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This week: medicine behind bars, advanced hearing aids and more

Medical problems that afflict inmates are not much different than the ailments that are common in the central New York community, according to Dr. Anne Calkins.

Dr. Calkins leads the medical team providing care for adults incarcerated at the Justice Center jail in downtown Syracuse and the Jamesville Correctional Facility, and for youths at the Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center in Syracuse.

Trained at Upstate Medical University, Dr. Calkins treats high blood pressure, diabetes and sexually-transmitted diseases much as any primary care doctor would. She and her team provide minor surgery and emergency care, plus mental health care behind bars. They also arrange for hospital transport when necessary. More about the challenges of her job this Sunday at 7 p.m.

Also this week: advances in hearing aid technology. Plus, prostate cancer grading and staging.

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