Advancing Health

Dartmouth Health is the most rural academic medical center in the country, and like other rural hospitals and health systems, it faces challenges that affect its ability to attract and recruit top talent.  In this conversation, Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health, and 2024 chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, shares how Dartmouth Health has implemented workforce solutions that can be successful anywhere.  

Hospitals and health systems are committed to the mission of patient safety, and the steady improvement in patient safety across the field has been encouraging. But a lingering question remains – can it be sustained? In this conversation, Oren Guttman, M.D., anesthesiologist and vice president of High Reliability & Patient Safety at Thomas Jefferson University, discusses the mindset of resilience engineering, the future of patient safety and the big questions this work reveals.

Indigenous women are more likely to experience complications from pregnancy and childbirth than non-Indigenous women, leading to higher rates of anxiety and depression within those communities. In this conversation, Jennifer Richards, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Jennifer Crawford, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, discuss the perspectives needed to provide maternal care for Indigenous peoples, and the importance of awareness of their cultural and spiritual practices.

Approximately nine million military veterans receive their health care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and nearly half of them are 65 and older. In this conversation, Kimberly Wozneak, national lead for Age-Friendly Health Systems, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses how the VHA is weaving four foundational age-friendly principles into its care to support the growing number of aging veterans.To learn more about the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement and the 4Ms, visit AHA.org/agefriendly.

With ongoing workforce challenges, the health care industry is in desperate need of skilled and experienced workers. Military health care veterans, such as medics and corpsmen, are one solution to potentially easing the shortage. In this special Veterans Day conversation, Anne Mork, R.N., vice president/chief nursing officer of ambulatory and nursing support services at UW Health, and Luke Sticht, former vice president and chief nursing officer of American Family Children's Hospital, discuss the wealth of knowledge that military health care professionals can bring to organizations, and how their service experience keeps them focused on the mission to care for others.

Military-Informed Care: What it Means for Veterans and Their Families The care needs of military-connected families can look different from those of other patients. Higher emotional or mental stress, and longer rehabilitation, are just a few of the challenges that these families can face. In observation of Veterans Day, Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and Kara Walker, M.D., executive vice president and chief population health officer at Nemours Children’s Health, discuss how hospitals and health systems can meet the special health care needs for families who sacrifice the most.

For historically underserved populations, stigma and lack of access to behavioral health services can present huge barriers to treatment.  In this conversation, Matthew Hoag, director of integrated behavioral health at Denver Health, shares how the organization is innovating through integration to meet the behavioral health needs of its communities, including with its state-of-the-art mobile opioid treatment unit.

The increase in telehealth services has transformed care delivery in America by expanding access for millions. In this conversation, Johnna Nynas, M.D., OB/GYN at Sanford Health Bemidji, discusses the dramatic expansion of maternal telehealth capabilities in Minnesota, as well as an inspiring telehealth program that reaches families in rural areas of the state.

Even a few decades ago, non-physician practitioners, also called advanced practice providers (APPs), barely existed in the health care industry. Today, APPs are found practically everywhere.  In this conversation, Michelle Schweitzer, NP, executive director of advanced practice providers at WakeMed, discusses the growing role her APP colleagues play in health care delivery, and how the rise of these unique caregivers benefits both patients and providers.

Health system integration is one of the many ways hospitals can meet the mission of advancing health, and there can be wide-ranging benefits – from enhanced economies of scale to pooled capabilities. In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Tom Priselac, president and CEO emeritus of Cedars-Sinai, discusses overseeing 30 years of growth and integration at the health system, and the perspectives required to integrate across multiple care areas. This is an edited conversation. To watch the full video version, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_PsrrmpsAc

As Baxter strives to restart its production of critical IV fluids in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, hospitals and health systems nationwide are reviewing and reevaluating their responses to current and future supply chain disruptions. In this conversation, Mark Taylor, M.D., surgical director for surgical operations at Cleveland Clinic, discusses the health system's ongoing IV fluid conservation strategies and the importance of constant and targeted communication during supply chain shortages.

With numerous care locations across Florida, Lee Health has endured three major hurricanes over the past two years: Hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022, and more recently, Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In this conversation, Scott Nygaard, M.D., chief operating officer at Lee Health, discusses the impact these natural disasters have had on the organization, and how their emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts have helped guide continued care for both patients and caregivers.This podcast was produced through the Convening Leaders for Emergency and Response (CLEAR) initiative. To learn more, visit: https://www.aha.org/aha-clearPresented as part of Cooperative Agreement HITEP210047, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The Health Research & Educational Trust, an American Hospital Association 501(c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary, is a proud partner of this Cooperative Agreement. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the Health Research & Educational Trust and its partners and does not necessarily represent the official policies or views of the Department of Health and Human Services or of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Further, any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Hospital and health system boards are always looking to solve the most pressing challenges in health care. Asking the right questions and providing proper guidance can help establish plans to combat these issues. In this conversation, James Liggins, Jr., senior counsel at Warner Norcross + Judd, and vice chair of the board of directors at Bronson Healthcare, discusses his work developing a tool for board members that allows them to effectively understand and address areas of concern for their organizations.

Jefferson Health was a finalist for the AHA's 2024 Quest for Quality Prize, which celebrates hospitals and health systems that are committed to providing exceptional safe, and patient- and family-centered care. In this conversation, Jefferson Health's Cara Martino, DNP, R.N., enterprise vice president of clinical improvement and transformation, and Trish Henwood, M.D., executive vice president and chief clinical officer, discuss the organization's ever-growing patient population, and how an innovative platform is keeping employees unified when identifying and implementing patient-focused improvements.To learn more about the AHA's Quest for Quality prize visit, https://www.aha.org/about/awards/quest-for-quality

For health care organizations, recruitment and diversity for the board of trustees is vitally important. In this conversation, Schonay Barnett-Jones, trustee at Children’s National Hospital and AHA board member, discusses strategies for recruiting a diverse board of trustees to any health care organization, and how to engage and retain the next generation of future board members.To learn more about the American Hospital Association's Trustee Services, please visit https://trustees.aha.org/

The recent Hurricane Helene disrupted the production and supply of IV fluids — a reminder of our nation’s fragile health care supply chain. In this conversation, Michael Schiller, executive director of the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), and Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), discuss the need to create a conservation plan for critical patient supplies that could be threatened by a disaster.

Customers at All in the Wrists barbershop in Indianapolis don't just get a haircut and beard trim at their appointment — they also receive blood pressure checks for hypertension, diabetes education, and important resources to assist with health care barriers. In this conversation, Marvin Taylor, owner of All in the Wrists, and Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds, M.D., vice president and chief health equity officer at Indiana University Health, discuss the importance of barbershops in the African American community, and how community health workers inside these barbershops are providing valuable health care and education.To see the video on IU Health and All in the Wrists partnership, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGawZ34n9s

Englewood Health and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital were both finalists of the AHA's 2024 Foster G. McGaw Prize, which recognizes the efforts of hospitals and health systems to improve the health and well-being of their communities. In this conversation, Andres Nieto, director of community health outreach and marketing with NewYork-Presbyterian, and Jamie Ketas, vice president of population health with Englewood Health, discuss how communities and health systems can intersect to improve quality of life, and how solutions can target populations with specific health care barriers.

Creating mental health resources is an important "step one" in broadening patient access. Step two? Getting people to take advantage of that access. In this conversation, Gaurava Agarwal, M.D., chief wellness executive at Northwestern Medicine, shares how the health system approached access awareness within its communities, and the steps needed to ensure that mental health support services are available.

October is National Hispanic Heritage Month. In this conversation, Jennifer Cohen, M.D., medical director of Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, King of Prussia, and Katie Costantini, director of maternal care services at Chester County Hospital, discuss the barriers that can affect maternal care in Hispanic populations, and how deploying bilingual volunteers provided the opportunity to learn what worked and what could be be improved.