Health Pilots

Held to Hold: How Reflective Supervision Builds Resilience

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 21:15:00 +0000

In this Health Pilots x In the Arena with NOW crossover episode, members of the BLOOM Clinic team at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland share how reflective supervision is helping them show up stronger for themselves, for each other, and for the families they serve. Hear as they discuss the emotional weight of pediatric primary care, the healing potential of reflective spaces, and how this trauma-informed, team-based model is helping to restore trust in healthcare, especially for Black families. Their story is one of mutual care, vulnerability, and collective strength.

Some key themes discussed in this episode:

✔ Reflective supervision as a relational, strength-based practice
✔ Addressing vicarious trauma and emotional burden among healthcare providers
✔ Creating space for healing, not just for families but care teams
✔ Restoring trust in medical settings for Black families and historically excluded communities
✔ Team dynamics and shared accountability in a trauma-informed model
✔ Challenges in integrating reflective supervision: time, resources, and cultural norms
✔ The parallel process: “being held to hold”
✔ Vision for BLOOM and the potential for replication across the country

Resources & links:

Check out Vital Village Networks and their work in child wellbeing
Learn more about CCI’s Resilient Beginnings Network

Listen + subscribe to In the Arena with NOW and Health Pilots for more community-centered conversations whether on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Dignity-Centered Care: Deepening Equity in Community Health

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:46:53 +0000

In this Health Pilots x In the Arena with NOW crossover episode, we dive into the transformative work of Petaluma Health Center’s Point Reyes and Bolinas sites. Joined by Judith Bravo and Christina Gomez-Mira, this conversation unpacks their participation in CCI’s Resilient Beginnings Network and their collaboration with Vital Village Networks.

Together, they reflect on what it takes to build a more equitable, trauma-informed healthcare space for patients and for staff. From addressing power dynamics within the clinic to deepening engagement with their rural Latino community, they share key moments of growth, learning, and challenge.

Some key themes discussed in this episode:
✔️ Defining dignity-centered care – What does it mean in practice?
✔️ Overcoming internal inequities – Navigating power dynamics and fostering a culture of mutual respect.
✔️ Building trust in historically underserved communities – Strengthening relationships with Latino agricultural workers.
✔️ Small changes, big impact – How small, collective actions are reshaping clinic culture.

🔗 Resources & Links:

Learn more about CCI’s Resilient Beginnings Network
Check out Vital Village Networks and their work in child wellbeing

💡 Listen and subscribe to In the Arena with NOW for more community-centered conversations

💡 Subscribe to Health Pilots on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Voices for Growth: Forging Bonds and Navigating Transformation in Care

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:15:00 +0000

Embrace change and maintain openness in the journey towards trauma-informed care.

-It's through this wisdom and guidance that we're excited to bring you a revealing and heartfelt interview featuring the Highland Hospital pediatrics team. Delving into understanding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma's impact on health, you'll hear each care team member offer insights on implementing ACEs screening and supportive measures, reflecting on hurdles overcome and collective milestones achieved.

As one of the exemplary teams that are part of the Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), Highland Hospital Pediatrics invited Health Pilots to host this conversation with them in-person at their facility in Oakland, California – gathered around the table to openly share and unpack their journey through this program with their coach and medical director of RBN, Dr. Dayna Long. Take in the valuable lessons they learned individually and as a care team - and the unique, transformative impact of the Resilient Beginnings model on patient care.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS)
- Example of PEARLS tool (for screening children)
Visit Highland Hospital, Alameda Health System - Alameda Health System’s flagship, with 236 inpatient beds; a renowned regional trauma center; nationally recognized medical and clinical teaching and research; and state-of-the-art primary, specialty, and multi-specialty care. Its new Acute Care Tower is host to topflight maternal child services and other advanced care.
Embracing Staff Training To Help Patients With Trauma - related article featuring the pediatric care team at Highland Hospital within Alameda Health System (March 2023)
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
HOPE Framework, or Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences can ease toxic stress and help children and youth grow into more resilient, healthier adults. HOPE identifies ways that our communities and systems of care can better ensure that all children have more positive experiences and that all families have support to nurture and celebrate their strengths. The Four Building Blocks of HOPE are composed of key positive childhood experiences (PCEs). The sources of those experiences and opportunities are the foundation for healthy childhood development.

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Inherent Resilience, Shared Commitment: The Collective Strides Towards Healing and Equity

Tue, 5 Dec 2023 14:15:00 +0000

Explore the profound shift from viewing trauma-informed care as a logistical process to embracing it as a transformative philosophy. Join the dedicated pediatric care team from Petaluma Health Center's West Marin Clinics as they share insights from their Resilient Beginnings journey.

This episode delves into understanding trauma's community-level impact on marginalized groups. The care team emphasizes authentic patient interactions, acknowledging the inherent resilience in individuals, families, and communities. They advocate for redesigning care environments to confront racial disparities within teams and communities, recognizing historical injustices. The team navigates the need to address racial inequities despite the complexities existing within organizational structures, essential for both internal healing and addressing external disparities.

Tune in as the Petaluma Health Center's West Marin Clinic pediatric care team advocates for collective responsibility to sustain racial equity, resilience, and healing in healthcare - envisioning a future that champions inclusivity and a commitment to redefine patient care beyond clinic walls.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Visit Petaluma Health Center (PHC) - committed to providing high quality health care with access for all in Southern Sonoma County in Northern California, PHC has built a strong reputation for it’s innovation and has been on the leading edge of providing comprehensive primary health care in a team based, patient centered system, emphasizing overall wellness and the value of the patient provider relationship.
Rural West Marin Clinic Works with Family Advocates to Connect Patients to Services - related article featuring PHC's West Marin Clinic (March 2023)
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
La Lotería Mexicana: A Brief History of a Famous Game

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Help the Helpers: Embracing the Cultural Shift for Trauma-Informed Care

Fri, 1 Dec 2023 14:15:00 +0000

Understanding trauma and resilience in children and families begins with supporting the care team and staff. In this episode, primary care pediatrician Niyi Omotoso and licensed clinical social worker Gillian Fynn from LifeLong Medical Care within the Resilient Beginnings Network unveil the profound impact of trauma-informed care in pediatric medicine.

Discover LifeLong Medical Care's journey through this transformative cultural shift and its influence on staff, providers, and leadership. Learn about their efforts to establish foundational trauma-informed approaches, laying the groundwork for enhancing care delivery by centering collective resilience, staff/provider wellness, and fostering meaningful engagement with families.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS)
- Example of PEARLS tool (for screening children)
"What are social determinants of health (SDOH)?"
Visit LifeLong Medical Care - serving the Bay Area for more than 45 years, LifeLong Medical Care provides high-quality health, dental, and social services to underserved people of all ages; creates models of care for the elderly, people with disabilities and families; and advocates for continuous improvements in the health of our communities.
How a Health Center That Screens for Childhood Trauma Worked to Heal Itself First - related article featuring LifeLong Medical Care (May 2023)
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
Renée Boynton-Jarrett, MD, ScD - Founding Director of Vital Village
- Featured in Breaking the Cycles of Trauma through Recognition and Healing, - CCI webinar presented by the Resilient Beginnings Network
CenteringParenting is a family centered way to get care for moms, babies, and families. CenteringParenting is a breakthrough strategy for advancing early relational health and transforming the child health delivery system to be ever more family-centric, equitable and resiliency focused.
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, TEDMED Talk - How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Healing Through Listening: A Pathway to Nurture Wellness for Caregivers and Families

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 14:05:00 +0000

Health Pilots presents our next Resilient Beginnings feature, shining a light on the care team at Children's Health Center (CHC) at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. CHC's Kathryn Hallinan Aguilar, Maite Garcia, and Dannielle McBride take us inside the clinic's distinctive environment where a varying range of patient experiences, needs, and challenges converge. They discuss with us the intricate coordination required in operating within a complex hospital system. Tune in to discover how their collective expertise and collaborative drive work toward bringing forth inclusive, holistic care for all - striving for comprehensive and equitable access to healthcare.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Visit the Children's Health Center - Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital - the Children’s Health Center provides comprehensive, high-quality pediatric care for children from birth up to age 21. Health services include primary care for newborn and infants, children, and teenagers 6 days per week including evenings and Saturdays.
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
Cultural Humility Versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education - M. Tervalon and J. Murray-Garcia, 1998
Listen to Kathryn Hallinan Aguilar featured on a recent episode of A Flourishing Start podcast: Nurturing Young Minds: Insights Into Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (YouTube)

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company

Beyond the Screenings: Connecting Pediatric Care to Community Support

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 14:35:00 +0000

Health Pilots continues with our next feature from the Resilient Beginnings Network! We welcome pediatrician Dr. Sheshashree "Shesh" Seshadri and pediatric care coordinator Melissa Pereda from Bay Area Community Health (BACH), discussing their comprehensive approach to pediatric care, specifically in administering screenings to identify adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Beyond sharing insights into workflows and processes, they discuss navigating the complexities that arise post-identification of ACEs and underscore the significance of establishing trust and rapport between providers and families.

Tune in to hear about BACH's collaborative efforts to compile a network of community-based organizations and their innovative use of technology to swiftly connect families with essential social and economic resources, ranging from housing needs to early intervention programs.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS)
- Example of PEARLS tool (for screening children)
"What are social determinants of health (SDOH)?"
Visit Bay Area Community Health (BACH), formed during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, BACH brings more than 70 years of combined service to the area that stretched from Union City to Gilroy, across Alameda and Santa Clara Counties. BACH serves more than 100,000 people who rely on high-quality healthcare services, regardless of their immigration status, ethnicity, disabilities, or ability to pay.
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
Pediatric Care Coordinators: Closing the Loop to Help Children at Risk Thrive - article featuring BACH (April 2023)
ACEs Aware, is a first-in-the nation effort and initiative to screen patients for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to help improve and save lives. ACEs Aware is bringing communities together in ways never before imagined to prevent, screen for, treat, and heal trauma-induced toxic stress. Together, we are getting to the root cause of some of the most harmful, persistent, and expensive health challenges facing our state and nation.
HOPE Framework, or Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences can ease toxic stress and help children and youth grow into more resilient, healthier adults. HOPE identifies ways that our communities and systems of care can better ensure that all children have more positive experiences and that all families have support to nurture and celebrate their strengths. The Four Building Blocks of HOPE are composed of key positive childhood experiences (PCEs). The sources of those experiences and opportunities are the foundation for healthy childhood development.

🗣 Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook. Subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and resources straight to your inbox!

🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Cultivating Trust: Empowering Care Teams for Trauma-Informed Care

Wed, 8 Nov 2023 17:45:00 +0000

Discover how Community Medical Centers (CMC) in California's Central Valley transformed healthcare over the past decade with trauma-informed practices. Partnering with Resilient Beginnings Network at the Center for Care Innovations, they deepened their commitment, hiring community health worker Victoria Franco and social worker case manager Maria Moreno. Together, they administer ACEs screenings, conduct follow-ups, and support care teams, empowering providers to prioritize quality medical care. Join Victoria, Maria, and CMC's Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Alfonso Apu, as they discuss providing guidance in trauma-informed care and the evolving focus on cultural sensitivity and patient-centered approaches.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

"What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?"
Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS)
- Example of PEARLS tool (for screening children)
Visit Community Medical Centers (CMC), a growing non-profit network of neighborhood health centers serving San Joaquin and Solano counties in Northern California. CMC provides primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care along with supportive services to individuals and families in need.
More on Resilient Beginnings Network (RBN), a Center for Care Innovations learning program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive.
How One California Clinic Tapped a Bilingual Medical Assistant to Lead ACEs Work - article featuring CMC (May 2023)

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

The Excitement Around High-Quality, Cost-Efficient Care through Alternative Payment Models

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:25:00 +0000

In this episode, we explore the world of Alternative Payment Models (APMs) in healthcare. APMs offer a revolutionary approach to incentivizing high-quality, cost-efficient care delivery. CCI's own, Jessica Ortiz, is joined by Amit Pabla of Valley Community Healthcare in Los Angeles, in this engaging conversation around the changing landscape of healthcare payments. From his unique operational perspective, Amit offers practical insights for healthcare organizations considering a transition to this model, and discusses the diverse applications of APMs as it pertains to social drivers of health. He also unveils essential elements of this cultural shift in healthcare and the journey towards a value-driven and quality-centric approach.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Amit Pabla, Chief Operating Officer at Valley Community Healthcare
Cal AIM explained (California Health Care Foundation)
Alternative Payment Models (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Refining Automated Solutions in Referral Management

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:05:00 +0000

There are two sides of referral management to handle – inbound and outbound. In light of the growing need to adopt a low-touch approach that taps into technology while also leveraging workforce skills, Altura Centers for Health sought to make the referral management process as self-sustaining and automated as possible. To better tackle their large volume of referrals, they’ve begun to implement a new referral system that manages most of the inputs, thereby freeing up more staff from the inbound referral processes. We hear from Arnie Reynoso, chief information officer at Altura Centers for Health, as he talks about their efforts to minimize the need for staff involvement in referral management, from referral to specialist review, scheduling, and ultimately, patient care.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Arnie Reynoso, Chief Information Officer at Altura Centers for Health
HealthViewX - helping healthcare providers orchestrate care continuum pathways and enhance the experience of patients, providers, and communities
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

🗣 Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, X formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook. Subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and resources straight to your inbox!

🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Centering Lived-Experience Experts as Equity Designers

Wed, 9 Aug 2023 13:15:00 +0000

What is equity-centered community design? This transformative concept focuses on centering the voices and decision-making power of individuals with lived experience, who Creative Reaction Lab refers to as “living experts.” It also calls on human-centered design experts and others to use their leverage, access, and influence to support and amplify community voices. In this session, CCI’s Chris Conley chats with Hilary Sedovic, a systems thinker and former learning & education director at Creative Reaction Lab. Sedovic, who calls herself a “redesigner for justice,” sheds light onto the key role that design allies have in empowering living experts. Creative Reaction Lab emphasizes building quality relationships, humility, and embracing a collective investment in community well-being in order to move towards greater equity and inclusivity in design. Learn how this type of civic engagement and the redesigning for justice movement can move us to reshape the narrative -- creating a just world through authentic collaboration and community-centered approaches in the design process.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Hilary Sedovic, Systems Thinker | Redesigner for Justice | Pragmatic Idealist
Catalyst, CCI’s design thinking training program
Creative Reaction Lab, building a youth-led, community-centered movement of a new type of Civic Leader: Redesigners for Justice.

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Why Community Matters

Wed, 3 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000

What does "community" mean to you? We chat with Anna Radoff, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lead strategist at Justice Informed, a social impact consulting firm. Anna helps us unpack what it means to engage stakeholders, invest in relationships, share power, create intergenerational change, and more!

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Anna Radoff, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) senior strategist at Justice Informed
Catalyst, CCI’s design thinking training program
Justice Informed CEO Xavier Ramey, who we interview in Episode 37, Changing the Face of Expertise

🗣 Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and resources straight to your inbox!

🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Taking the Hassle Out of Telehealth: Patient-Initiated Connection with Providers

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 04:59:21 +0000

Resolving care gaps requires more than simply introducing technological platforms and helping patients get familiar with digital processes. Despite the rise of video visits to help patients expand their access to numerous services, health centers are finding that a robust virtual care team experience may not necessarily be what all patients are looking for. This learning has helped Petaluma Health Center to focus more resources on patient navigation support as well as accommodations for in-person visits. The goal is not that every patient has a video visit, but that every patient gets the kind of visit that's most appropriate for them.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Jessicca Moore, FNP, and Director of Innovation at Petaluma Health Center
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

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🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Asian Health Services: Teaching Patients How to Take Charge of their Blood Pressure at Home

info@careinnovations.org (Asian Health Services, Center for Care Innovations) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:05:00 +0000

For many health centers and clinics, educating a diverse patient population about digital tracking tools to monitor blood pressure is a challenge. However, learning to adapt based on patient needs is vital to ensure both continuity of care and staff bandwidth. Asian Health Services (AHS) in Oakland, California, leverages health coaches and digital health advocates to support these evolving needs. They work closely with community members with varying levels of digital literacy as well as hypertension requiring different levels of management. For the care team, this allows them to move from a labor-intensive and sometimes inconsistent approach to hypertension, to the lighter-touch practice of remote blood pressure monitoring.

In our conversation with George Lee, he shares Asian Health Services' multi-phase journey in patient education for remote care and where they've had to pivot along the way in order to better integrate IT into their existing operations.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Dr. George Lee, Chief Innovation Officer at Asian Health Services
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

👉🏽 Register today for CCI's upcoming webinars in April:

“Set up for Success: Supporting Patients and Providers Through Video Visits,” on April 5, 2023 at 12pm PDT
"Trauma and Resilience Informed Systems in Pediatric Primary Care," on April 11, 2023 at 12pm PDT

🗣 Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and resources straight to your inbox!

🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

AI for Self-Service: Learning to Structure Adaptive Digital Assistance

Thu, 9 Mar 2023 14:05:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been an emerging hot topic over the last several months with the rise of Open AI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s integration of ChatGPT technology into its Bing search engine, and Google’s announcement of its own chatbot, known as Bard. And while there are concerns about the more “general AI” technologies built to improve neural network capabilities so they are comparable to those of humans, health care systems are able to expand their services by leveraging the more familiar “narrow” or single-task AI tools, such as virtual chat assistance. Deploying this kind of AI technology can lead to an enhanced self-service experience for patients.

We welcome Matt White, Director of Innovation at Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), who shares how they’ve begun to thoughtfully integrate AI technology in order to better understand their patient engagement, with the ultimate aim to provide a consistent experience across all digital channels.

Learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Matt White, Director of Innovation at Contra Costa County Health Services
Hyro.ai
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

👉🏽 Register today for CCI's upcoming webinar, “Set up for Success: Supporting Patients and Providers Through Video Visits,” on April 5, 2023 at 12pm PT.

🗣 Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and resources straight to your inbox!

🎙Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

BEST OF HEALTH PILOTS: Missed Appointments, Missed Prevention Opportunities

Thu, 9 Feb 2023 16:58:48 +0000

Health Pilots returns in 2023 and we’re kicking off this year with an “in-case-you-missed-it” episode from 2022, featuring one of our top, most popular episodes in this "Best of Health Pilots." Enjoy!

Scheduling appointments is one of the biggest challenges facing community health centers. Patients often lose those self-addressed postcard reminders, and manually calling patients to book a recall appointment is a major slog for clinic staff. The flurry of activity around COVID-19 tests and vaccines has only compounded that problem, as patients encounter jammed phone lines and long wait times. But starting in 2021, Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center began piloting an automated patient recall system — one that offers easier, more efficient outreach, as well as the personalized text message nudge patients need.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Caleb Sandford, Chief Transformations Officer at Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center
Artera.io (formerly WELL Health)
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

Follow CCI on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and get the latest news, updates, ideas straight to your inbox!

Podcast production services by Wayfare Recording Company.

Prioritizing Accessible Video Visits

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 19:05:00 +0000

Video visits – a component of telehealth, hold both great promise and great responsibility. For health system leaders, it's an opportunity to deliver high quality care to more people. At the same time, if we're not intentional about implementing this service, we risk exacerbating the existing health disparities in our communities. With us for this episode are Jason Cunningham of West County Health Centers (WCHC) and Jeffrey Glenn of Neighborhood Healthcare. Both have successfully implemented telehealth video at their respective organizations through the strategy of aligning their leadership and providers to make video visits a priority.

This is our final episode for 2022! Thank you for subscribing to Health Pilots and for being with us all year.

Here’s where you can learn more about the resources, people, and places in this episode:

Telehealth Improvement Community Fund - The initiative is designed for community health providers who want to increase video visits by learning from other organizations tackling similar issues.
Advanced Telehealth Coordinator Certificate — online course [training resource] - University of Delaware, Div. of Professional and Continuing Studies: Leverage telehealth technologies to improve healthcare access and manage the business aspects of telehealth. No telehealth experience necessary! Geared toward professionals and providers from a variety of backgrounds. This program is available as a customized training program for groups or organizations.
Telehealth Course Finder [training resource] - The California Telehealth Resource Center (CTRC) offers no-cost, unbiased training and educational resources that help California providers and patients get the most from telehealth. CTRC maintains an ever-expanding list of telehealth focused training courses.
West County Health Centers - Provides comprehensive, quality and accessible health care services to the communities of western Sonoma County.
Neighborhood Healthcare - Provides a wide range of medical, dental, and behavioral health services, along with programs and resources designed to improve the health and happiness of the communities throughout San Diego and Riverside counties.
CCI 2022 Year in Review - Together, we at Center for Care Innovations (CCI) made great strides toward creating fair, just, and inclusive opportunities to be healthy. We invite you to take an inside look at our extraordinary collaborations this year!
...Follow CCI on LinkedIn and on Twitter!

Making a Digital Check-in Simple with an API

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Health centers can integrate new technology to improve their patients’ experiences before they even reach the front door. In this episode, we follow Altura Centers for Health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in their campaign to enhance their digital check-in process. By working with two technology partners to develop an API – a software interface that allows different computer programs to communicate with each other – Altura Centers not only made their patient intake experience more efficient, but modeled how the health care safety net can leverage successful partnerships with technology vendors.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Arnie Reynoso, Chief Information Officer at Altura Centers for Health
OTech (now part of HealthMark Group) will streamline your patient experience with solutions for pre check-in, check-in, and electronic forms
WELL Health (now Artera) delivers a platform-level patient communications solution that integrates across a health system’s tech stack (EHRs/EMRs, single-point solutions, apps, and more) to deliver patients a simple, cohesive communications experience while reducing workload for healthcare staff
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

It's a Crossover Episode!

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000

We're bringing you a special crossover episode with Coleman Associates Innovation Podcast! Host Adrienne Mann is joined by CEO of Coleman Associates, Melissa Stratman, and CCI's own Sofi Bergkvist, as they share their thoughts on rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic and launching into the future of health care. Hear about how they're dealing with staff burnout, tackling health disparities, facing the impacts of climate change, and personalizing health care for underserved populations.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Coleman Associates | Innovation Podcast | LinkedIn
Telehealth Improvement Community Fund - NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITY! The Telehealth Improvement Community Fund is working to expand access to video visits, particularly for people who have experienced economic disparities, housing and food insecurity, institutional discrimination, or violence.  It’s offering $15,000 grants, tools, resources, and peer support. Learn more and apply by November 10, 2022!

A Low-Touch Approach to Maximize Screenings for Social Determinants of Health

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:30:00 +0000

Assessing patients on a one-to-one basis for social determinants of health (SDOH) is an important, yet often high-touch process conducted by health center staff. So what might a lower touch approach to these vital screenings look like? Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC) explored innovative solutions to assess the specific needs of its 80,000+ patients throughout Los Angeles County.

Today we hear from Debra Rosen and Alejandra Mata of NEVHC about their exciting and ongoing journey in digitizing the patient screening process. They share how integrating different tools on a familiar platform can better identify specific patient population needs. It also allows them to offer pertinent community resources more widely, while improving their quality of service at the point of care.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Debra Rosen, RN, MPH, Director of Quality, Health Equity, and Innovation; and Alejandra Mata, Associate Director of Health Equity - Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC)
One Degree, web and mobile platform that makes it easy for low-income families to find, manage, and review nonprofit and government services
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

*Exciting announcement! The "Test to Treat" Equity Grant application cycle is now open! Funded by California Department of Public Health (CDPH), this grant supports safety net clinics to quickly treat patients testing positive for COVID-19. The grant period is 10 months and amounts range from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Learn more now and apply by September 30, 2022 at T2Tgrants.org.

"Press 1 to Adopt a New Phone System": Health Center Ventures Beyond the Hardware

Wed, 7 Sep 2022 19:15:00 +0000

Rolling out a new phone system can be a daunting undertaking for health centers, especially because it involves call center personnel as well as office managers, medical assistants, and IT staff. During the pandemic, this pivot was especially important to support staff who found themselves shifting to remote work or bouncing between their home and office workstation. West County Health Centers made this leap, switching from traditional phone hardware and a reliance on telecom engineers to internet-based phones and a cloud-based system. Its leaders confirm it was a challenging endeavor, but one that was well worth it in the long run.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Summer Penn, Director of Clinical Informatics at West County Health Centers
Dialpad, an all-in-one voice -over-IP (VoIP) cloud-based platform that provides voice calling, messaging, and meetings
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

Changing the Face of Expertise

info@careinnovations.org (Xavier Ramey, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 13:00:00 +0000

We chat with Xavier Ramey, chief executive officer of Justice Informed, a social impact consulting firm. He is an award-winning social strategist, noted public speaker, and conflict mediator. Xavier discusses with us the importance of language, ideas, narrative — and then how to create new, more impactful strategies.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Xavier Ramey, chief executive officer, Justice Informed
Catalyst, CCI’s design thinking training program

BEST OF HEALTH PILOTS: Readiness, Response, Recovery, and Renewal

info@careinnovations.org (Ken Epstein, Irene Sung, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Summer! CCI is taking a break this August. During this organization-wide closure, CCI staff are planning to “unplug” together — rescheduling activities, snoozing notifications, and turning off screens. If you’re also looking to unplug, you should find this episode particularly compelling! We invite you to take a moment to [re]listen to one of last year's most popular Health Pilots episodes called, “Readiness, Response, Recovery, and Renewal.”

This "4 R’s" framework covers the different phases of the pandemic: readiness, response, recovery, and renewal. Our hope is that this scaffolding can help health centers and other safety net organizations navigate the evolving crisis.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Dr. Irene Sung, CCI coach
Dr. Ken Epstein, CCI coach
Resilient Beginnings Network, a CCI program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive
Heal SF, a comprehensive effort to provide immediate and coordinated mental health services for San Francisco's public, private, and non-profit health care providers
Retired Public Health Leaders Respond to COVID Mental Health Crisis, Heal SF
Trauma Transformed, an organization that advances trauma-informed and healing-centered systems

Streamline the Scheduling Experience, Improve Continuity of Care

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000

What does it look like to reshape the experience of scheduling appointments in a way that enhances the continuity of care? Patients manage competing commitments and may face certain barriers to make appointments and follow-ups. Community health center staff members are tasked daily with a large volume to meet the often insurmountable expectations of appropriately matching a given patient to the correct provider to a timely appointment.

Petaluma Health Center took on this challenge leading with a data-driven and patient-attuned mindset aimed to optimize appointment utilization while also better enriching staff capability despite limited human resources, and overall ensuring for greater access to health.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Kimberly Keller, Director of Business Operations at Petaluma Health Center
Jessicca Moore, Family Nurse Practitioner and Director of Innovation at Petaluma Health Center
Aidan Health
PRAPARE Screening Tool
WELL Health
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

The Non-Linear Nature of Design

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

"No has always meant go to me," says Tiffanie Harrison, a passionate educator, equity designer, and entrepreneur. We chat with Tiffanie about her work leading diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at schools and companies across the country. Learn about centering lived experience, how to create "brave spaces," community engagement, and more.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Tiffanie Harrison, an educator and strategist with a community focus
Round Rock Independent School District
Round Rock Black Parents Association
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health
Catalyst, CCI’s design thinking training program

Rallying Through Transition to Optimize Patient-Focused Care

info@careinnovations.org (Molly Hart, Center for Care Innovations, Amit Pabla) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

What does it take for an entire network of safety net health centers to transition to a new electronic health record (EHR) system — one that enhances coordinated care and is better equipped to serve their communities?

For Community Health Center Network (CHCN), it was a multiyear journey involving many readiness assessments, drumming up excitement to encourage staff buy-in, and lots of collaboration across all levels of the organization. In this episode, we discuss lessons learned and the bright spots of this enormous project.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Molly Hart, director of clinical optimization, Community Health Center Network (CHCN)
Amit Pabla, chief quality and transformation officer, Axis Community Health (Note: He has since moved on from this role.)
Oregon Community Health Information Network (OCHIN)
OCHIN Epic
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

Health Tech Navigators: A Boon to Greater Community Access, Trust and Engagement

Wed, 1 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

A patient portal is a great innovation, but busy clinic staff don’t have time to help every patient get set up on them and answer all their questions about it. In addition, patients often need ongoing support on how to communicate with their provider on the website, get updates, and access their health records.

Enter the Health Tech Navigators — people serving in a role that is for the community, by the community. These Navigators, hired directly from the community, work closely with patients to support not only enrollment, but to increase portal use and to bridge gaps in healthcare accessibility that have long existed with language, culture, trust, and tech literacy. Listen to how the Los Angeles Department of Health Services (LADHS) created and supports its Health Tech Navigator program to surface a growing practice of cultural humility and competency in patient engagement.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Anshu Abhat MD, MPH, Director of Patient Engagement in the Office of Patient Access at LADHS
Mayra Ramirez, MSW, ASW, Staff Analyst, Program Manager with the Patient Engagement Program at LADHS
LA Health Portal App
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

Inclusive Community Building

info@careinnovations.org (Levi Baer, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 18 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

We chat with Levi Baer, a facilitator and coach who believes that joy, justice, and community are all at the heart of meaningful progress. His work focuses on creating welcoming spaces that are grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and anti-racism. Levi shares with us that trust is a foundation for equity work, as well as collaboration.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Levi Baer, a facilitator and community builder from Chicago
Second Shift, a community-focused co-working space
Catalyst, CCI’s human-centered design training program

Collaboration is Innovation: Revamping the Patient Portal

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations, Charles Kitzman) — Wed, 4 May 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Can a more advanced patient portal improve face-to-face visits? Appointments are often jam-packed with asking key questions, deploying screening tools, and then chronicling all those answers that it's increasingly difficult to also analyze patient data and provide insightful, in-the-moment guidance. Shasta Community Health Center bet that a revamp of its patient portal could enable patients to take a more active role in their care while also improving provider workflows. In this episode, we discuss how staff, patients, and other key stakeholders all collaborated on retooling and optimizing this platform.

Listen all the way through to the end for a special guitar jam from our guest!

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Charles Kitzman, chief information officer, Shasta Community Health Center
InteliChart
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

Missed Appointments, Missed Prevention Opportunities

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Caleb Sandford, chief transformation officer at Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center
WELL Health
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

State of Equity: Health Care for Our Safety Net

Wed, 6 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen health care organizations innovate rapidly to meet the ever-changing needs of a global crisis. As we go into our third pandemic year, we’re taking a step back to examine whether healthcare is more or less equitable now. Listen to this candid conversation with three leaders about the changes and ongoing challenges to flip existing power dynamics within healthcare institutions so that care is anchored in the needs of the underserved communities.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Sofi Bergkvist, president, Center For Care Innovations
Michael Lok, planning manager, Asian Health Services
Sylvia Hacaj, director of development and communications, LifeLong Medical Care
Eric Lam, account and strategy partner, Exygy
Webinar: State of Equity: Healthcare for our Safety Net

Centering Ourselves Is Small...and Small Is All

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations, Tabitha Thomas) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0000

In need of a recharge? Perhaps a new approach to working through change? We're joined by Tabitha Thomas — a longtime crisis counselor and centering practitioner — who guides us through a ~12 minute centering practice.

Following the meditation, Tabitha unpacks some of her learnings as a student of Emergent Strategy, a book written by social justice facilitator and fellow somatics practitioner, Adrienne Maree Brown. Tabitha threads those lessons with that of human-centered design, namely from CCI's Catalyst program, and she shares guiding principles that inspire us to navigate through this pandemic with intention.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Tabitha Thomas
Centering as a meditation practice
Generative Somatics
Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown
WEAVE, Inc.
Catalyst, CCI's human-centered design program
CCI Webinar: Practicing Centering and Emergent Strategy During Trying Times

Care Coordinators Are Key to Connecting Patients Remotely

info@careinnovations.org (Debra Rosen, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 9 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Similar to our last episode with Axis Health, we dive into another health center's digital health solution journey in remote patient monitoring (RPM) during the pandemic — piloting a platform and process that allows patients to take their blood pressure at home, with the data then gathered and assessed by the care team. We chat with Northeast Valley Health Corporation as they share some of the early successes and challenges faced in using this platform with regards to patients' controlled and uncontrolled blood pressure rates, as well as what implementing RPM looks like in the near future. Learn more about the key role of care coordinators and care teams in advancing this work forward.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Debra Rosen, RN, MPH, Director of Quality and Health Education, Northeast Valley Health Corporation
Rimidi
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

A Telehealth Testing Ground

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations, Mai Bui-Duy) — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:50:22 +0000

To kick off 2022, we're excited to have Dr. Mai-Khanh Bui-Duy from Salud Para La Gente share the impact of her organization's work as participants in our Connected Care Accelerator (CCA). Mai gives us insight into the benefits of engaging with her fellow participants, as well as how the program has supported her ongoing journey to provide telehealth. Listen to learn about the challenge of shifting patients to video visits, resources shared and adapted by this learning collaborative, and more.

The Center for Care Innovations is continuing the growth of this learning community with a new opportunity for California-based safety-net organizations to participate in the next phase of this program, which will focus on innovation projects to advance equity in telehealth access. For more information and details on how to apply, visit careinnovations.org.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Connected Care Accelerator: Equity Collaborative - Apply now! The request for applications is now open through March 16, 2022
Virtual Care Learning Hub - CCI shares the best of the best for achieving health equity through virtual care. This learning hub synthesizes 20+ years of experience filled with great ideas you can start testing right away
Mai-Khanh Bui-Duy, MD, Director of Population Health and Health Education, Salud Para La Gente

How COVID-19 Changed Hypertension Care

info@careinnovations.org (Amit Pabla, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000

What is remote patient monitoring? In this episode, we talk with Axis Community Health about launching a digital health solution that captures and records a patient's blood pressure data in the comfort of their own home — all in the middle of the pandemic. Our hope is by sharing the highs and of this pilot project, safety net organizations can apply these lessons learned to their own challenges.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Amit Pabla, chief quality and transformation officer, Axis Community Health
CareSignal
Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities

Finding HOPE

info@careinnovations.org (Robert Sege, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 1 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000

“Positive childhood experiences can help a person become resilient or heal from adversity,” says Dr. Robert Sege, a pediatrician and a professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine. In this episode, Dr. Sege discusses the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences, or HOPE, framework, a new way of seeing and discussing experiences that support children’s growth and development.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Dr. Robert Sege, a pediatrician and a professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine.
Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences, also known as HOPE, framework
Adverse childhood experiences, also known as ACEs
Resilience Beginnings Network, a CCI program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive

Designing Through People Power

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 14:00:00 +0000

While “design thinking” is a dynamic improvement and innovation tool, it can also facilitate dehumanization and anti-Blackness. But when we combine the approach with community organizing — a powerful strategy for building people power and righting injustices — this collaboration has the ability to transform the well-being of our most vulnerable populations.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Aida Mariam Davis, CEO and founder, Decolonize Design
Celina Culver, community organizer, Pennsylvania United and the Voice of Westmoreland
Tsega Tamene, head of data science and evaluation, Pillsbury United Communities
Kelsei Wharton, community associate, Obama Foundation
CCI Webinar: Designing Through People Power

Understanding, Helping, and Healing People Who Experience Trauma

info@careinnovations.org (Alicia Lieberman, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 3 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Dr. Alicia Lieberman is a renowned psychologist, professor, author, and researcher who directs UCSF’s Child Trauma Research Program. As a trilingual and tricultural Jewish Latina born and raised in Paraguay, she has a special interest in cultural issues involving child development, child rearing, and child mental health. In this episode, she explains how she helped develop the TRIADS framework, a model for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) screening and strength-based counseling based on trust, empathy, consent, and mutual respect.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Dr. Alicia Lieberman, director of UCSF’s Child Trauma Research Program
Adverse childhood experiences, also known as ACEs
Trauma and Resilience-informed Inquiry for Adversity, Distress, and Strengths, also known as TRIADS, a framework to talk with patients about adverse childhood experiences and create healing relationships
California ACEs Learning and Quality Improvement Collaborative, also known as CALQIC, a CCI program
CCI: TRIADS Framework: An Approach to Understanding, Helping, and Healing People Who Experience Trauma
CCI: Widening the Health Care Lens: Lessons from CALQIC’s Opening Session on Childhood Trauma and Healing

Supporting Health Equity through Patient and Community Engagement

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 13:00:00 +0000

We can’t solve health inequities in a vacuum. To truly eliminate health disparities, it’s crucial to involve patients and the community and co-design solutions with them. We talk to folks who have partnered with community members and patients to tackle inequities linked to race, ethnicity, poverty, and class. Discussing their journey and challenges, these leaders tell care teams the crucial steps they need for success.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Mary Minniti, senior policy and program specialist, Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care
Kelly Bruno, president and chief executive officer, National Health Foundation
Libby Hoy, founder and chief executive officer, Patient & Family Centered Care Partners
Leticia Reyes-Nash, director of programmatic services and innovation, Cook County Health and Hospitals System
Maria Lemus, executive director, Vision y Compromiso
CCI: Just Listen: Taking on Health Inequities through Patient and Community Engagement
CCI: Tackling Bias, Fear, Inequality, and Disrespect: Tosan Boyo’s Blueprint for a Successful Equity Journey in Healthcare
CCI: Racial Inequities in Health Care: What is Holding Us Back?
American College of Physicians: What’s the benefit of patient, family engagement?
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials: The Economic Case for Health Equity
Baker Institute: Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in U.S. Health Care

Do You Want to Be a Catalyst?

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 5 Oct 2021 13:00:00 +0000

We've been talking a lot about "design thinking" on this podcast lately. Now, it's your chance to get involved in Catalyst, our award-winning training program that teaches an approach to problem solving that is rooted in understanding people’s needs and experiences. Learn about the application process, building new mindsets, and how you can contribute to the future of community health.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Catalyst, CCI’s design thinking training program
Applications will open on October 6, 2021 at careinnovations.org. The deadline to apply is Nov. 19, 2021.
Using Design Thinking to Prescribe Food as Medicine

Leadership By Design

info@careinnovations.org (Luke Entrup, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Luke Entrup is an executive coach and consultant who works with high growth startups to strengthen their organizational culture and leadership in an ever-changing environment. We know Entrup because he spent many years as director of innovation at West County Health Centers and Petaluma Health Center, and he is also an alumnus of CCI's design thinking training program. In this discussion, Entrup shares his foolproof meeting structure that supports a culture of innovation, as well as the role of leadership in its success.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Luke Entrup, a partner at Evolution, a coaching, consulting, and investment firm
Catalyst, CCI’s human-centered design training program
Building a Culture of Innovation Through Leadership
West County Health Centers
Petaluma Health Center

Putting Human-Centered Design Methods to Work

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations, Blake Gregory) — Wed, 8 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Dr. Blake Gregory is the medical director at Alameda Health System and an alumna of Catalyst, CCI’s human-centered design training program. She shares how the "design thinking" skills she learned now play a central role in her work. Learn about the surprising benefits of having all staff engage in hiring, how Gregory uses "affinity clustering" on a weekly basis, and why encouraging people to draw their experiences increases empathy and understanding.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Dr. Blake Gregory, medical director at Alameda Health System
Catalyst, CCI’s human-centered design training program
Three Ways to put Human-Centered Design Methods to Work with Staff and Colleagues
Affinity Clustering
Case Study: Cultivating Workplace Happiness

Treating Addiction as a Chronic Disease

info@careinnovations.org (Joe Sepulveda, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Why do we treat addiction so differently than we do all other chronic diseases? That's a question that Dr. Joe Sepulveda has been asking for years. A board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction treatment at the Family Health Centers of San Diego, he founded the organization’s medications for addiction treatment (MAT) program. He urges primary care providers to embrace addiction treatment as they do diabetes, hypertension, and other common chronic diseases: without bias or judgement.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Dr. Joe Sepulveda, assistant medical director at Family Health Centers of San Diego
Addiction Treatment Starts Here, CCI's portfolio of programs that are working to curb the opioid epidemic in California
Treating Addiction as a Chronic Disease: 10 Key Takeaways for Primary Care Providers
Tackling America’s Deadliest Drug Epidemic: How CCI Helped Transform Addiction Treatment During the Pandemic
What are Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder?

FYI: We’re taking a summer break from August 23 to September 6. During this organization-wide closure, CCI staff are planning to “unplug” together — rescheduling activities, snoozing notifications, and turning off screens. To learn why rest is a key part of our pandemic recovery, listen to this podcast episode. Health Pilots will return on September 8.

How to Connect with People and Hear Their Authentic Stories

info@careinnovations.org (Jill Rees, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 4 Aug 2021 13:00:00 +0000

How do you create meaningful connections? Jill Rees of West County Health Centers, one of CCI's longtime collaborators, shares how she builds rapport with her patients, so that she can hear deeply authentic stories and get to the “why” behind their answers. Jill advises us to sit down, be real, and listen patiently. If you are looking to better engage end users, clients, or staff, there will be a ton of takeaways from this discussion for you.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Jill Rees, Ph.D., associate director of behavioral health, West County Health Centers
CCI Webinar: How to Connect with People and Hear their Authentic Stories

Developing a Capacity for Innovation

info@careinnovations.org (Lynne Maguire, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Are you wondering how to create a culture of innovation within your organization? We know it isn't easy. So we're discussing how you can start to build a foundation for this important work.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Lynne Maguire, innovation and strategy consultant
CCI's Colorado Health Innovation Community (CHIC)
Columbus Regional Health
2017 Design Value Award Winner: Developing an organizational capacity for innovation without breaking the bank

Building a Data Driven Culture

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations, Jerry Lassa, SA Kushinka) — Wed, 7 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Are you drowning in data, but no one is quite sure what to do with it? Do you find you’re spending more and more on technology systems, yet still don’t have the information you need? CCI's newest online course, Building a Data Driven Culture, is here to help. In this episode, our expert faculty discuss the fundamental concepts, techniques, and tools that will support your work to make the most of your organization’s data.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Building a Data Driven Culture
CCI Academy
SA Kushinnka, CCI expert faculty
Jerry Lassa, CCI expert faculty

Taking Time for Self-Care During the Workday

info@careinnovations.org (Dana Valley, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Are you interested in integrating self-care practices into your daily work? Dana Valley, the director of quality management at West County Health Centers, shares her own journey, as well as the short, fun rituals that help her staff and wider community to engage in mindfulness.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Dana Valley, Director of Quality Management, West County Health Centers

Sonoma Community Resilience Collaborative

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine

CCI Peer Workshop: Taking Time for Self-Care During the Workday

The Four Types of People Reluctant to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine — And How to Engage Them

Wed, 9 Jun 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Do you know someone who is unsure about taking the COVID-19 vaccine? If so, knowing their barriers and beliefs can help you understand how to start a conversation with them.

CCI and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) host a lively discussion about innovative community outreach practices for COVID-19 vaccination. We focus on key research around "vaccine personas," and frontline stories from community health centers. Advance health equity and design out-of-the-box solutions!

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Sofi Bergkvist, president of the Center for Care Innovations
Dr. Ron Yee, chief medical officer and senior vice president of the clinical affairs division of the National Association of Community Health Centers
Sema Sgaier, co-founder and chief executive officer of Surgo Ventures
Deliana Garcia, director of international projects and emerging issues at the Migrant Clinicians Network
Shelley Spires, chief executive officer of Albany Area Primary Health Care
CCI Webinar: The Four Types of People Reluctant to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine — And How to Engage Them

Connecting Quality to Care

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovation, Denise Armstorff) — Wed, 26 May 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Want to improve your team's problem-solving skills? Quality improvement is an evidence-based methodology that provides a step-by-step approach to improving performance. We’re celebrating the launch CCI's newest online course, ABCs of Quality Improvement. In this episode, our expert faculty explains why you should sign up for this free resource today!

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Readiness, Response, Recovery, and Renewal

info@careinnovations.org (Ken Epstein, Irene Sung, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 12 May 2021 13:00:00 +0000

We're talking about the 4 R’s framework which covers the different phases of the pandemic: readiness, response, recovery, and renewal. Our hope is that this scaffolding can help health centers and other safety net organizations navigate the crisis.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Dr. Irene Sung, CCI coach

Dr. Ken Epstein, CCI coach

Resilience Beginnings Network, a CCI program dedicated to advancing pediatric care delivery models that are trauma- and resilience-informed so that 100,000 young children and their caregivers have the support they need to be well and thrive

Heal SF, a comprehensive effort to provide immediate and coordinated mental health services for San Francisco's public, private, and non-profit health care providers

Retired Public Health Leaders Respond to COVID Mental Health Crisis, Heal SF

Trauma Transformed, an organization that advances trauma-informed and healing-centered systems

Navigating Power Dynamics in Co-Design

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Interested in becoming a more conscious co-designer? Two alumni of CCI’s design thinking program — Selena Wilson and Landon Hill, staff at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) — share how they’re navigating power dynamics to engage youth and parents as experts on their community and their own experience.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

Catalyst, CCI’s human-centered design training program

East Oakland Youth Development Center

Webinar: Navigating Power Dynamics in Co-Design: East Oakland Youth Development Center

Empathic Communication: Affirming Strengths and Apologizing

info@careinnovations.org (Elizabeth Morrison, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth Morrison, an expert motivational interviewing trainer, returns to share best practices in empathy-based communication for virtual health care settings. This episode is for anyone who wants to learn more of these key techniques for phone and video visits.

Morrison tells us:

Affirming strengths means noticing and amplifying a person’s values and goodness. By affirming strengths, we show people that we are focused and attuned to what is best about them, their inherent worth and unique abilities. This strengths perspective represents a paradigm shift in the field of health care. It is a move away from traditional deficit and pathology-based communication models and towards truly whole-person care.
If a rift in a conversation opens up, use “repair strategies” to rebuild the trust and relationship at hand. These strategies include expressing apology, regret, and wishes.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Elizabeth Morrison Consulting
Rsourced, Morrison’s curated collection of human-centered resources
Empathic Communication in Phone and Video Visits
What Exactly Is Motivational Interviewing?
Webinar: Empathic Communication Strategies for Telemedicine

Empathic Communication: Reflective Listening and Open-Ended Questions

info@careinnovations.org (Elizabeth Morrison, Center for Care Innovations) — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Elizabeth Morrison, an expert motivational interviewing trainer, joins us to share best practices in empathy-based communication for virtual health care settings. This episode is for anyone who wants to practice these key techniques for phone and video visits.

Morrison tells us:

Reflective listening involves repeating back what we have heard the other person say. This demonstrates that we are paying attention and that we want to make sure we’ve heard someone correctly. More importantly, it demonstrates hearing them is important to us, and that we value what they’ve shared. When we are very skillful in using reflective listening, we can actually help others identify how they feel and what they think, just by interpreting and reflecting what they’ve said.
When questions are truly open, we don’t know what we will hear next or where things might go in the conversation, and that is OK! In asking open-ended questions, we are demonstrating to others that we value their story and their perspective — not imparting our own judgment or opinions on their experience. Open-ended questions are an invitation for others to share what’s on their mind, allowing us to see things from their point of view and catch a glimpse of their beliefs, values, and strengths.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Elizabeth Morrison Consulting
Rsourced, Morrison’s curated collection of human-centered resources
Empathic Communication in Phone and Video Visits
What Exactly Is Motivational Interviewing?
Webinar: Empathic Communication in Virtual Practice

How to Make Healthy Food Affordable

info@careinnovations.org (Sam Polk, Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:20:00 +0000

Before the coronavirus struck, a Los Angeles-based healthy fast-food chain called Everytable had just received grant funding to roll out its social equity franchise program. During the pandemic, it pivoted from a retail model built on storefronts and meal subscriptions toward a mobile emergency response team to tackle food insecurity. It quickly became a lifeline for city residents and isolated people in need.In fact, working with the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, Santa Monica College, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Everytable distributed more than 3 million emergency meals to homeless shelters, senior living centers, homebound elders, and hungry college students and families who didn’t always know where their next meal was coming from. We sat down with Sam Polk, the co-founder of Everytable, to discuss good eats, health care partnerships, and more.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

How Everytable Transformed Food Justice in LA
Sam Polk, co-founder and chief executive officer of Everytable

How Health Center Leaders Prioritize Video Visits

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:01:59 +0000

Dr. Jason Cunningham, chief executive officer of West County Health Centers, and Dr. Grace Floutsis, chief medical officer of White Memorial Community Health Center, discuss why they made video visits a priority for their organizations, explain how they supported their teams in that journey, and share some practical advice.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Peer Sharing: Promising Best Practices for Video Visits
Grace Floutsis, MD, chief medical officer of White Memorial Community Health Center
Jason Cunningham, DO, chief executive officer of West County Health Centers

Helping People Live the Healthiest Lives Possible

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:00:09 +0000

Data collection and engagement are pivotal parts of any organization’s efforts toward health equity. Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside University Health System Ambulatory Medical Director, delves into how to collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and race, ethnicity and language (REAL) data, while sharing other options if those metrics aren’t a place for you to start. As he reminds us, “You actually work on equity every day. And equity is embedded in all of the patient care that we do.” Leung goes beyond the data to talk about the importance of questioning assumptions, how to get buy-in, and insights from Riverside’s own efforts.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Caring for Cardiovascular Patients Against the Backdrop of COVID-19 and Systemic Racism
Geoffrey Leung, MD, ambulatory medical director of Riverside University Health System

Integrating What’s Real in the Community

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 15:59:27 +0000

Vision y Compromiso Executive Director Maria Lemus promotes community well-being through the training and support of promotores and community health workers. She shares engaging stories of how she came to understand inequity personally, what equity and cultural humility look like, and new approaches for partnering with communities. As Lemus describes it, “health equity is taking what's real in the community and integrating it into a system that doesn't know about it.” You’ll get new tools and a big dose of inspiration from Lemus.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Just Listen: Taking on Health Inequities through Patient and Community Engagement
Maria Lemus, executive director of Vision y Compromiso

An Inclusive Environment for Everyone to Belong and Thrive

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 16:46:11 +0000

Tosan Boyo — who was recently chief operating officer of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and now serves as senior vice president of hospital operations at John Muir Health — shares practical next steps for organizations of any size and at any stage of their equity journey. Boyo asks, “Are we providing the tools and resources for staff to do equity work? Then we are creating an inclusive environment for everyone to belong and to thrive?”

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode:

Caring for Cardiovascular Patients Against the Backdrop of COVID-19 and Systemic Racism
Tackling Bias, Fear, Inequality, and Disrespect: Tosan Boyo’s Blueprint for a Successful Equity Journey in Healthcare
Toysan Boyo, former chief operating officer of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center

Transforming Care Gives Us Freedom

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:29:00 +0000

Infusing Innovation Capability Everywhere

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 14:27:00 +0000

Opportunities for Innovation in Every Organization

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 14:25:00 +0000

Equipping On-The-Street Community Workers with a Free Data Platform

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 14:23:00 +0000

Accessing Care Specialists Through a Simple E-Consult

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 14:22:00 +0000

How to Gather and Use Patient Experience Data with the Pulse One Minute Survey

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Fri, 1 Apr 2016 14:20:00 +0000

(A previous series available on SoundCloud) Welcome to Health Pilots, where we interview people pursuing new solutions for health care in low-income communities. You’ll hear about new technologies and workflows, human-centered design, and how to collaboratively innovate. Many clinics face the challenge of delivering a pleasant and comfortable patient experience. Measuring that experience effectively can be one of the most vexing parts of that work. In 2014 CCI, with support from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, launched the Engaging Patients to Improve Care program to help safety net organizations take on patient experience work, as well as actively engage patients in their efforts. One part of that program involved rolling out to three clinics a unique patient experience survey, the Pulse One Minute Survey (POMS), a tool designed and managed by Quality Data Management (QDM), a health analytics company based out of Cleveland, OH. The POMS uses just two questions to solicit meaningful written feedback on a patient s visit. The completed POMS cards are analyzed by QDM who uses sophisticated techniques to turn the qualitative verbatim responses into meaningful insights that can inform change. To get some deeper insights into how effective this survey was, and the lessons learned implementing it, CCI s program manager Susannah Brouwer spoke with the project leads from the three POMS grantee clinics: Laila Gulzar of Ravenswood Family Health Center, Felipe Dest of Lifelong Medical Care, and Debra Rosen of Northeast Valley Health Corporation.

The Impact of Patient-Centered Communication

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:17:00 +0000

Staff and Family Impact Outcomes

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Fri, 4 Mar 2016 15:19:00 +0000

In this episode, Chris and Joe cover:

What Care at Hand does
How Care at Hand works
Impact from Implementing Care at Hand
Opportunity For Technology In Health Care
Lessons Learned

Relevant Links

http://careathand.com/

Ah-Ha’s on Transforming Care

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:29:00 +0000

Empowering the Social Determinants of Health

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:13:00 +0000

Relevant links:

Purple Binder

Looking for Ways to Improve the Patient Experience

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:12:00 +0000

Patient Engagement - There’s an App for That

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:10:00 +0000

Talking Social Determinants of Health

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:08:00 +0000

Making Workflow Work and Tech Tick

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:06:00 +0000

Video Visits, High-Risk Homeless, and Why Payment Reform Matters

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:04:00 +0000

The Power of the Innovation Network

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Tue, 1 Mar 2016 15:02:00 +0000

Giving Patients More Control of their Health

info@careinnovations.org (Center for Care Innovations) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 15:15:00 +0000

In this episode, Chris and Katherine cover:

How healthcare is changing
Innovating in non-profit organizations
Integrating behavioral health with physical
Katherine’s B.A.S.E.S framework for innovation
Open innovation in healthcare

Relevant Links