Nelson physician launches podcast to tackle healthcare reform

Pulling back the curtain

Photo: Dr. Jim Wiedrick

Podcasts are quickly becoming one of the most popular educational resources for a variety of healthcare professionals and a physician in Nelson wants to use his to pull back the curtain.

Dr. Jim Wiedrick, an emergency room physician at Kootenay Lake Hospital, has launched a podcast to discuss the gaps impacting healthcare in the Southern Interior.

“The average folks out there, just didn't know what was going on in our healthcare system, and that people inside the system were trying to make improvements,” said Wiedrick.

Over the last two years, he has been preparing to blend his expertise in healthcare, voice work, and activism to elevate the discussion about healthcare reform with his podcast, Transforming Healthcare in South East B.C.

With over a decade of experience in leadership roles, while working in emergency care, Wiedrick said he’s always been drawn to identifying problems.

“Suddenly it became apparent that there were more sick people, that everybody was getting a little bit older, and our infrastructure, the kind of tools that we were given as a system to work with and to help the entire public, wasn't keeping up.”

He said the impact the pandemic had on the healthcare system exposed interconnected issues that have persisted for years. Wiedrick also emphasized the importance of mental health care, understaffing, outdated equipment affecting healthcare workers' morale, and the challenges of bureaucracy impacting the system.

“I think our system is kind of this big tractor, and we're stuck in a bit of a mud run. If we just spin the tires more, it's not getting us anywhere. We need a big new kind of way of looking at our way of framing it.”

With the hopes of generating change and diving deeper into systemic issues plaguing the provincial healthcare system, Wiedrick’s podcast may be one of the many steps toward real reform.

“I've actually pitched enough people that I could have done two or three a week," he said.

Despite facing hesitancy from some healthcare workers who are sometimes reluctant to speak on reform issues publicly, Wiedrick said he’s fortunate to be in a position to speak on the subject because he does not operate as an employee.

“So that gives me freedom,” he said, adding that with that freedom comes the opportunity to increase public awareness and engagement to drive necessary change.

With seven episodes already banked, accompanied by other content, he hopes to complete at least one episode per week and said he has generated interest from other healthcare professionals who want to speak out.

You can listen to Wiedrick's podcast through his YouTube channel @jimwiedrick, with new uploads every week. These episodes also stream on Spotify as audio-only.