Hometown Housecall Series Begins on WSEC/WMEC/WQEC-TV/PBS

A ten-part medical series, Hometown Housecall, will begin airing on WSEC/WMEC/WQEC - PBS for west central Illinois, this October. Produced by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, the 30-minute programs cover a variety of medical topics, presented in a conversational format.

The program airs at 8:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month October through July and repeats the following Sunday at 5 and 10:30 p.m. (NOTE: Due to special programming from PBS, the program will not be aired on 10/3.)

The host is Dr. Stuart Frank, a cardiologist and professor emeritus in SIU's Department of Internal Medicine. Each program features Frank's discussion with various experts on the School of Medicine's faculty. Each program also includes additional comments from an SIU medical school graduate practicing in various downstate Illinois communities including Beardstown, Litchfield, Pittsfield and Taylorville. The programs were funded in part by the Health Improvement Foundation and SIU's Rural Health Initiative.

The scheduled topics are October - breast cancer; November - Alzheimer's disease; December - gastrointestinal problems; January - obesity; February - hormone replacement therapy; March - urinary incontinence; April - osteoporosis; May - anxiety; June - men's health, and July - skin problems.

More information is available from Scott Troehler, coordinator of local programming at WSEC/14 & 8, or by contacting the medical school by calling its Public Affairs office, 217-545-2155 weekdays. Program information is available online by emailing housecall@siumed.edu, the SIU medical school web page at www.siumed.edu/news, or the station's website at www.wsec.tv.

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