health policies

In this enlightening episode of The Healthy Project Podcast, host Corey Dion Lewis sits down with Heather Jones-Brown, a fervent advocate for civic engagement and health equity. Heather, who also works in staff equity at Grinnell College, dives deep into the critical role civic participation plays in shaping health outcomes within communities. From debunking voter registration myths to emphasizing the impact of local elections, Heather offers invaluable insights into how engaging in the democratic process can lead to more equitable health policies. Listen in as we explore the intersection of civic duty and health equity, and learn how you can make a difference in your community.

Show Notes:

Guest: Heather Jones-Brown (she/her) is the Assistant Chief Diversity Officer for Staff Equity at Grinnell College and the Program Director at Vision Leads. 

She is a Des Moines native and proud graduate of East High School. She got her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Political Science from William Jewell College and her Masters in Business Leadership from William Penn University. 

Heather has traveled to over 15 different countries and lived in Tokyo, Japan for over 4 years.  She is a community advocate who is active in our local NAACP branch and is an active member of the Iowa Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

• Introduction to Heather Jones-Brown - An overview of Heather's background, her work in equity and inclusion, and her passion for community and civic engagement.
• Civic Engagement and Health Equity - Discussion on how civic engagement intersects with health equity, emphasizing the importance of participation in local elections and community activities.
• Debunking Voter Registration Myths - Heather addresses common misconceptions about voter registration and highlights the ease of the registration process.
• Impact of Local Elections - Insight into how local governance affects daily life and health policies more directly than national politics.
• Vision Leads and Community Activism - Introduction to Vision Leads, an organization focused on voter engagement and empowering individuals to participate in their communities effectively.
• Challenges and Triumphs in Civic Engagement - Heather shares personal experiences and tips for overcoming obstacles in community organizing and civic participation.

• Connecting with Heather Jones-Brown:
  • Email: heatherjones.dsm@gmail.com
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/htothejizones/
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/htothejizones/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2020VisionLeads
  • Vision Leads: https://visionleads.org
• Resources and Links Mentioned:
  • Vision Leads Voter Headquarters (All You Need To Know): https://www.visionleads.org/voterhq
  • Debunking Voter Registration Myths: https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/debunking-voter-registration-myths/
  • Updating Your Voter Registration: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/updatereg.html
  • Voter FAQ at Iowa Secretary of State: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/regfaq.html#9
  • We Are Iowa Story About Voter Roll Removal: https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/verify/how-do-iowa-voter-rolls-lists-work-active-inactive-voters-secretary-of-state/524-a7099d8d-b25d-410c-bf29-6132affbadd0
  • To Verify Voter Eligibility in Iowa: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/voterregistration.html

Join us for this compelling conversation about leveraging civic engagement to foster healthier communities and ensure health equity for all.

In this compelling episode of The Healthy Project Podcast, I welcome Vanessa Guzman, the dynamic force behind Smartrise Health, a platform meticulously designed to re-engineer and enhance care processes across health systems and organizations. Dive deep with us as we explore the innovative methodologies employed by Smartrise Health in mitigating health disparities and promoting equitable care.

Discover insights into:

• The comprehensive re-calibration and redesign of care processes for health systems and plans, ensure a robust framework to address disparities.
• The meaningful impact and tangible outcomes of implementing Smart Rise’s strategies, including staggering savings and enriched community-focused programs.
•  Educational platforms and fellowships aimed at empowering healthcare leaders and embedding a culture of health equity across organizations.
• The benevolent layer of Smartrise, reinvests a significant portion of revenue into charitable activities, thus perpetuating a cycle of giving and community upliftment.

Vanessa shares firsthand experiences and innovative approaches towards designing a healthcare model that doesn’t just identify, but also strategizes and implements practical solutions for bridging the gaps in quality care. We delve into not just the how but also the why behind creating a healthcare system that is equitable, accessible, and effectively addresses the root causes of disparities.

Connect with Vanessa and explore more about Smartrise Health’s pivotal role in championing health equity, redefining care processes, and shaping the future of healthcare delivery. www.smartrisehealth.com

Connect with Corey:
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We thought we'd have a look at the different health policies from the various parties and get your thoughts on what would benefit you, your community, those you love the most.  

National announced yesterday that after birth hospital stays for mothers would be extended to three days, an extra 24 hours. That children and young people under 18 with type one diabetes would be provided free continuous glucose monitors, and that they would increase the number of training places for psychologists and psychiatric registrars.  

ACT announced yesterday a medicine strategy that would require Medsafe to approve, within one week, any drug or medical device that has been approved by two foreign regulatory bodies that have the same, or more robust systems, compared with New Zealand.  

National’s already announced it will allocate $280 million in ring fenced funding to Pharmac over 4 years to pay for 13 cancer treatments; for lung, bowel, kidney, melanoma, head and neck cancer that are funded in Australia but not New Zealand.  

Labour has already promised a billion dollars for Pharmac to do with as it wishes and free dental care for under 30s.  

And what's the Greens health policy? Well, thank you for asking.  

Top priority for them is to reconfigure our health system towards recognising and acting on oppressive and intersecting biases. For example, racism, sexism, ableism, fat phobia, ageism, queerphobia, and transphobia, and the knowledge and skills required to work with affected communities such as deaf and disabled people, its top priority for them.   

So which of the parties policies resonates most for you? I have to say the number of Give a Little pages I’ve contributed to recently for some gorgeous young Kiwis, young parents, some in their late 30s, early 40s, terribly ill with bowel cancer and who are having to raise money for non-funded treatments to give them a fighting chance of seeing their kids get one year older.  

I've also heard how life changing the continuous glucose monitors are for families. If you don't know anything about type 1 diabetes, a) lucky you and b) you probably have no idea. I didn't. Just how traumatic and life changing it is for families.  

I thought it was something you just got medicine for, and you lived life pretty much as normal. But for parents of young children who have type 1 diabetes, they have to get up throughout the night to ensure that their children's blood sugar level doesn't fall to a dangerous level. I had no idea how impactful it was on families and how dangerous and life-threatening type 1 diabetes can be, especially in younger children who can't manage it themselves. They're very expensive too for a lot of families, they have to fund raise or rely on the kindness of strangers to get a continuous glucose monitors, so I imagine that will be life changing for some people.  

Three days in hospital after having a baby. I'm not so sure they'll be able to deliver on that National, and whether many people will want to. I've said before, it used to be a fantasy of mine that I'd have a minor accident that would require about a week in hospital with crisp white hospital sheets and lovely, caring, attentive nurses mopping my fevered brow, and a vase full of daffodils and open windows and fresh air and beautiful food arriving.  

Well, you know, that is just that, a fantasy now. That's not what happens in hospitals now. I don't know how many hospitals would have beds for mums and babies to be able to stay for three days.  For those of you under 40, back in the day when I had my daughter, in antediluvian times, I got a week. A room of my own, a week.  

There was absolutely nothing wrong with either of us, it was a perfectly straightforward birth and you got a week to loll about and receive guests and learn how to cope with this new baby. It was brilliant, but there was time, and there were beds, and there was staff, and I just don't think that's the case these days.  

They've been bribing women to leave hospital early for years because of bed and staff shortages. Remember, 15 odd years ago, they were offering women a month's supply of disposable nappies if they’d buggar off and take their baby with them. Some women turned around within a matter of hours.  

So I'm not sure they'd be able to deliver on three days, and I'm not entirely sure families would want to be there for three days. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We thought we'd have a look at the different health policies from the various parties and get your thoughts on what would benefit you, your community, those you love the most.  

National announced yesterday that after birth hospital stays for mothers would be extended to three days, an extra 24 hours. That children and young people under 18 with type one diabetes would be provided free continuous glucose monitors, and that they would increase the number of training places for psychologists and psychiatric registrars.  

ACT announced yesterday a medicine strategy that would require Medsafe to approve, within one week, any drug or medical device that has been approved by two foreign regulatory bodies that have the same, or more robust systems, compared with New Zealand.  

National’s already announced it will allocate $280 million in ring fenced funding to Pharmac over 4 years to pay for 13 cancer treatments; for lung, bowel, kidney, melanoma, head and neck cancer that are funded in Australia but not New Zealand.  

Labour has already promised a billion dollars for Pharmac to do with as it wishes and free dental care for under 30s.  

And what's the Greens health policy? Well, thank you for asking.  

Top priority for them is to reconfigure our health system towards recognising and acting on oppressive and intersecting biases. For example, racism, sexism, ableism, fat phobia, ageism, queerphobia, and transphobia, and the knowledge and skills required to work with affected communities such as deaf and disabled people, its top priority for them.   

So which of the parties policies resonates most for you? I have to say the number of Give a Little pages I’ve contributed to recently for some gorgeous young Kiwis, young parents, some in their late 30s, early 40s, terribly ill with bowel cancer and who are having to raise money for non-funded treatments to give them a fighting chance of seeing their kids get one year older.  

I've also heard how life changing the continuous glucose monitors are for families. If you don't know anything about type 1 diabetes, a) lucky you and b) you probably have no idea. I didn't. Just how traumatic and life changing it is for families.  

I thought it was something you just got medicine for, and you lived life pretty much as normal. But for parents of young children who have type 1 diabetes, they have to get up throughout the night to ensure that their children's blood sugar level doesn't fall to a dangerous level. I had no idea how impactful it was on families and how dangerous and life-threatening type 1 diabetes can be, especially in younger children who can't manage it themselves. They're very expensive too for a lot of families, they have to fund raise or rely on the kindness of strangers to get a continuous glucose monitors, so I imagine that will be life changing for some people.  

Three days in hospital after having a baby. I'm not so sure they'll be able to deliver on that National, and whether many people will want to. I've said before, it used to be a fantasy of mine that I'd have a minor accident that would require about a week in hospital with crisp white hospital sheets and lovely, caring, attentive nurses mopping my fevered brow, and a vase full of daffodils and open windows and fresh air and beautiful food arriving.  

Well, you know, that is just that, a fantasy now. That's not what happens in hospitals now. I don't know how many hospitals would have beds for mums and babies to be able to stay for three days.  For those of you under 40, back in the day when I had my daughter, in antediluvian times, I got a week. A room of my own, a week.  

There was absolutely nothing wrong with either of us, it was a perfectly straightforward birth and you got a week to loll about and receive guests and learn how to cope with this new baby. It was brilliant, but there was time, and there were beds, and there was staff, and I just don't think that's the case these days.  

They've been bribing women to leave hospital early for years because of bed and staff shortages. Remember, 15 odd years ago, they were offering women a month's supply of disposable nappies if they’d buggar off and take their baby with them. Some women turned around within a matter of hours.  

So I'm not sure they'd be able to deliver on three days, and I'm not entirely sure families would want to be there for three days. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please join us for the eight episode of Systems Science in Public Health Podcast. The series, hosted by Professor Petra Meier, is a joint venture between the SIPHER Consortium and MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit.

Our guest for episode eight is Professor Magda Cerdá - a Professor and Director of the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy, at the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Magda’s research focuses on the effects that state and national drug and health policies have on substance abuse trends, and on the ways the urban context shapes violence.

 Visit the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit website.
Follow the SPHSU on Twitter.

Visit the SIPHER website.
Follow SIPHER on Twitter.