Strong Medicine

"Strong Medicine" is also the title of a novel by Arthur Hailey.

Main characters

Main characters on the show as of 2005 include:

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; Dr. Luisa "Lu" Delgado : (Rosa Blasi-Finn) Delgado runs the free clinic, and hosts a weekly informal women's health group (most 2003 and 2004 episodes open with a scene from these meetings). Both as an inner-city resident and a doctor to many lower-class patients, Delgado regularly comes face-to-face with bitterly ironic situations involving the difficulties of the lower class with government, debt, drug abuse, and exploitation. Her character exhibits a perennial cleverness which allows her to wheedle or persuade positive outcomes from seemingly hopeless cases of victimization. She has a teenage son, Marc.

Related Topics:
Rosa Blasi-Finn - Clinic - 2003 - 2004 - Government - Debt - Drug abuse - Exploitation

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; Dr. Dylan West : (Rick Schroder) Replacing Dr. Campbell's role is West, a male women's health specialist. His gender raises initial eyebrows, especially with Delgado, who has also had past negative experiences with him. He has his own troubled past and seems to be seeking to redeem himself from something at Rittenhouse. He is a diabetic, which becomes a recurring plot device. He has tremendously bad luck in romance, with many love interests dying. One such former love interest arrives at Rittenhouse needing a new heart to survive; West is unable to save her life, but gains a daughter, Araya (Eileen April Boylan), he never knew he had.

Related Topics:
Rick Schroder - Diabetic - Eileen April Boylan

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; Peter Riggs : (Joshua Cox) A nurse, Peter is generally progressive, open-minded, and an eager advice-giver. He practices Buddhism and believes in the principles of holistic medicine. He is often a kindred spirit to Delgado. Often, Riggs' character makes a balanced sociopolitical observation that influences a positive action by one of the two doctors; other times he is the protagonist of action.

Related Topics:
Joshua Cox - Buddhism - Holistic medicine

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; Lana Hawkins : (Jenifer Lewis) Hawkins serves as the front receptionist for the RWHC, or the Rittenhouse Women's Health Center. A former drug addict and prostitute long since rehabilitated, she got her job with the help of Delgado. Hawkins is the hospital's eyes and ears, i.e. chief gossip, as well as matchmaker, and general benevolent schemer and rule-bender. Lana always refers to herself in the third person.

Related Topics:
Jenifer Lewis - Drug addict - Prostitute - Gossip

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; Kayla Thornton : (Tamera Mowry) A new doctor and young African-American medical prodigy, Thornton is a fast study at Rittenhouse, entering residency in the 2004 season and becoming a depended-upon ER regular by the 2005 season, despite occasional disbelief by patients that she is a qualified doctor. Thornton rooms with various fellow staffers in her search for affordable housing; first in Dr. Campbell's house, but with Lana after Campbell's departure, and later with Peter, with whom she has a budding relationship.

Related Topics:
Tamera Mowry - 2004 - 2005

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