Advancing Health

As the nursing profession continues to evolve, it is embracing new technologies and practices that allow nurses to focus on what matters most — their patients. In this conversation, John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System and 2023 AHA board chair, and Mary Beth Kingston, Ph.D., R.N., executive vice president and chief nursing officer at Advocate Health and AHA board member, discuss the future of technology and nursing in the health care environment and how technology can be implemented to improve not just patient care, but overall employee satisfaction.

Addressing burnout and the mental health of employees is not only the right thing to do, but also improves care, quality, patient satisfaction and the financial health of the organization. In this conversation, Nigel Girgrah, M.D., chief wellness officer at Ochsner Health, discusses his evolution in workforce well-being, building a business case for organizational buy-in and the importance of combining leadership with mental health transparency.

American health care has come a long way over the years, but there is at least one glaring exception — maternal health. This three-part series explores the medical complications that can accompany pregnancy, successful prenatal and postpartum treatment programs, and how hospitals and health systems are addressing the social needs of new mothers. In this episode, Stacy Garrett-Ray, M.D., senior vice president and chief community impact officer at Ascension Health, and X’Laodai Mack, new mom and Ascension patient, discuss how the health system is addressing social determinants of health to support mothers and their babies.

The AHA's Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care and reduce health disparities within their communities. 2023 Rural Winner, Monument Health, was honored for their journey in health equity progress that has spanned over 8 years. In this conversation, Paulette Davidson, president and CEO of Monument Health, and Sandra Ogunremi, DHA, vice president of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Monument Health, discuss how one incident made the rural health system vow to do better and commit to a strong path forward in health care equity.

The AHA’s prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations that have demonstrated a strategic approach to community health and health equity. Finalist GBMC HealthCare was one of the organizations honored in 2023 for leading the way. In this conversation, John Chessare, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of GBMC HealthCare, shares how they began investing in their Baltimore community by specifically focusing on social determinants of health.

Digital innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning and other spaces are becoming more present in health care. With these advancements also come threats from cybercriminals. Through June of 2023, 48 million individuals were impacted by 250 data breaches as reported to the HHS Office of Civil Rights, and about a quarter of them were high-impact ransomware attacks. In this conversation, Troy Ament, chief information security officer at Fortinet, discusses the conversations health care needs to be having to balance digital innovation with cybercrime defenses. Fortinet is an AHA Preferred Cybersecurity Provider.

The AHA's Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care and reduce health disparities within their communities. 2023 Transforming Winner, Meritus Health, was honored for creating and implementing strategies that influence equity within its community. In this conversation, Allen Twigg, Meritus Health's executive director of behavioral and community health services, talks about their role in the community and how they have expanded that role to reduce disparities for the population.

Building and retaining a nursing workforce is one of the many challenges facing health care today. In this conversation, Wendy Horton, chief executive officer of UVA Health, and Beth Mehring, program manager of the “Earn While You Learn” program at UVA Health, discuss the successes of "Earn While You Learn" and how their approach to sustaining the nursing workforce can provide solutions for hospitals and health systems moving forward.

The AHA's Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care and reduce health disparities within their communities. 2023 Emerging Winner, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), was honored for its passion and progress in advancing health equity. In this conversation, Franck Nelson, RWJUH assistant vice president of health equity, discusses the big steps the organization has taken to dismantle equity barriers in its care delivery system and the community it serves.

In the United States, behavioral health and physical health can sometimes be treated as if they are unconnected, usually involving separate sites of care. One small, rural health system decided to override the usual way of doing things and provide a care model that reconnects treatment to the whole person. In this podcast, Charlie Forbush, chief administrative officer at Western Wisconsin Health, describes their hospital's behavioral health expansion within the schools and community, and how it made a difference in patients’ access to whole-person care.