Advancing Health

The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on loneliness put a spotlight on the profound impact that social isolation is having on the physical and mental health of American communities. In this conversation, Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president and CEO of Meritus Health, discusses their Care Callers program. The program enlists volunteers to call and check in on Meritus patients who report experiencing loneliness, with encouraging results.

Millions of women across the United States have no access to maternal health care, particularly in rural areas that lack obstetric services. In this episode, leaders from St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, discuss their newly piloted "Center for Excellence" and the Center's success in bringing care to infants and mothers within their community and beyond.

The majority of overdose deaths in the United States involve opioids. Already a huge problem pre-COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated opioid misuse to levels never seen before in the U.S. In this conversation, a leader from the District of Columbia Hospital Association shares the multiple approaches they’re using to help curb the opioid epidemic and reach the communities most impacted.

The federal government and private sector face common dangers from ever-escalating cyberattacks that continually test their readiness and capabilities. In this discussion, two experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Atlantic Health System agree that what’s needed right now is an integrated “whole-of-nation” solution to handling today’s cyberthreats.

Parents will do anything to keep their kids healthy, yet many children remain unvaccinated for COVID-19. In this conversation, Claire O'Connell Boogaard, M.D., Children’s National Hospital pediatrician and COVID-19 vaccine program medical director, discusses the hospital's efforts to build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, especially in historically marginalized communities.

In this post-pandemic era, health care leaders are finding new ways to strengthen performance through innovative approaches, while improving care, quality and patient safety. In this conversation hear how Johns Hopkins is using innovation to ensure long-term financial stability while managing day-to-day struggles. This podcast is brought to you by Guidehouse.

Building a robust nursing workforce is hugely important in providing quality care to patients, but poses unique challenges in rural Ohio. In this conversation, Fisher-Titus’s Stacy Daniel, director of clinical programs, and Katie Chieda, chief nursing officer, share how their team concentrated on recruiting international nurses to ensure that they remained a strong, independent health system for years to come.

With fall approaching, health officials across the country are once again bracing for a rise in respiratory illnesses, including the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV. In this discussion, two St. Luke’s Health System experts describe how they pivoted to provide respiratory care during last year's surge, and how the rapid creation of Respiratory Outpatient Clinics across the state made a tremendous difference for their patients.

Health equity is a discussion that is often framed only around race, but it means so much more. In this discussion, two heads of rural health systems explain how they're working to reach underserved communities, and the steps they're taking to get to full equity.

The AHA Quest for Quality Prize honors hospitals and health systems committed to leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health. In this podcast this year's three honorees talk about their achievements, reflect on the challenges they faced, and assess the real impact of equity on quality of care.

Mergers, acquisitions and affiliations. Most health care leaders agree that the future, especially for rural providers, will involve more cooperation and partnerships. In this podcast, three leaders from rural health care systems agree that every community must find its own unique way to maximize its health care resources while maintaining the best possible care for patients.

2023 AHA Board Chair John Haupert talks with three health care leaders affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): Terri Poe, chief nursing officer at UAB Medicine; Maria Rodriguez Shirey, dean of the UAB School of Nursing; and Shea Polancich, assistant dean for clinical innovation, UAB School of Nursing. Haupert and the UAB team discuss innovative ways to address workforce challenges in health care, and how strategic partnerships at UAB have increased the pipeline of local nurses while also improving quality outcomes for patients.

Ruby Kirby is a proud and accomplished member of a small club: African American women who are CEO’s of rural hospitals. The 2022 recipient of AHA’s Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award, Kirby is CEO of both Bolivar and Camden hospitals. In this podcast, she discusses what has worked in making progress in quality and equity in rural health and how her team is using data to drive action and mentoring younger African American women for future leadership positions.

The AHA’s prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations that have demonstrated a strategic approach to community health and health equity. Finalist Cedars-Sinai was one of the organizations honored in 2023 for leading the way. In this conversation, Jonathan Schreiber, Cedars-Sinai VP of community engagement, shares how they’re continually working to provide better care through impactful community programs.

Rural health care providers face challenges in caring for their communities while coping with finite resources. In this conversation, guest Kevin Barnett, senior investigator with the Public Health Institute and board member for Trinity Health, discusses what it will take for rural providers to bridge the gap between clinical care and community population health, while also improving health equity.

In the health care field one of the scariest types of infections is called CLABSI, or Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection. In this episode, Nishant Prasad, M.D., attending physician and program director of infectious diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, shares how they re-approached CLABSI prevention by deeply examining structure and process, and how their work got them to zero CLABSIs in the last year.

Succession planning can feel like a luxury in health care, but its importance cannot be overstated. As hospitals continue to face workforce challenges, it is more critical than ever that they invest time and resources into developing and growing the next generation of leaders. Brian Juncker, managing partner of Strategic Talent Solutions, and Frank Venuto, Chief Human Capital Officer at Nebraska Medicine, join this discussion around succession planning and how to prep for future.

Squeezed budgets, lack of insurance, transportation and access issues, dwindling patient populations — all problems facing rural health care providers in America. Titus Regional Medical Center is one such rural health system, serving about 88,000 people as the last independent system still operating in northeast Texas. In this episode, Terry Scoggin, CEO of Titus Regional Medical Center, discusses how the team at Titus reaches its community needs through innovative data and unparalleled compassion.

The population of adults ages 65 and older will exceed 95 million in the United States by the year 2060. As Americans age, hospitals and health systems need to adapt their models of care to address the unique needs of older adults. In this episode, Sonja Rosen, M.D., chief of geriatrics at Cedars-Sinai, shares updates on their journey as an Age-Friendly Health System, and discusses a multidisciplinary approach to providing quality care for older patients in the midst of a workforce shortage.

Fostering trust in both the COVID-19 vaccines and other necessary pediatric vaccinations is an essential part of Gillette Children's effort to protect families and their communities. In this episode, Micah Niermann, M.D. discusses how Gillette Children's is reaching their pediatric community and fighting vaccine misinformation.