Page 3            September 1999 'Health Talk' makes weekly house calls AHC compacts go to Regents next month

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'Health Talk' makes weekly house calls The University-produced television show features faculty physicians who advise viewers ontopics from alergies to sex after 60.

"I love doing this show, explaining complicated health issues in plain language.  The public is hungry for information from experts..."   --Greg Vercellotti

Helen Chaseley of St. Paul is a regular viewer of Health Talk and You.  She says it helps her to be informed when she sees her own doctor. Photos by Richard G. Anderson

In 15 minutes, Greg Vercellotti will appear live on television, hosting a Minneapolis-produced health show. He appears relaxed, jovial, and playful—not nervous—as he runs through a pre-production checklist with the crew. He’s already practiced his introductory and closing remarks, prioritized questions, and had his make-up applied. He has one final request.

“Now, how does the bow tie look? Is it square?” he asks.

While some might consider Vercellotti a “TV star,” he, of course, has a day job—he’s the associate dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School. The Medical School is one of the sponsors of “Health Talk and You,” a television program entering its 13th season, which features Vercellotti and an expert panel of Twin Cities physicians. The program’s other sponsors are the Academic Health Center, Minnesota Medical Foundation, U of M Physicians, and Fairview Health Systems.

“I love doing this show, explaining complicated health issues in plain language. The public is hungry for information from experts, and the researchers and physicians on our program certainly fill that bill,” Vercellotti says. “We not only provide a public service by promoting healthy lifestyles, but I like to think we also provide entertaintment.”

As Vercellotti greets tonight’s guests, Mary Kelley, the program’s executive producer, is giving instructions to three U of M pharmacy students who have volunteered to answer calls from viewers. Meanwhile, Director Susan Tade is readying herself and a team of technicians for another live program.

“I’ve done the show for eight years, and I still get nervous at two minutes to seven,” says Tade. “It is incredibly exciting to do a live show, and that’s what makes it a little fresher.”

Vercellotti, Tade, and Kelley produce 30 live “Health Talk and You” programs each year from the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center on the West Bank. Each 30-minute program focuses on a specific health topic. Viewers can call with questions for that week’s panel of experts. A sampling of topics includes back pain relief, allergies, hearing disorders, prostate problems, congestive heart failure, diabetes, sex after 60, cancer detection, the cost of aging, and pets and your health.

The live show airs each Tuesday at 7 p.m. on KTCI Channel 17. It’s repeated Thursday, 1:30 p.m., on KTCA Channel 2, and Saturdays on Metro Cable 6 at 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Up to 25,000 people watch each week. From June to September, the most popular programs are re-broadcast.

Tade says that the call-in feature of the program is what makes it unique. Viewers can call and leave a message during the week with their question or comment, or they can call in during the live show.

“The comments from our viewers are certainly the most rewarding aspect of this job,” says Kelley, who has worked on the program since its inception in 1986.

“I watch it every single week regardless of the topic,” says Ray Gordhamer, 75, of Minneapolis, a longtime viewer. He said the information helps him prepare for his own clinic visits. “How else can you get your money’s worth if you’re not prepared?” he asks. “Most people give the mechanic at the garage more information than they give their own doctor.”

Helen Chaseley of St. Paul, a viewer for 12 years, agrees.

“I’ll be 80 in August and at that age you usually have one thing or another wrong with you,” she says. “When I go to see my doctor, I don’t feel completely ignorant of what I might want to ask him because I have a little background on it from watching the program.” She said she especially appreciates the informational brochures, which are mailed upon request to callers.

During this evening’s program on allergies, Kelley and the pharmacy students keep busy answering viewers’ calls and handing their questions to Vercellotti, who deftly relays each of them to the appropriate expert. Meanwhile, Tade steadily snaps directions to her crew while keeping an eye on the clock.

“Give him the one-minute [remaining] cue,” Tade orders the floor director. “OK, he’s going to talk for 30 seconds and then we don’t have to do anymore. … All right, cut the mikes, put down the [graphic] and roll the credits. That’s a wrap, as they say.”

Until next week, on Health Talk and You.

AHC compacts go to Board of Regents next month
 Compacts for each of the AHC’s seven schools and the academic program centers will go to the Board of Regents for review in October.

The agreements outline key priorities of the University’s academic units and link strategic goals to funding decisions.  The final documents represent a year of planning and consultation that has involved deans, department heads, faculty, and the senior vice president and his staff.

Brought to the U by President Mark Yudof, compacts are a new model for aligning strategic goals with financial planning.

Each compact includes an overview of the school’s mission, academic accomplishments for the past year and priorities for the coming year, issues of concern, and allocations and funding requests for the coming year.

From planning through Regents’ approval, the cycle to complete the compacts takes a full year. It began in the Academic Health Center last October when Senior Vice President Frank Cerra distributed instructions to schools and colleges. Meetings and discussions with deans were held from November, 1998 through April, 1999.  During that time, faculty within each school were asked to contribute their suggestions and concerns. However, some faculty have reported that more opportunities for input into the process are needed, according to AHC Chief Financial Officer Katherine Johnston.  “One of our key objectives for the next cycle is to increase communication with faculty, staff, and students about the compacts.  We welcome suggestions for improving the process of exchanging information about the process and the content of the documents.”

Deans presented their compacts at a retreat in June, at which time Cerra announced plans for allocating resources and presented an update of the AHC’s strategic plan. Following the retreat, Cerra met with each of the deans to finalize the compacts. The final versions reflect allocation of funding from the 1999 Minnesota Legislature.

The compacts were reviewed by the AHC Faculty Consultative Committee.

“A draft of each compact was forwarded to the Finance and Planning Committee,” AHC-FCC Chair Muriel Bebeau says. “Under Dan Feeney’s able leadership, the committee made a number of suggestions for improvement.”

Bebeau added that faculty may view the final documents on the AHC web site, www.ahc.umn.edu, to assess the extent to which they feel consultation played a role.

Plans are under way for developing compacts for the 2001 fiscal year, Johnston said.  A task force has been established by President Yudof to review the University’s budget process. One proposal is to prepare compacts biannually rather than annually because of the amount of time they take, and because academic priorities do not change substantially over a one-year
period.