The Intersection: Where Anti-Racism and Healthcare Meet

What happens when millions of people currently enrolled in Medicaid risk losing their coverage? Host Anton Gunn is joined by Deanna Williams and Laura Colbert (Georgians for a Healthy Future), Jennifer Flynn Walker (Popular Democracy), and Stan Dorn (UnidosUS) to explore strategies for navigating the Medicaid enrollment crisis.

They discuss approaches to prevent coverage gaps, barriers facing people with disabilities, how local organizations can scale efforts statewide, and harnessing the power of communications and storytelling.

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Foundation does not support lobbying efforts, including any activities or communications referenced during this podcast.

From funding cuts to conflicting federal and local priorities, public health is facing new and old challenges. Healthcare advocates need support as they strive to establish anti-racist health systems amid a rapidly evolving landscape. 

What is it like right now to work in public health? How can we address communities’ needs in real-time? Anne Carter (Linn County (IA) Public Health), Shelina Davis (Louisiana Public Health Institute), and Lili Farhang (Health in Partnership) talk with host Anton Gunn about the current situation and strategies to safeguard public health, including how organizations can stabilize funding and collaborate to tackle community health priorities. 

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Foundation does not support lobbying efforts, including any activities or communications referenced during this podcast.

Midwives? Doulas? Lactation Consultants? Obstetricians? The choice should be yours. All reproductive health professionals should have a shared vision: providing compassionate and patient-centered reproductive care that doesn't discriminate.

Star August Ali (Black Midwifery Collective) and Cassaundra Jah (National Association of Certified Professional Midwives) join host Anton Gunn to discuss the U.S. health system's racist past that nearly erased traditional midwifery and current state and federal advocacy efforts to support midwifery care. The panel also reimagines what honest relationships between midwives and obstetric providers could look like in a vulnerable healthcare system and shares real examples of those already doing the work.

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Foundation does not support lobbying efforts, including any activities or communications referenced during this podcast.

From the right to decide, to the right to thrive, reproductive justice champions are advocating to ensure people have the option to have—or not have—children, and the ability to raise them in safe and sustainable communities.

Jamarah Amani (Southern Birth Justice Network), Chanel Porchia-Albert (JustBirth Space), and Leseiley Welch (Birth Center Equity) join host Anton Gunn to break down the topic of birth equity and share how their own birth experiences have motivated their work.

The panel unpacks the power of reproductive choice, the realities of working in this space, and how hospital systems can build meaningful relationships with communities to empower people before and after delivery.

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The landscape for those working in the field diversity, equity and inclusion is rapidly changing. 

Host Anton Gunn talks with Giridhar Mallya from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kathryn Haines from Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and Loren Robinson from CHRISTUS Health about educating people on what DEI is—and isn’t—and how to navigate threats to health equity. And each shares a personal story about their DEI commitment. 

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Anton Gunn chats with advocacy and healthcare partners from Houston about how to measure progress and report success.

In this episode, Melanie McGuire (Houston Food Bank), Shreela Sharma (University of Texas School of Public Health), and Esperanza Galvan (Harris Health) share how they measure the impact of their equity collaboration—and how others can model their efforts.

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In this conversation, the panel explores how healthcare advocates, both in community and within health systems, can harness data to improve health outcomes. Kimberly Alexander (Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative), Dawn Godbolt (Maven Clinic), and Sam Cykert (University of North Carolina School of Medicine) share their journeys into data work, the importance of qualitative data in capturing the stories of community and understanding their unique needs, and tips on how to secure funding for data analysis. 

People inside and outside of healthcare systems are working to understand and concretely define responsibilities of health equity leaders in a range of healthcare organizations.

In this discussion, we’re diving into what it means to be a successful health equity leader. Anton speaks with Amy Delaney (Carle Health), Christina Harris (Cedars Sinai Medical Center), and Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas (Advocates for Justice and Education). They highlight the power of community decisionmaking in defining the role. They also discuss how helping others understand structural sources of inequity is critical for improving care. They also share their own professional development goals and identify their go-to resources.

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Engaging hospital and health system CEOs in equity efforts is possible, but staff and community leaders must understand how the CEO thinks—and CEOs, likewise, must understand what the community needs. In this podcast, experts share how building strong relationships with CEOs, and speaking in their language, can motivate CEOs to help push equity efforts forward.

How should those advancing anti-racism in healthcare talk about the work? An expert panel discusses this, and other community-submitted questions, before sharing personal stories of how they came to work in healthcare and community advocacy. Sinsi Hernández-Cancio (National Partnership for Women & Families) stresses the importance of storytelling. Shari Suchoff (Brooklyn Communities Collaborative) shares a powerful example engaging the community. Marshall Chin (University of Chicago) talks about framing equity-advancing programs amidst pushback on “DEI” efforts. Torian Easterling (One Brooklyn Health) reveals how "unprecedented collaboration" during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic gives him hope.

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The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.