Vote on the Heart of Healthcare $25,000 Grant Challenge Winner
We are in the final stages of the Heart of Healthcare $25,000 grant challenge!
We had over 140 nonprofits apply, and our esteemed group of judges helped narrow it down to six amazing organizations. Each of these semi-finalists will receive a $1,000 grant.
Now we’re looking to you, our listeners, to help pick the $25,000 grand prize winner. In this episode, you’ll hear from each of the semi-finalists (transcript below). You can place your vote here.
Listen
Transcript
[00:00:00] Halle: Hello listeners and welcome to the Heart of Healthcare podcast. This is your host, Halle Tecco. We are in the final stages of the heart of healthcare, $25,000 grant challenge. Our esteemed group of judges helped narrow down the 140 applications to six semi-finalists who all received a $1,000 grant.
[00:00:24] And now we're looking to you, our listeners, to help pick the $25,000 grand prize winner. Today. You'll hear from each of these organizations and learn a little bit more about what they're doing. Once you hear from all of them, you can decide which one gets your vote by going to heart of healthcare podcast.com, which is also in the show notes.
[00:00:49] You have until October 31st to vote and you can only vote one time. So with no further ado, let's hear from the Heart of Healthcare Grant Challenge semi-finalists.
[00:01:09] Center for Deaf Health Equity at Gallaudet University: Hello, Heart of Healthcare podcast listeners. My name is Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar, and although I'll be telling you about our work at the Center for Deaf Health Equity, this is not my voice. I was born profoundly deaf in both ears, and I have a deaf accent that's not easily understood by the public. So you hear me through an interpreter.
[00:01:29] I tell you this so you can envision what this could mean for a deaf person's quality of healthcare. As a deaf woman of color who uses sign language, I constantly miss out on health information that shared auditorily through podcasts, radio, and commercials without closed captions. My doctors rarely engage me in basic shared decision making discussions, and I don't always get sign language interpreters at hospitals where I have my procedures.
[00:01:54] Fortunately, I was able to develop strong health literacy that enables me to seek information. To make informed decisions about my health, but many people in my community do not possess English fluency. Since health information is rarely interpreted into American Sign Language or asl, it's inaccessible to them.
[00:02:12] Without health literacy, they are at risk for missed health screenings, wrong diagnoses or treatments, and consequently, they experience poor health. This is avoidable and can be corrected, which is why the health problems in my community matter so much to me and to our partners across the country. I'd like to provide you with some more background around the causes of disparity within our community.
[00:02:36] Healthcare providers often operate from deep rooted assumptions about us that negatively impacts patient-centered care, education, and communication, and the quality and scope of treatment offered. Physicians are not required to train specifically on working with deaf populations in their education. And many deaf people have been raised in families that can't effectively communicate directly with them, limiting their access to information.
[00:03:00] And this exclusion translates into not knowing one's family medical history and therefore their own predispositions to specific health problems. But now I'll tell you how we work to turn this around. First, the center documents health disparities related to the deaf community. The extensive data we've collected backs up countless personal stories to prove many gaps exist.
[00:03:24] For instance, deaf young adults are less likely to perceive that the HPV vaccine is effective in preventing cervical cancer compared to their hearing peers. Only 22% said their doctors recommended an HPV vaccine to them. Only 58% of black deaf respondents who use ASL regularly see their doctors compared to 70% of black hearing respondents.
[00:03:50] While deaf women get screened for breast cancer at the same rate as their hearing peers, younger deaf women get screened less for cervical cancers than their hearing peers, peers. Based on data like this, we work with patients and clinician stakeholders to come up with effective practical ways to reduce barriers to healthcare.
[00:04:08] I'll walk you through our primary initiative. Imagine a deaf person receiving a diagnosis, but when they try to learn more about it, the information isn't a language that isn't fully accessible to them. Now imagine there's a person paired with them, equipped with an app as they walk the patient through a doctor's visit, their rights to having an interpreter present with them, background information on their particular condition, all visually described in ASL on the app, this support person or patient.
[00:04:39] First has to be culturally and linguistically trained, which is what our center works on. We bring community members and scientists together to develop, adapt, and evaluate training materials to ensure accessibility for people with sensory disabilities. In addition, we disseminate accessible health information in ASL and plan to train medical professionals on working with deaf.
[00:05:03] We write briefs for policy makers who advocate for deaf citizens, and since clinical trials rarely involve deaf people, we are developing an app specifically to translate consent related documents clearly into ASL and English so that the resulting treatments can factor in our community. Winning this $25,000 grant will allow us to deepen our accessibility efforts to adapt, translate, and film training materials.
[00:05:31] These materials will then be used to train anyone who's interested in becoming a patient navigator for deaf, deaf, blind, and heart of hearing patients. With accessible, clear communication and patient navigators in place, we are building tangible and practical solutions to equalize the disparities prevalent.
[00:05:48] In our healthcare. We have the vision and the momentum, but your vote for the Center for Deaf Health Equity will push forward our efforts with and for our communities. Thank you.
[00:06:07] MAVEN Project: The number one reason for provider burnout and safety net health clinics isn't payer benefits. It isn't a desire for better work life balance under staffing, or even the heavy workload. The number one reason for provider burnout and safety net health clinics is the stress caused by the inability of providers to meet the complex needs of their patients.
[00:06:26] Safety net providers share a common mission to serve medically vulnerable. They come into the setting well aware of potential challenges. Nevertheless, Bruno is taking its toll, further straining an already resource poor system, and creating a vicious cycle as more demands are placed on the providers who remain Maven Project's Mission is well aligned with Safety net clinics in their providers.
[00:06:50] We believe everyone everywhere deserves timely access to high quality. He. We've brought an innovative solution to the social, racial, and economic inequities in healthcare facing our nation. Maven Project leverages telehealth technology and a core of expert physician volunteers to offer peer-to-peer support for frontline primary care providers working in medically underserved communities.
[00:07:14] By supporting these frontline providers, we aim to improve health outcomes. For the nearly 30 million Americans who rely on safety net clinics for their healthcare needs, a majority of whom live in poverty are uninsured or underinsured and face a myriad of other socioeconomic challenges. While resources for these patients within safety net clinics are often scarce system resources such as specialists, willing to see uninsured or uninsured patients is an even bigger problem.
[00:07:41] Safety Net clinic patients are fortunate to have access to primary care services. Yet barriers such as language and literacy issues, lack of transportation cost, the ability to take time off work, and the overall complexity of navigating the modern medical ecosystem can make access to specialty care prohibitive Maven projects, world class physician volunteers provide medical consultations, medical education, and one-on-one mentoring.
[00:08:07] These services are designed exclusively for safety net clinic providers serving patients who would otherwise not have access to specialty care. Average turnaround time for medical consults is less than eight hours, and because the consulting specialist is a retired or semi-retired physician volunteer, they aren't constrained by time and go above and beyond to provide thorough and culturally appropriate recommendations.
[00:08:31] Maven Project offers a library of over 200 medical education topics and provides a minimum of eight live education sessions each month, most of which count toward continuing medical education credits for providers. Customized education sessions are also available upon request. Many of Maven projects physician volunteers also offer clinical and leadership mentoring Providers are hand matched with subject matter experts to reinforce clinical skills, support professional development to address.
[00:09:00] Flexibility as paramount and providers decide how frequently they want to meet and what they want to discuss. Maven Project enables primary care providers to manage patients' conditions in their medical homes. Consultations, eliminate the need for patients to pay for travel to, or wait for an external specialist referral.
[00:09:18] This same day, access to specialty consults has resulted in millions of dollars in cost savings for. In addition, the knowledge of clinic provider gains through each consult can be applied to other patients. In 97% of cases, that multiplier effect have massive positive implications for population health.
[00:09:37] Among Maven Project clinic partners in the communities they serve currently more than 160 retired or semi-retired physician volunteers offer expertise in 60 medical specialties to 282 clinic partners across 19 states in Puerto. In the year ahead, we will add many more clinic partners and connect hundreds of additional frontline providers with Maven projects, expert physician volunteers.
[00:10:02] And as we grow, we'll continue to focus on learning more about the programs and services our providers need most to serve their patients so we can be a true partner in care safety net clinic providers describe Maven Project as a lifeline and a security blanket. Recently a provider shared that Maven Project has helped her clinic bridge the gap for their patients because the waiting lists right now for specialty care are months and months long.
[00:10:26] She said she's had patients just falling through the cracks left and right, and Maven Project helps her prevent that from happening. She calls Maven Project a safety mechanism for her patients and says she's able to provide safer. A $25,000 grant from Heart of Healthcare would provide unlimited access to all Maven project services for up to three clinics for 12 months.
[00:10:49] Thank you for considering Maven Project for this generous award.
[00:10:57] Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice at Tufts University: What if I told you a world where black women can safely. Efficiently and comfortably receive equitable access to healthcare services without having to navigate through racism and or discrimination in medical settings was possible. Hello, my name is Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, and I am the Julia A. Okoro professor of Black Maternal health, as well as an assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Public Health and Community.
[00:11:30] Here at Tufts University in the School of Medicine. We know that black women are 243% more likely to die from pregnancy related complications than white women in the United States. During our annual conference on Black maternal Health, my team and I launched the first ever Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice, which is an extension of my research lab, the maternal outcomes for translational health equity research lab, whereas we like to call it the mother.
[00:12:03] The Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice aims to be a national force for women's health and reproductive health in the challenge of achieving health equity. Specifically, the center addresses maternal health inequities for black women by black women via the use of solution focused research and policy interventions, education of local and national communities through our webinars and other developments.
[00:12:29] And sharing evidence based information via social media. The Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice Focus on community engagement. We also focus on the Mother Lab, as I mentioned, research development and grants. Epidemiology and data and policy, as well as education and training. Our strong partnerships and relationships create and foster a welcoming and professional network inclusive of students, professionals in the field of public health, medicine, and nursing, and communities of color that are passionate about resolving maternal health inequities.
[00:13:07] Evidence has shown that students of color are very underrepresented in. We currently have community partners and representatives of various professions within maternal health to assist in this student training process with the funds and the resources from the Heart of Healthcare podcast opportunity.
[00:13:26] We plan to develop trainings that will be focused on anti-racism and medical education, cultural competency, the history of racism, and other maternal health inequities and other topics such as community engaged research. Participants of these trainings will be able to apply the concepts that they learn to confronting and dismantling unconscious bias and structural racism within the healthcare system.
[00:13:51] The success of our center is reliant on partnerships such as this. Through education, training, and research. Our organization would use the heart of healthcare funding to help support the professional development of our first cohort, 10 student trainees at the center, many of whom we know will be students of color that will go on to do incredible work in the field of maternal health policy, nursing, and obstetrics in gyn.
[00:14:22] The work that we're doing here is timely, and too often the maternal health issues of black women are overlooked in the context of overall women's health. We are in a crisis in the United States regarding maternal health inequities and severe maternal morbidity. The latest data we have shows that 80% of all maternal deaths are prevent.
[00:14:44] The Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice seeks to create spaces for black and brown birthing people to receive equitable access to healthcare services. And so with the help of resources from the Heart of Healthcare podcasts alongside our community partners, we will foster and expand trainings that will lead to improvements in the overall birthing experience for black and brown birthing people through advocating for respect.
[00:15:13] Maternity care in a childbirth process, the funds will be used to train 10 students for this exciting initiative. Thank you for the opportunity, and check out our website, www.motherlab.org. Thank you.
[00:15:39] We'll be right back after the break.
[00:16:15] New Morning: I'm Lowndes Macdonald, Chief Development Officer with New Morning, a nonprofit organization that runs one of the largest birth control access programs in the country. We believe that every woman has the right to whether or when she becomes pregnant. Having autonomy over our own bodies is a basic human right, and now more than ever, we all need to take a stand for women.
[00:16:37] Unintended pregnancy is a major public health issue in the United States and in South Carolina where we work every day to educate women about birth control. And to ensure that every woman, no matter where she lives or her economic status, can access any birth control method she wants for free or little cost.
[00:16:58] A lot of people I talk with are under the impression that any woman can easily get birth control if she wants to, but this simply isn't true. People who are privileged seldom experience the barriers that many women face, especially low income women, women without health insurance, and women who live in medically underserved communities where there are few healthcare providers and no public transportation.
[00:17:21] Having access to birth control reduces a woman's chances of having an unintended pregnancy, a pregnancy that she doesn't want, or one that happens earlier than she would've wanted. Research has shown that women who have unintended pregnancies are more likely to delay or have inadequate prenatal care, which increases the risks of serious health complications for mothers and their risks like pre-term births, low birth weight infants, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. When a woman has access to effective birth control and if she wants to have a baby preconception and prenatal care, it's more likely that she'll have a safe and healthy pregnancy. In birth at New Morning, we have taken a stand for women as well as their children by making high quality reproductive healthcare and birth control accessible to all equitably.
[00:18:10] Six years ago, we set out to build a network that today includes 140 health clinics serving women in every corner of our state, including rural and other medically underserved communities. Many of these clinics had never offered birth control services before. We raise funds that enable the 140 clinics to stock all birth control methods, including the more expensive long-acting methods like IUDs and implant.
[00:18:37] And to offer everyone for free or very low cost to their patients. We've trained thousands of providers and technical skills and best practices for non-coercive patient-centered counseling and decision making, and we've educated millions of South Carolinians about birth control and how to access it for free or low cost.
[00:18:56] Today the clinics participating in our contraceptive access program have provided contraceptive services to nearly 375,000 women and contributed directly to an unprecedented 44% reduction in unwanted pregnancies. In South Carolina, one of the poorest, most conservative states in the nation, we're proving that when women have equitable access to birth control, they choose.
[00:19:24] Not only to have more control over their fertility and reproductive health, but also to make sure they have every opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Whether that's getting a high school diploma or g e d earning a bachelor's or graduate degree pursuing a well paying job or starting a family when she feels the time is right.
[00:19:44] There are hundreds of thousands of young women in our state that still need our. The need is great here in the South, and the stories we hear from women are sometimes no less than heartbreaking to continue to reach and serve them. We need your help. The heart of Healthcare Grant will ensure that we're able to continue educating and empowering young women to exercise their right, to control their reproductive health and prevent an unwanted or mistimed pregnancy.
[00:20:11] Unintended pregnancy costs women their potential. It costs children their wellbeing and families, their stability, and it's nearly 100% preventable. There's never been a more important time than right now to take a stand for women and with women. South Carolina recently passed one of the most restrictive laws in our nation.
[00:20:38] A lot is at stake for young women in our. We think they deserve the chance to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, and with your help, they'll have it. Thank you for considering supporting a Heart of Healthcare grant to New morning. 100% of the grant will be used to provide free and low cost birth control for low income and uninsured or underinsured women.
[00:21:00] Thank you.
[00:21:05] Give Us the Floor: Hello, I'm Nicole Aleman, chief Operating Officer of Give Us the Floor. Give Us The Floor is a nonprofit organization that helps LGBTQ teens deal with distress through inclusive, innovative, and unique online peer support groups. Our supportive group chat program provides a safe teen only community breaking the isolation and shame cycles that they're experiencing.
[00:21:27] As a nation, we are facing a mental health crisis, which is most acutely affecting young people, aged 13 to 24. In particular, LGBTQ youth, youth of color, and those living in poverty are the most likely to have mental healthcare needs that are not being met. The. According to the Trevor Project's 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ youth mental health.
[00:21:47] 50% of LGBTQ teens seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months as staggering. 18% of them actually attempted suicide. 73% reported symptoms of anxiety and 58% reported symptoms of depression. 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health support in the past year were not even able to access care, including nearly three and five transgender youth.
[00:22:14] There are many barriers to accessing mental health support for LGBTQ adolescents, some of which include the inability to afford care and shame and stigma associated with sexual orientation, gender identity, and with receiving mental health support. Give us the floors working tirelessly to combat this national mental health crisis.
[00:22:33] With our successful program, our supportive group chats, supportive group chats are safe online chat groups hosted on Give us the Floors proprietary app where participants support each other without fear of stigma, taboo or shame. Our chat groups protect the anonymity of the teens, giving them the opportunity to be vulnerable with their peers.
[00:22:52] Trained teens facilitate the confidential groups and participants help each other with prevalent mental health and social issues such as depression, isolation, anxiety, identity discrimination, bullying, relationships, domestic violence and body image issues. To date, we have supported more than 8,000 youth directly, age 13 to 19 years old, all from diverse backgrounds and residing in all 50 states.
[00:23:18] In 20 21, 80 9% of our participants reported that their peer supported group helped them with their struggles. 85% told us that they felt less lonely, and 77% self-reported that they felt better about themselves. Our goal is to reach more than 15,000 youth by the end of 2023. A grant of $25,000 from Heart of Healthcare would allow us to train more teen facilitators and provide support to an additional 3000 teens nationwide.
[00:23:45] Additionally, we plan to launch a focused initiative to better support our transgender teens because 30% of our participants belong to the transgender community, we're committed to developing specialized programming to better address the unique challenges that we know transgender teens face. Give us the floor has quite literally saved lives.
[00:24:04] Our supportive group chat program has been proven to help LGBTQ teens navigate their challenges with more support, skill and ease. Please vote. Forgive us the floor today and ensure that struggling teenagers are receiving the support that they need to enter adulthood with resiliency and self love.
[00:24:22] Thank you.
[00:24:27] Children's Environmental Health Network: Hi, my name is Hester Paul. I'm the National Director of Eco Healthy Childcare. My husband and I have three kids, ages seven, nine, and 11, and I've always been passionate about looking at the intersection of childcare and reducing kids' exposure to environmental health hazards. Roxanne, Thank you, Hester. Hi, my name is Roxana Amaya-Fuentes.
[00:24:46] I have a master of public health in environmental health, science and policy, and I am passionate about the relationship between our environment and human health. So for those of you who are listening, did you know that there are 85,000 synthetic chemicals and commerce today and only a small fraction have been tested for toxicity on human?
[00:25:06] More and more research is revealing that exposure to toxic chemicals and environmental hazards like pesticides and poor indoor air quality is linked to poor health. Children are more vulnerable to exposure to toxic chemicals and other environmental hazards than adults. The Eco Healthy Childcare Program provides training technical assistance and resources so that childcare professionals can minimize exposure to environmental hazards found in childcare setting.
[00:25:34] So why the focus on childcare in the United States? An estimated 13 million children spend at least 35 hours a week in some form of childcare. And studies show these settings contain environmental hazards. For example, when survey close to 75% of US childcare facilities reported at least one pesticide application in the prior.
[00:25:54] Environmental hazards in and around childcare facilities can include lead in drinking water and old paint pesticides used on lawns or inside buildings. Poor indoor air cleaning products, and even vehicle exhaust created while parents I their cars waiting for their kids. An exposure to these environmental hazards can contribute to the development of childhood cancers, learning disabilities, asthma.
[00:26:18] Early puberty, birth effects and infertility, and many of these environmental hazards are more prevalent in low wells, black, indigenous, and Latinx communities placing children in these families at a higher risk. In addition to a higher prevalence of environmental hazards, these populations frequently lack the resources or power to reduce children's exposure to dangerous pollutants.
[00:26:40] So the environmental health and childcare settings is not a priority, and environmental health is not comprehensively addressed in state licensing regulation, state quality rating improvement systems or professional development. So why Eco Healthy Childcare does what it does? Childcare providers can make small changes that impact the wellbeing of children in their care.
[00:27:00] By reducing environmental hazards such as chemical and cleaning products, providers can help prevent illness like asthma and certain learning disabilities. Additionally, the first years of a child's life are extremely important in shaping their future health and development. And we know that high quality childcare narrows the achievement gap for children living in under-resourced families and communities.
[00:27:22] So what is Eco Healthy Childcare Program doing to create healthier and safer childcare facilities for over 12 years? We offer a two year endorsement to childcare facilities that qualify as eco healthy by providing simple and low. Best practices. More than 2,800 facilities serving over 80,000 children have qualified as eco healthy.
[00:27:47] And what would we do with the Eco Healthy Childcare Program? If we had a $25,000 grant, Eco Healthy Childcare would use the money to launch our virtual technical assistance program for eco healthy endorsed childcare facilities by providing technical assistance to 100 childcare facilities over the next 18 months.
[00:28:06] The virtual TA is free. It would be happening for one hour over a Zoom conversation between the childcare provider and an eco healthy childcare staffer. And the discussion would be about implementing environmental health best practices in their childcare. We would discuss low cost at effective best practices, such as not using air fresheners or other products with fragrances in both staff and child occupied spaces, and that might be inclusive of bathrooms, break rooms, and play, and sleeping area.
[00:28:36] And to wrap up, we like to emphasize that childcare providers care for our most vital. Our children, we need to ensure they have the resources training acknowledged to create safe and healthy childcare spaces for all children to learn and grow. The virtual TA is an evolution of eco healthy childcare's training and support services, and in this opportunity to reach childcare facilities in under resource areas, including rural, black, and low income neighborhoods.
[00:29:01] And we want to thank the heart of Healthcare team for this exciting opportunity and hope the listeners have become fans of our eco healthy.
[00:29:19] Thanks for listening to this episode of The Heart of Healthcare. If you like this show, be sure to subscribe. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Follow us on social, and tell all your friends to listen. The Heart of Healthcare is a product of off-script health. We are a healthcare engagement company built for patients and caregivers by patients and caregivers.
[00:29:39] Our executive producers are Matthew Zachary and Andrew McDowell. Our senior producer is Brianna Sealy. Our host is Hall Teco. It is recorded, mixed, and edited by Brianna Sealy. For advertising and media inquiries, email media at offs script no t.com. That's media@offsscript.com. For more information, visit off script dot.