Catholic Health Usa Podcast

In times of financial hardship, it can be challenging to prioritize investments in projects make sweeping commitments to that address matters such as the climate crisis. But with health impacts related to environmental degradation becoming an increasing part of our daily lives, such investments have never been more important. Indu Spugnardi, CHA Director of Advocacy and Resource Development, and Gary Cohen, President of Health Care Without Harm, join the podcast to discuss the urgent need to prioritize environmental stewardship in health care work. They address financial incentives to advance environmental sustainability, areas where systems can make the most impactful changes, and the Laudato Si' Action Platform, a Vatican-led initiative to inspire radical change in the fight against climate change. ResourcesCHA’s Environment pageLaudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home (Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical)Watch “The Letter” a documentary commissioned from The Vatican about Laudato Si’ and the ecological crisis fa

One of the first steps of engaging in meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work involves examining our own history of racial inequity. How have our organizations contributed to structural racism, and how can we work to make reparations for the past?Professors M. Therese Lysaught and Sheri Bartlett Browne join Brian Reardon and CHA’s Editor of Health Progress Betsy Taylor to discuss their Spring 2022 article entitled, “Writing Your System’s Racial Autobiography.” Lysaught and Browne give insight into how their work together started and how they’ve seen health systems respond to doing the hard work of visiting the past. Resources“Writing Your System’s Racial Autobiography” article from the Spring 2022 edition of Health ProgressWe Are Called websiteCHA’s Diversity and Disparities web page

Communion with the saints is a specific theological doctrine that can feel strange to non-Catholics working in Catholic health care. But is there more to this doctrine than simply praying to spiritual heroes? Can we view the saints as people from whom we can look to for inspiration and reflection?CHA’s Mission Project Coordinator Karla Keppel and Fr. John Fontana, OSM, discuss communion with the saints as a way of drawing inspiration from imperfect people who have gone before us, highlighting the life of St. Peregrine Laziosi as one specific example. They also discuss “Inspired By the Saints: Contemplations for the Catholic Health Ministry,” a new series of reflections offered by CHA.

Artificial Intelligence is changing the world with every passing day, especially in the health care industry. But are we correct to trust that machine learning can effectively do the work needed and will A.I. prevent harm or perpetuate it?CHA Senior Director of Public Policy Kathy Curran and Michael Miller, System Vice President of Mission and Ethics at SSM Health, discuss ethical concerns that arise from AI use, including complex power dynamics, data privacy and how computers can contribute to systemic racism and inequity.

For more than 4 out of 10 new moms in the United States, postpartum care is covered by Medicaid. But when coverage ends after 60 days, these mothers are left vulnerable to some of the most dangerous complications of childbirth.CHA Director of Government Relations Paulo Pontemayor and Kinda Serafi, J.D., Partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, discuss tax-payer benefits to closing the gap, advocating for expansion and the impact communities would see if postpartum coverage was permanently extended. ResourcesCHA’s “Medcaid Makes it Possible” WebpageCHA’s Maternal Health Webpage

Medicaid is an integral part of our health care system, covering millions of men, women and children who would otherwise be uninsured. Yet millions of these people may soon be in danger of losing their coverage.CHA Director of Government Relations Paulo Pontemayor and Corey Surber, St. Alphonsus’ Director of State Advocacy, relay why Medicaid coverage is essential to Catholic values, define “Medicaid Redetermination,” and explain how systems can advocate for their patients so that they don’t lose coverage. ResourcesCHA’s “Medcaid Makes it Possible” WebpageCHA Webinar on Medcaid Redetermination (recorded in May 2022)Official Medicaid and CHIP Renewal Page

Following their conversation with Msgr. Robert Vitillo of the International Catholic Migration Commission, Brian and CHA’s Sr. Director of Global Health Bruce Compton continue their conversation about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.Christian Kostko, a consultant with the Catholic Response for Ukraine, joins the program from Ukraine and updates us on the morale of the Ukrainian people. Kostko also highlights some of the biggest needs facing war-torn communities and the importance of working with well-connected international partners when looking to donate material goods. ResourcesCHA’s Ukraine Resources Page

We’re now six months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and while the military operations continue in full force, it feels as if global interest may be waning. What’s happening in Ukraine at the end of summer 2022, and what is the global church doing in response?In the first conversation of a two-part episode, CHA’s Sr. Director of Global Health Bruce Compton and Msgr. Robert Vitillo, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission, talk about the Catholic Migration Commission’s role in the conflict, unique challenges facing Ukrainian migrants and how interfaith communities are rallying together to address the humanitarian issues at hand. ResourcesCHA’s Ukraine Resources PageICMC’s Ukraine Response Page

Formation has been called the heartbeat of Catholic health care and is vital to the success of the ministry’s future. In a world where in-person access becomes increasingly complicated, how can systems best provide formation for their associates?In the inaugural episode of Health Calls Diarmuid Rooney, CHA’s Sr. Director of Ministry Formation, and Mary Anne Sladich-Lantz, Senior Vice President of Ministry Leadership Formation for Providence St. Joseph, discuss the hunger for formation in Catholic health care, the importance of making sure there are formators for the next generation and ways that formation leaders can adapt to a more virtual world. ResourcesCHA’s Ministry Formation Resources PageHealth Progress article, "Providence Cultivates Leaders for Formation Throughout Organization: Building on Legacy So Mission Can Flourish"

Virtual care is here to stay.  But what exactly is it?  In this episode, Sandy Dieleman, CEO of Avera@Home and Dr. Carter Fenton, medical director of Mercy’s vAcute, discuss how the pandemic helped hardwire telehealth as a viable and important element in delivering health care into the homes of patients and the important role it plays in helping care for those suffering from chronic conditions.   Related Health Progress articleYour Care Provider Can See You Now:  Pandemic Prompts New Approaches in Telehealth

The importance of a strong global health network has become abundantly clear during COVID-19.  As Catholic health care in the United States continues to support global health initiatives during pandemics, wars and natural disasters, how relief efforts are organized and implemented requires intentional planning and coordination.  Mary Beth Powers, President and CEO of CMMB joins Bruce Compton, CHA’s senior director, Global Health, to discuss how U.S. Catholic health care can help advance the delivery of health care internationally.  

» Addressing the Shortage of Workers in Long-Term Car (HP Article)

For many, including some health care professionals, palliative care is often equated with hospice care despite differences in how they apply to patients.  In this episode Dr. Glen Komatsu, regional chief medical officer of Hospice & Palliative Care for Providence St. Joseph Health, Southern California, and Denise Hess, CHA’s director of Supportive Care, explain the benefits of palliative care and discuss how patients and their loved ones can talk to their physicians and caregivers about receiving care that’s designed to support the treatment of symptoms and side effects of serious disease and improve overall quality of life.  CHA Palliative Care resource page

This episode looks at the importance of environmental justice from both a domestic and global perspective.  Guests Laura Anderko of Villanova University, and Susan Barnett of Faiths for Safe Water, provide fresh insights into the articles they each wrote for the 2021 Fall Issue of Health Progress.  The topic of environmental justice also connects to CHA’s Confronting Racism by Achieving Health Equity Initiative.Health Progress Articles:Understanding and Addressing Environmental Injustice and HealthWater, Sanitation and Hygiene: Vatican, Catholic Health Care Take Leadership Roles in 'WASH' Work 

CHA is participating in a racial equity storytelling project that focuses on families dealing with the pandemic who live in the 63106 zip code of St. Louis. Dick Weiss, the project’s co-founder, joins resident Kim Daniel who discusses the challenges she and her neighbors face in their community. Kim also provides her personal perspective on why she is hesitant to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Related Health Progress articles: Two Zip Codes, A World ApartThe COVID ConundrumBefore Ferguson Beyond Ferguson

The number of uninsured children in the U.S. has risen significantly in the past few years. In this episode, Professor Joan Alker from Georgetown University and Dr. Heidi Sallee from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital discuss the reasons for this trend, the policy implications, and what Catholic health care can do to help increase coverage for kids.  Catholic health care works to reverse worrisome dip in children's health insurance coverageMedicaid Makes It Possible

Catholic Social Teaching is at the very core of Catholic health care. But how is it applied to the the business side of the ministry, especially when tough decisions are being made? Fr. Michael Rozier, PhD, an assistant professor of health management and policy at St. Louis University, and Fr. Joseph Driscoll, DMin, director of ministry formation and organizational spirituality at Redeemer Health, reflect on this question and offer examples how these principles are put into practice among Catholic health leaders. Related Health Progress articlesThe Pandemic's Hidden HeroesA Modern-Day Parable for the Pandemic

Whether it's wildfires, floods, hurricanes or a global pandemic, we are constantly reminded about the reality of climate change and the challenges we face to protect the environment. What role does Catholic health care play in shaping policy, promoting positive change and mitigating harm to God’s creation? Lois Sechrist, environmental stewardship manager at Ascension, and Rachelle Reyes Wenger, system VP of public policy and advocacy engagement for CommonSpirit, discuss what Catholic care is doing, and what more needs to be done, in caring for creation.  Caring for Creation – May-June 2016

Many Catholic nursing homes and long-term care facilities are closing, being sold, or being reconfigured in an effort to keep them viable. Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at The Urban Institute, and Susan McDonough, the Catholic Eldercare and Acute Care specialist for Ziegler Investment Banking, discuss the various challenges these facilities face and how to pursue policy changes that improve the care our elders need.Health Progress Winter 2021 Issue - "Aging and Long-Term Care"

Amidst the public discourse about COVID-19 vaccines are questions and concerns pertaining to moral implications and religious objections. Fr. Tom Nairn, PhD, a trained ethicist and author of several books on bioethics, joins Dr. Reginald Eadie, president and CEO at Trinity Health of New England, in countering some of the myths and clarifying some of the misinformation that has arisen.   CHA’s Love Thy Neighbor campaign