The number of uninsured children in the U.S. has risen significantly in the past few years. In this episode, Professor Joan Alker from Georgetown University and Dr. Heidi Sallee from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital discuss the reasons for this trend, the policy implications, and what Catholic health care can do to help increase coverage for kids.  Catholic health care works to reverse worrisome dip in children's health insurance coverageMedicaid Makes It Possible

Catholic Health USA Podcast

Children’s Health Insurance

Catholic Social Teaching is at the very core of Catholic health care. But how is it applied to the the business side of the ministry, especially when tough decisions are being made? Fr. Michael Rozier, PhD, an assistant professor of health management and policy at St. Louis University, and Fr. Joseph Driscoll, DMin, director of ministry formation and organizational spirituality at Redeemer Health, reflect on this question and offer examples how these principles are put into practice among Catholic health leaders. Related Health Progress articlesThe Pandemic's Hidden HeroesA Modern-Day Parable for the Pandemic

Catholic Social Teaching and the Business of Health Care

Whether its wildfires, floods, hurricanes or a global pandemic, we are constantly reminded about the reality of climate change and the challenges we face to protect the environment. What role does Catholic health care play in shaping policy, promoting positive change and mitigating harm to God’s creation? Lois Sechrist, environmental stewardship manager at Ascension, and Rachelle Reyes Wenger, system VP of public policy and advocacy engagement for CommonSpirit, discuss what Catholic care is doing, and what more needs to be done, in caring for creation.  Caring for Creation – May-June 2016

Catholic Health’s Role in Protecting the Environment

Many Catholic nursing homes and long-term care facilities are closing, being sold, or being reconfigured in an effort to keep them viable. Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at The Urban Institute, and Susan McDonough, the Catholic Eldercare and Acute Care specialist for Ziegler Investment Banking, discuss the various challenges these facilities face and how to pursue policy changes that improve the care our elders need.Health Progress Winter 2021 Issue - "Aging and Long-Term Care"

Aging and Long-Term Care

Amidst the public discourse about COVID-19 vaccines are questions and concerns pertaining to moral implications and religious objections. Fr. Tom Nairn, PhD, a trained ethicist and author of several books on bioethics, joins Dr. Reginald Eadie, president and CEO at Trinity Health of New England, in countering some of the myths and clarifying some of the misinformation that has arisen.   CHA’s Love Thy Neighbor campaign

COVID-19 Vaccines and Faith Communities

The International Year of the Nurse and Midwife coincided with the “Year of COVID-19.”  In this episode, we hear from two authors who contributed articles for the Fall 2020 Nurses Leading the Way issue of Health Progress.  Sr. Rosemary Donley, a nursing professor at Duquesne University, discusses how the pandemic can reshape the future of nursing education, while Kathy Sanford, executive senior VP and chief nursing officer for CommonSpirit Health, talks about how it has the underscored the importance of nurse leaders. Related Health Progress Articles Reshaping the Future of Nursing EducationNurses in Executive Practice: A Specialty for Today and Tomorrow

COVID-19: Implications for Nursing Education and Leadership

Using CHA’s reflection and meditative videos, this podcast leads the listener through almost an hour of self-care exercises.

Special Well-Being Exercise Podcast

Guests Ruth Katz from Leading Age, a nonprofit focused on education, advocacy and applied research for older adults, and Justin Hinker, the administrator of Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community in Sioux Falls, S.D., share their perspectives on how the pandemic has created new challenges and opportunities for those who care for older persons.   Related Health Progress articlesCreating a Good Country to Grow Old InThe Pandemic and Lessons to Share in Long-Term Care 

COVID-19 and Care for Older Persons

A priest and a law professor come together for a robust discussion on how the common good can be better understood in the context of public policy, particularly health care policy. Fr. Charles Bouchard, CHA's senior director, theology and sponsorship, joins Prof. Sam Halabi, the Manley Hudson professor of Law at the University of Missouri – Columbia, to share insights from their recent Health Progress articles.Advocacy, Prophecy and the Common GoodACA Insurance Expansion Shows Signs of Reducing Racial Disparities 

Public Policy and the Common Good

The role of hospital chaplain has been evolving, and COVID-19 has created new challenges and opportunities for how chaplains provide spiritual care and emotional support for patients, their loved ones, and fellow caregivers.  Guests Chelsea Leitcher, a chaplain who served with Dignity Health, and Jane Levdansky, a chaplain with SSM Health, share their experiences and insights of how their ministry has changed during the pandemic. Related Health Progress articles:Post-Intensive Care Syndrome and the Role of ChaplainsChaplains Minister Amidst Changes Brought by Pandemic

Hospital Chaplains and COVID-19

COVID-19: Health Care Disparities During the Pandemic

The pandemic is requiring clinicians to make major adjustments in how they provide care.  Laura McKinnis, who serves as a nurse practitioner in emergency medicine in the Milwaukee area, shares her experience in caring for COVID-19 patients, her family and herself. Cindy Rosburg, chief human resources officer at Mercy in St. Louis, provides an overview of changes their system has made to care for their caregivers during the crisis. Health Progress article: Gazing Through the Maskwww.medicineasministry.com

COVID-19: Caring for the Caregivers

Would you be willing to sacrifice some personal privacy so that you or a loved one could live a longer, healthier life?  That’s the main question explored in this episode featuring Alan Pitt, MD, a professor of neuroradiology at the Barrow Neurological Institute (part of CommonSpirit Health).  Dr. Pitt is joined by CHA Director of Ethics Nathaniel Blanton Hibner, PhD for a discussion about the benefits, risks and ethical and practical considerations around the use of personal data in delivering health care.  Health Progress articleData in Health Care: Would You Share Information to Gain Better Care?

Data in Health Care

Catholic health care has an international presence and CHA members in the U.S. support this global ministry through donations of surplus medical supplies and equipment and organizing and staffing medical missions.  In this episode, we discuss how the Catholic church in Tanzania and Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach in Springfield, IL are working together to improve health in that country.  CHA’s Brian Reardon and Bruce Compton talk with Fr. Charles Kittima, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Tanzania, and Georgia Winson, executive director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach. Links:Hospital Sisters Mission OutreachCHA Global Health resources

Global Health – A Case Study

Stable housing and reliable transportation have a direct link to the health status of individuals.  In this episode, Jane Graf, President and CEO, Mercy Housing, and Will Snyder, Sr. VP, Chief Advocacy Officer, AMITA Health, discuss how Catholic health care is collaborating with other organizations to ensure the housing and transportation needs of their patients are met.  

Housing and Transportation

A podcast for the Catholic Health Association