Today’s podcast features how Esperanza Health Centers - a federally qualified health center in Chicago – has worked to keep their community healthy throughout the pandemic. It is moderated by AHA’s Julia Resnick, senior program manager for strategic initiatives. She is joined by Esperanza’s CEO, Dan Fulweiler and Ofelia Figueroa, their lead contract tracer. They will be discussing how Esperanza has engaged their primarily Latino community to increase vaccine confidence and access.

This podcast was funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contents of this resource do not necessarily represent the policy of CDC or HHS, and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.

Joining Hands for Greater Impact - Esperanza Health Centers

In this episode, Marie Cleary-Fishman, vice president of clinical quality at the AHA Center for Health Innovation is joined by Dr. Holly Geyer, internal medicine practitioner at the Mayo Clinic, to discuss opioid stewardship and resources the AHA has developed to offer guidance and information to hospitals and health systems on how they can partner with patients, clinicians and communities to address the opioid epidemic.

Opioid Stewardship and Substance Disorders

The AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence initiative and the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety partnered to create resources for health and security leaders on how to build safer workplaces. In this podcast, Laura Castellanos AHA associate director and HAV lead, Erik Martin, R.N., chief nursing officer of Norton Children’s Hospital, and Connie Packard, chief of public safety at Boston Medical Center, IAHSS vice president and treasurer, discuss the collaboration, resources and what steps leaders can take to create safety and improve patient care.

Combating Workplace Violence in Health Care by Creating Safer Workplaces

It has been well established that Patient and Family Advisory councils (PFACs) are an excellent way to capture the patient’s voice and perspective. These councils help health care institutions and providers to hear the voice of the patient, identify the needs of their patient population and bring patient and clinicians views closer together. In this four-part series we hear from leaders in this area and explore the important role of PFACs as hospitals navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In today's episode Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Robyn Begley, AHA senior vice president and chief nursing officer, and Pamela Rudisill, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Community Health Systems to discuss the value of nursing leadership in PFACs.

Nursing Leadership in PFACs

In the second episode of our four-part series on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs), Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Jacqueline Beckerman, chief patient experience officer and senior director at ICARE Commitment at the University of Rochester Medical Center to discuss how to go about establishing a PFAC and the importance of representing all aspects of your community.

Establishing a PFAC in your Organization, Councils truly reflect the patients they serve

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.

Cybersecurity: Lessons Learned from Ransomware Attack with UVM Health

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.

From Recognizing Implicit Bias to Creating Action

Burnout is not new, but the COVID-19 pandemic has helped fuel this workplace phenomenon. As teams banded together over the last two-plus years to support each other and the communities they serve, many of the boundaries and expectations around work and life shifted. The societal impact of the pandemic has redefined expectations for work - and life - and brought us terms like the great resignation and quiet quitting. As we emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic, understanding how we can build sustainable, meaningful careers will be the difference.

In this episode, Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Dr. Gaurava Agarwal, Chief Wellness executive for Northwestern Medicine, to talk about how he is building organizational well-being through sustainability.

From Quiet Quitting to Sustainable Well-Being

The U.S. faces a growing health crisis, with maternal health falling alarmingly behind many other developed nations.  The solution isn’t simple, but some hospitals are recognizing the impactful role of doulas programs in maternity care. Hear how doulas provide women with physical and emotional support, and make a difference in addressing maternal and infant health disparities.

Doulas: A Strategy to Address Maternal and Infant Health

Attracting and retaining nurses presents a major workforce challenge, particularly in rural health care settings.  At the University of Vermont Health Network, leaders realized that the ongoing nursing shortage crisis required creative solutions, including investment in the well-being of the nursing staff.

Retaining A Rural Nursing Workforce: It Takes A Village

The creation of the Rural Emergency Hospital designation on January 1, 2023 was intended to offer struggling rural hospitals a new financial lifeline. Converting to REH has its benefits, but also its challenges.  Anson General Hospital CEO Ted Matthews and chief nursing officer Anna Doan speak about how this new designation has worked out so far, and what the local patient population thinks about the move.

The Benefits and Challenges of Converting to a Rural Emergency Hospital

Men can have a significant influence in supporting women during their pregnancy, and can be essential allies in creating better outcomes for mother and child. Guests Dr. Amina Alio of University of Rochester Medical Center, and Jonathan Webb, CEO of the Association of Women's Health Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses, explore the role of fathers in maternal and child health, and how addressing fathers’ needs can improve the overall well-being of a family.

The Role of Fathers in Maternal and Child Health

For Black women who are hospital and health system CEOs, it's been difficult to find and connect with others like themselves. In 2022, the AHA launched the Black Women CEO Roundtable to create a support system and facilitate meaningful connections.  In this conversation, roundtable member Asha Rodriguez, vice president, facility executive with Atrium Health Cabarrus, reflects on how the roundtable’s support, encouragement and honest dialogue have helped her bond with her fellow CEOs.

Creating a Support System for Black Women Leaders and CEOs

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.

Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Care and Community Population Health

For health care professionals, victims of human trafficking aren’t easy to spot, and many victims are reluctant to share much about the horror they endured. Mercy Medical Center’s Blue Dot Human Trafficking Initiative flags potential victims of human trafficking for its team of 30 forensic nurses who serve the greater Baltimore region.  In this conversation, Debra Holbrook, director of Forensic Nursing at Mercy Health Services, and David Maine, M.D., president and CEO at Mercy, explain the key successes of the Blue Dot initiative and how Mercy is making a huge impact in keeping its communities safe and secure.

Hearing the Voices of Human Trafficking Victims

In the United States, behavioral health and physical health can sometimes be treated as if they are unconnected, usually involving separate sites of care.  One small, rural health system decided to override the usual way of doing things and provide a care model that reconnects treatment to the whole person. In this podcast, Charlie Forbush, chief administrative officer at Western Wisconsin Health, describes their hospital's behavioral health expansion within the schools and community, and how it made a difference in patients’ access to whole-person care.

Integrating Behavioral and Physical Health to Treat the Whole Person

The AHA's Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care and reduce health disparities within their communities. 2023 Emerging Winner, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), was honored for its passion and progress in advancing health equity.  In this conversation, Franck Nelson, RWJUH assistant vice president of health equity, discusses the big steps the organization has taken to dismantle equity barriers in its care delivery system and the community it serves.

Equity of Care Award Winner Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: Pathways to Health Equity

Building and retaining a nursing workforce is one of the many challenges facing health care today.  In this conversation, Wendy Horton, chief executive officer of UVA Health, and Beth Mehring, program manager of the “Earn While You Learn” program at UVA Health, discuss the successes of "Earn While You Learn" and how their approach to sustaining the nursing workforce can provide solutions for hospitals and health systems moving forward.

How UVA Health is Helping to Build a Nursing Workforce

Digital innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other spaces are becoming more present in health care. With these advancements also come threats from cybercriminals. Through June of 2023, 48 million individuals were impacted by 250 data breaches as reported to the HHS Office of Civil Rights, and about a quarter of them were high-impact ransomware attacks. In this conversation, Troy Ament, chief information security officer at Fortinet, discusses the conversations health care needs to be having to balance digital innovation with cybercrime defenses. Fortinet is an AHA Preferred Cybersecurity Provider.

Playing Cyber Defense in the Age of Digital Innovation

The AHA's Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care and reduce health disparities within their communities. 2023 Rural Winner, Monument Health, was honored for their journey in health equity progress that has spanned over 8 years. In this conversation, Paulette Davidson, president and CEO of Monument Health, and Sandra Ogunremi, DHA, vice president of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Monument Health, discuss how one incident made the rural health system vow to do better and commit to a strong path forward in health care equity.

Equity of Care Award Winner Monument Health: A Commitment to Inclusion

American health care has come a long way over the years, but there is at least one glaring exception — maternal health. This three-part series explores the medical complications that can accompany pregnancy, successful prenatal and postpartum treatment programs, and how hospitals and health systems are addressing the social needs of new mothers. In this episode, Stacy Garrett-Ray, M.D., senior vice president and chief community impact officer at Ascension Health, and X’Laodai Mack, new mom and Ascension patient, discuss how the health system is addressing social determinants of health to support mothers and their babies.

Beyond Birth: The Social Needs of New Mothers With Ascension

Addressing burnout and the mental health of employees is not only the right thing to do, but also improves care, quality, patient satisfaction and the financial health of the organization. In this conversation, Nigel Girgrah, M.D., chief wellness officer at Ochsner Health, discusses his evolution in workforce well-being, building a business case for organizational buy-in and the importance of combining leadership with mental health transparency.

Leading With Empathy: Workforce Well-Being at Ochsner Health

As the nursing profession continues to evolve, it is embracing new technologies and practices that allow nurses to focus on what matters most — their patients. In this conversation, John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System and 2023 AHA board chair, and Mary Beth Kingston, Ph.D., R.N., executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Advocate Health and AHA board member, discuss the future of technology and nursing in the health care environment and how technology can be implemented to improve not just patient care, but overall employee satisfaction.

Leadership Dialogue Series: At the Intersection of Technology and Nursing With Advocate Health

The health care field needs workers, and the demand will increase even more in the years to come. Grady Health System realized that accessing a key demographic could unlock solutions to these labor shortages. In this conversation, Grady Health System’s Yolanda Wimberly, M.D., senior vice president and chief health equity officer, and Felicia Mobley, Ph.D., director of health equity, discuss their new teen experience and leadership program, and how providing hands-on internships for local teens is helping to build its workforce pipeline for decades to come.

Meeting Demand: Creating a New Pipeline of Health Care Workers

The push for increased diversity and inclusion on boards of governance for hospitals and health systems is a necessity for success. A 2023 AHA national survey found that boards are paying increased attention to bringing diverse viewpoints to their membership, including from one particular group — nurses. In this conversation, Ellen Brzytwa, R.N., trustee at the Cleveland Clinic, discusses her mission of bringing more nurses into board positions, and how her own experience demonstrated that more hospital boards should have nurses as trustee members.

Why Nurses on Your Board Matter

In recent years, American health care has become acutely aware of the importance of well-being for its workers. To address the mental stresses of health care, Chicago’s Northwestern Medicine established the Scholars of Wellness program, focusing on understanding what well-being actually means, and how it can be woven into organizational culture. In this discussion, Gaurava Agarwal, M.D., vice president and chief wellness executive at Northwestern Medicine and director of faculty wellness at Northwestern University, and Samantha Saggese, physician assistant of nephrology and hypertension at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, explain the difference the Scholars of Wellness program is making, and how it could be adopted for the benefit of hospitals and health systems across the nation.

The Well-being Impact of Northwestern Medicine's Scholars of Wellness Program

Health care has experienced challenges and tribulations over this past year, but this also has created opportunities and advancements to help positively elevate the field. In this conversation, John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health and the 2023 Chair of AHA’s Board, and Joanne Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health and incoming 2024 AHA Board Chair, discuss the multiple health care priorities of 2024, and how hospitals and health systems can redefine health care delivery.

Leadership Dialogue Series: Redefining Health Care for 2024 With Dartmouth Health

A National Staffing Emergency in Rural Health Care

Best of Advancing Health 2023: From Quiet Quitting to Sustainable Well-Being

In today's health care field, leaders must address a multitude of complex and intertwined challenges. One of the most important is supporting the well-being of their clinicians. In this conversation, experts from Kaiser Permanente and Mass General Brigham discuss how their organizations are using innovative workforce approaches to give their clinicians the resources and skills needed to thrive professionally and personally. This podcast is brought to you by Valor Performance. Visit https://www.valorperform.com/ to learn more.

Health Care Transformation Begins With Its People

One hallmark of America's rapidly changing health care system is the evolving role of physician leaders who have chosen to wear two leadership hats as both doctor and administrator. As physicians they must make quick and decisive clinical decisions about a patient’s care, while as physician-administrators they often face longer-term organizational challenges that require different types of problem-solving approaches. In this conversation, Chris DeRienzo, M.D., senior vice president and chief physician executive at the American Hospital Association, explores how today’s physician leaders can reconcile the demands of two different jobs and support both the patient and their organization's long-term goals.

The Evolving Role of the Physician Leader

For many clinicians the pressure of treating a never-ending line of patients can be stressful. The COVID pandemic has been a health care game changer, and its lasting effect on care teams accelerated issues like burnout and the need to address well-being. In this conversation, Suzanne Bentley, M.D., chief wellness officer and director of simulation, innovation and research at the New York City Health and Hospitals Elmhurst, discusses the critical role that their peer support program played in employee mental health and the impact of building infrastructure focused on the well-being of staff.

Peer Support and Building an Infrastructure of Employee Mental Wellness

This special series explores the medical complications that can accompany pregnancy, successful prenatal and postpartum treatment programs, and how hospitals and health systems are addressing the social needs of new mothers. For many new mothers, the transition to parenthood can trigger depression and anxiety. In this episode, Laura La Porte, LCSW, manager of the Perinatal Depression Program at Endeavor Health, and new mom Anna Ma, discuss how the program supports a new mother's mental health and provides avenues for parents to seek help.

Beyond Birth: Navigating Perinatal Depression With Endeavor Health

This podcast features Saint Anthony Hospital’s Dr. Arturo Carrillo, manager of the community wellness program and Patrick Brosnan, executive director of Brighton Park Neighborhood Council to  discuss the work of the Collaborative for Community Wellness and how this work is advancing the health of communities.  The Collaborative for Community Wellness highlights disparities in mental health service access among the predominantly high economic hardship community areas on Chicago’s Southwest side.

Breaking Down Mental Health: Disparities in Access to Mental Health

On this AHA Advancing Health Podcast, two rural health care policy experts dive into the AHA rural report, published earlier this year, and discuss its call to action for rural providers and advocates.

AHA Rural Report Series: How rural hospitals are responding to challenges

In this AHA Advancing Health podcast, Julia Resnick, senior program manager for AHA’s The Value Initiative, leads a discussion about Z codes and their benefits in indicating a patient’s history, status or problem that may affect health care. Priya Bathija, TVI vice president, and Nelly Leon-Chisen, AHA director of coding and classification, join the discussion.

Using Z codes to address patient needs

In this AHA Advancing Health Podcast, Stacy Blanchard, senior managing director at Accenture, and Joy Lewis, AHA vice president of strategic policy, discuss changes coming to the health care workforce. AHA recently launched its Task Force on the Changing Workforce to address these challenges in health care.

Preparing for the future health care workforce

Listen in as Maria Hernandez, PhD, President and COO of Impact4Health, and Karma Bass, Senior Principal at Via Healthcare Consulting discuss how hospital and health system boards across the country are taking steps to make a difference in health equity.

Tackling Health Equity: How Boards Can Do It: Part One

David Zaas, M.D., chief clinical officer for MUSC Health in South Carolina and CEO of its Charleston Division, talks with Nancy Foster, AHA vice president for quality and patient safety, about strategies and tools to address burnout as health care professionals continue to care for COVID-19 patients.

Strategies to prevent health professional burnout

In this Members in Action podcast, Julia Resnick, Senior Program Manager at the AHA, is speaking with Dr. Nancy Guinn, medical director of Presbyterian at Home and Dr. Elizabeth de Pirro, medical director of hospital at home and complete care. They will be discussing how Presbyterian is improving outcomes and the patient experience while reducing cost through their hospital-at-home work.

Members in Action: Presbyterian Healthcare Services

Advancing Health is the American Hospital Association’s podcast series. Podcasts will feature conversations with hospital and health system leaders on a variety of issues that impact patients and communities. Look for new episodes directly from your mobile device or by visiting aha.org/advancinghealth

Popular tracks by Advancing Health