BUFFALO, N.Y. – As part of the My Health Counts! series, WNED-TV will explore what it means to be an e-patient—empowered, engaged, equipped and enabled—in this information age in “e-Patients,” airing Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 10 p.m.

“e-Patients” shows how the new world of participatory medicine is evolving, allowing patients to become responsible drivers of their health. Host Susan Hunt, Lygeia Ricciardi, senior policy advisor for Consumer e-Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and David deBronkart, known as “e-Patient Dave,” discuss how technology ‒ from personal health records and patient portals to email and social networking sites ‒ can help individuals make better decisions about health and health care.  deBronkart, a blogger who became an activist for healthcare transformation, shares his story of beating a rare and terminal cancer after turning to a group of fellow patients online and finding the medical treatment that ultimately saved his life.  

Airing afterwards at 10:30 p.m. is “Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives.” Hunt is joined by two colorectal cancer experts ‒ Dr. Christopher Bartolone, gastroenterologist and managing partner at Gastroenterology Associated, LLP and Dr. Andrew Bain, gastroenterologist and assistant professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The program includes personal stories from people affected by colon cancer, including WGRZ-TV reporter Heather Ly, whose mother died at age 58 from colon cancer.

Both programs were produced in partnership with the P2 Collabrative of Western New York.  Foundation support for My Health Counts! was provided by “Aligning Forces for Quality” — an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the John R. Oishei Foundation.  Major funding for “Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives” was provided by the New York State Department of Health- Cancer Services Program.”

Through WNED-TV, ThinkBright and Well/WORLD TV, Classical 94.5 WNED and WBFO-FM 88.7, member-supported WNED ǀ WBFO Buffalo-Toronto provides high quality programming and services to local, regional and national audiences that enlighten, inspire, entertain and educate Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. Additional information about WNED ǀ WBFO can be found at wned.org.