The Rhode to Health: A Podcast from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

In this episode we'll be exploring three examples of folks fighting to protect healthcare spaces in Rhode Island. 

This April, we acknowledge Black Maternal Health Week. We'll hear a recent conversation between Dr. Farah Shafi, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s chief medical officer; Ana Sofia de Brito, a certified nurse midwife at Women & Infants, and Stacy Waters, executive producer of the RI PBS docuseries, "The Risk of Giving Birth", as together, they highlight the inequities in maternal health outcomes for black and brown birthing people and offer recommendations on what can be done within the healthcare system to address this crisis.

Next, we revisit the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Safe Zone program, protecting healthcare spaces for the LGBTQIA+ population with the add of five exciting new facilities certified.

Finally, we sat down with Libby Swan, Executive Director of Rhode Island Mission of Mercy, to discuss their no-cost, two-day clinic, providing needed access to oral healthcare for Rhode Islanders with barriers to this care.

Click here to watch "The Risk of Giving Birth" on RIPBS.

Learn more about Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island's Safe Zone program.

Find out more about RIMOM two-day dental clinic here.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we are joined by two women who are passionate about addressing health equity. Carolyn Belisle is Blue Cross’s Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Carrie Bridges is Vice President of Community Health and Equity for Lifespan Health System. We sat down for a frank discussion about the state of women’s health equity, health equity overall, and the tremendous work needed to turn change into transformation.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We're in the last few days of Black History Month, and during this time, we look back on and celebrate Black leaders from the past. But it's just as important to think about future leaders. Needed change can only happen when representation exists in the rooms where decisions happen. Today, on this episode, we hear from a Rhode Island leader who is building a pipeline of leaders of color for positions of influence throughout the state. Angie Bannerman Ankoma is vice president and executive director of the Equity Leadership Initiative (or ELI) at the Rhode Island Foundation. Angie sat down with Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, diversity, equity, and inclusion manager at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. They talked about the great work that ELI is doing to strengthen the leadership landscape in the Ocean State.

Learn more aboutThe  Equity Leadership Initiative here.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

February is Heart Health Awareness Month, and today, we'll be engaging in conversations, and tackling some difficult topics on how to make your heart healthier. You'll hear from a Blue Cross associate who has learned to turn loss into activism. We'll be joined by Michelle Clark from the American Heart Association. And finally, a Blue Cross & Blue Shield Rhode Island dietitian will share insights on how to eat more heart-healthy without the heartbreaking decision to give up all your favorite foods.

Learn how you can help the American Heart Association here.

To meet with a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian call, click, or come by one of our five Your Blue Store Locations.

Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Join us as we look back on the 2023 Road to Health podcast season, reliving moments of happiness, connection, and community strength. In this episode, we'll chat with a Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian for tips on sticking to dietary resolutions. We'll hear from two practitioners using creative play to improve children's mental health. Explore the diverse definitions of joy from our employee business resource groups. Learn from a Rhode Island institution safeguarding dignity and hygiene health. Finally we'll celebrate the 20th birthday of the BlueAngel Community Health Grant. It's a journey through the year's inspiring stories and valuable insights on the road to wellness.

Here some of the episodes we featured segments from:

The Rhode to Resolution

20 Years: BlueAngel Community Health Grant

The Rhode to Black Health

The Rhode to Women's Health

The Rhode to Creativity

Rhode to LGBTQIA+ Allyship

The Rhode to Latinx Health

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

For the past eight years Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has been working to create health settings that are transparently inclusive, safe, affirming and welcoming to LGBTIA+ people through the Safe Zone Program. We believe LGBTQIA+ Rhode Islanders deserve to be cared for by providers who show a commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Safe Zone certification has blossomed to include a wide variety of healthcare settings that meet the unique needs of this population where they are. The program now boasts 117 Safe Zone locations, 37 of which joined in our fall 2023 cohort. Scott Gowrie, Safe Zone program lead, cohosts, as we hear from several of these new Safe Zone providers and learn about their ongoing journey toward LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the pursuit of Safe Zone certification.

If you are a provider interested in learning more about the Safe Zone program go to:
www.bcbsri.com/providers/safezone-program

If you'd like to find a Safe Zone participating health care provider go to:
www.bcbsri.com/safezones

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Blue Cross is dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders stay healthy as they age. And for good reason. Rhode Island's population is one of the oldest in the United States. And healthy aging means more than just maintaining physical health as we get older. It means aging with dignity, mental well-being, and secure access to social determinants of health like housing and food. Ensuring healthy aging is a big job. Of course, aging affects all of u. And that's why we're dedicating today's episode to this important topic. We'll speak with Maria Cimini, Director of the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging, learn about everything available to older Rhode Islanders at a Your Blue Store, and hear from a chef and a dietitian about how we can eat smarter as we age.

To learn more about the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging go to oha.ri.gov. If you need to report elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and self-neglect call 401-462-0555. Reports can also be entered via a secure Web Intake line.

Click here to learn more about Your Blue Stores.

View the schedule of upcoming events such as exercise, education, or nutrition classes here.

You can find more information about the MIND diet here. 

Today we're continuing our celebration of 20 Years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants with a beloved institution; The Rhode Island Community Food Bank. The Food Bank was a recipient of two BlueAngel Community Health Grants, one in 2004-2005 for "Eating Well" and the other in 2009-2010 for "Raising the Bar on Nutrition." I got to sit down with Flannery Sullivan – Community Nutrition Manager, and Yesenia Barnier – Program Manager of the Food Bank's Kids Cafe, and we discussed the many ways this critical Rhode Island organization keeps folks fed and healthy.

The Rhode to Health is a podcast presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. It's produced and hosted by me, Mark Sheldon and Mason Im is our sound engineer, with additional support from David Montalvo. I'd like to thank our guests Flannery Sullivan and Yesenia Barnier from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, Gerente de Diversidad, Equidad, y Inclusión y voy hacer su presentadora en lo que exploramos la salud de Latinos durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Van a oir las perspectivas de Latino@Link, nuestro grupo de recursos para empleados en el estado de salud. Vamos hablar con Oscar Alexis Mejias, director ejecutivo de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de RI y vamos a volver a visitor una conversación con Marcela Betancour, Directora Ejecutiva de la institución de Politica Latino y Jennifer Gaviria, cofundadora de la red Latina de salud mental. 

Sigan saludable. Sigan bien. Y sigan con sus ojos en el camino.