Advertise on podcast: Voices of Public Health

This episode of the Delta Center podcast spotlights Michael Curry, Esq, the President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League) and one of the co-founders of the state’s Health Equity Compact. The Health Equity Compact brings together over 80 leaders of color across a diverse set of Massachusetts organizations—including hospitals, health centers, payers, academic institutions, and public health—who are dedicated to advancing health equity in Massachusetts. Michael Curry discusses the establishment of the Compact and the importance of bringing leaders of color to the table. Through his experience at the Mass League, Michael specifically emphasizes how health centers can and should be at the forefront of health equity work: “Why can't health centers be closer to the power?” The Mass League, together with the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, previously participated in Phase 1 of the Delta Center’s State Learning and Action Collaborative and has continued to drive positive change through coalition building in the state. The Health Equity Compact’s work demonstrates a strong movement toward health equity in Massachusetts and shows the importance of partnership and collective action in the state.

Rotavirus is a major cause of childhood disease and death in India. In 2016, the Government of India began a phased introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, and by 2019, the vaccine had been scaled up to cover the entire country. In this interview, Rebecca Chase, a Program Officer with JSI's Immunization Center, speaks with Dr. Arup Deb Roy, Project Director, and Dr. Amanjot Kaur, Senior Program Officer, both with JSI Private Limited’s new vaccine introduction team, about their experiences working the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to introduce the rotavirus vaccine in India. They discuss the challenges and successes of introducing a new vaccine in a large country like India and how their approach could be replicated for future vaccines.

In this episode, our guest, Nadia Vargas from Mountain Family Health Center, shares the social needs screening process at their health center and how their coordination platform supports local health information exchange to boost community-wide health. This episode will be useful to all health centers working on their own social determinants of health processes.

Connection, care, and concern are powerful tools in helping people overcome mental health challenges. When we let people know they matter, we offer them hope and can help them find resources to support their mental health. Every one of us can be a resource. Helping someone doesn’t always mean referring them to a clinician. Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches people to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges for youth, adolescents, and adults.

The introduction of fentanyl into the drug supply has been a game changer in how we prevent overdoses. More people are focusing on practical strategies and ideas to keep the person engaged, safe and alive while minimizing the harm resulting from substance use. Phoebe Axman, Director of Education of New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, has joined us today. She will share the evidence-based practices behind these life-saving services and how they are making a difference across NH.

The vaccine cold chain relies on a global network of refrigeration units and carriers to keep vaccines at the right temperature from production to administration. In this episode, Amos Chweya and Wendy Prosser from JSI's Immunization Center chat about the challenges of maintaining cold chain equipment and share some “crazy” ideas to approach it differently. By making cold chain maintenance "sexy" (and smart), we can ensure that vaccines stay safe and effective throughout the distribution process and end up in the arms of those who need them most. Amos Chweya, Regional Immunization Technical Officer, brings over 30 years of experience in public health programming to support country-level supply chain and logistics activities in the African region. He specializes in immunization logistics and health care waste management and works with regional partners on cold chain management. Wendy Prosser, Senior Technical Officer, provides technical assistance and strategic guidance on immunization supply chain design and management across JSI's country teams. Her expertise in supply chain optimization, health program design and management, monitoring and evaluation, and stakeholder engagement is grounded in several technical areas, including HIV testing and treatment, malaria, and family planning. Find out more about how JSI is strengthening sustainable immunization programs and transforming public health supply chains: https://www.jsi.com/expertise/immunization/ https://www.jsi.com/expertise/global-health-supply-chain-management/

In Yemen, the USAID-funded Systems, Health, and Resiliency Project (SHARP) is using innovative mobile solutions to increase immunization coverage for children. The project recently piloted an SMS reminder system and an Electronic Immunization Registry to share vaccination information between community midwives, health facilities, and parents. The result? A resounding win: uptake of Penta3 (the third dose of a vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b) increased by 38%, and dropout rates dropped significantly in the pilot area. In this podcast episode, Dr. Areej Banaja, SHARP Senior Health Facility Manager, talks to Omar Al-Gundaid, SHARP Communication Manager, about these innovative interventions and getting the message out about the importance of childhood vaccinations. Dr. Areej has eight years of experience in the clinical and public health sectors with international nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies. She has worked in humanitarian and fragile settings, focusing on emergency and outbreak response, supply chain management, and child health. Prior to joining JSI, Dr. Areej was a child health officer at the UNICEF Yemen country office, where she played a key role in the national response to outbreaks of cholera, diphtheria, and COVID-19. SHARP works to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Yemen by focusing on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition coupled with support services to tackle health challenges such as COVID-19, malnutrition, and other life-threatening conditions. Learn more: https://www.jsi.com/project/systems-health-and-resiliency-project-sharp/

As young people grow and mature, they seek independence and intimacy. However, many struggle with forming safe and healthy relationships. The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) and their member organizations are teaching these important skills to youth starting in middle school.

The NH Pediatric Improvement Partnership (NH PIP) is helping pediatric practices build the skills and systems to identify and respond to trauma among their young patients and families. When pediatricians have meaningful conversations with their young patients about any type of trauma they have experienced, they validate their experiences and normalize their feelings, and they help reduce the shame and secrecy of the trauma—making healing possible. We were excited to have Felicity Bernard, the Director of the NH PIP on our most recent episode. She talked to us about how this project is helping pediatric practices look beyond what a child presents during a visit to understand how they feel and respond to stress.

Vaping or e-cigarette use has been described as a public health crisis. They have been marketed as a tool to help adults quit smoking, but they have become a youth craze. Our guest, Kim Coronis with Breathe NH, helps us understand this attraction and how nicotine impacts the adolescent brain – releasing feel-good chemicals.

As health centers grapple with technology and telehealth for advancing equity, considerations around the triad in clinical informatics - technology, people and process continue to be a challenge. Dr. Jelinek from Hennepin Healthcare discusses a wide range of topics from physician training to digital navigation, covering actionable steps to reframe care delivery around patients' needs.

Juvenile court diversion is an approach to help both youth and those harmed by their offenses heal and repair from their actions. Research shows that most young people age out of delinquent behavior with no intervention, by simply growing up; and diversion programs are a more productive way to prevent future arrests. Being involved in the court system does more long-term harm than good.