The Health Disparities Podcast

Dr. Elena Rios has dedicated her career to improving the health of Latinx communities. In 1994, she co-founded the National Hispanic Medical Association based in Washington DC which represents approximately 50,000 Hispanic physicians across the United States.

When Congressman Anthony Brown was Lt. Governor of Maryland, he implemented a new model for reducing health disparities: the creation of Health Enterprise Zones.

Living in rural Kentucky has its challenges, and Deanna at 74 was feeling unhappy that she had constant back pain and her health seemed in decline.

We revisit our Operation Change series with a trip to Hazard, Kentucky. Wanda initially thought an 18-week health education program was a huge time commitment, and that maybe it was too late to make changes.

Five young health professionals and an experienced mentor make the future look brighter as they share insights and experiences of overcoming bias and racism.

Despite progress, heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in America. Not only does heart disease have a disproportionate impact on different populations, it also has a direct bearing on the severity of COVID-19 infection.

It’s a well-known fact that women do better with female doctors, and minorities do better with doctors that look like them, but both demographics are underrepresented in surgical medicine.

Dr. Augustus White is a pioneering African American physician and Harvard Professor and a leading researcher and writer about unconscious and implicit bias in medicine.

There are 574 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, all of which were promised healthcare and other services as part of resettlement programs. But having limited democratic power and leverage, health services for Natives have been neglected over many decades.

With Florida emerging as the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, care providers in Jacksonville knew they had to intervene decisively with a testing plan for all populations, including the most vulnerable.

Operation Change Chicago was the prototype of this community intervention program, and has run numerous series that have enabled the model to evolve.

Every iteration of Operation Change has a unique aspect. There may be certain chronic health conditions that are common to urban, suburban and rural communities, but the needs of different communities vary greatly.

Historic St. Louis was the location for an Operation Change program led by Darlene Donegan, an educator and yoga teacher who is very active in her community.

In this podcast program leader Hazella Rollins LaVar shares some insights into the content and impact of the Operation Change initiative at Grace Baptist Church, New York. Grace Baptist is in Mount Vernon, Westchester County, on the fringes of New York City.

Based in the Salvation Army Kroc Center in eastern San Diego, Miriam Rodriguez and her team used their local connections to build the first Operation Change program to be delivered in the Spanish language.

Chicago community leader Christin Zollicoffer discusses how Operation Change has evolved and explores some of the profound and life-changing experiences she has witnessed working with her local participants.

Dr. Yashika Watkins details some of the underpinnings of the Operation Change program and shares insights into how the program can be replicated. This is the first in a series of podcasts exploring the Operation Change program, which will include testimonials from program leaders and participant case reports.

Every month millions of patients visit Orthoinfo.org, a patient oriented orthopedics website from AAOS. Dr. Stuart Fischer leads the editorial team, which produces the content and translates articles into multiple languages.

A multitude of key health disparity indices show that we have not seen significant progress in narrowing the gap between minority and majority populations since the landmark report “Unequal Treatment” in 2003.

Dr Rahn Bailey discusses how for decades discrimination has played a central role in health disparities, and how gun violence compounds the problem through traumatic experiences, chronic stress and behavioral consequences.

Reverend Willis Steele hosts a discussion about the impact of COVID-19 in Southern states with Dr. Pernessa Seele, the CEO and founder of The Balm in Gilead, a faith-based organization that provides support to people and their families with chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as working for the prevention of HIV and AIDS.

Speaking at the university where she was the only female and only African American student in her class, and in the auditorium named for her, Healing Hate conference keynote speaker Dr Vivian Pinn reflects on progressing her career during eras of segregation, discrimination, and civil rights.

Bill Finerfrock, Executive Director at the National Association of Rural Health Clinics, hosts an in-depth discussion about rural health disparities with a panel of experts from across the US.

Christina Jimenez, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, and an expert in the processes of privilege that can both limit and promote opportunities for individuals, dependent on factors such as race, ethnicity, gender and class.

Medical anthropology may not be the first discipline we associate with public health, but it provides perspectives that are vital to understanding the many and complex intersections at the root of health disparities.

Professor Dayna Bowen Matthew is a leader in public health who focuses on structural and racial disparities in health care. In this podcast she discusses vast inequalities we see in health access and health outcomes between majority and minority populations, which she says are derived from systematic segregation, discrimination and racism.

Privilege is when a person or group enjoys an unearned advantage over other(s). As the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically highlighted, those with less privilege often pay the ultimate price in times of crisis.

Marking National Nurses Week 2020 and the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale's birth, nurse advocates and leaders from across the U.S. meet to celebrate the nursing profession and discuss many topics, including its diversity, future aspirations, and their nursing heroes. Featuring Rose Gonzalez, Millicent Gorham, Charla Johnson, Julie Kneedler, Doreen Johnson, and Mary Behrens.

Alameda County is home to 1.7M diverse Californians who have long experienced health disparities. Alameda Hospital System (AHS) CEO Delvecchio Finley takes us inside the workings of AHS as they adapt to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color is rightly making headlines. Reverend Dr. Franklyn Richardson of Grace Baptist Church in New York, a national leader for social justice, has seen his online church attendance blossom from 2,000 to 9,000 live-streams, and his church is feeding at least 500 families very week.

As a physician interested in health policy, UPMC orthopedic surgeon MaCalus Hogan MD, MBA, has helped develop cutting edge approaches. The University of Pittsburgh payer-provider model enables innovations in technology and delivery models, including value-based approaches that pre-date the Affordable Care Act era.

The circumstances around early childhood development have ramifications throughout a person’s life. Ronnie Musgrove, Governor of Mississippi between 2000 and 2004 discusses his conviction that early intervention is vital to good outcomes across education, health and the local economy.

Healthcare payment systems are so complicated that when it comes to fitting all the pieces together, hope may be the dominant strategy. Too often, policies and initiatives designed to improve healthcare quality hit a roadblock in payment systems, and the money cannot follow good intent.

Care providers taking care of joint replacement and broken bones are having to adapt their practices during the pandemic. In this podcast orthopedic surgeons from Connecticut, Georgia and Pennsylvania meet online to discuss some of the changes their health systems are making.

Dr. Claire Pomeroy continues her discussion with Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason, considering how extensive rural poverty underpins rural health disparities, and how these are being made worse by hospital closures.

The COVID-19 podcast everyone needs to hear. Four experienced doctors working on the frontlines of healthcare share their words of wisdom. Together they discuss the important subjects...

Social determinants of health, the life circumstances in which we are born, educated, work and play, are powerful drivers of as much as 90% of our health status. Lasker Foundation President Dr Claire Pomeroy discusses ways that race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, the safety of our neighborhoods, having good access to food, and feeling part of a community all combine to impact health.

Nobody can ignore the COVID-19 pandemic. But will some communities be hit harder than others? What are the implications for people with diabetes and obesity? Will everyone be able to access care if they need it?

Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FACP, FTOS is an obesity medicine physician scientist, educator, and policy maker at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a national and international sought-after expert in obesity medicine who bridges the intersection of medicine, public health, policy, and disparities.

Fixing the incredible dysfunction of the healthcare system has been a career guiding light for Adrienne White-Faines, MPA, FACHE. Since electing to stay on the policy and strategy side of healthcare, she has held leadership roles with the American Cancer Society, the Primary Care Collaborative, and most recently as CEO of the American Osteopathic Association.

Known by most as simply “Father Greg”, Father Gregory Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, Inc. in Los Angeles to provide pathways out of violence through education, employment and community support.

This year’s Vanguard Award winner is Dr. Patricia McManus, founder of the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW).

Orthopedic surgeon Tamara Huff, MD was inspired by her mothers’ interest in carpentry (and her power tool collection) to take her medical career path, ultimately leading to the operating room.

Although fee-for-service payments may encourage volume without rewarding quality, bundled payments may incentivize providers to avoid patients more prone to complications...

In some faith-based communities there has been an evolving sense of what constitutes transformation and salvation. Harlem native Rev. Willis Steele discusses the health needs of the congregations and communities he works with, his experience of integrating health into faith practice, and how mental health support can be complementary to spirituality. Rev. Steele also describes an inter-generational initiative helping aspiring “silver surfers” cross the digital divide by accessing online health information and reducing disparities. With Rolf Taylor.

Yale hip and knee surgeon Daniel Wiznia, MD, used a “secret shopper” methodology to research and reveal patterns of appointment making that seem to indicate a marked preference for commercial insurance on the part of some surgery providers, which creates a barrier to access for Medicare and Medicaid patients. Is this a negative consequence of the bundled payments ushered in by the ACA reforms, and can risk-adjustments help solve the problem? With Bill Finerfrock.

Working in Wyoming where there are only two humans per square mile (on average), nurse practitioner Mary Behrens, MS, FNP-BC, FAANP provides vital health care capacity to mainly rural populations. In this podcast she describes the role of the nurse practitioner, a discipline that is growing rapidly. She also discussed some of the ways a nurse practitioner can help reduce health disparities – from recognizing the unique and complex needs of patients with comorbidities, to facilitating physical therapy and physical activity. With Rose Gonzalez.

As a practicing orthopedic nurse, teacher, and the president of the New York chapter of the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses, Doreen Johnson, MSN, RN, ONC brings many years of experience to her patients, students and colleagues. In this episode of the Health Disparities Podcast she discusses the importance of work done by the Movement is Life Caucus and Steering Committee in developing resources designed to reduce MSK disparities. Doreen believes it is vital to remind arthritis patients that “sitting is the new smoking”, and that physical activity is key to breaking the vicious cycle of health conditions worsening each another, particularly arthritis pain, diabetes, heart disease and depression. With Rose Gonzalez.

Researcher Shreyasi Deb, PhD, MBA, became interested in health disparities when studying economics, and has since applied this perspective to understanding public health. At the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Shreyasi is looking at the positives and negatives of bundled payment models and the unintended policy consequences around value-based care. Are some patients already experiencing inequity and exclusion? Can we address the unique socioeconomic and multiple comorbidity aspects of each patient in a post fee-for-service world by spending more on social services? With Bill Finerfrock.

When an accomplished surgeon sees his own father struggle with arthritis, he knows there are some structural problems in play. HSS surgeon Dr. Michael Parks shares some insights into the processes behind health disparities (or health differences as he prefers to say). Why do some people steadily progress through the steps of intervention, but others languish? What role does race and gender play? Dr. Parks also discusses why the WHO sees health disparities as a social injustice, and why a new bill sponsored by Congressman John Lewis is so important to health equality. With Bill Finerfrock.