Disrupting Privilege: Conversations on Race & Health: Recent Episodes
Equal Hope
Healthcare in America has been unevenly distributed since its founding. Our healthcare system has failed many Americans. In the wake of the pandemic, these disparities have been caste in sharp relief as the country struggles to address the system's failures. Equal Hope is a healthcare education, advocacy and navigation organization whose mission is to eliminate health disparities across Chicago. Our unique multi-pronged approach to systemic change has been recognized as one of the most successful systems change organizations in the country. As a result of our work, the death rate for African American women diagnosed with breast cancer has dropped nearly 20% over the past decade. And we are only just getting started. Join us for a timely and critical discussion on healthcare in America. As one of our founding Board members, Dr. David Ansell from Rush University Medical Center says "This is not a deficiency problem; it is an abundance problem poorly distributed."
Dr. Summer Dewdney & John McIlwain explore pharmaceutical efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials with Neha Shah Londono, formerly from Seagen, now Pfizer. Ms. Londono emphasized that the pharmaceutical industry is very focused on improving diversity in clinical trials to insure that the data coming out of trials truly reflects the health needs of the world's population.
Mistrust in our healthcare system or failure to inform patients, what is the cause of lack of diversity in clinical trials in America? Dr. Patricia Robinson and John McIlwain explore this question with Dr. Kent Hoskins from the University of Illinois Cancer Center. Dr. Hoskins has been a key research partner and supporter of Equal Hope from our earliest days. As our medical and pharmaceutical industries grapple with how to create greater diversity in clinical trials to get to better testing and treatment results, we must first acknowledge and confront the inherent causes of our lack of diversity. Dr. Hoskins discusses not only trials for treatment protocols, but the importance of diversity in understanding tumor biomarkers.
John McIlwain and Shari Runner interview Cristal Gary, the new CEO of Meridian Health Plans. Meridian Health Plan is owned by a Centene, a major healthcare provider. Cristal's role is to manage and oversee the publicly insured program for Meridian/Centene.
Dr. David Ansell & John McIlwain talk to Dr. Matthew Notowidigdo from UChicago's Booth School of Business. Matt is a Healthcare Economist looking at disparities in health outcomes and America's funding mechanism for healthcare. Although Dr. Ansell & Dr. Notowidigdo did not know each other before this recording, as a Social Epidemiologist, Dr. Ansell found common ground in Dr. Notowidigdo's research and writing about the Social Determinants of Health. Another fascinating conversation for you to join.
Harriet Washington, Bio Ethicist from Columbia University in New York City and author on medical ethics quotes Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead saying "The progress of civilization is not a wholly uniform drift towards better things." Some times we need to hit "pause" or go back a few steps to correct things.
This statement becomes the backbone of the conversation between John McIlwain, Dr. Summer Dewdney and Ms. Harriet Washington.
Dr. Patricia Robinson and John McIlwain discuss the important issue of Diversity in Clinical Trails with Dr. Eddilisa Martin, owner and founder of M&B Sciences. Diversity in Clinical trials is becoming a more and more important topic as we address the impact of Systemic Racism in our Healthcare System. If trials to identify biomarkers or test new drugs exclude lived experiences from major segments of the American population, we are never going to truly get to equitable healthcare in this country.
John McIlwain and Shari Runner talk with Diana Alvarez, Northshore University HealthSystem's Community Health Equity Liaison. Diana explains the importance of health equity as a driver of Northshore's key priorities. In addition, Diana shares personal stories that make the issue of healthcare so important for all of us.
John McIlwain and Mary Richardson-Lowry talk to Felicia Blakley, the President & CEO of the Chicago Foundation for Women, about the Foundation's beginning, its growth under Felicia's leadership and the challenges and opportunities that it sees ahead.
John McIlwain and Dr. Paris Thomas talk to Yolonda Ross, actress on the Showtime Series, The Chi, about her research with Equal Hope clients and how her interactions shaped her portrayal of her character on The Chi, Jada Washington.
John McIlwain and Shari Runner talk to Steph Willding, the CEO of CommunityHealth, a Free & Charitable Health Clinic. CommunityHealth was established as a disruption to the payor-model healthcare system that we have in America. As a disruptor, CommunityHealth & Equal Hope share a lot in common. Listen how our missions coincide.
Dr. Robin Jones and John McIlwain discuss women's health in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobb's Decision and its impact upon women's health across the country.
Ms. Oreletta Garmon, Equal Hope Healthcare Navigator, joins John McIlwain to interview Ms. Oreletta's client, Erica Barbosa. Erica shares her breast cancer story as Ms. Oreletta helps her navigate the barriers she faced. Erica and Ms. Oreletta share a special bond, and you can hear it in Erica's story.
Dr. Pat Robinson & John McIlwain interview Dr. Melissa Merrick, the CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. Dr. Merrick explains how our childhood stays with us well into our adult lives. Experiences we have as children can dramatically affect our growth and development, even to the point of altering our DNA.
John McIlwain & Dr. Summer Dewdney discuss healing with Dr. Brandi Jackson, Co-Founder of the Institute for Racial & Cultural Healing. Dr. Jackson speaks passionately about the need for "self-care" in caring for others.
On this first episode of Season 2 for Disrupting Privilege: Conversations on Race & Health, John McIlwain and Dr. Robin Jones talk to Lisa Harries & Adam Kohlrus from the Illinois Health & Hospital Association about their new focus on health equity. How does a hospital association, as an association of hospitals across a diverse state such as Illinois, elevate and prioritize health equity as a primary driver of it's business priorities? Lisa and Adam will share insights on how IHA refocused its efforts to address this pressing societal issue.
Ken Kaufman, one of the founders and current Chairman of Kaufman Hall Healthcare Consultancy firm discuss the public health system across the country. Have you ever wondered if the healthcare system can learn anything from the NFL? Well, Ken discusses a sports analogy that demonstrates we can all learn from one another.
John McIlwain and Mary Richardson Lowry discuss Chicago's response to the pandemic and its impact on Chicago's public health infrastructure with Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot. In the wake of the most significant health crisis in recent memory, perhaps in our lifetime, Chicago has fared considerably better than many peer municipalities across the country when it comes to identifying vulnerable populations and getting people vaccinated and protected. Mayor Lightfoot discusses the steps that helped Chicago perform much better than many of our peers.
John McIlwain & Mary Richardson Lowry interview Dr. Pamela Khosla, who is the Chair of Sinai Chicago's Cancer Committee and the Chief Hematologist at Chicago's largest safety net hospital. Dr. Khosla reveals how important it is to bond with her patients as she builds trust. The insights she has gained being a female doctor in a male dominated industry, and a women of color serving an under-invested communities of Chicago's South & West Sides reveal many of the barriers Equal Hope was established to address.
John McIlwain and Dr. Patricia Robinson talk to Gayla Brockman, the President & CEO of the Michael Reese Health Trust. Gayla has overseen some transformational changes to the private conversion trust to make the Foundation a Public Foundation. Taking advantage of the public platform, the Michael Reese Health Trust became a key player in coordinating Chicago's collective response to COVID-19 establishing a collaborative effort of nearly 85 Community Based Organizations working to ensure an equitable rollout of the COVID-19 vaccinations across Chicago. One of the reasons why Chicago has been so successful at getting hard to reach residents vaccinated.
Dr. Summer Dewdney and John McIlwain interview Ed Stellon, Executive Director of Heartland Alliance Health. Ed brings a particularly unique perspective to Chicago's Health Equity debate. As a healthcare service provider primarily serving the health needs of people experiencing homelessness, Ed brings a powerful perspective on the inequities confront Chicago's healthcare delivery system. The stories he shares of people whose lives have been shaped by trauma and mental health issues are powerful.
Dr. Summer Dewdney, an Obstetrics & Gynecological doctor from Rush University Medical Center and John McIlwain from Equal Hope interview Dr. Nita Lee from UChicago Medicine about efforts in Chicago to reduce cervical cancer diagnoses and deaths.
*Correction: John McIlwain correctly mentioned that Rwanda has achieved a very high level of HPV vaccinations across the country but incorrectly suggested that Rwanda has removed cervical cancer as a public health crisis. The high HPV vaccination rates has lead to a significant drop in the death rate but has not eliminated cervical cancer.
John McIlwain and Mary Richardson Lowry talk to Shelley Davis, the new President & CEO of the Coleman Foundation about healthcare in Chicago. Shelley shares several personal stories where loved ones died unnecessarily at an early age because the healthcare system failed them. Listen to Shelley share her personal stories and how the Coleman Foundation is seeking to address health disparities and deficits in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities care through their giving strategies.
Dr. David Ansell & John McIlwain talk to the AMITA Health's CEO Keith Parrott and Chief Advocacy Officer Cristal Gary about AMITA Health's recent announcement that the merger between Ascension Healthcare and Adventist Midwest Health is separating after seven years. The move to become more nimble and market driven is important to the two faith-based healthcare providers and partially driven by the desire to keep community based health decisions at the community level. Keith and Cristal provided a fascinating dialogue on the role of community based initiatives and the larger healthcare delivery discussion.
As a healthcare provider that spans across Illinois and Wisconsin, serving over 3 million patients per year and 75,000 employees, Advocate Aurora Health has a unique and broad perspective on the Social Determinants of Health and on health equity. Dr. Jackie Rouse explains how Advocate Aurora Health defines its sense of "community" by looking at its footprint to define patient service areas that fall into regions.
With its nine Illinois hospitals, Advocate Aurora Health empowers its local regions to address the direct needs of their community by addressing local food insecurities, to hiring practices and employment advancement opportunities.
John McIlwain and Dr. Summer Dewdney talk to Maria Pesqueira, the Executive Director of the Healthy Communities Foundation about their focus on health disparities. After re-evaluating their funding strategies, the McNeal Health Trust, which later became the Arthur Foundation, rebranded again to become the Healthy Communities Foundation. Given that their geographical service area is 50% Latinx, the Healthy Communities Foundation Board decided to focus its efforts on reducing health disparities in the Western Suburbs of Chicago.
Dr. Larry Goodman, retired CEO of Rush University Medical Center, and Dr. Omar Lateef explain how Rush re-evaluated the way it defined "community" as the healthcare institution sought to address "Community Health" needs. Dr. Lateef suggested that COVID-19 not only created a stress test for healthcare institutions across the country, it created a stress test of values.
Listen to two healthcare leaders discuss the way in which the debate around healthcare has become so much more than a discussion of "access," it has become a discussion around values.
Dr. Melissa Simon discusses her career and her focus on health equity from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine with John McIlwain and Dr. Patricia Robinson. As a Latina, Dr. Simon brings particularly unique perspective to healthcare in Chicago, experiences that go back to her childhood. While growing up in Detroit, Dr. Simon saw relatives encounter a healthcare system that was less than open to her family. These experiences inspired her to become a doctor and to insure that her family's voices, and those like her, were heard.
John McIlwain and Mary Richardson Lowry talk to authors Fernando De Maio & Maureen Benjamins about their new book, "Unequal Cities: Structural Racism & the Death Gap in America's Largest Cities." The core of their discussion centered on the importance of data in furthering the discussion around structural racism and poor health outcomes. "The diseases have changed over the past century, but the root causes remain the same: structural racism."
John McIlwain and Dr. Robin Jones from Rush University Medical Center talk with Dr. Linda Rae Murray, Cook County Health & Hospital Association's retired Chief Medical Officer about the role of "Trusted Messengers" in delivering equity across the healthcare system. Dr. Murray's remarkable career in Chicago and Canada give her a unique perspective on America's healthcare system.
Dr. Robin L. Jones from Rush University Medical Center, and a member of the Equal Hope Board of Directors and John McIlwain, Senior Director of External Affairs at Equal Hope discuss health equity with Dr. Aletha Maybank, the Chief Health Equity Officer of the American Medical Association. In light of the fall out from the Journal of the American Medical Association's podcast earlier in the year, Dr. Maybank's insights to the role of a medical association in achieving better health outcomes is insightful. Tune in to hear Dr. Maybank talk about the role of addressing health from the point of view of the American Medical Association.
John McIlwain discusses Equal Hope's origins and impact on Chicago's healthcare marketplace with Dr. Larry Goodman, the retired CEO of Rush University Medical Center.
According to John's conversation with Dr. Goodman, the best way to address the root causes of health disparities is through collaborative efforts; no one entity can achieve better health outcomes on its own. Equal Hope has been a collaborative body since its inception and has created the largest multi-industry collaborative effort focused on healthcare outcomes in the country.
With the help and support of our many partners, Equal Hope has changed the relationship to, and outcomes from Chicago's healthcare system for thousands of women in Chicago.
Michelle Obama's former Chief of Staff, Tina Tchen and Gina Arias discuss workplace equity with John McIlwain and Equal Hope Board member Dr. Summer Dewdney. Confronting systemic gender inequity is a multipronged effort that we are just beginning. Listen for more details.
Dr. David Ansell and John McIlwain interview Dr. Helene Gayle, the President & CEO of the Chicago Community Trust. Under Dr. Gayle's leadership, the Chicago Community Trust has identified the racial Wealth Gap as the primary strategic focus for the Trust. Drs. Ansell & Gayle discuss the policies that have lead to disparities in black and white wealth accumulation and health outcomes.
Dr. David Ansell & John McIlwain discuss the City's response to COVID-19 and what has been learned from the pandemic with Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. Dr. Arwady explains that one of the elements of the City's efforts to address vaccination disparities across Chicago's Black and Brown communities was to partner with Community Based Organizations who know their communities and are trusted by their clients.
Equal Hope interviews Ayesha Jaco, the Executive Director of West Side United. Equal Hope is the predecessor organization to West Side United.
John McIlwain & Dr. Patricia Robinson delve into West Side United's genesis and learn more about how this cross-industry has developed a new approach to addressing Chicago's grave health disparities.