Health Calls

In the Season 6 finale of Health Calls , host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka reflect on the theme “United for Change” through a clip show featuring top voices in Catholic healthcare.  Drawing from insights shared at the Catholic Health Association Assembly, Brian and Josh highlight how unity, collaboration and Catholic social teaching are transforming care delivery across the Un...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 17 explores how health systems across the United States can improve outcomes by connecting health care, nature, and community partnerships. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Dr. Sheetal Rao, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, to examine the growing evidence linking green space access to better physical, mental, and...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 16 highlights how health systems across the United States are expanding medication access through the nonprofit Dispensary of Hope.  Host Brian Reardon speaks with Mike Wascovich, Vice President of Medication Management and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Ascension, about addressing one of the nation’s most urgent challenges—prescription affordability. With as many as half...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 15 continues the United for Change season with a global perspective on collaboration in health. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo, newly appointed Chief Officer for Innovation and Programs at Catholic Charities USA, to reflect on the state of global health amid shifting U.S. priorities.  Drawing on decades of e...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 14 examines how health systems across the United States are collaborating to lower medication costs through the groundbreaking nonprofit manufacturer Civica Rx. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka speak with Dr. Daniel Roth, Executive Vice President and COO of Trinity Health, about how Civica was founded to address persistent generic drug shortages...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 13 explores how interfaith engagement strengthens whole‑person care and human flourishing across the United States. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Suzanne Watts Henderson, PhD, Senior Director of Faith & Health at Interfaith America to discuss religious diversity as a civic asset and a practical lever for community trust in health care...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 12 explores how Catholic ministries across the United States are responding to the growing immigration crisis . Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Bill Canny , Executive Director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Migration, to discuss the national You Are Not Alone campaign.  Rooted in Catholic social teaching and launched in response to heigh...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 11 delivers an important Washington health policy update, as host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Paulo Pontemayor, CHA’s Senior Director for Government Relations. Paulo breaks down the latest federal health care policy developments impacting Catholic health care, including the expiration of ACA premium tax credits, rising insurance costs, a...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 10 highlights Healthspan Nevada County, an innovative community‑based wellness model redefining whole‑person care. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka talk with Dr. Scott Neeley, president and CEO of Dignity Health’s Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, about how this collaborative approach strengthens community health beyond traditional clinical care....

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 9 explores how Catholic health care extends beyond hospital walls through parish nurse programs. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Megan Timm, Regional Director of Community Health for SSM Health in Wisconsin, to discuss a model that has flourished in SSM Health's local communities. Timm explains how parish nurses serve as trusted health...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 8 centers a conversation about mission integration and the formation of the next generation of health care workers. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka are joined by Chip Chipman, Manager of Pastoral Care and Mission Integration at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, who reflects on the role of spiritual care as a core element of whole‑person care...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 7 explores how CommonSpirit Health partners with those who have lived experience of homelessness to shape solutions and fund grants. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Nicole Wilson, Community Health and Housing System Manager at CommonSpirit Health, to discuss the Research and Equity Advisory Council for Housing Insecurities (REACHI). Wil...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 6 focuses on addressing food insecurity in rural communities. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Lindsey Meyers, MBA, Vice President of Communications, PR, and Community Engagement at Avera Health.  Lindsey shares how Avera’s community health needs assessments revealed rising food insecurity across its largely rural footprint, prompting th...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 5 explores the power of storytelling and social media in sharing the mission of Catholic health care. Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka welcome Stephanie Hampton, a St. Louis-based content creator known for her Instagram account @explorestlparks. Stephanie shares her family's experience with Mercy Hospital’s NICU and how that inspired her to high...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 4 explores the transformative power of Whole Person Care in the context of palliative care, with guest Lori Dangberg, Executive Vice President of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care in California.  Lori shares the origins and impact of a statewide initiative that brings together dioceses, parishes, and health systems to support patients and families through serious...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 3 features a conversation with author, speaker, and former chaplain John O’Leary, whose life story inspired the new film Soul on Fire.  Host Brian Reardon and Executive Producer Josh Matejka speak with John about his journey from surviving a devastating childhood burn injury to becoming a voice for hope and healing. The episode highlights the unsung heroes of Catholi...

Health Calls Season 6, Episode 2 continues the United for Change theme with a focus on youth mental health in Chicago. Host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka speak with Dr. Anoop Takher, Interim Chair of Behavioral Health at Saint Anthony Hospital, about the hospital's SPARK Program. Designed to eliminate long wait times for psychiatric evaluations, SPARK offers integrated care—inc...

Host Brian Reardon and executive producer Josh Matejka welcome Sister Norma Pimentel, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, to discuss her work serving immigrant communities at the U.S.-Mexico border. Sister Norma shares moving stories of families fleeing violence and hardship, emphasizing the importance of restoring human dignity through compassion and encounter. The e...

As the national conversation around HR1, Medicaid and health care access continues, Catholic health care continues to affirm its belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality, affordable care. As this episode's guest highlights, that includes those in rural communities. Luis A. Rojas, MD, FACOG, Clinical Vice President of Oncology Service Line at Avera, joins the show to discuss the system'...

Like all popular trends, it's easy to adopt the latest and "greatest" technology as soon as it's released into the world. But what responsibility do Catholic health systems have in evaluating what changes they need to make? What - and who - is top of mind when these decisions are made? Michael Sellers, Vice President of Facilities Management for Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago, joins the show to...

Technological advances are nothing new for caregivers, who have been saturated with new tools to "help" them for decades. But are those tools actually helping? And what can the latest innovations do to alleviate the burden caregivers face on a day-to-day basis? Dr. Heather Schmidt, System Medical Director, Healthy Work and Wellness at SSM Health, and Dr. Ann Cappellari, Chief Medical Information O...

When we hear the word technology, we tend to think about computers, software, artificial intelligence, etc. But one form of technology that we tend to overlook has been a part of our lives for centuries: pharmacy. Jeffrey Bishop, MD, Ph. D, Tenet Endowed Chair of Bioethics and Professor of Philosophy, Health Care Ethics and Philosophy at St. Louis University, joins the show to discuss how we can t...

Medicaid covers 1 in 5 American adults, nearly half of all children in America and 41 percent of births in America. But despite acting as a lifeline for many Americans, the program is under threat of significant cuts from the federal government. In a Health Calls special, CHA's Senior Director of Government Relations Paulo Pontemayor and Barbara DiPietro, PhD, Senior Director of Policy at the Nati...

If Catholic health care providers want to treat the whole person, then spiritual care is a vital piece of that puzzle. So in an age when virtual health care is becoming more and more prevalent, how do we also expand the reach of virtual spiritual care? Justin Martin, Director of Spiritual Care Innovation and Transformation at Mercy in St. Louis, Mo., returns to Health Calls to talk about his teams...

Catholic health care providers face a unique challenge – synthesizing the realities of their unique mission and the need to be technologically innovative. How do you faithfully follow the call to continue Jesus’s healing ministry and be as forward-thinking as possible? Joe Kelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer at Mercy, joins the show for a two-part episode. In part one,...