Episode Details

Dr. Tom Hardiman DPM draws on decades of experience in podiatry and limb salvage to reveal how systemic inequities and barriers to care drive preventable amputations in people with diabetes. He explains the social determinants of health—housing instability, food insecurity, lack of transportation—and how unequal access to vascular care, nutrition, and timely treatment leads to worse outcomes for underserved communities.

Hardiman shares personal patient stories, emphasizes the importance of patient advocacy and education, and calls for policy changes that prioritize health equity over profit to reduce the 175,000 annual amputations in the U.S. and improve limb salvage for everyone.