Advancing Health

As the health care field continues to undergo significant change in its business and care models, it’s clear there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to facing the future. Communities of different sizes have different needs. Scale is important, and that’s where health systems have much to offer. On this Leadership Dialogue Series podcast, AHA Board Chair Wright L. Lassiter III is joined by Eugene Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Gene is also a former chair of the AHA Board of Trustees. Wright and Gene talk about the role of health systems within the U.S. health care system today, and how the scale they offer can benefit communities and foster innovation. And in this time of significant financial and workforce challenges facing hospitals and health systems, the two health care leaders discuss the impact of these challenges and how Atrium Health is addressing them. Gene also shares examples of how Atrium Health teams continue to explore innovation and partnerships

Everyday hospitals and health systems are doing some of the most innovative work in America, finding new ways and new partners to collaborate with to advance the health of their communities. Today on the podcast, Dr. Ana Calderon Randazzo, executive director of the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Broward Health, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida chats with the AHA about the Center's Continous Care program and how it's making a difference. The Center’s Continuous Care Program was among five programs honored by this year’s NOVA Award. Welcome to the American Hospital Association’s new podcast series #JustLead, a series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity, are transforming health care for their communities,

Rural America is in crisis. A spike in suicides and deaths by substance abuse has strained communities already struggling with a lack of clinical and inpatient resources. But there is hope. In part two of this special podcast series, John Supplitt, senior director of Rural Health Services, AHA and Jordan Steiger, senior program manager, AHA clinical affairs and workforce, are joined by Stephanie Greer, president of Cannon Memorial Hospital, an Appalachian regional behavioral health hospital and critical access hospital in Newland, North Carolina. Listen to how Cannon Memorial succeeded in obtaining an unprecedented Medicare waiver that allowed it to expand the inpatient capacity for psychiatric services in the community.

Welcome to the American Hospital Association’s new podcast series #JustLead, a series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity, are transforming health care for their communities. One of the five programs recognized with a 2022 AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award is The Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center, in Keene New Hampshire. The Doorway specializes in substance use disorder, finding new ways to reach out to and treat that vulnerable population. Nelson Hayden leads the program; and Laurie Butz-MeyerRose is a clinician at Doorway. The annual AHA Dick Davidson NOVA awards recognize the stars of this effort. The awards salute those programs that are helping to address many of our nation’s most pressing health challenges while creating healthier communities and increasing well-being for their neighbors. By the way, the deadline for applications for the 2023 NOVA Award is November 16th. You can learn more at www.aha.org/

Rural America is in crisis. A spike in suicides and deaths by substance abuse has strained communities already struggling with a lack of clinical and inpatient resources. But there is hope. Led by their local health systems, two rural communities in Colorado and North Carolina have rallied to meet the challenge — and they’re changing the fortunes of those that live and work there. In this two-part series, we learn how these communities are developing new and innovative solutions to build capacity for behavioral health services. In today’s part one podcast, John Supplitt, senior director of Rural Health Services, AHA, and Jordan Steiger, senior program manager, AHA clinical affairs and workforce, start the discussion with some alarming statistics about the prevalence of mental health issues — including thoughts of suicide in many rural communities. Then Will Cook, President and CEO of Vail Health in Colorado, joins the podcast, to discuss solving the “paradise paradox” and stemming the surge of suicides in Ea

Millions of people across the country cast their ballots in the 2022 mid-term elections. While some votes are still being counted and certain races remain too close to call on the day after Election Day. On today’s podcast, Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, AHA's senior vice president of federal relations, advocacy and political affairs, leads a discussion with two veteran political consultants – Dave Bockorny, Executive Chairman and CEO of the Bockorny Group, and Dave Leiter, President of Plurus Strategies. They examine key results of the House and Senate races (1:08), thoughts on the future 2024 election (16:57), and the mid-term election's impact on health care in America (24:14).

Welcome to the American Hospital Association’s new podcast series #JustLead, a series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity, are transforming health care for their communities, AHA’s 2022 NOVA Awards recognized five programs, among them “Community Connect,” from Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis/St. Paul. In a nutshell, the program uses well-child visits at primary care clinics to identify unmet health-related social needs. In this podcast, Community Connect’s manager joins AHA’s senior associate director for media relations to discuss the successful results. The annual AHA Dick Davidson NOVA awards recognize the stars of this effort. The awards salute those programs that are helping to address many of our nation’s most pressing health challenges while creating healthier communities and increasing well-being for their neighbors. By the way, the deadline for applications for the 2023 NOVA Award is November 1

The School Blue Envelope Suicide Prevention Program – a creation of Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Mich. – is among the five programs recognized with a 2022 NOVA Award. The program lays out specific steps school administrators can take if they learn that a student has thoughts of suicide. In this podcast, two Spectrum Health experts join AHA’s senior associate director for media relations to discuss the difference their approach has made. Welcome to the American Hospital Association’s new podcast series #JustLead, a series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity, are transforming health care for their communities. The annual AHA Dick Davidson NOVA awards recognize the stars of this effort. The awards salute those programs that are helping to address many of our nation’s most pressing health challenges while creating healthier communities and increasing well-being for their neighbors. The deadline for applicat

In the midst of all the change surrounding the health care field right now, the impact of climate change has sometimes been overlooked. But for Dartmouth Health in New Hampshire, that is starting to what else? … change. The health care field is increasingly aware of the impact of climate change. More and more, organizations are thinking about how to address environmental sustainability. On this Leadership Dialogue Series podcast, AHA Board Chair Wright L. Lassiter III is joined by Joanne M. Conroy, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health in Hanover, New Hampshire. Conroy also is the Chair-elect Designate of the AHA Board of Trustees and will succeed Lassiter in that job next year. The two health care leaders discuss the creation of a group, the Alliance for Health and Climate Change, which is focused on identifying big and small changes to decrease the Dartmouth’s carbon footprint. Conroy tells Wright that her employees have lots of good ideas, such as covering all parking areas with solar panels, and Dartmouth

Every day, hospitals and health systems are doing some of the most innovative work in America, finding new ways and new partners to collaborate with to advance the health of their communities. Each is turning to a different approach for patient care. Welcome to the American Hospital Association's new podcast series, Just Lead, a series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with awards for innovation, collaboration and health equity are transforming health care for their communities. The annual AHA Dick Davidson Nova Awards recognize the stars of this effort. The awards salute those programs that are helping to address many of our nation's most pressing health challenges while creating healthier communities and increasing well-being for their neighbors. The deadline for applications for the 2023 NOVA Awards is November 16th. You can learn more at www.aha.org/nova. One of the five programs recognized with the 2022 Nova Award is California's Monterey County Diabetes Collabora

Some 63 million rural residents across the U.S. depend on their area hospital as their primary – and often only – source of accessible medical care. Yet a variety of factors have caused the closure of 136 rural hospitals from 2010 to 2021, with a record 19 closures in 2020 alone. Most reasons are economic. They include low reimbursement rates, staffing shortages, low patient volume and regulatory barriers, as well as the continued financial challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, expenses for labor, drugs, supplies and equipment have skyrocketed. In this podcast Jeff Subler, president and CEO of Wayne HealthCare in Greenville, Ohio, discusses the unique challenges facing rural communities and rural hospitals, the impact closures have on the communities they serve, and the role Congress must play in extending programs such as Low-volume Adjustments that support rural hospitals.

In this episode, Shanna Cox, associate director for science in CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, and Aisha Syeda, senior program manager for AHA’s strategic initiatives, discuss the reasons behind the increase in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, its health outcomes, and what hospitals can do to identify and prevent associated complications. Additionally, Cox shares strategies and resources hospitals can use to guide this work with equity in mind, including assets from the CDC’s Hear Her campaign.

#JustLead featuring NorthShore University HealthSystem by American Hospital Association

#JustLead is a new AHA’s podcast series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity are transforming health care for their communities. Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans was a 2022 finalist for AHA’s Quest for Quality Prize, presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in achieving high-quality health care and advancing health in communities. In this podcast, Dr. Armin Schubert, vice president for medical affairs, and Dr. Ryan Truxillo, a family medicine specialist, discuss how Ochsner confronted the problem of patient deterioration and made process changes that resulted in dramatic improvement over a two-year period. Apply for the 2023 Quest for Quality Award at www.aha.org/questforquality

#JustLead is a new AHA’s podcast series highlighting how hospitals and health systems that have been recognized with AHA Awards for innovation, collaboration, and health equity are transforming health care for their communities. WellSpan Health of York, Pa., was a 2022 finalist for AHA’s Quest for Quality Prize, presented annually to honor leadership and innovation in achieving high-quality health care and advancing health in communities. In this podcast, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer Mike Seim walks us through WellSpan Health strategies and commitment for providing seamless care and addressing disparities. Apply for AHA's Quest for Quality Prize by visiting www.aha.org/questforquality

The number of drug overdose deaths in America increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the problem. Today, the great majority of overdose deaths involve an opioid, and almost 90% of individuals who are badly in need of substance use disorder treatment receive none. In this podcast, Rebecca Chickey, senior director, Behavioral Health Services at the AHA, speaks with Kimberly Wells, CEO of Pinewood Springs in Columbia, Tenn., about that hospital’s success — in collaboration with HCA Healthcare's TriStar Health and Maury Regional Medical Center — in changing the culture on how substance abuse and mental health needs were incorporated into the care and improvement of human lives. The HCA approach is about mindset; engaging patients at one of their most vulnerable times as the best way to plant the seed of hope and chart a path to post-hospitalization recovery care.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Although the issue is spotlighted right now, the truth is that attention needs to be paid to cyber security awareness every minute of every day. Hospitals and health systems can’t afford to let down their guard for a moment, because the activities of cyber criminals never stop. In this podcast we have a unique opportunity to hear from a high level government leader whose job it is to defend the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks and other threats. Tasked with this extremely important mission, and here with us today, is Nitin Natarajan, Deputy Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA. Nitin is a friend and colleague of John Riggi, who joined the AHA as national advisor for cybersecurity and risk after a nearly 30 year career with the FBI. In this podcast, John and Nitin discuss the biggest cyber and other threats facing health care and other infrastructure sectors; how they overlap; the role of CISA; and w

Hospital care teams are inundated each day by hospital alarm systems that alert them to changes in a patient’s status. Many providers say there are too many and not all deserve the same degree of attention. Listen to how one provider, Eisenhower Health, has taken important steps to reduce “alarm fatigue.” Today's podcast is brought to you by Spacelabs Healthcare.

The COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most exciting global health developments in recent history. What’s also exciting are the key lessons learned from the national rollout of the vaccine -- knowledge that gives hope for a future of better health for all. In this episode, Dr. John Varbaro, chief medical officer at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, joins Kathy Cummings, director of communications for AHA's Health Research & Educational Trust, to reflect on key strategies and action steps that proved successful in getting shots into arms and overcoming barriers of access, trust and misinformation -- and the lessons learned that are moving health care forward.

As the US population continues to age, leaders at hospitals and health systems are increasingly partnering with community-based organizations to address the social and non-medical health needs of older individuals, including nutrition and transportation assistance, social connection, and caregiver support. Area Agencies on Aging are one of the community-based organizations that hospitals and health systems are forging strong, dynamic partnerships with. Today, we have a conversation that explores the ways in which hospitals and health systems are partnering with Area Agencies on Aging, as well as tips on some common pitfalls to avoid in these partnerships. Nancy Myers is the Vice President of Leadership and System Innovation at the AHA, where she leads strategy and programmatic work on population health that supports hospitals and health systems and their strategic partners to equitably support the health of the communities they serve. Marisa Scala-Foley is the Director of the Aging and Disability Business Ins