and has covered everything from Lyme disease to losing weight. “I try to get other people from the community or clinic involved in the show whenever possible,” he said. “I want listeners to come away knowing something that can improve their health, whether it is identifying the signs of an illness to picking up a tip or two to improve their health.”
Before recording every show, Dr. Baeseman writes up a script. “I usually start out by posing a question about the topic and then answer it myself or bring in an expert to respond,” he said. “Having someone else on with me varies it up a bit so you just don’t hear my voice. I always end by answering a question from a listener.”
A few of Dr. Baeseman's patients have mentioned hearing him on the radio and he admitted to sometimes plugging his own show. “If I have just done a show on something that may be of interest to the patient, I’ll mention he should listen to it as a way to learn even more about the topic,” he said. “Anyway we can help patients be better informed about their health is good.”
While some people may freeze up before a radio microphone, that is not a problem for the extroverted Dr. Baeseman. “Rural healthcare is important to me. I have a master’s degree in public health and want to be an influence in helping to make the community healthier,” he said. “The radio show is one way I can do that.”
For more than 100 years, ThedaCare™ has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast Wisconsin. The organization serves over 200,000 patients annually and employs more than 6,800 healthcare professionals throughout the region. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well as 32 clinics in nine counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs as well as a foundation dedicated to community service.
