Health Calls

Health Calls Season 7, Episode 4 explores how economic development, entrepreneurship, and community investment can improve health outcomes across the United States. Host Brian Reardon welcomes Shekinah Mitchell, Director of Neighborhood Engagement for Community Health at Bon Secours Richmond, to discuss the innovative SEED (Supporting East End Entrepreneurship Development) program. 

Rooted in Richmond’s East End, SEED helps local entrepreneurs access funding, coaching, and business development resources while addressing long-standing challenges linked to poverty, disinvestment, and health inequities. Mitchell explains how strengthening small businesses creates jobs, builds wealth, revitalizes commercial corridors, and contributes to healthier communities. The conversation also highlights the role of relationship-building, advocacy, and what Mitchell calls “radical imagination” in rethinking healthcare’s responsibility beyond hospital walls.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 7, Episode 3 explores why palliative care is both a clinical necessity and a mission imperative for Catholic healthcare systems across the United States. Host Brian Reardon welcomes Dr. Mark Kantrow, System Medical Director for Palliative Care at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOL), to discuss how palliative care improves outcomes for patients with serious illnesses while supporting families through some of life’s most difficult moments. 

The conversation challenges common misconceptions that equate palliative care with hospice, emphasizing its role in whole-person care, symptom management, goal setting, and care coordination. Dr. Kantrow explains how interdisciplinary teams, including physicians, nurses, chaplains, and social workers, help align treatment plans with patient values while reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and readmissions. The episode highlights how investing in palliative care advances human dignity, improves patient experiences, strengthens quality outcomes, and reflects the core mission of Catholic healthcare.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 7, Episode 2 explores how Catholic organizations across the United States are reimagining the connection between housing and healthcare. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Rob McCann, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Eastern Washington, to discuss a nationally recognized partnership with Providence St. Joseph Health that addresses chronic homelessness through housing, medical respite, and supportive services. 

The conversation examines how stable housing can improve health outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions, lower emergency service utilization, and promote human dignity. McCann explains how the Healthy Housing Initiative grew from a local collaboration in Spokane, Washington, into a model that has inspired Catholic Charities organizations nationwide. By combining affordable housing with mental health support, addiction treatment, healthcare navigation, and community-based care, the program demonstrates how healthcare systems can move beyond clinical treatment to address root causes of poor health.

Resources

"Providence, Catholic Charities partner to help Eastern Washington patients with complex needs for 'as long as it takes'" (Catholic Health World, April 4, 2026)

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 7, Episode 1 launches the new Health Reimagined season by exploring how moral imagination can help transform healthcare across the United States. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Daniel J. Daly and Thomas Bushlack of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health to discuss how Catholic healthcare can respond creatively to today’s most pressing challenges. 

Drawing on Catholic social teaching, whole-person care, and the healing ministry of Jesus, the conversation examines how leaders can move beyond technical solutions to imagine new possibilities that promote human flourishing, uphold human dignity, and strengthen the common good. Dan and Tom explain how moral imagination bridges theology and practice, helping organizations address emerging questions around AI, access to care, partnerships, and healthcare ethics. They also discuss the work of the Center and preview the work ahead of them in 2026 and 2027, including academic papers, conference visits, and podcasts.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

In the Season 6 finale of Health Calls, host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka reflect on the theme “United for Change” through a clip show featuring top voices in Catholic healthcare. 

Drawing from insights shared at the Catholic Health Association Assembly, Brian and Josh highlight how unity, collaboration and Catholic social teaching are transforming care delivery across the United States. Clips from six different episodes underscore the importance of listening deeply, valuing lived experience and addressing social determinants of health such as housing, food insecurity and mental health. From parish nurse programs to community partnerships and immigrant advocacy, these conversations illustrate how Catholic healthcare can elevate human flourishing by working collaboratively, building trust and centering the dignity of every person.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 17 explores how health systems across the United States can improve outcomes by connecting health care, nature, and community partnerships. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Dr. Sheetal Rao, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, to examine the growing evidence linking green space access to better physical, mental, and community health. 

Dr. Rao shares how the COVID‑19 pandemic revealed stark inequities in access to nature, introducing concepts like tree equity and “nature deficit” in underserved communities. The conversation highlights how hospitals, acting as anchor institutions, can partner with local organizations to expand tree canopy, support biodiversity, and reduce environmental risks like heat, flooding, and air pollution. With U.S. health care contributing significantly to climate impacts, Dr. Rao underscores how nature‑based solutions, from native plantings to urban forestry, can strengthen resilience, improve health outcomes, and advance more equitable, sustainable care nationwide.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 16 highlights how health systems across the United States are expanding medication access through the nonprofit Dispensary of Hope. 

Host Brian Reardon speaks with Mike Wascovich, Vice President of Medication Management and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Ascension, about addressing one of the nation’s most urgent challenges—prescription affordability. With as many as half of U.S. prescriptions going unfilled due to cost, the Dispensary of Hope connects donated medications from pharmaceutical partners to clinics and pharmacies serving vulnerable populations. Wascovich explains how the program has grown into a national network of more than 300 sites, helping patients manage chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. By improving adherence, reducing hospitalizations, and cutting unnecessary waste, this collaborative model demonstrates how U.S. health care organizations can work together to lower costs, improve outcomes, and ensure patients receive the medications they need to heal.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 15 continues the United for Change season with a global perspective on collaboration in health. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo, newly appointed Chief Officer for Innovation and Programs at Catholic Charities USA, to reflect on the state of global health amid shifting U.S. priorities. 

Drawing on decades of experience with the Holy See at the United Nations in Geneva, Vitillo explains how reduced funding, rising conflict, chronic disease, and mental health challenges are straining health systems worldwide. He highlights the importance of international cooperation, warning that isolationist approaches weaken vaccination efforts, emergency preparedness, and workforce stability, even within the United States. Through real‑world examples, including Ebola response efforts in West Africa, the conversation underscores why Catholic health care’s commitment to human dignity, partnership, and solidarity remains vital at home and abroad. The episode calls listeners to see global health as a shared responsibility that directly shapes local care.

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 14 examines how health systems across the United States are collaborating to lower medication costs through the groundbreaking nonprofit manufacturer Civica Rx. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka speak with Dr. Daniel Roth, Executive Vice President and COO of Trinity Health, about how Civica was founded to address persistent generic drug shortages, supply chain disruptions, and affordability issues affecting hospitals nationwide. 

Dr. Roth explains how Civica brings together Catholic health systems, nonprofit providers, for‑profit partners, and philanthropic organizations to create a health‑utility model that prioritizes stable supply over profit. He details how Civica now supports more than 1,400 hospitals with affordable generic medications and is expanding its portfolio based on national clinical need. This episode highlights why cross‑sector collaboration is essential for U.S. patients, clinicians, and caregivers—and how collective action can reduce costs, strengthen supply chains, and advance whole‑person care across the country

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 13 explores how interfaith engagement strengthens whole‑person care and human flourishing across the United States. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Suzanne Watts Henderson, PhD, Senior Director of Faith & Health at Interfaith America to discuss religious diversity as a civic asset and a practical lever for community trust in health care.

The conversation traces Interfaith America’s move from higher‑ed leadership development into health care settings, accelerated during the pandemic as faith leaders partnered with clinicians to bridge trust and boost vaccine confidence—including stories from Charlotte and other local communities. Henderson unpacks a simple framework—respect, relate, cooperate—for Catholic and non‑Catholic partners to deliver spiritual care that honors human dignity for everyone, not only Catholics. 

Resources

Read Suzanne Watts Henderson and Eboo Patel's 2024 article in Health Progress

Health Calls is available on the following podcast streaming platforms:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Learn more about The Catholic Health Association of the United States at www.chausa.org.