Root of the Issue

Melissa Fox is the Chief Operating Officer for Acenda Integrated Health. Acenda is an integrated health care organization dedicated to world-class prevention, treatment and wellness services. Their care is compassionately delivered to ensure that every individual, family and community achieves their greatest potential.

Fox’s dedication to serving communities who are typically denied adequate levels of care and services stems from her childhood. She speaks of the challenges she encountered growing up, “There weren't really good systems in place to help people. When you saw people dying and getting really ill, people just accepted it because there was nowhere to send them and no way to really treat them.”

Inspired by the women role models in her life, including her mother who worked as a nurse, Fox brings a sense of urgency to her work. She says, “The longer we take to get these programs in place and get the communities help, the more people are dying and the more people are hurting and we can't have that on us. So, that's what's really driven me. And that's what continues to drive me every day.”

Randy Oostra, the CEO of ProMedica, a nationally-recognized, mission-driven, not-for-profit health and well-being organization with services in more than 25 states, discusses the need to address the social determinants of health in America. Oostra says “We need to call on health organizations to really begin to look at data and really start to make people aware of biases in healthcare. We know many, many, many people can't afford care. What are we doing about it? I would argue, not enough. We're making progress but it can't come fast enough.”

Oostra also told host Barbara Petee, “We have to commit ourselves to a national dialogue to think about the future of health and well-being. It is now time to have a different dialogue, a different discussion. And given what's happened over the last three or four years now is the perfect time to do that.”

Lisa Marsh Ryerson, former president of the AARP Foundation, discusses how the health of older Americans is being negatively impacted by social isolation. We know from research that social isolation has very devastating health outcomes,” says Ryerson. “Everyone can take steps to ensure that individuals have a reliable social network and connections to the community resources and supports that help them thrive. [This] has been some of my most important work.”

Ryerson and host Barbara Petee, also examine the importance of optimism when addressing some of the nation’s most pressing health care crises. 

Barb Petee, the president of The Root Cause Coalition, previews the organization's new podcast highlighting conversations with health equity leaders across the country to provide common sense solutions to the underlying injustices that prevent all Americans from living a life of health and well-being.