The Health Disparities Podcast

NBNA’s 50th Anniversary vision: Getting patients engaged in their own health by moving away from the illness model.

Incoming NBNA President Martha Dawson, DNP, RN, FACHE, shares her priorities for the organization as she becomes its 13th President. As the NBNA approaches its 50th anniversary in 2021, Martha is planning to highlight its founders and past leaders, and to focus on emphasizing the importance of meeting patients where they are, before they get sick. Martha describes how the 122 chapters are at the heart of NBNA, and ways their community programs have been effective in mitigating health disparities. Local programs include working with politicians on environmental aspects such as lead levels, addressing violence, recognizing the importance of social determinants, and facilitating better access to care. The NBNA is one of very few professional development organizations that bring together RNs, LPNs, and students under the same umbrella, and then supports them along varied career paths, which include business and management positions as well as the clinical track. Martha believes that legislation is perhaps the most important conduit to change, and she talks about why she supports mentoring future leaders to ensure there are strong voices from the black nurse community able to influence future health policy. With Carla Harwell, MD.

Going beyond disparities and competency: why we need to focus on achieving health equity and cultural proficiency.

Eric J. Williams, DNP, RN, CNE, FAAN, is a Professor of Nursing and the outgoing President of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). Eric talks about some of the priority initiatives at NBNA during his leadership, and how NBNA has built on its mission to improve health equity in America since its founding in 1971. As well as discussing the importance of treating violence as a public health crisis and building a culture of health, Eric discusses ways that we can move beyond cultural competency to attain the higher skill level of cultural proficiency – skills that are good for healthcare and the wider world. Eric also discusses an important new initiative to increase diversity in the nursing workforce, working in collaboration with AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. With Carla Harwell, MD.

Primary care, private practice: A dedicated physician tackles zip code related health disparities.

Cleveland, Ohio native Carla Harwell, MD has had “boots on the ground” working to eliminate health disparities in the Cleveland area for many years. As an African American setting up a primary care private practice in an underserved location, Carla was very conscious that zip codes often define health and determine life expectancy, along with other social determinants. She set out to do something about this reality by providing a local alternative to clinics and hospitals, taking a 360-degree view of her patients, and encouraging patients to keep moving. With Bonnie Mason, MD. 

Left bank, right bank. Mississippi River Delta health disparity problems and solutions.

Orthopedic nurse and Louisiana native Charla Johnson, RN, MSN, ONC, discusses zip code related health disparities on opposite banks of the Mississippi. Charla shares some effective ways to spark changes that improve quality of life, and she believes that education programs must be tailored to people’s unique circumstances, taking into account access to the household and community resources that people need to be successful. A proponent of balance exercises and Tai Chi, “Motion is lotion” is one of her favorite mantras. Charla also discusses how all healthcare professionals can work together and bring their voices and connections to the battle against health disparities, helping to bring about positive change in local communities. With Rose Gonzalez.

The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA): Professional development leadership and supporting minority inclusion in health research.

Millicent Gorham PhD (Hon), MBA, FAAN, is the Executive Director of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), a long-time "Movement is Life" collaborator, and a champion of the health benefits of physical activity. Here she discusses how the NBNA is leading many facets of minority representation and participation in healthcare. With Rose Gonzalez PhD, MPS, RN.

Can “trauma informed care” help eliminate disparities?

Physical therapist Shawn Tucker provides care that is informed by adverse childhood events (ACEs), trauma and toxic stress, all of which can contribute to the development of chronic health conditions in adulthood. Trauma informed care seeks to address the root causes of unhealthy behavior by helping to resolve previously hidden and unexplained conflicts. Do populations who experience more ACEs have higher prevalence of chronic conditions, and can toxic stress help explain health disparities in the obesity pandemic? With Rolf Taylor.

A church with health at its heart.

New York pastor and community leader Rev. Dr. Franklyn Richardson discusses his ministry at the historic Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, New York. Putting health education at the heart of the church has been part of a long history of working for civil rights and social justice. Dr. Richardson discusses the challenges facing African American communities, the importance of self-advocacy, overcoming the digital divide, and recognizing the roles that race and bias play in health disparities. With Rolf Taylor.

Fellow humans, meet Professor Augustus White III, MD.

Increasing diversity and inclusion in the medical profession has made progress, not least because of leadership from orthopedic surgeon and Harvard Professor Augustus White. For many decades he has called for healthcare to be seen as a human right intrinsic to the pursuit of happiness. Dr. White was the first African American graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, and the first African American surgical resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital. In this podcast Dr. White discusses the importance of mentoring, having a strategic mission for inclusion, challenging racism, and the groups most affected by health disparities.  With Dr. Bonnie Mason Simpson.
Recommended reading mentioned by in this podcast:
Joanne Lipman – That’s What She Said (Harper Collins)https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062437235/thats-what-she-said/
Scott E. Paige – The Difference (Princeton University Press)https://press.princeton.edu/titles/8757.html
Augustus A. White III, MD – Seeing Patients (Harvard University Press)http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674241374
 

Is unconscious bias Healthcare’s ”dirty little secret”?

To be human is to have bias and all are likely to be part of a disadvantaged group but some groups have more disparities than others. Two orthopedic surgeons take the lid off one of medicines "dirty little secrets", discussing ways in which unconscious bias towards race, ethnicity, gender, class and condition results in better outcomes for some than others. Unless physicians can recognize and tackle their own unconscious biases, they may continue to be out of sync with their patients, and the nation will be sicker for it. With Professor Mary O’Connor and Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason.

Can the ”Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act” protect human dignity?

Law Professor and bioethics expert Frank McClellan's new book focuses on the importance of human dignity in healthcare. In this podcast he explores how the evolution of health systems has driven an agenda of cost-containment and shifted the burden of financial accountability, often compromising care management and widening disparities for the most vulnerable groups of patients. A new act aims to protect patients by requiring that the consequences of new payment models are researched and adjusted for by CMS, helping to build health equality across race, ethnicity, gender and geography. With policy expert Bill Finerfrock.