Centering Health Equity

In this episode of Centering Health Equity, we are joined by Dr. Bryan Buckley, Director of Health Equity Initiatives at the National Committee for Quality Assurance and Assistant Professor at Georgetown School of Medicine We discuss how medical schools are working to develop a curriculum for health equity and the impact this has in the effort to improve health outcomes for all. Dr. Buckley shares how students are responding to the health equity curriculum and what the implications may be for residency programs throughout the nation’s health systems.

Geoffrey Roche, SVP of National Health Care Practice & Workforce Partnerships at Core Education PBC and Dr. Angelita Howard, Dean for Online Programs and Extended Programs at Morehouse School of Medicine, joined us to discuss the new skills and competencies that will be expected of frontline staff who register patients, support their care, and coordinate their care plan. This episode of Centering Health Equity first highlights the specific curriculum relevant to health professionals who play a role in advancing health equity, and the training for a wide range of health care professionals that is being impacted by the growing focus on reducing health inequities.  

Ashlei Spivey, Executive Director at IBeBlackGirl, and Stacey Penny, Senior Project Director at the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality, join us to discuss the key challenges black mothers face while pregnant and birthing. They share the work they are each doing to help improve health outcomes for black birthing people and women of color as well as some of the programs and initiatives that have been implemented to bring more awareness to and address the maternal health crisis in America.  The show features a number of programs and initiatives that can support a health system's efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Our show notes are available at www.centerhealthequity.com with references to the many programs mentioned in our conversation.

Dr. Italo Brown, and Dr. Stephanie Brown discussed the use of Health Equity Rounds as an important didactic approach to understanding the role social determinants can play in medicine.  Dr. Italo Brown has introduced SPACE as a model for conducting the rounds — Share, Probe, Acknowledge, Connect, Engage.  Dr. Stephanie Brown shares her experience at Sutter Health in a pilot project that introduced this model to providers in the Labor and Delivery department at Sutter Health’s Berkeley site.  They explore the value of using “case based learning” in medicine to introduce the difficult conversation about bias of all kinds and bring a deeper understanding of the context of the challenge providers may face to address their own unconscious biases.   

About our guests: Dr. Italo Brown is a board certified Emergency Physician and Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine, and Health Equity & Social Justice Curriculum Thread Lead at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Stephanie Brown is an board certified Emergency Physician at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, California and Clinical Lead at Sutter Health’s Institute for Advancing Health Equity.

Dr. Janet Englund, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington Medical School and Director of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Group at Seattle Children’s Hospital Center for Clinical and Translational Research joined us for a conversation about vaccine research and clinical trials. We discussed the role her team of researchers and clinicians have played in the Covid19 vaccine clinical trials for children as well as the research on vaccines for Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV. Dr. Englund explains the many steps taken in establishing clinical trials and ensuring their safety and the ways which clinical trials can be designed to include more diverse participants.

In this episode we are joined by Pat Geraghty, President and CEO, GuideWell and Florida Blue and Dr. Kelli Tice, Vice President Medical Affairs, Chief Health Equity Officer at GuideWell.  Our conversation explored how GuideWell responded to the pandemic and talked about the specific ways that health plans can engage in advancing health equity.  Our guests were candid about the hard work that is required and the importance of health plans working closely with community stakeholders to understand the needs of the communities where their members live and work.  As much as has been achieved, there remains more to do and both Pat and Dr. Tice share their deep commitment and passion for this work.

There is a mental health crisis in the US and its been recently discussed as the shadow pandemic that became evident as more individuals had to isolate and physically distance from loved ones to avoid the spread of Covid19.  In this episode we speak with Dr. Alexander Salerno, founder of the Urban Healthcare Initiative Program and Director of the Community Health Outreach Program in New Jersey and Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.  Our conversation looked at the magnitude of the challenges anyone suffering with mental illness can encounter in finding the right care in what can only be described as a fragmented mental health system.  We looked at how a unique program of integrated care– a place where physical and mental health needs can be addressed– is building on known best practices to address complex care needs for those experiencing mental illness. We also talked about the importance of sharing knowledge about Mental Health First Aid among informal and formal support systems that individuals may access.  As we think about any effort to advance health equity, these conversations about access to mental health services need to take center stage now more than ever.

Our conversation with Lisa Sloane, founder and CEO of More Inclusive Healthcare, and Tamara Migut, Director of Quality Improvement at Health Alliance Medical Plans, provides a rich opportunity to look at how collecting data on race, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity pose unique challenges for health systems and how to craft a strategy that supports staff adoption and patient engagement. As an innovator and entrepreneur, Lisa Sloane shares her experience with working in partnership with different health systems to support their efforts to collect patient data. Tamara is responsible for the Health Alliance Medical Plans Quality Improvement Initiative, focusing on meeting new reporting requirements from the National Committee for Quality Assurance that links health inequities with HEDIS measures and outcomes.

In this episode we talk with Myra Gregorian, Chief People Officer at Seattle Children's Hospital and Dr. Aletha Maybank, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for the American Medical Association about what it means to go beyond creating a culture of inclusion in healthcare settings to becoming an anti-racist organization.  Join us for a candid conversation about this next chapter in the DEI journey and the unique challenges organizations and individual leaders face in this courageous work.

Episode 9 is a recap of the many topics, co-hosts Duane Reynolds and Maria Hernandez have covered in the first year of Centering Health Equity.  Duane and Maria offer reflections on how large health systems are responding to the urgency of health equity and what physicians in particular can do in their daily work to advance health equity.  Another important topic addressed is the importance of community partnerships that work at engaging under-resourced communities and diverse stakeholders that can bring attention to culturally effective care.  And finally we look at the work of front-line educators, facilitators, trainers who are engaging in difficult conversations about racial and systemic bias in medicine and making strides in mitigating the impact of bias.

Andres Gonzalez is the VP and Chief Diversity Officer Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin where he oversees a number of initiatives linked to advancing health equity. Our conversation focuses on the emerging organizational changes that health systems are making to link workforce diversity and talent development with quality of care for diverse populations. We discuss the value of breaking down those silos and how important it is for health equity to be integrated into quality of care. An important element of this work is how much Andres forged important collaborations among the leadership team, with employee resource groups and key community stakeholders who worked collaboratively and strategically together to address health inequities.

Elizabeth Forte at New Hanover Regional Medical and Vivian Anugwom, at Allina Healthcare share some of  the challenges they have encountered while working within their respective health systems to identify and address health disparities. Both Elizabeth and Vivian share how their respective organizations are not only committed to anti-racism but also creating culturally effective and responsive care models that reflect all of the communities they serve. This episode highlights the need to bring in the voices of the patients and community to understand how to provide culturally responsive care. “Speaking truth to power” is the start of creating a culture of inclusivity.

In this episode Desiree de la Torre, Director of Community Affairs and Population Health at Children’s National Hospital, and Fernando Little, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Atrium Health, discuss what their Health systems are doing to advance health equity beyond their four walls. Our conversation is focused on the strategic and the collaborative efforts between their organizations and the community stakeholders. Their effort to create a connection between community clinics, schools and local small businesses is demonstrated not only in the context of advancing health equity, but also the economic impact on the communities they serve. Their expertise highlights the many ways community outreach efforts and measuring the impact of those efforts in health outcomes and the social determinants of health is such an important part of the health equity journey.

Dr. Uche Blackstock and her sister, Dr. Oni Blackstock have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, RaceForward and have been covered by the Washington Post and Yahoo News!. This episode brings the twin sisters together to share about their unique story as second-generation physicians and leaders in the African American medical community. Their late mother, Dr. Dale Blackstock, inspired them to pursue their medical degrees and to serve communities of color. This episode features their unique work to reduce health inequities and the role physicians and other care providers have in addressing health inequities. A highlight of the discussion is the need to create a safe environment where unconscious biases can be recognized and discussed so that physicians accept their unique opportunity to improve health outcomes among communities of color.

Duane Reynolds and Maria Hernandez interview Philip Albert and Priya Bathija about the ways the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) are supporting their members in their efforts to advance health equity. In Part 2 we learn more about how the competitive nature of health systems may create an agreed upon set of metrics for health equity and the national rankings on health equity which must be meaningful to the communities served. We conclude with their personal thoughts on coping with the pandemic while their unique roles at AHA and AAMC takes center stage in the national spotlight on health equity.

Duane Reynolds and Maria Hernandez interview Philip Albert and Priya Bathija about the ways the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) are supporting their members in their efforts to advance health equity. Part 1 of the show highlights a focus on how data collection on patient demographics, social determinants of health and other systemic factors that drive inequities are a focus for the respective associations. This effort represents important and necessary steps in advancing health equity and both Philip and Priya recognize the inherent concerns organizations must address. They also recognize that the “ecosystem” for healthcare has radically changed--the range of patterns, initiatives, and community partnerships needed to support the well-being of communities is driving important efforts to align services with patient needs.

Join us for part two of the discussion with Dr. Stephen Lockhart and Ms. Cassandra Willis-Abner as we dive deeper into practical steps that health systems can take to improve health equity and as we hear Dr. Lockhart’s and Ms. Willis-Abner’s experiences with systemic racism that have shaped them into the leaders of health equity they are today.

How are major health systems responding to the national unrest spurred by the injustices of racism and health inequities that the pandemic has magnified? In this two part episode, we feature Dr. Stephen Lockhart of Sutter Health and Ms. Cassandra Willis-Abner formerly of Trinity Health, now with Press Ganey Associates. Listen to the strategies that have made both systems leaders in health equity.

Welcome to the launch of Centering Health Equity! In this brief episode, Cohosts Duane Reynolds and Maria Hernandez introduce themselves and share how the idea for the podcast emerged from both personal and professional life experiences.  Tune in to hear how their unique perspectives have come together to form this podcast and how their vision for Centering Health Equity is focused on bringing listeners new ideas, promising and best practices to reduce all forms of bias in healthcare.