Conversations on burnout and an author's unflinching look at the health care system

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Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Jae C. Hong

On WJCT's What's Health Got to Do with It, a panel of medical experts talks about how to prevent workplace burnoout and what to do when you're close to jumping off the proverbial evacuation slide.

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater made headlines in 2010 when he quit his 20-year airline career by grabbing two beers and sliding down his plane’s evacuation slide.

Slater’s story resonated with workers who shared his burnout and fantasized about a dramatic exit from their workplaces. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these feelings for many folks who quit their jobs as a part of the so-called “Great Resignation.”

Today’s episode is dedicated to burnout — how to prevent it and what to do when you find yourself on the precipice of jumping off the proverbial evacuation slide.

The guests are:

  • Dr..Jennifer Bickel, chief wellness officer with Moffitt Cancer Center and professor of oncological sciences at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
  • Dr. Moain Abu Dabrh, assistant professor of medicine, integrative medicine and health with Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville.
  • Megan Weigel,an integrative medicine nurse practitioner, specializing in neurological care and a multiple sclerosis-certified nurse in Jacksonville Beach.

'Cost of Living'

There’s nothing funny about health care costs in the United States. Half the country lives with medical debt, and nearly one-third of Americans report skipping medical care because of cost, sometimes with detrimental results.

But Cost of Living, a new essay collection by Emily Maloney, might make you laugh. At a minimum, she’ll open your eyes to some of the more dysfunctional aspects of the U.S. health care system.

Maloney’s wry and unflinching take on American health care is informed, in part, by her own experiences as a patient. At age 19, Maloney tried to take her own life and wound up with a five-figure debt from the ambulance and hospitalization bills. The debt followed her for years.

Cost of Living also delves into the details of Maloney’s ongoing psychiatric care, describing the litany of psychiatric drugs she was prescribed — 26 in total over five years. She details the cost of each in a chapter called “A Brief Inventory of My Drugs and Their Retail Price.”

Maloney joined the program to share more about her experiences with the medical system.

Click on the "Listen" button above to listen to this episode of What's Health Got to Do with It.

Copyright 2022 WJCT News 89.9. To see more, visit WJCT News 89.9.

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Katherine Hobbs
WJCT NEWS - SUMMER INTERN 2020