Seeking The Heart

For this week’s “Seeking the Heart” episode, host Don Jonas talks with Shannon Emmanuel and Erin Link with Charlotte’s AHA affiliate to learn more about how they advance AHA’s goals to help all people establish and extend their healthy life experience.   They discuss many of their local outreach programs, and learn more about how the AHA works to improve quality of life for all. This includes the innovative “Promotores de Salud” program designed to equip leaders in the local Latino/Hispanic community with education on nutrition, CPR, blood pressure management and more with their neighbors. The Harris YMCA and the Camino Community Center piloted this new initiative with great early success over the last year. 

Care Ring’s “Seeking the Heart” podcast started late in 2019 with a simple question: Do we have the heart to care for all of our neighbors? As life has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, the answer to whether our local health care community has the heart to care for all of our neighbors is an emphatic YES! The spread of COVID-19 has challenged Care Ring to quickly adapt to the demands of a new reality. Listen to today's episode to hear host Don Jonas talk about how Care Ring, and non-profits all around Charlotte, have risen to meet the demands of a sudden new reality.

In this week’s episode of our “Seeking the Heart” podcast, UNC Charlotte Professor Dr. Mark DeHaven shares ideas on improving community health and establishing a better system of healthcare for all. For Dr. DeHaven, any local effort to improve health must start by first understanding the patterns of relationships that already exist in local neighborhoods. Dr. DeHaven uses lessons learned from leading community health interventions in places around the world (including China and Mexico) to influence his work in Charlotte, perhaps most prominently through his work with the innovative UCITY Family Zone. This episode provides an introduction to a strategic community-based approach to improving community health. Along the way you will learn more about why Dr. DeHaven does this work, including his inspiration and what motivates him to serve others.

In many ways Blue Cross of North Carolina is much more than just a health insurance company. Thanks to the work and vision of community leaders like Mike Restaino, Blue Cross of North Carolina is playing a critical role in improving the overall quality of life in North Carolina, not rooted solely in investments in traditional health care clinical environments. Mike brings many of the lessons he learned to his leadership role with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. He believes that if more of us could walk in the shoes of many of our neighbors – many who are facing huge barriers to health and wellness – then we would begin to see more collaboration and a greater willingness to provide opportunities for all of our neighbors to thrive.  

On this episode of “Seeking the Heart” we take a special look at the shift occurring across America’s health care system as paying for outcomes rather than paying for interventions becomes much more common. What does this shift mean for individuals with limited experience in a “value-based” system, and how can states and communities prepare to maximize the positive impact of this change? Our guest, Phil Poley with Accenture’s Health and Public Service group, has been helping leaders understand and adapt to changes in health care in our country for two decades. Phil is a leading national expert in this field. He helps state and local governments maximize the effectiveness of their public health programs serving individuals with limited resources.

Running saved Meredith Dolhare’s life. A survivor of addiction and trauma, Meredith found solace and comfort in running extremely long ultramarathon races. And now, through a program in Charlotte working with homeless men, women and children, Meredith uses running to save hundreds of lives every year. Started in 2012 as a weekly running program for unsheltered neighbors, RunningWorks is today much more than just a running club. In this episode of Seeking the Heart, host Don Jonas talks to Meredith about how running turned her life around, what the impact of RunningWorks is, and the power of having heart for others.

After the Chetty Study ranked Charlotte 50th out of 50 major American cities in economic opportunity, city leadership knew they had to action. Enter Leading on Opportunity, formed in 2017 to address this issue. At the head of Leading on Opportunity is Dr. Stephanie Cooper-Lewter has her work cut out for her. Fortunately, she's the perfect person for the job. In today's episode of Seeking the Heart, host Don Jonas sits down with Dr. Cooper-Lewter to talk about the benefits of early childhood education, the link between segregation and social capital, and why she is steadfastly optimistic about Charlotte. Read more about Dr. Cooper-Lewter on our website: https://www.careringnc.com/post/dr-stephanie-cooper-lewter-the-power-of-relationships

The United Way tackles many of today’s most difficult challenges, bringing people and resources together to find and implement solutions. Leading the way at the United Way of Central Carolinas is Charlotte native, Laura Clark. Laura leads a team focused on improving education, health, financial stability and basic needs for folks with limited resources across our region. In this episode of Seeking the Heart, host Don Jonas talks with Laura about the foundations of community health, how to optimize resources, and why she's not OK with leaving anyone behind. Read more about Laura Clark and United Way of Central Carolinas on our blog: https://www.careringnc.com/post/laura-clark-putting-power-in-our-neighborhoods

In this week’s episode we talk with Brisa Hernandez, a leader in community health at Atrium Health where she works to expand the impact that health care systems make on overall quality of life. Brisa is a co-instructor in the Department of Family Medicine with Atrium. In this role she introduces residents to a fuller appreciation of how social determinants of health impact patients, especially individuals with limited resources. A geographer by training, Brisa encourages us to think about the social and spacial determinants of health. The places where we live, work, play and pray have so much more of an impact on health and wellness than simply providing access to health care services. Brisa talks about the power and potential of the ONE Charlotte Health Alliance partnership between Atrium Health, Novant Health and Mecklenburg County. She shares stories from her field research as a Ph.D. candidate at UNC Charlotte. And she talks about her passion for early intervention programs like Nurse-Family Partnership that hold the power to lift families out of poverty. Brisa Hernandez believes we have an obligation to help others in need, but that any assistance we provide should be more than just directing people to another program. We must demonstrate through our actions that we love and care for all of our neighbors. We must let people know that regardless of their current station in life, there is hope and opportunity for all. Read more on our website.

Carol Hardison is just the second CEO in the history of Crisis Assistance Ministry, having held the position for more than 20 years. That kind of dedication and endurance is coveted in the non-profit health sector, and in today's episode of Seeking the Heart, host Don Jonas talks to Carol about her experiences. Find out more about Carol Hardison and Care Ring by reading the blog on our website.

Dr. Ophelia Garmon Brown has been a fixture in Charlotte's heath care sector for more than 20 years. As a physician and executive with Novant Health, Dr. Garmon-Brown has had a substantial impact on the Carolinas. In 2018, Dr. Garmon-Brown was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor a civilian can receive in the state of North Carolina. In the first episode of Seeking the Heart, host Don Jonas sits down with Dr. Garmon-Brown to talk about her life of service, how social determinants factor into community health, and even what she's learned during her battle with cancer. Find out more about Care Ring by visiting us online at careringnc.com. 

Since 1955, Care Ring has been providing care in the Charlotte, NC region to people with limited resources.  In the early days, our founder, Maribelle Connerat, RN, went door to door in underserved communities because she believed in caring for those most in need. And for the past 65 years this has been our north star as we’ve grown and evolved over the years.  But now a new question is driving us to think beyond our current programs: How can we create the best system of health care for everyone in our community? Over the next year, Care Ring is leading a community engagement campaign with a goal to develop a better system of care for ALL.  Follow along with us on the Seeking the Heart podcast to hear about what is working in community and what needs help.