Advancing Health

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital solutions, including mobile health apps, patient portals and telehealth serve as a critical access point for health care providers to reach patients. However, many individuals have not been able to benefit from these digital solutions. In this podcast, Julia Resnick, director of AHA’s Strategic Initiatives is joined by Priya Bathija, vice president of AHA’s Strategic Initiatives and Sarah Swank, Counsel at Nixon Peabody. Priya and Sarah will discuss their upcoming article on digital health equity in a special edition of the American Health Law Association Journal of Health and Life Sciences Law. Here, they discuss barriers to access digital solutions and the role of health care leaders, including attorneys, in improving digital health equity.

1 in 5 children experience a mental illness. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health challenges and suicide risk among children. In this Members in Action podcast featuring maternal and child health efforts, Aisha Syeda, program manager at the AHA is joined by Chanda Chacòn, president and chief executive officer at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center to discuss the hospital’s investment in establishing a pediatric mental health urgent care center.

Over the past few years every leader of health care organization in the country has had to acknowledge the threat of a cyberattack that has the potential to compromise systems and patient safety. In this podcast, John Riggi, AHA's National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk, is speaking with former AHA Chair, Brian Gragnolati, President and CEO of Atlantic Health System about best practices for care providers to avoid, plan for, and mitigate cyber threats.

The integration of behavioral health and primary health care leads to early detection and treatment of numerous issues. Patients suffering from chronic physical ailments experience better outcomes, as well as an improved quality of life. Creating this integration begins with education and partnerships, both within the health care system and the surrounding community. Denise Dugas is the Senior Director of Mental and Behavioral Health at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and among the nearly 1,000 health care leaders attending this years meeting. Today, Denise joins Rebecca Chickey, AHA's Senior Director of Behavioral Health services to discuss the importance of integration of behavioral and primary health and speciality health care within a hospital system.

In late March the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity rolled out its long awaited Health Equity Roadmap, a national initiative to drive improvement in health care outcomes, health equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Health Equity Roadmap is framework to help hospitals and health care systems chart their own paths towards transformation, dismantle structural barriers, become more equitable and inclusive organization, and help to realize AHA's vision of a just society of healthy communities, where all individuals reach their highest potential for health. By creation and design, the Roadmap is an innovative approach to advance health equity. It is meant to be a game changer. AHA's Board of Trustees member, Montez Carter is president and CEO of St. Mary's Healthcare system in Athens, GA. and is among the approximately 1,000 health care leaders gathered at this years meeting. Today, Montez joins Joy Lewis, AHA's Senior Vice-President for Health Equity Strategies and Executiv

Over the past few years the goal of health equity has moved into our national conversation about health care in a new, bigger and different way. These days health care leaders don't just say we want to eliminate health disparities. It's evolving into, we have a plan to do this. How to create that plan is the purpose of the new Health Equity Roadmap, released in March by the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity. Jack Lynch is a member of the AHA Board of Trustees, President and CEO of Mainline Health in suburban Philadelphia, and among the approximately 1,000 health care leaders attending this meeting. Today, Jack joins Joy Lewis, AHA's Senior Vice-President for Health Equity Strategies and Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, and Dr. Leon Caldwell, Senior Director of Health Equity Strategies and Innovation with IFDHE to talk about the importance of health equity, how disparities can be eliminated, and what hospitals have learned from quality

Rural hospitals are community strongholds, serving as the key point of care for nearly 20 percent of Americans. Beyond providing healing and hope, rural hospitals nationwide are pillars of their local economies, creating essential jobs that support families and community vitality. Access to behavioral health services has been a chronic need across rural America for decades. Driven largely by shortages of clinical professionals, the demand for care has only grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. While tele-behavioral health has shown promise, much more must be done to eliminate the disparity and access to care and treatment to those who live in rural communities. On this podcast we hear from 3 leaders from across rural America who found a way, tele-health, outpatient, and inpatient, to deliver essential behavioral health services to the residents of their communities.

One clear lesson from the pandemic over the past couple of years is that America cannot be strong without its hospitals and health systems being strong, but their strength is under serious stress right now. Caregivers work round the clock to nurse ill patients back to health, yet many hospitals and health systems are themselves not out of the woods yet, due to a confluence of economic factors that have skyrocketed the cost of caring for their patients and communities. In this podcast, two American Hospital Association policy experts walk us through the severe economic environment that many care providers find themselves in right now, as highlighted in a new report from the AHA.

Ask nearly any health care CEO in America what they consider their number 1 problem and they can answer with one word: Workforce. The pandemic has brought long-simmering workforce challenges to a boil. Over the past couple of years the demands and stress on health care workers has gone way up…while job satisfaction and staff retention has gone way down. What can be done? A new American Hospital Association Workforce Task Force is in the hunt for answers. Welcome to Advancing Health, a podcast coming to you this week from the American Hospital Association’s Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. Ron Werft, president and CEO of Cottage Health in Santa Barbara, California is chair of the AHA’s board-appointed workforce task force. In this podcast, he speaks with Robyn Begley, the AHA’s chief nursing officer and CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, about what the Task Force is tasked with, and how it’s helping lead the development of resources for the field.

Clinicians more so than ever are making the move into leadership positions. As this movement occurs there are many ways these new leaders can make impacts in their organizations not only in addressing workforce challenges but also in increasing diversity and inclusion of health care teams. In today's episode Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Dr. Mohammad Agha, Medical Director of Care Coordination at SSM Health to discuss emerging physician leaders and lessons to address the clinical workforce challenges.

On this Leadership Dialogue Series podcast, AHA Board Chair Wright L. Lassiter III is joined by Matthew Stanley, D.O., a psychiatrist and clinical vice president of the behavioral health service line at Avera Health, based in Sioux Falls, S.D. Wright and Dr. Stanley discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on people’s mental health and new ways to support increased access to behavioral health services across the care continuum.

Though recognizing implicit bias is important, hospitals must have an action plan to address it. In this podcast, Priya Bathija, vice president of AHA’s Strategic Initiatives is joined by Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, Senior Vice President and Interim Chief Medical and Health Officer of March of Dimes to discuss why we must educate and train health care professionals, nursing and medical students about implicit bias, but also begin to stimulate action.

In this special Cybersecurity podcast we have the opportunity to talk to leaders of an AHA member hospital who was a victim of a major ransomware attack in the Fall of 2020. Dr. Stephen Leffler, President and Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Douglas Gentile, Chief Medical Information Officer, join us from the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont. John previously interviewed them about lessons learned and best practices during the attack which they are willing to share on today’s podcast.

AHA Board Chair Wright L. Lassiter III is joined by Marcus Whitney, founder and partner of Jumpstart Health Investors, to discuss innovation and equity in health care. Whitney emphasizes the importance of hospitals and health systems developing an innovation practice that is integrated with the organization’s operational model. Lassiter and Whitney also talk about the impact that investing in and providing venture capital to minority-owned businesses will have on the future of health care.

AHA Board Chair Wright L. Lassiter III is joined by Debbie Hatmaker, chief nursing officer of the American Nurses Association Enterprise. Hatmaker shares insights about what to do “systemically” to ensure a hospital environment where nurses feel safe and are supported and valued for their work. Lassiter and Hatmaker also discuss workplace violence, the current nursing shortage and retention strategies.

A talented, qualified, engaged and diverse workforce is at the heart of America’s health care system. But hospitals and health systems face mounting and critical staffing shortages that could jeopardize access to care in the communities they serve. As hospitals struggle to retain and support an exhausted workforce they are left looking for unique ways to better support and enhance resilience among clinicians and to address the traumatic stress caused by COVID-19. In today's episode Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Dr. Rebecca Schwartz, associate professor and chief of Social Behavioral Sciences at the Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology and Prevention, associate investigator at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and director of Research and Evaluation at the Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Recovery at Northwell Health, as well as Dr. Mayer Bellehsen, director of Behavioral Health at the Center for Traumatic Stress

Rural hospitals are community strongholds, serving as the key point of care for nearly 20% of Americans. Beyond providing healing and hope, rural hospitals nationwide are pillars of their local economies, creating essential jobs that support families and community vitality. Many rural communities struggle with health issues that extend beyond their hospital’s walls. Issues such as transportation, housing, employment, food security, economic stability and other social determinants have an impact on the physical and mental well-being of a community. Hospitals are taking the lead to address social determinants as a response to population and community health. On this episode, we hear from leaders from Klamath Falls, Oregon who have combined resources to establish a certified Blue Zones Community that is a community-led, well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a town’s environment, policy, and social networks.

The health care experiences of many women, especially women of color, are untold. In her book, “The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women”, author and journalist Anushay Hossain shares her own trauma of giving birth, and explores the eye-opening experiences of many women – who were unheard and subjected to systemic sexism and structural racism. In honor of 2022’s International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Priya Bathija, vice president of AHA’s Strategic Initiatives chats with Anushay to discuss her inspiration and research behind the book, and ways we can empower women to share their stories in order to revolutionize maternal health care.

John Riggi, who spent nearly 30 years as a highly decorated veteran of the FBI and now serves as National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Risk at the American Hospital Association and their 5000+ member hospitals. In his role, he serves as a national resource to assist members in defending against cyber-attacks and other threats to their organizations. In this special Cybersecurity podcast, we have a very unique opportunity to talk to a leading expert in the field of cybersecurity John’s close friend and colleague, FBI Cyber Engagement and Intelligence Section Chief Dave Ring. John and Dave will discuss the latest on the current crisis in Ukraine and how it could potentially impact the U.S. Health Care Sector.

As the field continues to move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic into the new normal, we understand more clearly than ever that our dedicated workforce is the backbone of our health care system. Delivering quality health care through ongoing and emerging challenges depends on our ability to recruit, train, retain and support a resilient and flexible workforce. Hospitals’ and health systems’ ability to recruit, train, retain and support health care workers in the current environment will be shaped by several trends transforming health care. These range from fundamental shifts in delivery models, including widespread telemedicine adoption, to accelerated efforts to reduce health care disparities, to continued pressure on hospitals and health systems to reestablish economic sustainability. Today we hear the perspectives of Elisa Arespacochaga, vice president, clinical affairs and workforce of the American Hospital Association, and Robyn Begley, senior vice president & chief nursing officer of the American