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

Today we’re talking about how an innovative approach to retail ensures that Blue Cross of Rhode Island members get the most value from their health plans. How that same space can get help them with tough health questions, and how Your Blue Store can even get them up and moving. I’m Mark Sheldon and this is the Rhode to Health, a podcast from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Today's episode: The Rhode to Your Blue Store.

You can learn more about Your Blue Stores here.

Thanks to our guests  Michael Fernandez, Nytasha Watson, Ericka Newman, Robin M Lussier as well as Eric Rodrigues and Melissa Cummings who could be heard with the Blue Bus at the top of our show. I’d also like to thank Carilyn Flynn who can be heard singing under our closing credits. 

Special thanks to Paul Ryan, Chantel Cuthbert, Mel Coon and all of our hard working Your Blue Store associates.

Be well, Be healthy, and keep your eyes on the Rhode.

¡Hola a todos y bienvenidos al Rhode to Health, un pódcast presentado por Blue Cross y Blue Shield de Rhode Island! Yo soy Rosaly Cuevas. Mi amigo Mark Sheldon me pidió el favor de ser su presentante para este episodio especial en honor del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Estoy aquí con Marcela Betancour, Directora Ejecutiva del Latino Policy Institute, y Jennifer Gaviria, Cofundadora del Latino Mental Health Network de RI, para discutir los desafíos actuales y de larga data que enfrenta la comunidad Latinoamericana hoy. Ellos también van ofrecer a nosotros algun información sobre lo que sus organizaciones están haciendo activamente para apoyar la comunidad Latina.

Si no lo sabías ya, el Latino Policy Institute es una organizacion que estimula discurso politico como resultado de examinando y comunicando el desarrollo de la experiencia Latina en Rhode Island, mientras que el Latino Mental Health Network of RI busca reclutar y retener profesionales multilingües de la salud mental. Aunque abordan diferentes necesidades en la comunidad Latina, sus misiones alinean cuando se trata del deseo de crear un mejor estado de vida para todos los Latinos en Rhode Island.

Hello everyone and welcome to the Rhode to Health a podcast presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island! I’m Rosaly Cuevas. My friend Mark Sheldon asked me to be your host for this special episode in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. I’m here with Marcela Betancour, Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute, and Jennifer Gaviria, Co-Founder of Latino Mental Health Network of RI, to discuss both current and longstanding challenges facing the Latin American community today. They’ll also be providing us with some insight into what their respective organizations are actively doing to support the Latino community.

If you aren’t aware already, the Latino Policy Institute is an organization that stimulates policy discourse by examining and communicating the developing Latino experience in Rhode Island, while Mental Health Network of RI seeks to recruit and retain multilingual mental health professionals. Though addressing different needs in the Latino community, their missions align when it comes to the desire to create a better state of livelihood for all Latinos in Rhode Island.

On Friday September 16th, hundreds of Blue Cross employees mobilized across the ocean state for the company’s annual day of service, Blue Across Rhode Island. In this special episode, we’re going to hear stories from organizations whose service projects ranged from painting fences to sorting shoes.

We'd like to thank all the organizations that participated in this years Blue Across:

• Amenity Aid
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island
• Community Action Partnership of Providence
• Rhode Island Community Food Bank
• Gotta Have Sole Foundation, Inc. 
• Habitat for Humanity of Rhode Island - Greater Providence Inc
• Habitat for Humanity for Rhode Island - South County Inc.
• Happy Hope Foundation
• Hope Alzheimer's Center
• James L. Maher Center
• Play Works New England
• Rhode Island oral Health Foundation
• The Confetti Foundation
• The Elisha Project

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

It’s back to school time and we’re discussing health and wellness in Rhode Island’s school kids. We’re joined by Sarah Dinklage, CEO of Rhode Island Student Assistance Services, about how RISAS is meeting RI kids’ mental health needs and helping to prevent substance  use disorder in our schools. We’ll also talk to BCBSRI senior medical director and pediatrician, Dr. Gonzalo Paz-Soldan, and manager of behavioral health clinical operations at BCBSRI and social worker, Jessica Walsh, LICSW. They offer some healthy tips for kids to manage school day stress. And finally, we’ll talk to Kelly Starliper-Morris, M.Ed., NBCT, special educator for Cranston Public Schools and Project SEARCH lead instructor. Project SEARCH is a national organization which partners with Cranston Public Schools; the Rhode Island Office of Rehabilitation Services; and the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals. The primary goal of the program is to prepare young people with developmental and intellectual disabilities for success in competitive, integrated employment. BCBSRI has been a proud supporter of Project Search since 2015, with 38 interns serving in a variety of roles since then. 

You can learn more about  Rhode Island Student Assistance Services at risas.org.

Learn more about Project Search on the national level at projectsearch.us.

In this special episode of the Rhode to Health, we speak with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s newest senior medical director, LouAnne Giangreco, M.D., about monkeypox, which the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on July 23, 2022.

An emergency medicine physician and former vice president and chief medical officer of Cayuga Health System in Ithaca, N.Y., Dr. Giangreco is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. 

Dr. Giangreco recommends several resources, including the Rhode Island Department of Health, for updated information on vaccination against and treatment of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious viral infection. We also learn how monkeypox is spread and who is most at risk for contracting the virus.

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

Monkeypox: Department of Health

It’s summertime in Rhode Island. And that means something different for each of us. For Blue Cross Medical Director Dr. Victor Pinkes, it’s all about the beach, and he’s got some tips for us to be safe and have fun. For two Rhode Island organizations, summertime is a time for kids. One makes sure they stay fed and healthy and the other is keeping young minds sharp. We’ll talk to them both. And we’ve got Blue Cross dietician Laura Beltz with us talking about healthy alternatives and strategies for summer cook-outs.

The Summer Food Service Program funds primarily lunches and breakfasts and, in some cases, suppers or snacks for children in needy areas when school is not in session during the summer. These meals are provided at no cost. You can learn more on the Rhode Island Department of Education website.

The Summer Learning Initiative is just one way United Way of Rhode Island focuses on inspiring children to fall in love with education and ensuring that all Rhode Island children walk into the classroom with the tools to learn. Learn more at unitedwayri.org.

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

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In this month’s bonus episode,  Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Care Manager Anna-Marie Folan details her journey of starting a family through fertility treatment with her wife. Delving further, she touches upon the barriers the couple faced throughout the process and how, despite these challenges, her desire to become a mother never wavered.

Anna-Marie Folan shared her thoughts for members seeking to coordinate care, be it for fertility needs or any time care coordination is a challenge.

"In care management we use an integrated health approach to provide members with a personal experience while empowering them to achieve their health goals. We offer comprehensive support to our members with complex medical and behavioral health issues by directing them to resources, education and tools. Our care managers work collaboratively with the member’s current healthcare team to help set and achieve personal health goals. The care management team includes experts such as registered nurses, dietitians, social workers, medical directors and health advocates, who work together to provide the member with assistance managing their health. This assistance can include navigating the healthcare system, collaborating with providers and helping members to access the care they need at the right time. Care management supports the mission of improving member health, the quality of healthcare services they receive and their overall satisfaction. You can reach a care manager by calling 401-459-2273 (CARE) or emailing [email protected]."

In this episode of  the Rhode to Health we will be celebrating the OUTEST, LOUDEST and PROUDEST of all Rhode Islanders: Our vibrant LGBTQ+ community. We've invited some of my favorite people to help tell us along. 

Scott Gowrie is joined by Erin O’Donnell, a physician assistant at Narragansett Bay Pediatrics, who tells us why LGBTQ+ inclusive care is so critical in a pediatric care setting, and why this standard of care advances Narragansett Bay Pediatrics’ vision to provide patient-centered care.

Also joining Scott are Suzanne Fortier and Mara Feingold-Link from HopeHealth, which provides home care, palliative care, and hospice care, among other services. They offer insights into how LGBTQ+ inclusive care supports caring for the “whole person.”

Nicole Haas-Rodriguez sits down with Youth Pride, Inc. to discuss the protection and promise of Rhode Island's next generation LGBTQ+ leaders.

Nicole also speaks with Open Door Health, a clinic created to respond to an unmet need for primary and sexual health services in Rhode Island’s LGBTQ community.

Finally, our very own sound engineer, Mason Im, shares their story of coming out, transition and growth.
Narragansett Bay Pediatric and HopeHealth have recently received BCBSRI’s LGBTQ Safe Zone certification.

Learn more about the services HopeHealth provides, ways to give, and check out their blog posts and online resources.

Visit the Narragansett Bay Pediatrics webpage to meet the providers, schedule an appointment, and learn more about their approach to patient-centered care.

Find inclusive and affirming care at a LGBTQ Safe Zone near you. If you are a facility offering health services, you can learn more about the Safe Zone certification and how to apply here.

Learn more about Youth Pride, Inc at their website, www.youthprideri.org and help stock their pantry via PayPal or their Amazon Wish list: www.youthprideri.org/donate/

Open Door Health is accepting new patients. Call them at (401) 648-4700 to make an appointment. Learn more and see hours available for quick and accessible walk-in STI testing at their website, odhpvd.org. See their beautiful three-story mural at 7 Central St., Providence, Rhode Island.

Mason Im supports Providence Youth Student Movement, an organization that mobilizes queer Southeast Asian youth, families, and allies to build grassroots power and organize collectively for social justice.

You can learn more about the The Rhode Island Gay Men’s Chorus  at rigmc.org.

In this bonus episode, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island's own Aneesah Cameron shares a unique perspective on the intersection of Juneteenth and healthcare in the African American community. Aneesah sheds light on issues of trust and equity, reminding us that in order to look ahead and make progress, we must understand and acknowledge the past.