Wonks At Work Podcastleri

Our guest for this episode, Ryan Cork, is leading business-sector efforts in Northwest Arkansas to respond to a rapidly changing healthcare environment in the midst of population growth. Cork has extensive experience in healthcare administration, having worked in multiple roles for the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, …

One of the ways that we measure whether we are moving toward health equity is by measuring health disparities, i.e., the size of the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks with Derek Lewis II, president of the Derek Lewis Foundation — founded by his father, Dr. Derek Lewis — about health disparitie…

While the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the public health landscape the past few years, a more silent killer has increasingly claimed American lives: opioids. Although policies regarding prevention, treatment, and recovery have improved, policymakers have been unable to keep pace with this rapidly evolving epidemic. In this episode, ACHI Peer Sup…

Brick-and-mortar crisis stabilization units, which have been launched in four areas of Arkansas, serve a critical role in law enforcement response to those in mental health crisis, but they comprise only one component of the response spectrum and are not available in some rural areas of the state. Put simply, law enforcement officers need additiona…

The United States is still a long way from eliminating the stigma associated with seeking care for mental health needs, but the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that more of us struggle with mental illness than society previously acknowledged. In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks with Dr. Mark Jansen, vice president and chief medical officer for …

More than 100,000 Americans need a life-saving organ transplant, but many will die waiting to be matched with a suitable donor. And the waiting list is ever growing — every 16 minutes a new patient is added. On this episode, we welcome Mark Tudor, president and CEO of ARORA, the largest organ and tissue recovery agency in Arkansas. Mark talks to us…

Unmet social needs — such as food, housing, transportation, and child care — can have detrimental impacts on people's physical and mental well-being, but most healthcare providers have been ill-equipped to address these needs. In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks with Hark Executive Director Josh Hall about the increasing need to integrate soci…

On this episode, we zero in on the intersection of health and criminal justice with Dr. Nick Zaller, a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health and founder and director of the Southern Public Health and Criminal Justice Research Center. Dr. Zaller talks about his study of crisis stabilization units (CSUs…

Hospitals in Arkansas are experiencing increasing budgetary challenges. Medicaid expansion spared Arkansas from the rash of hospital closures that has plagued other states, but it doesn’t mean our hospitals are not at risk. In this episode, Baptist Health President and CEO Troy Wells delves into the reasons why hospitals across the state are strugg…

On this episode, host Craig Wilson interviews his “Memphis the Musical” co-star and cancer survivor Satia Spencer. The pair discuss her survivor story, the new clinical recommendations for screening, and her advice for people hesitant to get screened. Spencer served as a Marine and is a music educator for the Little Rock School District. Shameless …

Oral health is a key indicator of our overall health, yet it’s often overlooked as an essential part of staying healthy. In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks to Delta Dental of Arkansas CEO Kristin Merlo about oral health access issues in Arkansas, bridging the medical-dental divide, and the promise of the recently announced plans for a dental …

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago, hospital capacity has been a major focus of attention — but we often forget about the capacity needed to get people to the hospital. For over 30 years, Greg Thompson has worked with the largest ambulance service in Arkansas, MEMS, which stands for Metropolitan Emergency Medical Servi…

Wonks at Work goes national. In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks to national and state leaders about how we can better equip those who want to start families to have better outcomes. Our guests are Dr. Neel Shah, a national leader in maternal health and chief medical officer for Maven, a virtual clinic for women’s and family health; and Dr. Cr…

We all want to move on from the pandemic, but in our haste we may have robbed ourselves of the time to process the trauma and grief we’ve experienced in the last two years. This is one of the reasons the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement called on faith and community leaders to consider having a day of reflection and healing to acknowledge the…

The pandemic has caused suffering, loss, and mental distress for many of us. Mental health challenges particularly affected parents and their children who experienced disruptions with school transitions and child care, communities of color that already faced barriers to accessing mental health care, and essential workers who were much more likely t…

We’re back! The omicron wave extended our holiday break longer than we had planned, but our host and top wonk Craig Wilson is behind the mic again. In this episode, we discuss how disruption and isolation created by the pandemic have impacted people struggling with addiction. In 2020, there were almost 92,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., 21,00…

At one time on a path to becoming a preacher, Dr. Len Nichols took a detour and instead became a renowned health economist who is now spreading the gospel of investing in the healthcare system to address unmet social needs. A former professor of health policy at George Mason University and current non-resident fellow of the Health Policy Center of …

A lot happened under the dome of the Arkansas State Capitol this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle Kitchens, ACHI government relations director and fellow wonk, gives an overview of this year’s unique legislative session — one conducted in the middle of a public health emergency with a lot of energy devoted to that issue. Kitchens also shar…

Our guest on this episode, ACHI Director of Information Systems Architecture Kenley Money, discusses the progress of the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative, which includes the state's all-payer claims database. She talks about how much data has been collected since the initiative's inception in 2015; how data from the initiative have been …

Host Craig Wilson delves into a relatively new space in health care ― accountable care organizations, or ACOs. Ushered in under a brief portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ACOs bring together competitors and sometimes adversaries that must trust and rely on one another to achieve effective, sustainable change in healthcare de…

Our guest on this episode offers a unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic as a doctor on the front lines during the public health emergency. Dr. Jason Holder is a pulmonologist ― a doctor who specializes in the respiratory system ― who treats patients at several facilities including Baptist Health and CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock. He gives u…

In this episode, host Craig Wilson discusses an issue that some would say the pandemic has overshadowed -- the opioid epidemic. Guest Colin Jorgensen, who is the litigation counsel for the Association of Arkansas Counties, provides an update on the progress of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors. He also discusses the plans for u…

In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks with Dana Baker about the 100 Families initiative. As the coordinator for 100 Families in White County, Dana discusses how the initiative has seen some early success in reuniting children with parents who have been impacted by incarceration, dependency, or other crises that have resulted in child welfare int…

In this episode, host Craig Wilson talks to Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde about his role as chief executive of the county. Now in his third term, Judge Hyde discusses actions he had to take during the pandemic and shares some insider knowledge about how county government works -- including why a county judge is called a judge.…

On this episode of Wonks at Work, host Craig Wilson talks to fellow healthcare policy wonk and native Arkansan Suzanne Bierman. No stranger to the world of Medicaid policy, Bierman formerly served as assistant director in the Division of Medical Services at the Arkansas Department of Human Services and is now the administrator of the Division of He…

On this episode of Wonks at Work, we look at the options people have to control the care they will receive in the end phase of life. Our guest is Dr. Masil George, a hospice medical director and the director of the geriatric palliative care program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. George talks with host Craig Wilson about how…

In this episode of Wonks at Work, host Craig Wilson sits down with Pulaski County Special School District Superintendent Dr. Charles McNulty to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the district and the resilience and grit demonstrated by teachers and staff while navigating this pandemic. Dr. McNulty shares his thoughts on what lies ahead for scho…

On this episode of Wonks at Work, we examine the court system and its impact on health and health care. If anyone can provide expert testimony on this topic, it’s our guest, Judge Mary McGowan. Having sat on the bench for 30 years before retiring last year, she’s seen it all. McGowan recalls presiding over the first drug court in Arkansas, gives an…

In this episode, we focus on how you can make policy change happen in your town. Our guest this week is Dr. Jenn Conner, who is no stranger to this space. She is an associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine based out of Arkansas State University, where she is also the deputy director of the Delta Po…

On the 11th episode of Wonks at Work, we’re talking about a new safe and secure alternative for those who encounter law enforcement officials during an acute mental crisis. Crisis stabilization units, or CSUs, are short-term, residential medical facilities that provide immediate care for those experiencing mental health crises who might otherwise b…

On this episode of Wonks at Work, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. talks about the challenges and successes of leading a city amid a public health crisis. Little Rock was one of the first cities in Arkansas to issue a mandatory mask ordinance, which was recently extended in light of the state lifting its mask mandate. Mayor Scott also discussed th…

Our guest on this episode of Wonks at Work is LaShannon Spencer, the chief executive officer of Community Health Centers of Arkansas. Spencer talks about the importance of empowering and educating our most vulnerable populations to improve health outcomes and the role that federally qualified health centers play in closing the gap on healthcare cov…

In this episode, there is only one wonk in the room. We are smack dab in the middle of our state's regular legislative session, and host Craig Wilson gives us an overview on the happenings under the Capitol dome. Tune in for an update on bills focused on public heath emergency powers and health professional scope of practice. Wilson also breaks dow…

In this episode, we discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s only academic health center with Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He shares examples of how Arkansas has risen to many challenges during the past year and how UAMS has managed patient care and student education amid the pandemic. Of co…

Heather Mercer, executive director of Immunize Arkansas, is someone who has been in the nitty gritty of the state’s vaccination program for COVID-19. In this episode, she talks about Arkansas’ approach to vaccine distribution, supply chain issues and how vaccine hesitancy stemming from misinformation have complicated efforts to get doses in arms.*T…

How can a Little Rock anchor institution simultaneously invest in the well-being of its employees while strengthening the health of its surrounding community? In our first episode of 2021, we welcome Dr. Stephanie Gardner, provost and chief academic officer at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She and host Craig Wilson discuss UAMS' …

As special advisor on diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement at Central Arkansas Water, Tamika Edwards’ career revolves around social justice issues. In this episode, Edwards talks about solutions to systemic factors driving health disparities in our state and the effect of one of the most powerful social justice movements in our country's his…

In this episode, host Craig Wilson spotlights two big recent events – the election of a new president and another Affordable Care Act challenge before the Supreme Court. He predicts three big things that might happen under Joe Biden’s administration in the healthcare space and boils down the two hours of oral arguments before the Supreme Court.…

In this episode, we talk about the power of states to respond to public health emergencies. Why does authority over public health lie with states rather than the federal government? What is the status of the lawsuit against the Arkansas governor and secretary of health that challenges the validity of public health directives? Kevin Ryan, fellow att…

On this inaugural episode of Wonks at Work, host Craig Wilson sits down with ACHI boss Dr. Joe Thompson to talk about COVID-19’s impact on our state, ACHI’s efforts during a public health emergency, and how he manages to find balance amid the chaos of a pandemic. *A special thanks to the Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art, which is …

Host and self-declared wonk Craig Wilson introduces the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement’s Wonks at Work podcast. This series is dedicated to demystifying health care for decision makers across Arkansas, as well as the average citizen. The first episode debuts Oct. 27.ACHI tarafından oluşturuldu