Root of the Issue

This week on Root of the Issue, join our host Barbara Petee as she sits down with Priya Bathija, Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, for an eye-opening conversation. In this episode, they uncover the stark disparities in healthcare accessibility for women and the concerning lack of readily available information about women's health. Together, they explore the systemic issues leading to unequal care and how we can work towards empowering women with the knowledge they need for their own well-being. Along the way, Priya shares her early motivations, personal anecdotes, and much more of her journey towards pursuing more equitable healthcare for women in this country.  

In this week's episode of Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Scott Carter and Will Thomas of Conduit Government Relations; a government relations firm that specializes in grassroots organization and issue advocacy services through public affairs; with a focus on the social drivers of health that affect and impede too many Americans from a life of health and well being. Join us as we explore their wealth of knowledge and experiences, shedding light on the importance of grassroots organization and government relations in achieving a healthier, more equitable society. It's a conversation that underscores the critical role of advocacy and engagement in addressing the root causes of health disparities. 

When asked what keeps him hopeful in the future of their mission, Will had this to say:

"I think that this sense of, I want to be a whole person and I want other people to feel whole, too. I want other people to have access to the resources they need to thrive. I want to feel fulfilled in my job and career and to work with people that build me up and I'm not willing to settle. But it's this collective seeking of wholeness that I think really gives me a lot of hope."

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by William - Bill - Novelli, Emeritus Professor of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Over the course of their conversation, they discuss Bill’s pivot from the advertising world, what he sees in the students that he works with, his various mentors over the course of his career, as well as what ways he sees for us to combat the immense division that has separated so many Americans and inhibited our efforts to tackle daunting issues such as climate change and economic disparity. When asked how corporations could be viewed as allies instead of enemies when taking on these issues, Bill had this to say:

“I think a lot of companies realize …that they can incorporate social and environmental strategies into their core business, and when they do that, they improve and increase economic value for their stockholders, and they also make it better for society and for all the other shareholders and stakeholders whom they represent. So I think there's enormous opportunity”

You can learn more about Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Bill’s work here: https://msb.georgetown.edu/

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Anthony Weekly, Chief Community Reinvestment Officer at Truist Bank. In this role, Anthony is responsible for collaborating with community development partners and regulators to help meet the credit needs of low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals and communities. Over the course of their conversation they discuss the historic impacts of redlining on LMI communities, the need for cross-sector collaboration to address the social determinants of health, the role that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) plays, and the motivating power of giving back to the community from which he sees so much of himself within. When asked to define what health equity means to him, Anthony had this to say:

“It's pretty simple. For me, it's equal access no matter what your social economic status. And I think we put people in certain buckets because of their socioeconomic status and it creates those health inequities for them. So it's equal access to healthcare no matter what. Because we all should have fair and equitable access to healthcare.”

You can learn more about Truist and the Community Reinvestment Act at their website: here 

This week on Root of the Issue we’ve turned the tables and our guest is our very own Barbara Petee, President of the Root Cause Coalition. Over the course of the conversation with our special guest host, Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, Barbara discusses the origins of the inception of the Coalition, her inspirations for pursuing work in the social determinants of health and health equity, and the power of mentoring the next generation of leaders in the field. 

When asked how to keep pushing the boulder up the mountain, Barbara had this to say:

“I think we live in a time where it is easy to say, ‘I've done all I can do and these issues feel so much bigger than ourselves.’ But I have learned that if we focus on a few of our key priorities, if we are working with people who are doing what's right in front of them in their own communities and start to thread all of the work that all of these organizations are doing, we are building so much momentum.” 

You can learn more about the Root Cause Coalition and the upcoming National Summit at their website: here

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Amy Yaroch, PhD, Executive Director of the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition. Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Amy discuss the work of the Gretchen Swanson Center, the increased awareness of the social determinants of health and health equity, Amy’s optimism for alleviating hunger by 2030, and much more. 

When asked what keeps Amy motivated to take on such a tall task, she had this to say:

“I wake up each day and I think to myself, `I'm here to make a difference.` I've always wanted to make a difference, and I'm hoping that that's actually coming to fruition in some “

You can learn more about the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition at their website, here

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Alfreda Rooks, MPA, Director of Community Health Services (CHS) at Michigan Medicine, UM Health. In this role, Alreda works to advance the mission to identify creative solutions to address the various health and social needs of the community. Over the course of their conversation they discuss the work that CHS does across the region and state, Alfreda’s familial roots in Jim Crow era Birmingham, as well as the moments that launched her on the path towards working in community focused medicine. When asked what how she defines health equity, Alfreda responded with this:

“To me, health equity is making sure that the person that is sitting in front of you is seen as a person, and has the opportunity to have world-class, quality healthcare that anyone else has…I don't believe that anybody has to die to get good healthcare

This week on Root of the Issue, our host Barbara Petee, is joined by Domonic Hopson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP). NFP serves more than 21,000 patients across eight sites in Cleveland and Lakewood, OH and provides primary and preventive care, and integrated services, including behavioral health, pharmacy, midwifery and dental care.

Over the course of their conversation, Barbara and Domonic discuss the role of NFP in addressing the needs in some of our most neglected communities, Domomic’s pathway towards dedicating his life to the social determinants of health, how to find strength in taking on such an enduring problem, and how Domonic works to bring others to share their voice at the table. 

On that note, here is what Domonic had to say when asked of the power that community voice lends in the march towards health equity:

 “...we have to really encourage everyone to come to the table, even if it's in areas where it's not your ‘quote unquote’ specialty, but you have an experience; you have a voice that we need to raise and lend to these different topics.”

You can learn more about the Neighborhood Family Practice at their website: Neighborhood Family Practice

In this special encore, we revisit a conversation with Susan Benigas, the Executive Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Susan shares the powerful work of the ACLM, and its focus on lifestyle medicine, a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine – a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections – also provides effective prevention for these conditions. When asked about what drives her motivation at the ACLM, Susan shared this powerful perspective:  

 “We are on a mission to add years to life and life to years. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to benefit from what evidence so overwhelmingly supports. In that the power of what we eat each and every day, how we move, how we sleep, how we manage our stress, the power of our social connections; these pillars empower us to determine our health destiny.”

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Wendi Huntley, President and CEO of Connecting Kids to Meals. In her role, Wendy guides the nonprofit organization in providing hot, nutritious meals, at no cost, to at-risk kids ages 18 and under in low income and underserved areas of northwest Ohio. Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Wendi discuss the history of the organization, the role the COVID-19 pandemic played in illuminating problems plaguing underserved communities, childhood inspirations, as well as much more.  

When asked what Wendi feels lies in store for Connecting Kids to Meals, as well as President Biden’s goal of ending hunger by 2030, Wendi had this to say:

“When I think of what the future holds for Connecting Kids to Meals in all of these areas, plus so many more, I can hardly sleep. Not because of the worries, but I can hardly sleep because of the level of excitement about all of these amazing things that are happening to our organization.” 

You can learn more about Connecting Kids to Meals at their website: Here