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

Data and analytics is becoming increasingly more important in the world of healthcare, as it allows us to better understand our health needs, offer better healthcare, and save money. Join host AJ Pirri, manager of employer analytics, and guest, Amar Gurivireddygari, vice president and chief data and analytics officer, as they discuss how Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is using data to influence how best to ensure the health of all Rhode Islanders.

Each year since 2001, the BlueAngel of the Year Award has honored BCBSRI associates who make a difference by serving our community through their passionate, long-term participation in the BlueAngel Community Investment program. Host Stef Vito, manager of provider relations and a previous BlueAngel of the Year, is joined by guest Greg Lupica, director of system support and the current BlueAngel of the Year, to discuss Greg’s work over the past 20 years with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For more information on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please visit www.cff.org.

The BlueAngel Community Health Grant program is the cornerstone of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island’s community investment activities and helps the company address critical health issues in Rhode Island. Since the program launched 18 years ago, local nonprofits have received more than $3.8 million in support, impacting 300,000 Rhode Islanders. In this episode, host Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI managing director of community relations, chats with Thea Upham, community access program director at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, one of the recipients of a 2019 BlueAngel Community Health Grant. The $22,000 grant has helped Farm Fresh Rhode Island provide parents and children with resources to shop and prepare healthy meals with the farmers-market-based education program “Healthy Foods, Healthy Families.” For more information about Farm Fresh Rhode Island, please visit farmfreshri.org.

In a move designed to provide Medicare members with access to high-quality, personalized care in a community-center setting, BCBSRI has entered an exciting new primary care delivery partnership in Rhode Island with Oak Street Health, a network of primary care centers exclusively caring for Medicare patients. Host Dr. Gus Manocchia, BCBSRI chief medical officer, is joined in the studio by Dr. Griffin Myers, Oak Street Health’s chief medical officer, to discuss the three Oak Street Health locations opening in Rhode Island this year.

In a move designed to provide Medicare members with access to high-quality, personalized care in a community-center setting, BCBSRI has entered an exciting new primary care delivery partnership in Rhode Island with Oak Street Health, a network of primary care centers exclusively caring for Medicare patients. Host Dr. Gus Manocchia, BCBSRI chief medical officer, is joined in the studio by Dr. Griffin Myers, Oak Street Health’s chief medical officer, to discuss the three Oak Street Health locations opening in Rhode Island this year.

Join host Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI managing director of community relations, as she talks with Heather Strout, executive director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. The community center received a $25,000 2019 BlueAngel Community Health Grant to further their mission of fighting hunger, promoting health, educating young and school-age kids, supporting families and engages seniors all across Newport County. Listen in to learn more about the great work they do!

Thirty-five percent of adults aged 65+ experience an adverse drug event every year, accounting for one out of every three hospital admissions and resulting in estimated costs of $30 billion each year. Elizabeth Goldberg, M.D., ScM, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University, joins Matt Colins, M.D., BCBSRI vice president of clinical integration, to discuss her work to address this issue through the EQUIPPED program. The EQUIPPED program, short for Enhancing Quality of Prescribing Practices for Older Adults Discharged from the Emergency Department, intends to reduce the prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) that could cause side effects for older patients and lead to preventable health care use.

Since January 1, 2019, 981 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states. The number continues to grow every single week. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. BCBSRI Chief Medical Officer Gus Manocchia joins host Jill Flaxington to discuss the severity of measles, how and why it has returned and the critical importance of vaccinations and herd immunity.

As part of Mental Health Month, BCBSRI recently became the first health insurer in Rhode Island to join the Campaign to Change Direction. This is a national public health initiative that works to “change direction” on mental health and addresses common barriers to understanding mental health. Leading the charge here locally in Rhode Island for the Campaign to Change Direction is the Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI). Lisa Tomasso, HARI’s vice president of strategy and public relations, and Kayla Mudge, HARI’s communications coordinator, join host Sarah Fleury, LICSW, to discuss the campaign and its promotion of the Five Signs of emotional distress, which can help recognize a loved one's need for help.

At the heart of BCBSRI’s philanthropy is a commitment to addressing the critical issue of childhood overweight and obesity. To achieve this goal, BCBSRI awards BlueAngel Community Health Grants to local nonprofits - totaling more than $3.8 million over the past 18 years, impacting more than 300,000 Rhode Islanders. In this episode, host Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI managing director of community relations, chats with Melissa Martland-Kile, nutrition education manager at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, one of the recipients of BCBSRI's 2019 BlueAngel Community Health Grants. With an $11,000 grant BCBSRI will help support the Food Bank’s program “Healthy Habits: Eating Well on a Budget,” which strives to provide nutrition education to under-served populations.For more information about the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, please visit rifoodbank.org.