In our latest podcast series, we’re taking a deep dive on rural health, going beyond the common tropes about rural America – the older, sicker, poorer narrative – and checking in with folks on the ground who are excited to do the work of promoting equitable health outcomes for rural Americans. 

Today, Health Disparities podcast host Sarah Hohman talks with two rural health providers:

• Russell Wimmer is a physician associate practicing in a single provider clinic in the small rural town of Brownsville, Oregon.
• Dr. Caylor Johnson is a Family Medicine Physician with Medical Specialists, Inc., in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Johnson explains some of the unique challenges facing rural communities, which are incredibly diverse.

“In my county alone, I have multiple communities, and they each have their own challenges, their own culture, their own history and beliefs,” Johnson says. “And that all comes to the table when they come to the doctor, and I have to be prepared for that.”

Wimmer also shares what he loves about providing care in his rural community.

“When you walk around, people talk to you and you know them personally, and they know you,” Wimmer said. “They're not ignorant to the fact that you're working with limited resources. They know that they're remote, they know that it's hard for you to sometimes help them with what they need. But the fact that you're there with them every day is not lost on them. They appreciate everything that you've done. They know that you're what they've got.”

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When we consider what it takes to improve the health of rural Americans and address rural health disparities, there's no one size fits all solution. Because, as the saying goes, if you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community.

In our latest podcast series, we are digging into rural health: the challenges, and the opportunities. We’re highlighting the diversity of rural communities and addressing common misconceptions..

In today’s episode, Health Disparities podcast host Sarah Hohman checks in with three people who work in rural hospital leadership and administration, doing incredibly important work, often with limited resources:

• Michael Calhoun, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director for Citizens Memorial Healthcare, an integrated healthcare system serving over 130,000 residents in southwest Missouri. 
• Mandy Shelast, the  President of Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Michigan and Southern Regions, and the President of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
• Dr. John Bartlett, a practicing primary care physician and the Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Michigan Region of Marshfield Clinic.

Some of the biggest challenges are related to the health care workforce and staffing, in particular for specialty care.

“If we lose a chemo nurse in a town of 10,000 there's not five other ones looking for that job,” Bartlett says. 

“What I'm concerned about is just our aging population and how we're going to be able to train a workforce enough to be able to care for all the people that need it, that's a real concern,” Calhoun says. 

All three guests addressed common misconceptions about rural America, and emphasized the benefits of rural, including a slower pace of life and having providers who are passionate about the mission of providing excellent, personalized health care.

“The patients that we care for are our friends and our family and our community members,” Shelast says. “We take care of them on the very best days of their life — maybe when they're welcoming a life into the world — and on the worst days, when they're having a medical emergency or they've received a terminal diagnosis, and it is just such a great experience to be able to go up to that person and say, 'I'm here for you.’”

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People in rural areas have higher rates of certain chronic conditions and disabilities and can expect to live a couple years shorter, on average, compared to people in urban areas. The health disparities facing rural Americans stem from many factors – including geographic, economic, social, and systemic issues. 

But in the midst of all this, there is hope. There’s greater awareness of the importance of rural health care and public health resources, and a growing number of federal agencies dedicated to supporting data-driven solutions aimed at addressing rural health challenges.

Two individuals behind some of those efforts join the Health Disparities podcast to discuss rural health challenges and opportunities:

• Tom Morris, Associate Administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at HHS
• Diane Hall, Director for the Office of Rural Health in CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Center

“There's been a lot of focus on access to health care in rural areas, which is absolutely incredibly important,” Hall says. “But I also think we need to really pay attention to the public health infrastructure, which has also been decreased because of budget issues [and] because of the impact of the pandemic.”

Addressing rural health needs is a bipartisan issue, says Morris.

“There may be disagreements about how you get to the outcome, but there's no disagreement about what the challenges are,” Morris says. “...The partisan divide sort of falls apart when you dive into the issues.”

Morris and Hall speak with Health Disparities podcast host Bill Finerfrock about the priorities of their respective offices, common myths about rural America, and what gives them hope as they consider the future of rural health.

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Congresswoman Terri Sewell says she’s honored to have called John Lewis a colleague, friend and mentor. Lewis, one of the most important civil rights leaders in American history, died in 2020. But his legacy is carried on by health equity champions like Sewell, who has taken up the mantle on legislation that aims to address health disparities in our nation.

“The John Lewis Equity in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act — it really is an opportunity to reduce health disparities and to evaluate payment models of Medicare and Medicaid that will take social determinants of health into account,” Sewell says. “I really do believe that health disparities is a civil rights issue, and the opportunity to carry on a bill that [John Lewis] championed, now that he's gone, is a real highlight of my career.”

Now in her seventh term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, Rep. Terri Sewell is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama — and the first Black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation. 

She speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Bill Finerfrock about how her personal experiences have led her to the work she’s doing today in Congress and also shares these words of encouragement to those working to advance health equity in their communities:

“Stay in the trenches, continue to mobilize and organize around these issues and continue to fight… and advocate for what we know is a civil rights issue. It is a human rights issue, health care, and so we can be frustrated, we can be downright mad, but what we can't do is give up.”

A note to our listeners: Movement Is Life’s upcoming annual summit brings together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to discuss healthy equity challenges and actionable solutions. 

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. Registration is now open – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Americans are on track to need 1 million knee replacements annually by the year 2025. The rate of disability caused by degenerative joint problems is also on a rise. At the same time, rates of physical activity continue to decline, and sedentary lifestyles and obesity are becoming the main cause of diabetes and heart disease. 

It's a vicious cycle of pain, immobility, chronic illness, all of which impact underserved populations most. It’s why Movement is Life created Operation Change – an evidence-based behavioral change program focused on grassroots community interventions. 

Operation Change has programs running in cities across the U.S. In today's episode, Health Disparities podcast host Chiara Rodgers speaks with two people involved in the Operation Change chapter in St. Louis:

• Dr. Darlene Donegan, program director for Operation Change St Louis
• Dr. Kiaana Howard, assistant professor of physical therapy and orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis

A note to our listeners: Operation Change will be featured at Movement Is Life’s upcoming annual summit, which brings together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to discuss healthy equity challenges and actionable solutions. 

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. Registration is now open – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Movement Is Life’s annual summit brings together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to discuss healthy equity challenges and actionable solutions. 

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. 

Movement Is Life is honored to have Joel Bervell as a plenary speaker at our upcoming 2024 annual summit. Bervell is a Ghanaian American medical student and science communicator known online as the “Medical Mythbuster.” Through viral social media content, Bervell addresses racial disparities, the hidden history of medicine, and biases in healthcare.

Bervell says he appreciates Movement Is Life’s emphasis on community-based programs, clinician education about health disparities, and health policy. He’s excited to attend the summit and meet other like-minded people who are passionate about health equity.

“By breaking that cycle of understanding that disparities exist and talking about it, we can start to reach equity,” Bervell says.

Bervell speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor about the 2024 Movement Is Life summit and the exciting slate of hands-on workshops and plenary speakers, including Dr. Arline Geronimus, Dr. Louis Sullivan, and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice.

Registration is now open for Movement Is Life’s annual summit – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It takes time, energy and financial resources to bring about change within an organization. Healthcare organizations are no exception. 

Health systems that are serious about centering health equity need to put their money where their mouth is, says compliance and DEI consultant Linda Howard. In practice, this means centering equity in both their mission statements and their budgets.

“You have to allocate resources. When people start seeing resources being allocated towards things, they start to take it more seriously,” Howard says. 

Howard speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Christin Zollicoffer about what it takes to bring about real, lasting change in health systems. They also discuss the possible compliance and legal consequences health systems can face if they fail to address health inequities, and why the investment in health equity is worth it.

This episode rounds out our 5-part series on Hospitals & Health Equity. Find previous episodes from this series by subscribing to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Registration is now open for Movement Is Life’s annual summit! Find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Hospitals and health systems can play a big role in addressing healthcare disparities in our nation. It's the focus of our latest podcast series. Today, we zero in on a statewide health equity initiative that is first of its kind in the nation. 

Through a historic 1115 Medicaid waiver, Massachusetts hospitals have made a commitment to come together with the state to embed equity into the foundation of their operations. 

“This really does entail an intentionality on the part of our hospital systems that I think is unmatched in many ways — an intentionality and a will and a drive and a desire to do this work," says Izzy Lopes, Vice President of health equity for the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Lopes about the statewide initiative that aims to address healthcare disparities. Lopes explains why it’s important to prioritize people over percentages, use data to drive health equity strategies, and collaborate with community partners to address patients’ health-related social needs. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved groups receive unequal medical treatment, contributing to the myriad disparities in health outcomes that we see today. This notion is supported by a growing body of research stemming back decades.

The Joint Commission has recognized the horrible impact of health disparities in America, and the group is taking action, says Kathryn Petrovic, vice president for accreditation and certification product development at the Joint Commission. The accrediting organization launched a new health care equity certification program in 2023 that recognizes hospitals that are “making health care equity a strategic priority, and collaborating with patients, families, caregivers, and external organizations to identify and address needs that help translate equitable health care into better health outcomes,” Petrovic says.

Health Disparities podcast host Claudia Zamora speaks with Petrovic to learn more about TJC’s health equity initiatives. Petrovic also explains how resolving healthcare disparities is both a moral and ethical requirement, and a fundamental patient safety and quality of care imperative. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hospitals and health systems can play a major role in addressing healthcare disparities in our nation. In our latest episode – part of our hospitals and health equity series – we zero in on hospital rankings and how the metrics that are used can compel health systems to take much-needed action on health equity. 

“If hospitals were to focus more on health equity, they would be fulfilling both a moral responsibility as well as a legal responsibility,” says Tavia Binger, a health data analyst at U.S. News and World Report. “Nonprofit hospitals are actually required to spend portions of their revenue on community benefit activities – like providing care that is free or at a reduced cost for patients who can't afford to pay – in exchange for their tax exempt status.”

In addition to the latest U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, published on July 16, U.S. News has also introduced health equity measures and has released a list of hospitals excelling in health equity by “providing vulnerable populations with substantial access to high-quality care,” Binger says.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Binger about how U.S. News and World Report is working to promote health equity. They also discuss how healthcare consumers can use hospital rankings to understand whether the hospitals in their communities are doing their part to provide care that is both high-quality and equitable.

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Every person brings their own cultural background into their encounters with the healthcare system.

But this doesn’t mean that every healthcare provider needs to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of every culture in order to provide equitable, high-quality care to every patient.

“The truth of the matter is: that could never be done. I'm Puerto Rican, Latino, and even among Puerto Ricans, there's a great difference in lived experience, exposure to health care and the like,” says Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund.

But there will be times when a person’s cultural background affects their ability to access the health care they need. In those cases, Betancourt says it’s important that providers be equipped with the right tools and resources to assess how those cultural factors may come into play.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Betancourt about the importance of culturally competent care — what it is, and what it’s not. They also discuss the need for ongoing training to address cultural differences and structural barriers, and share about recent developments in health policy and health care that give them hope.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.