HealthChangers

Ashley Fosberg, the vice president of philanthropy for Sounders FC and the executive director of RAVE Foundation, talks about the club's new partnership with Regence to improve the health of local youth, and how the club connects so profoundly to the community. 

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Michael Ann Benchoff, assistant director of health equity programs at Regence, talks about why the fight for health equity is so important. We also discussed the work that Regence is doing to make the health care system more inclusive and effective for everyone.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Dr. Zak Ramadan-Jradi, vice president of network management at Regence, talks about the increasingly contentious contract negotiations between insurance carriers and hospitals, and the critical role that Regence plays in keeping health care affordable for its members.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Katie Lai, clinical pharmacist client manager at Regence, talks about two of the biggest trends in pharmacy today: the surge in popularity of GLP-1 drugs to lose weight, and mass pharmacy closures around the U.S. that have created “pharmacy deserts” in underserved communities.

On this episode of HealthChangers, we’re joined by a panel of health care professionals to discuss the critical role that nurses play inside and outside of Regence. This includes Dr. Donna Milavetz, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Regence, who is an internal medicine physician by training; Cheryl Carter, senior clinical transformation advisor as well as a nurse; and Sarah Robilotta, supervisor of behavioral health utilization management who is also a licensed mental health counselor.

On this episode of the HealthChangers podcast, Dr. Nicole Saint Clair, obstetrician-gynecologist and executive medical director at Regence, explains how the U.S. has some of the worst rates of maternal and infant health outcomes among high-income nations. And how health disparities are significantly worse for Black women and pregnant people.

On this episode of HealthChangers, Dr. Erin Parks, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Equip Health, and Dr. Mike Franz, Regence’s senior medical director for behavioral health discuss eating disorders and innovative ways of treating them, including virtual care and family-based treatment. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, Stephanie Strong, CEO and founder of Boulder Care and Dr. Mike Franz, Regence’s senior medical director for behavioral health discuss new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing drug and alcohol-related deaths are on the rise among Americans over 60. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, we’re joined by Regence’s senior medical director for behavioral health, Dr. Mike Franz, to talk about how mental health and physical health are equally important components of our overall health and what we can do to improve access. 

On the HealthChangers podcast, presented by Regence, we share real-life stories and expertise from leaders who are working to make healthcare simpler, personalized and more affordable. I’m your host, Ben Furr. The end-of-year holidays are a highlight for many people. Bright lights and social gatherings help take the edge off the long nights and dreary weather. But when January rolls around, the excitement can fade and less pleasant emotions arise for some of us. Today on HealthChangers, we’re joined by Andree Miceli, Regence’s clinical director for behavioral health, to talk about post-holiday blues and what we can do to feel better. 

In this episode of HealthChangers, Peggy Maguire, president of Cambia Health Foundation, speaks with Paula Jones, who recently retired after serving on the board of directors for Cambia Health Solutions for 12 years. Paula was instrumental in the formation and strategic direction of Cambia Health Foundation. In honor of the Foundation's 15th anniversary, Peggy and Paula recall the Foundation's beginnings, its lasting legacy and its plans for the next 15 years. 

In this episode of HealthChangers, Andree Miceli, Cambia Health Solutions' clinical director of behavioral health, speaks with Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, and Emily Moser, director of Lines for Life's YouthLine program. The group highlights YouthLine's critical work including the positive impact YouthLine has on the teens who are trained to receive the calls. They also discuss the new 988 emergency phone number for mental health crises that will go live in July 2022, and how Lines for Life and YouthLine are expanding nationally. The episode concludes with reflections from Peggy Maguire, president of the Cambia Health Foundation.  The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Call (800) 273-TALK (8255). Starting July 16, 2022, you can also call, text or chat 988, the new national dialing code.   

When a child is seriously ill or injured, the entire family is affected. While the child requires medical attention and effective treatments, their family also needs to be supported with compassion and care. Families can find this support at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which works to ease the burdens of everyday life so families can focus on being with their children. To expand the resources available to families, RMHC of the Intermountain Area has created a new family support program funded by the Cambia Health Foundation. This pioneering program includes a full-time staff person and provides crisis intervention, mental health support, grief and bereavement support, and collaborative case management to help address social determinants of health. This can include helping families at home after their stay by connecting them to community resources for job placement, food security, school, support groups and other services. RMHC is a longtime community partner of Cambia Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cambia Health Solutions. The new family support program aligns with the Foundation’s new strategic vision to advance equity through whole-person health in underserved communities. With this renewed focus on behavioral health and belief in building a just and inclusive health care system for all, the Foundation is amid a multi-year, $11.5 million community initiative to increase access, improve quality of care and reduce the stigma of mental health. This episode of HealthChangers highlights the innovative family support program founded at RMHC Intermountain Area. Carrie Romano, CEO of RMHC Intermountain Area, and Maria Gamvroulas, Family Support Services Manager, talk with Jim Swayze, president of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, about the work of RMHC and the support of families. The episode concludes with reflections from Peggy Maguire, president of the Cambia Health Foundation.

It’s no secret that health data is a complicated topic, but when health data is connected, great things can happen. On this episode of HealthChangers, Cambia’s Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Kirk Anderson and physician and informaticist Steven Kassakian discuss what the future of health data could hold and how interoperability can empower patients and providers alike, resulting in better health outcomes.

What happens when 219 teams from around the world come together try to find a solution to make COVID-19 tests easier, accessible, and more affordable? You get the XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing Competition. Hear from Dr. Amy Khan, Cambia’s Executive Medical Director and advisory board member for the XPRIZE competition, about the 6-month, $6 million dollar competition and the future of health care innovation.

Communication affects everything we do - how we work, how we live and even how we give and receive care. On this episode of HealthChangers, hear from Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholar and Research Associate Carey Candrian about the impact of communication and bias on LGBT seniors who are seeking serious illness or end-of-life care and the challenges they and their partners face.

What do barbershops have to do with community health? On this episode of HealthChangers, hear from Cambia employee and North by Northeast board member Kilaa Slaughter-Scott; Jamaal Lane of Champions Barbershop and Champions Barbering Institute, North by Northeast and Dr. Kenji Taylor from Stanford on how barbers around the country are stepping up to fight heart disease and high blood pressure in Black men. 

On this episode of HealthChangers, strategic investing expert and managing partner at Echo Health Ventures Karim Botros discusses his experiences judging the UCSF Rosenman Institute’s ADAPT competition, how startup companies are using tech to solve challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability drive the renaissance of health care. Learn more about virtual innovation competitions and up-and-coming startups that are streamlining health care and transforming the industry.

This HealthChangers episode is part of a special mini-series highlighting our nation's caregivers in partnership with Archangels, a national movement recognizing and honoring caregivers. Until recently there were 44 million caregivers in the United States. Now in the midst of a global pandemic, we are all caregivers. Caregivers include medical teams, grocery workers, truck drivers, and others working to find balance, trying to perform at work while all at the same time, not jeopardizing the care provided to their loved ones. For this special episode of HealthChangers we hear a personal story from Dr. James Polo and Peggy Maguire, both from Cambia.

The COVID-19 outbreak has also forced health care providers to rapidly change their long-established delivery models in order to tackle this sudden and widespread pandemic and keep patients safe. In this episode of HealthChangers, we’ll hear from two health care innovators who talk about how one company, Upfront Healthcare, pivoted to meet the demands of this new world of care, and how they think the coronavirus could impact health care over the long run. Rob Coppedge is the CEO of Echo Health Ventures, an investment firm that seeks out and grows tomorrow’s great health care companies. And Ben Albert is co-founder of Upfront Healthcare, a company that has created a platform to personalize care navigation to efficiently engage all patients and improve health outcomes.