97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck speaks with Gary Collins of Piedmont Health Services, Dana Iglesias of UNC Family Medicine, Jean Phillips-Weiner of the Orange County Health Department, and Ciara Zachary of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
This hour focuses on the state of health care in 2025, both nationally and here in our community. Public health officials recently shifted their efforts to focus more on equity, working to identify and address health disparities and to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare. There’s now a widespread backlash against equity efforts – but the underlying concerns still remain. To what extent are health officials still focusing on equity? What is being done today to address those issues? And what, in general, is the state of health care in America today? What are the biggest challenges and obstacles, and what needs to be done to overcome them? Our four panelists weigh in from a variety of perspectives, ranging from research labs to clinical practices to local government agencies to community health centers.
The 2025 “Forum On The Hill” is presented by the Town of Chapel Hill, UNC Health, Wegmans, Coleman Merritt Murphy & Rainsford P.C., and The Law Office of Chris Barnes. Listen to the panels live on 97.9 The Hill WCHL the week of Dec. 8-12 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or revisit them the day after on-demand at Chapelboro.com, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
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Sherry Hay: Hometown HeroSherry Hay is Wednesday’s Hometown Hero. Sherry is an adjunct assistant professor with UNC’s Department of Family Medicine. She works to help people get the health insurance they need and want. Specifically, she helps people understand the Affordable Care Act and what it can do for them. You can nominate your own Hometown Hero. WCHL […]
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Audra Campbell: Hometown HeroAudra Campbell is Thursday’s Hometown Hero. Audra is a supervisor in the hospital laboratory system of UNC Family Medicine. Her laboratory averages about 1,500 blood draws a month and with the recent expansion at UNC Family Medicine, she expects that number to increase. The vision of the UNC Department of Family Medicine is to promote […]
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Dr. Sam Weir: Hometown HeroDr. Sam Weir is Tuesday’s Hometown Hero. Dr. Weir played a key role in the recent redesign of the UNC Family Medicine Center. But, he credited the entire team for all of their hard work. The vision of the UNC Department of Family Medicine is to promote the health of the people of North Carolina […]
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Dr. Christine Kistler: Hometown HeroDr. Christine Kistler is Monday’s Hometown Hero. https://chapelboroaudio.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/June/13/HOMETOWN%20HERO_DR.%20CHRISTINE%20KISTLER%20(hometown%20hero).mp3 Dr. Kistler is an assistant professor in the UNC Department of Family Medicine. Her specialty is geriatric medicine. She is also the clinical director for their REACH program. REACH stands for “Reaching out to Enhance the Health of Adults in their Communities and Homes.” The program helps medically […]
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Dr. Harry Stafford: Hometown HeroDr. Harry Stafford is Friday’s Hometown Hero. Dr. Stafford has been a team physician for UNC for the past 8 years. Currently, he is the head primary-care doctor for UNC’s women’s basketball, men’s and women’s track & field, and the cross country teams. He also sees patients from the community at UNC Family Medicine. You […]
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Herb Davis: Hometown HeroThursday’s Hometown Hero is Herb Davis. Herb is a member of the Patient Advisory Council. His primary goal to let doctors, nurses, and the rest of the staff at UNC Family Medicine know how the care that is offered affects patients. He has worked to get patients individualized care at UNC Family Medicine. About UNC […]

Nominate a Hometown Hero!Do you know someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty without expecting anything for themselves in return? The 97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com Hometown Hero Award honors awesome local people that all too often fly under the radar and go unrecognized for their incredible talents and contributions. We are looking for people who are serious about making change and working collaboratively to make our local area a better place to live. A new Hometown Hero is selected each week.

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Equity in Health Care - December 11, 2025What is the state of health care today, both nationally and here in our community? And what needs to be done to address disparities?
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