The Health Disparities Podcast

Healthcare for the homeless, featuring Kelly Bruno, CEO National Health Foundation.

Kelly Bruno, President & CEO of the National Health Foundation joins us to discuss healthcare for the homeless. California has a disproportionate share of the nation’s homeless population, approximately 161,000 of the total homeless population of 580,000. The National Health Foundation, a California-based organization focused on recuperative care in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, offers medical respite care programs as an equitable pathway to health and housing for people experiencing homelessness. It’s an approach that can mitigate some social determinants and barriers to care and build community in the process.

Physical therapy: uniquely positioned to help address chronic conditions and health disparities.

October is Physical Therapy Month, and this year the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has a new campaign. Orthopedist Dr. Mary O’Connor meets with Dr. Hadiya Green Guerrero, a senior practice specialist at APTA, and Dr. Drew Contreras, APTAs Vice President of Clinical Integration and Innovation, to discuss the #ChoosePT campaign. Dr. Green Guerrero and Dr. Contreras also share some of the reasons they became physical therapists, and explore the many benefits of PT, including its potential for addressing chronic conditions and health disparities. Dr. Contreras also shares the advice that he gave to help President Barack Obama move more, something which everyone can follow. 

Meeting our neighbors at the intersection of environmental justice and health equity.

“From the health community, we recognize that climate change is a public health issue, and we stand ready to address that. I’m so proud that this administration has named the first office in HHS that is going to address Climate Change and Health Equity.”  ~ Dr. Doris Browne. Sequel to Episode 101.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and the benefits of workforce inclusion and diversity.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), originally called Workplace Affinity Groups, began in the 1960s in response to racial tensions in the United States. These groups have roots in the desire to advocate for employees and give them a space at work to be their best authentic selves. To what extent are ERGs making a difference in benefiting employees, their employers, and the many stakeholders engaged with organizations, including patients?

Flatlining revisited: The extra burden of equity work in the intra-COVID era.

In her book Flatling, released in 2019, Dr. Adia Wingfield articulated how the burden of equity initiatives furthering diversity and inclusion in healthcare is being disproportionately shouldered by the very populations these initiatives intend to support. Today our panel revisits Flatlining and explores the additional implications of the pandemic for equity work during this “new-new economy,” and discuss some of the challenges and solutions in leading organizational change towards culturally sensitive care and minority representation.

Innovation as a solution to health inequities. Featuring K’ept Health CEO Sheena Franklin.

After experiencing care that did not align with her expectations, Sheena Franklin has embarked on a mission to make dermatology more accessible and equitable. In today’s episode K’ept Health CEO Sheena Franklin discusses how innovation can take us closer to personalized and equitable healthcare.

The components of resilience needed to achieve life goals and a joyful career. Panel discussion.

Our diverse panel of professionals share many experiences that shaped their development, and insights they gleaned along the way, as they overcame barriers such as bias and microaggressions to achieve their career and life goals.

A coordinated and collaborative approach to Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Part 2/2: COVID-19 Pandemic.

Part 2: COVID-19 context. A group of independent and competing organizations decided to work together collaboratively so that their community health needs assessment (CHNA) covers more people and a larger area. Our panel continues their discussion about this novel, collaborative, community-wide model for completing a CHNA, and explores how it enabled them to build a more coordinated response to the pandemic.

A coordinated and collaborative approach to Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Part 1/2

Part 1. Community health needs assessments and implementation strategies are required for tax-exempt hospitals as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They provide a framework to improve coordination of hospital community benefits with other efforts to improve community health.

Profiles in Health Equity: Duane Reynolds, Founder & CEO, Just Health Collective

After building a career in hospital management and healthcare consulting, Duane Reynolds gravitated towards the health equity space after leading several inclusion-focused initiatives.