The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) announced today the conclusion of its radio program and podcast “The Human Side of Health Care,” a weekly broadcast that aired every Sunday since its debut on January 5, 2020 on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD AM. The program’s final broadcast is set for Sunday, March 26.

“This was a decision made by our DFWHC Board of Trustees,” said Stephen Love, president/CEO of DFWHC and host of the program. “We believed the program had run its course and served as a great sounding board during the COVID-19 pandemic to create awareness in North Texas. After the conclusion of the show, we will begin focusing our resources on driving improvement in healthcare outcomes, health equity, diversity and inclusion in North Texas.”

“The Human Side of Health Care” ran for three-plus years to include 166 hour-long episodes, with more than 350 guests interviewed.

“The show wasn’t just about the pandemic,” Love said. “What we attempted to do was inspire community awareness on the many programs provided by our area hospitals. This was a unique way of giving back to the community by hosting the radio show and podcast to effectively communicate how hospitals, clinicians and healthcare professionals not only treat diseases, but are partners within the communities they serve.”

The idea was inspired by DFWHC’s participation in the national broadcast “I’m Listening” on September 8, 2019. Sponsored locally by DFWHC, the program was an attempt to create community awareness on depression while highlighting National Suicide Prevention Week.

“Our experience with ‘I’m Listening’ was so positive, we thought it would be a great idea to spread the word on the many projects of our North Texas hospitals,” said Love. “We planned for the radio program to touch on such topics as chronic illness, social drivers of health and children’s healthcare. The sky was the limit.”

The home station of “The Human Side of Health Care” was KRLD 1080 AM, an Audacy, Inc. station serving the DFW Metroplex and North Texas with a news/talk radio format. It is a Class A station broadcasting at 50,000 watts, with a listening range covering a 30-county area of North Texas, Central Texas and Oklahoma.

“On behalf of the DFWHC Board of Trustees, we would like to thank the Audacy radio network and the team at KRLD including Paul Davis,” Love said. “We would especially like to thank Thomas Miller who not only hosted every program with me, but did an outstanding job editing and producing the show.”

All 166 episodes of “The Human Side of Health Care” will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, YouTube and iHeart Radio.

“It was a great run, especially during the rise of the pandemic when we worked so hard to create awareness and spread the word on safety issues,” said Love. “While the final episode on March 26 will mark the end of the radio and podcast program, it will also mark the beginning of our new plans to drive health equity and culturally appropriate patient care for everyone.”