Advancing 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.

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.

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.

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.

The AHA's prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations that have demonstrated a strategic approach to community health and health equity. Finalist GBMC HealthCare was one of the organizations honored in 2023 for leading the way. In this conversation, John Chessare, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of GBMC HealthCare, shares how they began investing in their Baltimore community by specifically focusing on social determinants of health.

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.

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 Transforming Winner, Meritus Health, was honored for creating and implementing strategies that influence equity within its community. In this conversation, Allen Twigg, Meritus Health's executive director of behavioral and community health services, talks about their role in the community and how they have expanded that role to reduce disparities for the population.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When kids experience acute behavioral health needs, they need to be cared for at the right time and the right place. In this conversation, Brian Skehan, M.D., Ph.D., director of Pediatric Emergency Mental Health Services at UMass Memorial, and Jemima Amankwah, nurse manager of Emergency Mental Health at UMass Memorial, discuss caring for these specific pediatric patients and how UMass is helping kids receive treatment that fits their needs.

The many pressures squeezing health care providers have all served to make the role of hospital trustees, or governing board members, more important than ever. These boards have been charged with making sure that quality metrics are met and that strategic priorities guide the missions. In this conversation, John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System and the 2023 Chair of AHA's Board, and Greg Bentz, board chair of Saint Luke's Health and chair of AHA's Committee on Governance, discuss the thin margin of error that hospitals and health systems are facing, and how Saint Luke's is focusing on governance to help achieve the highest levels of excellence in providing health care.

The gap between supply and demand for health care continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. Reinventing and transforming the nature of care delivery is essential for hospitals and health systems to achieve quality patient outcomes. In this conversation, hear how Northwestern Medicine is using digital technology to better prepare teams to work in the new world of health care, and why a digital mindset is vital to care transformation. This podcast is sponsored by Accenture.

Since 2020 the health care workforce has faced a sharp increase in workplace violence. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that health care workers are five times more likely than any other type of worker to be physically attacked on the job. In this conversation, Karie Gibson, Psy.D., unit chief of one of the FBI's five Behavioral Analysis Units, discusses the meaning of behavioral threat assessments and how it applies to the threat of violence against hospitals and health care teams.

The 2022 mass shooting during the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois killed seven people, wounded another 48 and traumatized an entire community. In this emotional conversation, Gabrielle Cummings, president of NorthShore Highland Park Hospital, discusses how the hospital team responded head-on to an unfolding crisis and kept not only the Highland Park community together, but the health care staff as well.

The AHA's Suicide Prevention Learning Collaborative was created to start a dialogue among health care providers about the best ways to provide support for health care workers. In this conversation, Paul Rains, senior vice president of behavioral health at CommonSpirit Health, discusses ideas and shared best practices to ensure that every health care worker is cared for and supported across the organization. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

Clare Fox, physical therapist with North Country HealthCare in New Hampshire, shares why she left her native England to pursue her health career dreams in the United States. She explains how adopting the team-focused managerial approach she learned from the Lean Six Sigma training courses makes all the difference in efficient health care.

The U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory on loneliness put a spotlight on the profound impact that social isolation is having on the physical and mental health of American communities. In this conversation, Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president and CEO of Meritus Health, discusses their Care Callers program. The program enlists volunteers to call and check in on Meritus patients who report experiencing loneliness, with encouraging results.

Millions of women across the United States have no access to maternal health care, particularly in rural areas that lack obstetric services. In this episode, leaders from St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, discuss their newly piloted "Center for Excellence" and the Center's success in bringing care to infants and mothers within their community and beyond.

The majority of overdose deaths in the United States involve opioids. Already a huge problem pre-COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated opioid misuse to levels never seen before in the U.S. In this conversation, a leader from the District of Columbia Hospital Association shares the multiple approaches they're using to help curb the opioid epidemic and reach the communities most impacted.

The federal government and private sector face common dangers from ever-escalating cyberattacks that continually test their readiness and capabilities. In this discussion, two experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Atlantic Health System agree that what's needed right now is an integrated “whole-of-nation” solution to handling today's cyberthreats.

Parents will do anything to keep their kids healthy, yet many children remain unvaccinated for COVID-19. In this conversation, Claire O'Connell Boogaard, M.D., Children's National Hospital pediatrician and COVID-19 vaccine program medical director, discusses the hospital's efforts to build trust in the COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, especially in historically marginalized communities.

In this post-pandemic era, health care leaders are finding new ways to strengthen performance through innovative approaches, while improving care, quality and patient safety. In this conversation hear how Johns Hopkins is using innovation to ensure long-term financial stability while managing day-to-day struggles. This podcast is brought to you by Guidehouse.

Building a robust nursing workforce is hugely important in providing quality care to patients, but poses unique challenges in rural Ohio. In this conversation, Fisher-Titus's Stacy Daniel, director of clinical programs, and Katie Chieda, chief nursing officer, share how their team concentrated on recruiting international nurses to ensure that they remained a strong, independent health system for years to come.

With fall approaching, health officials across the country are once again bracing for a rise in respiratory illnesses, including the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV. In this discussion, two St. Luke's Health System experts describe how they pivoted to provide respiratory care during last year's surge, and how the rapid creation of Respiratory Outpatient Clinics across the state made a tremendous difference for their patients.

Health equity is a discussion that is often framed only around race, but it means so much more. In this discussion, two heads of rural health systems explain how they're working to reach underserved communities, and the steps they're taking to get to full equity.

The AHA Quest for Quality Prize honors hospitals and health systems committed to leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health. In this podcast this year's three honorees talk about their achievements, reflect on the challenges they faced, and assess the real impact of equity on quality of care.

Mergers, acquisitions and affiliations. Most health care leaders agree that the future, especially for rural providers, will involve more cooperation and partnerships. In this podcast, three leaders from rural health care systems agree that every community must find its own unique way to maximize its health care resources while maintaining the best possible care for patients.

2023 AHA Board Chair John Haupert talks with three health care leaders affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB): Terri Poe, chief nursing officer at UAB Medicine; Maria Rodriguez Shirey, dean of the UAB School of Nursing; and Shea Polancich, assistant dean for clinical innovation, UAB School of Nursing. Haupert and the UAB team discuss innovative ways to address workforce challenges in health care, and how strategic partnerships at UAB have increased the pipeline of local nurses while also improving quality outcomes for patients.

Ruby Kirby is a proud and accomplished member of a small club: African American women who are CEO's of rural hospitals. The 2022 recipient of AHA's Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award, Kirby is CEO of both Bolivar and Camden hospitals. In this podcast, she discusses what has worked in making progress in quality and equity in rural health and how her team is using data to drive action and mentoring younger African American women for future leadership positions.

The AHA's prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations that have demonstrated a strategic approach to community health and health equity. Finalist Cedars-Sinai was one of the organizations honored in 2023 for leading the way. In this conversation, Jonathan Schreiber, Cedars-Sinai VP of community engagement, shares how they're continually working to provide better care through impactful community programs.

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.

In the health care field one of the scariest types of infections is called CLABSI, or Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection. In this episode, Nishant Prasad, M.D., attending physician and program director of infectious diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, shares how they re-approached CLABSI prevention by deeply examining structure and process, and how their work got them to zero CLABSIs in the last year.

Succession planning can feel like a luxury in health care, but its importance cannot be overstated. As hospitals continue to face workforce challenges, it is more critical than ever that they invest time and resources into developing and growing the next generation of leaders. Brian Juncker, managing partner of Strategic Talent Solutions, and Frank Venuto, Chief Human Capital Officer at Nebraska Medicine, join this discussion around succession planning and how to prep for future.

Squeezed budgets, lack of insurance, transportation and access issues, dwindling patient populations — all problems facing rural health care providers in America. Titus Regional Medical Center is one such rural health system, serving about 88,000 people as the last independent system still operating in northeast Texas. In this episode, Terry Scoggin, CEO of Titus Regional Medical Center, discusses how the team at Titus reaches its community needs through innovative data and unparalleled compassion.

The population of adults ages 65 and older will exceed 95 million in the United States by the year 2060. As Americans age, hospitals and health systems need to adapt their models of care to address the unique needs of older adults. In this episode, Sonja Rosen, M.D., chief of geriatrics at Cedars-Sinai, shares updates on their journey as an Age-Friendly Health System, and discusses a multidisciplinary approach to providing quality care for older patients in the midst of a workforce shortage.

Fostering trust in both the COVID-19 vaccines and other necessary pediatric vaccinations is an essential part of Gillette Children's effort to protect families and their communities. In this episode, Micah Niermann, M.D. discusses how Gillette Children's is reaching their pediatric community and fighting vaccine misinformation.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 was Congress' fix to the confusing statutes that regulated the cyber threat information that could pass between the private sector and the federal government. Eight years later, many people still don't know the law exists or what a valuable tool it can be. In this episode, guest Leonard Bailey, head of Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section's Cybersecurity Unit with the Department of Justice, explores the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act and its benefits.

One of the biggest challenges communities faced during the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't just the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccines, but convincing people to take them. In this conversation, hear how MUSC Health in Charleston, South Carolina and the Charleston School district set the example by collaborating with community stakeholders in the school system and beyond to spread confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.

The LGBTQIA+ community often faces barriers to equitable health care. In this conversation, guest David W. Rosenthal, D.O. of Northwell Health discusses bias, the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ patients, education and training for health care workers, and the paths to creating competent and outstanding health care for all people.

There are many creative ways that hospitals and care providers support their communities beyond offering great medical care. In 2017 UMass Memorial Health chose to reimagine itself as an “anchor” hospital, taking on much more responsibility for the welfare of the communities it serves. Hear how in this conversation between John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System and the 2023 Chair of AHA's Board, and Doug Brown, president of UMass Memorial Community Hospitals and chief administrative officer for UMass Memorial 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.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a big problem in health systems across the country. HAIs can be defeated, and Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City recently experienced great success in getting to the magic number of zero with three different HAIs. Today's guest, Dr. Waleed Javaid, MSBI epidemiologist and director of Infection Prevention and Control, shares tried and true strategies he and his team have implemented that can be adapted by other health care organizations.

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 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.

Today marks the start of Community Health Improvement Week, a time to highlight hospitals and community organizations working together to enhance health. In this episode, the AHA's Nancy Myers and Chris DeRienzo discuss where community health and equity goals are headed, and what are the driving forces behind the movement to align them.

Serving a small rural community in upper Michigan, Mackinac Straits Health System was once in dire financial straits, operating on only a few days of cash reserves. Karen Cheeseman, Mackinac Straits president and CEO, explains how the health system turned things around thanks to strategic planning and critical investments from community partners.

Communicating information is critical during emergencies and disasters. Phelps Health shares proven strategies for successful risk communication in times of crisis, which can be adopted by other health care organizations.

There is growing awareness in the health care field that becoming a better steward of the environment is something well within the capabilities of most health caregivers. In fact, it benefits the overall mission in ways we often don't think about. One environmental officer whose health care organization has been paying close attention to environmental sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint since the 1990s frames it this way: “It's part of our work, not additional work.”

A survey of 1,000 caregivers in April of 2022 found that 92 percent had directly experienced or witnessed workplace violence. The problem has been growing exponentially for years, and prompted the AHA to create #HAVhope Day, a national day of awareness to highlight how America's hospitals and health systems combat violence in their workplaces and communities. Hear some of the ways health care leaders are tackling the problem of workplace aggression and the potential solutions.