What does it take to create healthy neighborhoods that include broad, deep, and permanent pathways to prosperity for low-income families?

That question is the focus of today’s episode with Carol Redmond Naughton, CEO of Purpose Built Communities based in Atlanta.

“I really have become an advocate for community development as a way to move the needle on health outcomes. And I'm not talking about simply putting a kidney dialysis center in the bottom floor of a senior high rise,” Naughton says. “I don't mean to say that that's not a good thing to do, but we've got to move upstream. We've got to be way upstream and be thinking about: How are we building communities and supporting children, so those children 60 years from now will not need kidney dialysis?”

In a conversation that was first published in 2022, Naughton speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Tamara Huff about the difference between access to health care and health outcomes and the importance of addressing the social determinants of health.

She also calls on all of us to reflect on the systems that have kept people trapped in poverty — especially Black and Brown communities — and consider what it takes to create communities that support a “cradle to college pipeline.”

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The case for diversity in healthcare professions is strong. Research shows that a diverse healthcare workforce improves health outcomes, particularly for patients of color, and also increases people’s access to care and their perception of the care they receive.

Physicians of color are more likely to build careers in underserved communities, which can contribute even more toward the goal of reducing healthcare disparities.

So, what does it take to cultivate a strong and diverse health care workforce? On this week’s episode, we gain insights from two knowledgeable guests, who spoke with Dr. Hadiya Green at Movement Is Life’s annual summit:

• Dr. Cheryl Brewster, Senior Executive Dean for Access, Opportunity, and Collaboration and a Professor in the Department of Bioethics, Humanism, and Policy Roseman University College of Medicine
• Dr. Jarrod Lockhart, formerly an instructor at Morehouse School of Medicine, now Assistant Vice Provost, Education Outreach & Collaboration at Oregon Health & Science University

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Poverty is a key driver of health disparities. But numerous policies have been shown to help alleviate poverty and improve health equity, according to Dr. Rita Hamad, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Hamad says policymakers need to look upstream and identify the root causes of health issues.

“And really recognizing that poverty is one of the major root causes of those issues, and that if we don't address that… those health issues are just going to keep arising and not getting any better,” she says.

On this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Hamad speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Charla Johnson about evidence-based policies for alleviating poverty — like the child tax credit, earned income tax credit — and explains how healthcare systems can get more involved in bolstering the social safety net.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.