Podcasts

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.