Call the Doctor

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Call the Doctor

Tuesdays at 7pm on WVIA-TV
Sundays at 2pm on WVIA-TV
Also available on WVIA On Demand - Click here

Call the Doctor is a health care series broadcast live every Tuesday at 7:00pm by the PBS station WVIA-TV serving a regional audience of hundreds of thousands in 22 counties throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania. The 1 hour show features a panel of top medical and health care professionals informing viewers about important and relevant health issues. The panel answers live call-in and email questions from viewers.

Viewers may call in questions during the show at 1-800-326-9842 or click here prior to or during the show to submit your questions online.

If you have a topic or a condition you would like to see covered on a live Call the Doctor program, please e-mail your ideas and suggestions to Joseph Chrobak, producer of Call the Doctor josephchrobak@wvia.org

ALL-NEW LIVE PROGRAMS

Tuesday, May 21 at 7pm

Are You Aging Gracefully?
None of us want to grow old and we try to fight it every day with exercise and eating right. But there is no way to stop the aging process and there is no fountain of youth or miracle cure. Are you doing all you can to stay healthy and age gracefully? Our panel includes: Francisco "Paco" Peters, Assistant Vice President and Administrator of Allied Terrace Personal Care, Allied Services Integrated Health System, Jim Siberski M.S., C.M.C., CRmT, Misericordia University, assistant professor and coordinator of gerontology education, and Michael Kantar, MS, RD, CDN, LDN, CDE Clinical Dietitian, Geisinger Health System.

Helpful websites: Allied Services, Misercordia University and Geisinger Health System.

Programs available on WVIA On-Demand

Is a Blood Clot ready to kill you?
Blood flows within our blood vessels and forms blood clots when it fails to circulate adequately. Some blood clots are good and some are so bad that they can be deadly. Heart attacks and strokes result from the sudden formation of a blood clot that travels to heart or brain. Helpful websites: Geisinger Health System, Regional Hospital of Scranton and Medicus Urgent Care.

Drop Foot: Causes and Corrections
Do you have difficulty lifting the front of your foot? Does your foot drag along when you walk? You might have a neurological condition called drop foot. It is not a disease and may be a symptom of, or a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem. Helpful websites: Allied Services, Geisinger Health System, Susquehanna Health, and Physicians Health Alliance

Is Robotic Surgery Safe?
Robotic surgery may allow surgeons to perform some complex procedures with more precision, through smaller surgical cuts, than is possible with traditional open surgery. It has some advantages, even though it can take longer to perform. But is it safer for the patient? Helpful websites: Regional Hospital of Scranton, Commonwealth Health, and Geisinger Health System

Tired? Swollen? Is it Lymphedema?
Lymphedema is a condition that results from impaired flow or a blockage of the lymphatic system, an important part of your immune and circulatory systems that is crucial to keeping your body healthy. Symptoms include swelling in one or more extremities. Helpful Websites: Delta Medix, Lymphology Association of North America, Geisinger Health System, Commonwealth Health and Allied Services

Oral Hygiene Important to Your Health?
There are many proven benefits of having good oral health and maintaining your dental hygiene, reducing the risk of serious disease and perhaps even preserving your memory for golden years. A healthy mouth is directly related to a healthy body. Helpful Websites: Commonwealth Health, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Geisinger Health System.

Gastoparesis - Constant Nausea. Stomach paralysis?
Gastroparesis is delayed gastric emptying. It is a condition in which the muscles in your stomach don't function normally to contract and break up food and move it through the gastrointestinal tract. The most common symptoms of Gastroparesis are nausea, a feeling of fullness. Helpful Websites: Commonwealth Health, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and Geisinger Health System

Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and potentially debilitating autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system. The progression, severity, and specific symptoms are unpredictable and vary from person to person. New treatments and advancements are giving hope. Helpful websites: Commonwealth Health, Allied Services, and National MS Society

Menopause & Hot Flashes
Menopause is a natural process that represents the end of menstruation. Estrogen levels may fluctuate causing hot flashes; which are feelings of intense heat with sweating along with a rapid heartbeat. Hot flashes occur in more than two-thirds of North American women. Helpful websites: The North American Menopause Society, Geisinger Health System, and Hot Flash Havoc.

Prostate Cancer
In the early stages, prostate cancer often causes no symptoms for many years. It tends to develop in men over the age of fifty and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States. The prostate is not essential for life, but it’s important for reproduction. Helpful Websites: Delta Medix, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, Geisinger Health System, Urology Associates of Kingston, Prostate Aerobics, and Kegel Aerobics

Anger Management
The emotion of anger is neither good nor bad, and is a normal, healthy emotion. Chronic, explosive anger can spiral out of control, and have serious consequences for your relationships, your health, and your state of mind. Uncontrolled anger can take a toll on your health. Helpful Websites: First Hospital, an affiliate of Commonwealth Health, Geisinger Health System and Buzzini & Jacobson Psychologists

Familial Hyperlipidemia
Familial hyperlipidemia is a disorder of high cholesterol and high blood triglycerides that is inherited. It is the most common genetic lipid disorder of increased blood fats that causes early heart attacks. There may not be any physical symptoms for those affected. Helpful Websites: Commonwealth Health, Geisinger Health System, and National Lipid Association.

Aspberger's Syndrome
Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a person's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. It is characterized by social impairment, communication difficulties, and restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Helpful Websites: Allied Services Integrated Health System, Misericordia University, and MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome.

Congenital Heart Disorders
Congenital heart defects are problems with the structure of the walls of the heart, and may produce symptoms at birth, during childhood, or not until adulthood. It is a major birth defect affecting approximately 1 in 100 children and about 500,000 adults in the U.S. and can lead to heart failure. Helpful Websites: Commonwealth Health, Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), and The Paul Cardall Family Foundation

Addiction Affects the Family
No one in the family is spared from the affects of alcohol or drug addiction. More than one-half of adults in the U.S. have a close family member who has abused alcohol or is addicted to drugs. Family members may be abused physically, verbally demeaned or neglected. Helpful websites: Geisinger Health System, Clearbrook Treatment Centers, Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs, A Better Today INC.

Colds, Nothing to Sneeze At
Symptoms may include sneezing, coughing, sore throats, runny noses watery eyes, fevers and congestion but chances are it is the common cold. It is the most frequent infectious disease in humans. There is no cure for the common cold, but the symptoms can be treated. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System,Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Medicus Urgent Care, and Flu + You.

Hospice Care Solutions
Hospice is a philosophy of care that provides humane and compassionate care to people when curative treatments are no longer helping. Hospice can improve quality of life whether in the patient's home, a hospital, nursing home, or hospice facility. Learn more on this episode of Call the Doctor. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System and Geisinger-Community Medical Center, Scranton, The Commonwealth Medical College, Susquehanna Health, and Celtic Health Care .

Hearing Loss Solutions
You can't reverse hearing loss, but you and your doctor or hearing specialist can take steps to improve what you hear. There is help for the 38 million people in the U.S. that have hearing loss. There are solutions like hearing aids. Cochlear implants and direct bone conduction systems. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System and Geisinger-Community Medical Center, Scranton.

Epilepsy’s Latest Treatments
Epilepsy or seizure disorders are neurological conditions in the brain, which affect the nervous system and may cause, falls, loss of consciousness or massive muscle spasms. 2.3 million Americans live with epilepsy. Learn about the latest treatments for Epilepsy. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System and Geisinger-Community Medical Center, Scranton.

Iron Disorders
Iron is so important that without it life would cease to exist. Too much or too little iron in the system can be fatal. There are many types of Iron Disorders. Women, children and the elderly are at higher risks. All it takes is a simple test to check your iron. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System, Hematology and Oncology Associates of Northeastern Pennsylvania, PC, & Iron Disorders Institute

Psychological Damage from Bullying
Bullying can affect everyone at any age and the damage can last forever. Studies show people who are abused are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety. Each day 160,000 students refuse to go to school to avoid being bullied. Helpful Websites: Geisinger Health System, The Highmark Healthy High 5 Bullying Prevention Institute, Olweus Bullying Prevention Program , Center for Safe Schools, and The Ophelia Project.

How the Brain Works
Education has changed tremendously over the years and it is not your Parent’s ABC’s anymore. As the world advances so are the ways we teach. We all learn in different ways and now we understand how the brain processes and uses information. Helpful Websites: Pennsylvania State University, Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School, Scranton, Marywood University , The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, and Dr. David Sousa.

George Thomas

Meet the team

George Thomas, Vice President of Membership for WVIA, started at the station on 10/31/94 ... yep Halloween! (How spookie!) He is responsible for the WVIA TV & FM membership fundraising programs which account for 2 million dollars annually, which is the significant portion of revenue the stations need in order to operate. "It's all about our members," George states. "If we didn't have generous people in our area supporting the programs and efforts of WVIA, it would close tomorrow. That's how important each member is to the station."

George started as the manager of the Telemarketing Department in 1994. In 1996, he was promoted to Membership Manager overseeing the installation and running of the new membership software program as well as all renewal, acquisition, and additional gift mailing programs. In 1998, he was promoted to Director of Membership and On-air Pledge and given responsibilities of the on air TV and FM pledge drives. He also oversaw the Call Center with 7 employees, the matching gift program, the thank-you gifts sent out, and many annual member appreciation days. In 2003 in support of a national PBS Major Giving Initiative, George's direct reports were re-aligned to work with the new Vice President of Major Gifts and included overseeing the operations of the Data Entry Department and the Front Desk.

In June of 2007, George was promoted to Vice President of Membership overseeing all aspects of entire WVIA membership program including major giving. George adds, "I've have the privilege of working with great people in the department. With them, we are proud to have a great customer service record and run one of the more mature membership programs in the country." He trains the on air pledge drive talent and can be seen in WVIA's membership campaigns "pitching" the station's popular programs. He also loves to create funny promotional spots you see on air from time to time. In fact, he has received two national Telly Awards for his collaborative creative efforts.

Amid literally hundreds of television channels available to you by cable and satellite, and dozens of radio stations, WVIA is the only regional broadcaster with the sole purpose of education, public service and community enrichment. "I am proud and consider it an honor to go on the air and ask people to support a station that provides so much."

In 2003, George was offered the seat as moderator for Call the Doctor, a popular weekly live call-in program.

Now is his 10th year as moderator of Call the Doctor, George Thomas is excited about what he and the producer of the show have been able to do with the show working with a tremendous Promotions team and Production Department. George will host his 200th episode in January 2013. "The capacity of this show to help people, change lives, and in some cases actually save them .... there's no other local newscast or show that can do that." "Call the Doctor" airs Tuesdays at 7:00PM. The show is an informative, interactive program featuring medical experts from the WVIA 22 county viewing area. With each episode, viewers are encouraged to call in their questions to a panel of health care experts. "Call the Doctor" is one of WVIA-TV's longest running local programs; it has been airing from the studios of WVIA for more than 20 years.

George Thomas is a graduate of Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing. He is also a graduate of Ambassador University, Pasadena, CA with a bachelor's degree in Theology and a minor in Computer Science. George achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and loves to golf in health related charity tournaments. His passion for presenting and public speaking goes back to high school when he convinced his principal to let him take the senior public speaking course in his junior year. That passion continued through college and beyond by taking numerous public speaking courses and attending speaker's clubs. George resides in Alden, PA with his wife Colleen and their two sons, Christopher and Collin and Jack James, his stepson.

Joseph Chrobak

Meet the team

Producer of Call the Doctor

Joseph started volunteering with WVIA in September 2003. He worked as a camera operator and production assistant on membership pledge drives, State of PA, Ballroom and Pennsylvania Polka. While volunteering at WVIA during his school years taught him the ins and outs of the industry. He later went on to learn more skills and honed his craft while working in the industry.

Joseph was hired as a freelance member of the WVIA production department in December 2008. During local television productions Joseph fills many positions, such as director, camera operator, audio technician, floor manager, video operator, teleprompter just to name a few. He has also worked periodically in the WVIA Engineering Department since June 2008.

Joseph can be seen on television when he hosts portions of the WVIA Great TV Auction and membership pledge drives. He also works as an on-air radio talent during WVIA-FM membership pledge drives.

Throughout the years he held many production positions on the WVIA long running interactive television program, Call the Doctor, but in July 2010, Joseph became the Producer of the show.

Joseph lives in the Pittston area and spends his free time with his lovely wife.

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Meet the team

Meet the team

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