See You Now Podcast

A common stereotype of aging is an era of decline and shrinking horizons. The reality is far more nuanced. The process of aging isn’t uniform and many will find their health and functional trajectories widening as they get older. In fact some, like President Joe Biden or pioneering nurse-midwife Ruth Lubic, won’t make their greatest contributions until their later years. A key to healthy aging is maintaining or improving your health, which for our oldest adults, largely falls outside of healthcare facilities. For many, health allows us to feel safe wherever we are.

There is a growing body of evidence and experience supporting our understanding of and investing in the social determinants and drivers of health—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. We’re seeing that manifest with a wide range of innovations in every corner of our healthcare delivery system, including innovations in health plans, health insurance, and payment and delivery models. In this episode, meet nurse and health plan innovator Karen Dale, MSN, RN, Market President and CEO for AmeriHealth Caritas, and dive deep into the details of how innovations in health plans and health insurance can and should focus on getting you care, helping you stay well and build healthy communities.

In this episode, nurse practitioner Wendy Wright, APRN, FAANP, examines a fresh model for primary care where access, time, presence, data, and innovation are key to how her nurse practitioner-led primary care clinics are meeting people where they are—even if that’s in the front seat of their car, under a tent, or in a parking lot!

There has been a long-standing relationship between faith, clergy, health, and healthcare. Faith-based partnerships have forged and furthered public health goals historically and more importantly, at present. Clergy and faith-based organizations are pivotal and trusted players in their communities providing service, leadership, connection, communication, distribution of services, and increasingly, innovation. In this episode we explore with UK HealthCare’s Chief Diversity Officer Tukea Talbert DNP, RN, CDP how partnerships with our communities’ faith leaders and congregations can build trust, break systemic barriers to access, and move toward health equity.

In this episode, we meet nurse anesthetist, founder and CEO of Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program, Wallena Gould, EdD, CRNA, FAAN, whose personal experiences led to a recognition of the scope and root problems that prevent innovation from being impactful or scaled, which led to a body of work that has been applied across healthcare to forge a more equitable future.

Each year, thousands of lives are saved and improved through organ and tissue donation. But despite the remarkable advances in organ recovery, more than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant with 33 dying every day for lack of an organ. This episode spotlights two nurse CEOs innovating at the system level to maximize organ availability. Ginny McBride, RN, MPH, Executive Director of OurLegacy Organ & Tissue Donor Services at Advent Health in Orlando, Florida, and Patti Niles, RN, BSN, CPTC, CEO of Southwest Transport Alliance in Dallas, Texas, are two nurse innovators from organ procurement organizations (OPOs) working to modernize and streamline organ donor management systems across the nation. Working closely with patients, families, and care teams provides them an understanding of the complexities of organ donation and transplantation enabling them to see the big picture and take action where innovations in health information exchange, donor management, and procurement can have an impact on a national scale. Tune in to hear about the groundbreaking work these nurses are leading so more people are able to give and receive the gift of a lifetime.

In this episode, we meet indigenous nurse researcher John Lowe, RN, PhD, FAAN, and discover how he is addressing the long-standing structural impediments that have kept American Indian, Alaska Native and indigenous youth from connecting to their cultural heritage, native identity, and to a history that he describes as a source of great strength. John established the first Center for Indigenous Nurse Research For Health Equity where he is innovating on ancestral wisdom and tradition—through practices like the Virtual Talking Circle—to enable indigenous youth to move away from harmful behaviors and move toward lives and coping mechanisms that are both positive and strength-based.

The CDC reports that Black mothers die at three to four times the rate of White mothers and that the mortality rate of Black infants is higher than that of any other ethnic group in the U.S. Regardless of income and education level, childbirth for Black women is more dangerous than it is for White women. In this episode, we hear from three healthcare innovators who personally and professionally—as Black women and advisors to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance—work tirelessly to advance policy grounded in human rights and reproductive justice to improve Black maternal health and lives.

During a public health crisis, such as COVID-19, we are acutely aware of the connections between social justice, public health and innovation—especially in communities with vast disparities, such as those in Alaska where Tim Struna, MPH, RN, practices. To explore how public health nurses are innovating to respond to the unique challenges of the ongoing pandemic, we talk to Tim, Chief of Public Health Nursing in the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. He is focused on increasing access to health services for residents in rural areas, particularly during COVID-19, by innovating and coordinating health practices at a community level.

Have questions for the SEE YOU NOW team? Feedback? Future episode ideas? Contact us at hello@seeyounowpodcast.com.

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Black people and people of color in the United States. The pandemic placed a magnifying glass on existing disparities and their underlying causes. And when we look closer into these disparities, we find that youth experiencing homelessness and mental health issues are some of the most adversely affected by the COVID-19 public health measures and Shelter-in-Place orders. In this episode, we hear from psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and researcher, Dawn Bounds, PhD, MPHNP-BC whose research covers juvenile justice and homeless youth. Dawn reflects on the complex challenges these populations face amidst overlapping pandemics.