At the Core of Care

Full practice authority permits nurse practitioners, who are nurses with advanced degrees, to deliver healthcare without unnecessary barriers or restrictions. Currently, 26 states across the United States grant full practice authority for NPs. In this episode, we hear from Lynn Heard, a family nurse practitioner and longtime school nurse. She’s based in Pennsylvania, a reduced practice state, mean...

In this episode, we speak with Garrett Chan. He’s the nurse leader behind HealthImpact, which is a California-based organization that has driven workforce development innovations within nursing. Over the course of the pandemic, HealthImpact has been behind two major initiatives to help promote vaccine confidence: VaxForce and Trust a Nurse, Ask a Nurse. VaxForce was launched to recruit skilled vol...

As part of our Special Report series, we shift our focus from nursing burnout to an innovative nurse-based initiative to build vaccine confidence in California. In this episode, we speak to Lizett Leandro about her work as a consultant for the Trust A Nurse, Ask A Nurse program, a telehealth platform created by HealthImpact. The program relies on volunteer nurses to field vaccination questions fro...

As part of our Special Report series, we continue with our coverage of different nursing views on the impact of burnout and how to address it.  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Dewi Brown-DeVeaux about burnout at a systems-level and how it influences vaccine confidence at this point in the pandemic. Dr. Brown-DeVeaux shares her perspective on what she thinks are the major causes of burnout in the...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Ali Tayyeb, a registered nurse and Assistant Professor at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Tayyeb is also a United States Navy veteran who specialized in combat trauma and is host of the podcast, RN Mentor.  When discussing his views on the impact of burnout, Dr. Tayyeb uses the word “burndown” instead. Dr. Tayyeb explains that the term "burnout" impl...

Continuing our Special Report series with COVID-19 pandemic coverage, we speak with Dr. Paula Milone-Nuzzo about the current workforce crisis in health care. Discussing the continued need to reframe training and education for health professions, we explore potential solutions that could help cultivate more support, resilience and retention. Dr. Paula Milone-Nuzzo is currently a professor and Presi...

As part of our special COVID-19 pandemic coverage, we are continuing with a Special Report series that can be helpful to nurses and the communities they serve. In this episode, we hear from Carl Hinson and Maria Saldiva. They share their latest insights, lessons learned, and current approaches to navigating vaccination efforts in Texas and Hawai’i. Carl Hinson is the Director of Workforce Developm...

Continuing our coverage on housing and health, we speak with Rhonda Pfenning and Janet Wanek from the Coal Country Community Health Center in North Dakota. Coal Country is a federally qualified health center, providing services in four clinics throughout the state. In this episode, we learn about Coal Country’s best practices around telehealth and patient education for diabetes prevention and self...

In this episode, we focus on community-based hepatitis interventions for the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and learn more about one of Philadelphia’s efforts where nurses and patient navigators collaborate to test and treat HCV. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, injection drug use accounts for up to 70% of new HCV cases in the United States. If treated, however, most HCV cases...

In this episode, we speak with registered nurses, JoAnne Ivory and Dora Loya from TCA Health. They share how they set up and have run COVID-19 vaccination clinics at various public housing community sites in Chicago. They also discuss how they are adapting to the growing demand for COVID-19 testing. JoAnne Ivory is TCA Health’s Clinical Manager and Dora Loya is the Director of Clinical Services. T...

As part of our Access to Care series, our coverage continues with a special focus on housing and health. In this episode, we speak with Zara Marselian and Javier Rodriguez from La Maestra Community Health Centers in San Diego. Zara Marselian is La Maestra’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Javier Rodriguez is the Chief Medical Officer. La Maestra is a Public Housing and Special Populatio...

In this episode, we delve into a range of issues related to clients from the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium’s (NNCC) nursing initiatives, Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and Nursing Legal Partnership (NLP), including pregnancy work discrimination, the absence of paid parental leave, challenges with accessing COVID-era unemployment assistance, and the impacts of these factors on maternal and chi...

This episode contains content that may be alarming to some listeners including descriptions of sexual assault and traumatic events. Listener discretion is advised Continuing our special series highlighting access to care, this episode features conversations with sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) across the country about new national standards under development to improve care for victims. Thi...

This is the second episode of our special coverage about equitable access to healthcare, specifically LGTBQ+ inclusive care. Part 2 features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Rachel Levine, United States Assistant Secretary for Health and Adrian Shanker, Founder and Executive Director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center. As part of their conversation Dr. Levine and Adrian Shanker addres...

This is the first of two episodes highlighting access to culturally competent care, specifically LGTBQ+ inclusive care. In this first episode, we’re featuring an in-depth healthcare consumer panel focused on strategies to improve LGBT health outcomes. Adrian Shanker moderated the panel during Pennsylvania’s Healthcare Mosaic Conference: Advocacy and Equity in Action from earlier this year. Panelis...

In this episode, we venture to Pennsylvania’s Coal Region to learn how some health systems are working to expand access to dental care and improve oral health for children in underserved areas. The shortage of pediatric dentists has underscored the need for preventative care since long before the pandemic exacerbated it. We’ll hear from nurses and dentists delivering care in rural counties, as wel...

In this episode, we speak to Andrea Vettori, a nurse practitioner, and Executive Director of Sanctuary Farm. Sanctuary Farm consists of several growing lots that were previously abandoned and neglected in the North Philadelphia neighborhood of Sharswood. The organization helps meet a wide range of needs around nutrition, wellness, social and economic justice, and community safety. Andrea shares ho...

In this episode, we spend time with Dr. Barbara Todd to discuss the role of mentorship and education in nurse practitioner training. Dr. Todd shares her personal clinical and teaching experience and emphasizes the importance of diversity in the workforce to support nurse practitioners who work in underserved communities. Dr. Barbara Todd is an experienced nurse practitioner certified in both famil...

At the Core of Care is back with a new special series highlighting access to care. In this episode, we continue our coverage of school nursing as it remains an under-recognized and under-resourced field. Erin Maughan, a former school nurse, and leading school nurse researcher, shares her perspective with us. Erin is the Director of Research at the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). She...

At the Core of Care is back with a new special series highlighting access to care. In this episode, PA Action Coalition Executive Director Sarah Hexem Hubbard speaks with three school nurses in Pennsylvania about their experience as a school nurse during the pandemic. Tracey Glynn-Roulinavage, a registered nurse with more than twenty years of experience, works within the Wilkes-Barre Area School D...

We are excited to announce that At the Core of Care is launching a new access to care special series. In this episode, PA Action Coalition Executive Director Sarah Hexem Hubbard speaks with Regina Cunningham and Marcus Henderson. Regina Cunningham is the Chief Executive Officer at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an adjunct professor and assistant dean at Penn School of N...

Vaccine Confidence: Identifying Trusted Messengers is the final episode in our six-part COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence series hosted by At the Core of Care. In this episode, we hear from nurses across the country about what it means to be a trusted messenger and how to address vaccine hesitancy in the communities they serve. We talk to nurse practitioner, Dr. Meriam Caboral-Stevens and nurses, Opeyem...

Sharing Your Vaccination Experience is the fifth episode in a six-part COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence series hosted by At the Core of Care. In this episode, we hear from nurses across the country about their own vaccination experience and how they’re supporting vaccination efforts in their communities. We talk to registered nurse Melody Butler from Long Island and two nurse practitioners Deepika Goya...

Vaccine Confidence: Community Partnerships & Accessibility is the fourth episode in a six-part series of the At the Core of Care podcast about COVID-19 vaccine confidence efforts. In this episode, we talk to three nurse practitioners based in Topeka, Kansas, and Milford, Massachusetts, about the role of community partnerships and vaccine distribution. Patrick Muchina is the family nurse practition...

Vaccine Confidence: Building Trust is the third episode in a six-part series featuring conversations about vaccine confidence and public health on the At the Core of Care podcast. The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium is producing this special series as part of its efforts to support nurses and our communities. In this episode, we discuss behavioral techniques nurses are adopting at this time to...