Catholic Health Usa Podcast

As Catholic health providers navigate an increasingly complex world, the value of clinical ethics cannot be understated. But the world of ethics is complicated itself: How do we give equal time to both clinical care and consultation as well as academic research, peer review and church relationships?Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, President and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, and Dan Daly, the founding Executive Director of the brand new Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, join Health Calls to discuss the new center being launched in Summer 2024. Sr. Mary explains the work that went into The Center’s development, Dan gives his background in ethics and Catholic health care, and both share their vision for how The Center could operate as a go-to resource for Catholic health providers in the near future.ResourcesRead Catholic Health World’s story on Dan Daly’s appointment as The Center’s founding Executive DirectorRead Boston College’s release on Dan Daly’s appointment 

Join us for a dynamic discussion on the impact of ministry formation on the colleague experience, featuring Darren Henson, Senior Director of Ministry Formation at CHA, Pete Guarisco, VP of Mission at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, and Rafael Flores, Director of Mission Integration at FMOL Northshore Region. Discover FMOL's deep commitment to ministry formation across the system and its profound significance in upholding the legacy of their ministry's founding congregations. Gain insights into the diverse approaches to formation and how they shape colleague experiences, interactions, and the delivery of care. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the transformative power of ministry formation in health care.

Nate Hibner, Ph.D., Senior Director of Ethics and Editor of Health Care Ethics USA (HCEUSA) at CHA and Nicholas Kockler, Ph.D., MS, HEC-C, Vice President of System Ethics Services at Providence St. Joseph Health in Renton, Washington, join Health Calls for an enlightening discussion, exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and Catholic social teaching, the topic of Kockler’s recent HCEUSA article. Discover how Catholic social teaching serves as a moral compass for navigating the complexities of AI, illustrating how AI can transcend being a mere tool and become an extension of our commitment to societal betterment by emphasizing values such as human dignity and the common good. Gain insights into the importance of forging partnerships in Catholic health care to ensure that AI is grounded in real-world needs.  Resource:Generating Insights from Catholic Social Teaching: Ethical Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence in Health Care Ministries by Nicholas Kockler, Ph.D., MS, HEC-C - HCEUSA Fall

Dennis Gonzales, Ph.D., CHA's Senior Director of Mission Innovation and Integration and Ann Garrido, author of Redeeming Power: Exercising the Gift as God Intended and associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, join Health Calls to discuss the importance of a leader's positive worldview in effectively navigating change. In this enlightening conversation, they explore the concept of "a spirituality of power," highlighting how managerial courage and visionary leadership appear in daily interactions within an organization. They delve into the transformative power of ongoing reflection and examine how Jesus understood and exercised power. By considering the relational nature of power, Gonzales and Garrido offer insights into how a leader's understanding of power informs their role in promoting human flourishing and working for the common good.Resources:Embracing Change: It's Who We Are by Dennis Gonzales, Ph.D. – Health Progress Spring 2024  Redeeming Power: Exercising the Gi

Research is a key component of any health system. So, when it comes to serving rural areas, how do these systems reach patients and populations that may otherwise be left out of the research process?Valerie Schremp Hahn, Associate Editor of Catholic Health World, and Amy Elliott, PhD, the Avera Research Institute’s Chief Clinical Research Officer, join Health Calls to discuss Hahn’s recent article covering Elliott’s work for Avera’s mobile research lab. Elliott walks through the process of funding the lab, the challenges of operating it and how being on the road brings a wealth of opportunities to rural communities.Read the Catholic Health World Article "Avera mobile lab brings researchers to rural communities."

One of the most critical aspects of global health practice is creating and fostering good relationships. Having trusted partners around the globe not only allows us to get the proper resources where they need to go, but also facilitates opportunities for mutual learning.Bruce Compton, CHA's Senior Director of Global Health, and Edmund Nigel Ramsay Crisp, The Lord Crisp KCB, House of Lords, United Kingdom and former Chief Executive of England's National Health Service, join Health Calls to discuss ways we can learn from each other in our shared goal of increasing health equity across the globe. Lord Crisp recounts lessons he learned from his time spent as the Chief Executive of the NHS, as well as the benefits of doing work outside your home country. Compton also adds insight into CHA's new discussion paper, The Future of Health Workforce: Insights and Opportunities to Transform International Health Workforce Recruitment and Capacity.ResourcesAccess CHA's new Global Health discussion paper hereVisit CHA's Glob

As health systems work to eliminate inequities in the communities they serve, are we doing all that we can to establish trustworthiness with those communities? What if there is already a lack of trust between provider and patient?Betsy Taylor, Editor of Health Progress and Philip Alberti, Ph.D., Sr. Director of Health Equity Research and Policy and Founding Director of the AAMC Center for Health Justice, join the show to discuss Dr. Alberti's recent article in Health Progress. Dr. Alberti describes why he prefers the term 'vital conditions' to 'social determinants' and offers his insights on how and how not to build and maintain trustworthiness with communities.ResourcesRead Dr. Alberti's article in Health Progress, "Building Health Communities Requires Trustworthiness"Visit CHA's Community Benefit page for up-to-date resources

Treating neurodivergent patients is a complicated process. How do we approach the spectrum of neurodivergence with the care, compassion, and intentionality that it deserves?Betsy Taylor, editor of Health Progress, Dr. Jeremy Chapman, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at SSM Health Treffert Studios, Meg Puddy, Director of Behavioral Health at SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac, and Spencer Depies, Technician at SSM Health Treffer Studios, all join Health Calls to discuss Treffert Studios' unique approach to caring for neurodivergent patients. Dr. Chapman discusses the key tenants of the Treffert approach, Meg Puddy recounts her personal experiences with Dr. Treffert, and Spencer Depies gives specific examples of how Treffert Studios offers its patients opportunities to flourish.ResourceRead the recent Health Progress article on the Treffert Studios

Do you know what a “double-duty caregiver” is? Chances are that if you work in health care, you know a few of them… and you may even be one yourself!Betsy Taylor, editor of Health Progress, and Debra Kelsey-Davis, co-founder of Nourish for Caregivers and Sagacity.Care, join the show to discuss Kelsey-Davis’s recent article for the fall issue of Health Progress. They discuss how COVID-19 impacted the stress levels of double-duty caregivers, raising awareness and how Catholic health systems can better care and advocate for the double-duty caregivers working in the ministry.Resources Read Debra Kelsey-Davis’s article, “Double-Duty Caregiving: Clinicians Caring for Others at Work and Home Need Support” for Health ProgressVisit the Nourish for Caregivers website

World AIDS Day is commemorated every year on Dec. 1. As we approach this year's observance, how do the stories of those who pioneered care for AIDS patients inform our care today?Paulo Pontemayor, CHA's Senior Director of Government Relations, and Michael O'Loughlin, national correspondent for America magazine and author of Hidden Mercy, join the show to discuss O'Loughlin’s contributions to Hold Out Your Hand, a new resource offered by CHA. O'Loughlin discusses his work telling the stories of Catholic caregivers during the AIDS crisis and offers thoughts on how these stories can inspire Catholic health care providers to care for the marginalized in the future.ResourcesListen to Plague, a podcast produced by America Media and hosted by Michael O'LoughlinRead Hidden Mercy, Michael O'Loughlin’s book on stories of Catholics and the AIDS crisisRead this story about St. Mary's CARE Center from Catholic Health World

Pope Francis recently released his new apostolic exhortation, Laudate Deum, calling for a renewed sense of urgency in combatting climate change. As he cites overwhelming scientific evidence that the world is facing a climate crisis that is caused by human activity, how should Catholic health care best respond to this urgent Apostolic exhortation?Indu Spugnardi, Director of Advocacy and Resource Development for CHA, and Fr. Daniel Horan, Professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology at St. Mary's College and Director of the Center for the Study of Spirituality, join the show to discuss the new apostolic exhortation and Fr. Daniel’s coverage of the release for the National Catholic Reporter. Fr. Daniel discusses our relationship to the world around us, the document’s inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi, and having hope for the future.ResourcesRead Laudate Deum at the Vatican's official websiteRead Fr. Daniel’s column on Laudate Deum at the National Catholic ReporterVisit CHA's Environment page for

As health care systems look to develop healthy partnerships across the globe, environmental impacts must become a factor to consider. How do we partner with organizations in a way that isn’t harmful to communities already experiencing the effects of climate change?Erica Smith, Executive Director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, and Bruce Compton, Sr. Director of Global Health and International Outreach at CHA, join Health Calls to discuss their recent international visits, developing partnerships that focus on lessening environmental impacts and how to effectively and safely donate material goods.ResourcesVisit Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach websiteCheck out CHA’s Medical Surplus Recovery resources

Between hurricanes and heat waves, the effects of the climate crisis have never been more evident. How can health care systems make bold commitments that will make a difference in the fight against climate change?Ali Santore, Chief Advocacy and Social Responsibility Officer at Providence, and Beth Schenk, Chief Environmental Stewardship Officer at Providence, join Health Calls to discuss their system's pledge to be carbon-negative by 2030. They discuss the way the pledge has been integrated throughout leadership structures, the definition of "carbon negative" health care and how their climate impacts can be measured using data.

Patients with chronic illnesses want what any patient seeking health care wants: to improve their health without exhaustive treatment. Unlike the majority, however, these patients face specific barriers to achieving that care.Betsy Taylor, editor of Health Progress, and Tricia Steele, author of the Sick Person Guide e-book series, join Health Calls to discuss Steele’s recent article for Health Progress. Steele discusses her experiences as a patient advocate and ways that health care delivery isn’t equipped to meet specific patients’ needs and proposes steps that health systems can take to better care for those with chronic illnesses."What Patients With Chronic Illness Want Providers to Know" (Health Progress, Summer 2023)

Studies suggest that whole-person health care isn't limited to physical health but also includes mental and spiritual well-being. So why is spiritual care more difficult to find coverage for?Lisa Eisenhauer, Editor of Catholic Health World, joins the show to discuss an article she wrote for the paper featuring Dennis Heaphy, Health Justice Advocate and Researcher at the Massachusetts Disability Policy Consortium, and Sasha Shenk, Sr. Research Technician at Tufts University. Heaphy and Shenk talk about their article and the benefits of offering Medicaid for spiritual care, and Teresa Anderson, Mission Leader at Trinity Health PACE and Trinity Health at Home, describes how Trinity Health tries to implement extended coverage into their work.

The Ethical and Religious Directives have been a popular topic of conversation in health care circles for the past year. But what if we stopped viewing them simply as a list of do's and dont's, but as a living document articulating the mission and identity of Catholic health care?Betsy Taylor, editor of Health Progress, and Fr. Myles Sheehan, director of the Edmund D. Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics and the David Lauler chair of Catholic Health Care Ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, join the show to discuss the ongoing conversation around the ERDs and how they can fortify the identity of Catholic health care. Fr. Sheehan also speaks directly to several specific parts of the ERDs, giving a comprehensive view of the directives and guiding principles beneath them.

The road to health equity is long, and many hospitals and healthcare facilities are on different parts of the journey. How do we gauge best practices and strategies for different parties? Several guests join this episode of Health Calls to discuss ongoing efforts to help hospitals across the United States: Kathy Curran, Senior Director of Public Policy for the Catholic Health Association; Joy Lewis, Senior Vice President for Health Equity Strategies for the American Hospital Association, and Executive Director of the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity; and Leon Caldwell, Senior Director of Health Equity Strategies at the American Hospital Association. They discuss the history of the AHA’s efforts and how the two associations have collaborated in the work of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Much of the health care process happens virtually these days. In the Catholic health ministry, how does spiritual care play into this equation?In the first episode of Health Calls season four, Jill Fisk, CHA's Director of Mission Services, and Justin Martin, a board-certified chaplain at Mercy St. Louis, join the show to discuss spiritual care in a virtual age. They discuss Mercy COVID Care @ Home, a program which recently won CHA’s Achievement Citation award, as well as the possibility of extending proactive chaplaincy services to different areas of care. Resources Mercy COVID Care @ Home: CHA’s 2023 Achievement Citation Video "Mercy chaplains tap technology to connect with COVID Care @ Home patients" (Catholic Health World article)

Season Four of Health Calls, the podcast of the Catholic Health Association, kicks off on June 27! Subscribe now!

When we think of “long term care,” we may bring assumptions to the table about how patients are cared for or act. What happens when the care we provide challenges those assumptions?Julie Minda, Associate Editor of Catholic Health World, joins the show to discuss her recent article regarding Montessori principles used in memory care. Michelle Feller, Assistant Administrator at Ferncliff Nursing Home, and Cameron Camp, Co-Founder of the Center for Applied Research in Dementia, also join to discuss these methods, how they benefit long term care patients, and the process of implementing Montessori principles in existing facilities. ResourcesRead Julie Minda’s article in Catholic Health World: “Ministry memory care facilities apply Montessori principles to increase resident engagement”Visit the Center for Applied Research in Dementia’s website