HealthCetera opens with producer/moderator Diana Mason, RN, discussing how the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, can be undermined through executive branch actions even while the Republicans seek to find more votes in favor of the bill that failed two weeks ago that would have repealed Obamacare.

The next segment of the program examines how we talk about end of life choices. A recent study found that the language that health professionals use to talk about DNR orders can make a difference in family members' choices and their comfort with their choices. Diana Mason interviews the study author, Dawn Fairlie, RN, PhD, professor of nursing at the College of Staten Island. They also suggest that people make sure they have advance directives to make their wishes known and to appoint a healthcare proxy to make decisions for them if they become unable to do so for themselves. Dr. Fairlie recommends a YouTube video on a decisional aid for whether to agree to CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or not; and a "Five Wishes" guide to completing an advance directive.

On the last part of HealthCetera Radio, the link between health and housing is explored; and it goes beyond just having a stable home. Evidence is mounting that demonstrates that how the housing is designed is key to health. The New York State Health Foundation is funding work to design low income housing in the Bronx and Brooklyn that promotes the active engagement of residents and enhances their possibilities for health. Leading this work is the Center for Active Design, a non-profit organization that uses design to foster healthy and engaged communities. Mason talks with the Center’s Executive Director, Joanna Frank, about active housing design.