Root of the Issue

In this episode of Root of the Issue, we explore the powerful intersection of food, health, and equity with Pamela Schwartz, the Executive Director of Community Health for Kaiser Permanente. Pamela shares her journey and the motivations behind her work in advancing health equity. She discusses her role in leading initiatives that address critical needs such as food, housing, and financial security...

Welcome to Root of the Issue, the podcast of the Root Cause Coalition. Our program explores the motivations and stories behind the individuals who have dedicated their lives to achieving health equity for all. In this episode, we speak with Ipyana Spencer, the Chief Health Officer of Meals on Wheels America (MOWA). Ipyana leads the newly created Meals on Wheels Health division, partnering with hea...

Welcome to Root of the Issue, the podcast of the Root Cause Coalition where we delve into the motivations and stories behind those dedicated to achieving health equity for all. In this week's episode, we are joined by Kim Prendergast, Vice President of Policy for Community Care Cooperative (C3), a federally qualified health center-led accountable care organization serving health centers in se...

  In this episode of the Root of the Issue, host Barb Petee speaks with Stacy Wathen, Secretary of the Board of Trustees at the Root Cause Coalition and Manager of Community and Child Health at the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA). CHA advances child health through innovation and quality cost and delivery of care with its 220 member children's hospitals and health systems. Many CHA...

Welcome to "Root of the Issue," the podcast of the Root Cause Coalition. This week, we are joined by Jeffrey Smythe, the Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI) in Atlanta, Georgia. Tune in as we discuss Jeff’s journey, the impactful work of ARCHI, and the ongoing efforts to create a healthier, more equitable community.

In this episode of Root of the Issue, we delve into the inspiring journey of Tracy Douglas, Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Community Health Care Association. Tracy shares her insights, challenges, and triumphs as she champions health equity for all in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Join us as we uncover the motivations and stories behind Tracy's relentless advocacy for improved access to p...

In this episode of  Root of the Issue , we are honored to be joined by two remarkable individuals:  Marcie Mir, the Chief Executive Officer of El Centro de Corazón, and Simone Simon Gardner, Lead Director of Senior Community Affairs at Aetna, a CVS Health Company. Sponsored by Aetna, El Centro de Corazón has been a cornerstone of Houston's East End community since 1994. As a Federally Qu...

Welcome to "Root of the Issue"! In this episode, we delve into the vital intersection of food and health with our esteemed guest, Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC). With over a decade of experience in policy and strategy, Alissa leads FIMC in its mission to provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries, medical nutrition therapy, and education to i...

In this episode of  Root of the Issue , we sit down with Angela Brandt, Chief Administrative Officer, ProMedica. With over two decades of experience in not-for-profit healthcare, Angela is a seasoned executive known for her transformative leadership and strategic acumen. From her early days at ProMedica to her current role steering enterprise-wide transformations, Angela shares insights into...

In this episode of "Root of the Issue," our host Barbara Petee engages in a compelling conversation with Kim Reno, a senior manager in the Policy and Advocacy department of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The discussion explores Kim's role at the Foundation, her healthcare roots in Toledo, Ohio, and the impact of healthcare access disparities on individuals with Cystic Fibrosis. They delve into th...

This week on Root of the Issue, join our host Barbara Petee as she sits down with Priya Bathija, Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, for an eye-opening conversation. In this episode, they uncover the stark disparities in healthcare accessibility for women and the concerning lack of readily available information about women's health. Together, they explore the systemic issues leading to unequal ca...

In this week's episode of  Root of the Issue  our host,  Barbara Petee , is joined by  Scott Carter  and  Will Thomas  of  Conduit Government Relations ; a government relations firm that specializes in grassroots organization and issue advocacy services through public affairs; with a focus on the social drivers of health that affect and impede too many...

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by William - Bill - Novelli, Emeritus Professor of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Over the course of their conversation, they discuss Bill’s pivot from the advertising world, what he sees in the students that he works with, his various mentors over the course of his career, as well as what ways he sees for us to...

This week on Root of the Issue our host  Barbara Petee  is joined by  Anthony Weekly ,  Chief Community Reinvestment Officer at Truist Bank . In this role, Anthony is responsible for collaborating with community development partners and regulators to help meet the credit needs of low- to moderate-income  (LMI)  individuals and communities. Over the course of their con...

This week on Root of the Issue we’ve turned the tables and our guest is our very own Barbara Petee, President of the Root Cause Coalition. Over the course of the conversation with our special guest host, Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, Barbara discusses the origins of the inception of the Coalition, her inspirations for pursuing work in the social determinants of health and health equity, and the power...

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by  Amy Yaroch, PhD, Executive Director of the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition.  Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Amy discuss the work of the Gretchen Swanson Center, the increased awareness of the social determinants of health and health equity, Amy’s optimism for alleviating hunger by 2030, and muc...

This week on Root of the Issue our host Barbara Petee is joined by Alfreda Rooks, MPA, Director of Community Health Services (CHS) at Michigan Medicine, UM Health. In this role, Alreda works to advance the mission to identify creative solutions to address the various health and social needs of the community. Over the course of their conversation they discuss the work that CHS does across the regio...

This week on Root of the Issue, our host Barbara Petee, is joined by  Domonic Hopson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP).  NFP serves more than 21,000 patients across eight sites in  Cleveland and Lakewood, OH  and provides primary and preventive care, and integrated services, including behavioral health, pharmacy, midwifery and dental c...

In this special encore, we revisit a conversation with Susan Benigas, the Executive Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Susan shares the powerful work of the ACLM, and its focus on lifestyle medicine, a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine – a whol...

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Wendi Huntley , President and CEO of Connecting Kids to Meals . In her role, Wendy guides the nonprofit organization in providing hot, nutritious meals, at no cost, to at-risk kids ages 18 and under in low income and underserved areas of northwest Ohio. Over the course of their conversation Barbara and Wendi discuss the history o...

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Mike Curtin, CEO of the DC Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C. DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) is an iconic nonprofit and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. Over the course of their conversation, Mike details his unconventional path into the non-profit space, his childhood upbringing in which givi...

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Gary Cates, the Chief Philanthropy and Government Relations Officer for ProMedica. Gary shares his story on how he became involved in the movement towards addressing the social determinants of health as well as some of those that influenced and inspired him along the way. When asked why health equity is such an important issue for the country t...

In this encore airing, we revisit a conversation with Cathryn Couch, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Ceres Community Project. Cathryn shares how her time in both the corporate and non-profit worlds honed her leadership skills, the significance of food as medicine, as well as the importance of providing the next generation with the tools they need to be capable of sufficiently feedin...

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by Leigh Caswell, Vice President of Community and Health Equity at Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Over the course of their conversation, Barbara and Leigh discuss how organizations can better collaborate with communities to address their most urgent needs, the outcomes of the system’s Food Farmacy program in the New Mexico a...

This week on Root of the Issue our host, Barbara Petee, is joined by  Tina Anderson , the  Director of Strategic Initiatives and Territory Coach for CVS Health . Tina is often described as the bridge between the healthcare needs of the population and the company. Her grassroots approach drives efforts to insert CVS Health and Aetna as a healthcare partner in every community. Over the cou...