Health Calls

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 2 continues the United for Change theme with a focus on youth mental health in Chicago. Host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka speak with Dr. Anoop Takher, Interim Chair of Behavioral Health at Saint Anthony Hospital, about the hospital's SPARK Program. Designed to eliminate long wait times for psychiatric evaluations, SPARK offers integrated care—including speech and occupational therapy—under one roof. Dr. Takher shares how collaboration with partners like the Carol Robertson Center and local schools has expanded access and improved outcomes for children and families. SPARK’s model offers a blueprint for other systems seeking to meet behavioral health needs with compassion, efficiency, and equity.

Resources

Learn more about Saint Anthony Hospital's SPARK program

Watch CHA's This is Catholic Health Care video on the SPARK program

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.

Host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka welcome Sister Norma Pimentel, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, to discuss her work serving immigrant communities at the U.S.-Mexico border. Sister Norma shares moving stories of families fleeing violence and hardship, emphasizing the importance of restoring human dignity through compassion and encounter. The episode explores how Catholic health care and faith communities can collaborate to support vulnerable populations, regardless of legal status. Sister Norma encourages listeners to act with love, guided by faith, and to welcome immigrants into their communities. Her message is clear: healing begins with presence, understanding, and the courage to care. 

Resources

Learn more about Sr. Norma's work at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley

Access CHA's resources regarding immigration enforcement

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.

As the national conversation around HR1, Medicaid and health care access continues, Catholic health care continues to affirm its belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality, affordable care. As this episode's guest highlights, that includes those in rural communities.

Luis A. Rojas, MD, FACOG, Clinical Vice President of Oncology Service Line at Avera, joins the show to discuss the system's efforts at serving cancer patients in their most rural communities. Dr. Rojas highlights both Avera's procedures and investment in innovative technology, and their belief in the mission of Catholic health care as a way to serve everyone, no matter where they live.

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.

Like all popular trends, it's easy to adopt the latest and "greatest" technology as soon as it's released into the world. But what responsibility do Catholic health systems have in evaluating what changes they need to make? What - and who - is top of mind when these decisions are made?

Michael Sellers, Vice President of Facilities Management for Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago, joins the show to discuss the facilities and operations perspective on changing health care technology. Sellers discusses Saint Anthony's recent innovations, their community-based strategy for making needed upgrades, and the importance of operations as a voice at the decision-making table.

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.

Technological advances are nothing new for caregivers, who have been saturated with new tools to "help" them for decades. But are those tools actually helping? And what can the latest innovations do to alleviate the burden caregivers face on a day-to-day basis?

Dr. Heather Schmidt, System Medical Director, Healthy Work and Wellness at SSM Health, and Dr. Ann Cappellari, Chief Medical Information Officer and System Vice President at SSM Health, join the show to discuss their findings on how artificial intelligence can assist caregivers in their well-being. They discuss how technology has often added to the administrative burden caregivers face, offer insight into tools that  help caregivers connect with their patients, and share how AI can help with the workforce shortages that American health care faces.

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.

When we hear the word technology, we tend to think about computers, software, artificial intelligence, etc. But one form of technology that we tend to overlook has been a part of our lives for centuries: pharmacy.

Jeffrey Bishop, MD, Ph.D, Tenet Endowed Chair of Bioethics and Professor of Philosophy, Health Care Ethics and Philosophy at St. Louis University, joins the show to discuss how we can think critically about pharmaceuticals as technology. He discusses the etymology of the word "pharmacy," shares how power dynamics play into the decisions we make and offers advice on how to make sound, informed decisions about the drugs we take.

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.

Medicaid covers 1 in 5 American adults, nearly half of all children in America and 41 percent of births in America. But despite acting as a lifeline for many Americans, the program is under threat of significant cuts from the federal government.

In a Health Calls special, CHA's Senior Director of Government Relations Paulo Pontemayor and Barbara DiPietro, PhD, Senior Director of Policy at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, join the show to discuss the importance of Medicaid. They discuss how potential changes to the Medicaid program would impact American families, employment and community health. They also share how listeners can advocate for the program and the families that depend on it for vital health care coverage.

Resources

Visit CHA's "Medicaid Makes It Possible" page to learn how you can take action for Medicaid

Watch and share CHA's new informational Medicaid video

Advocate for Medicaid coverage to your elected representatives by calling the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121

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.

If Catholic health care providers want to treat the whole person, then spiritual care is a vital piece of that puzzle. So in an age when virtual health care is becoming more and more prevalent, how do we also expand the reach of virtual spiritual care?

Justin Martin, Director of Spiritual Care Innovation and Transformation at Mercy in St. Louis, Mo., returns to Health Calls to talk about his teams' latest efforts in the virtual spiritual care space. He discusses Mercy's transition from the COVID Care @ Home program, how the system pivoted to in-house technological solutions, and how to maintain trust with patients who may mistrust technological advances.

Resources

Learn about Mercy's COVID Care @ Home program, which won CHA's 2023 Achievement Citation award

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.

Catholic health care providers face a unique challenge – synthesizing the realities of their unique mission and the need to be technologically innovative. How do you faithfully follow the call to continue Jesus’s healing ministry and be as forward-thinking as possible?

Joe Kelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Mercy, joins the show for a two-part episode. In part one, Kelly discusses his journey to the current role he occupies, how Mercy’s mission colleagues play a role in the organization’s perspective on data, and a Biblical parable that has proved to be a rich, theological foundation for their team to build on.

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 this second part of the discussion, Joe Kelly discusses the steps Mercy has taken to protect patient privacy, highlights partnerships that have kept them on the cutting edge and explains how Mercy’s foundresses act as a guiding light for his team as they move forward.

To listen to the first part of this discussion, click here.

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.