On today’s episode, we are back after a hiatus. A lot has happened in the world of community health, and at Vitalyst. We are catching up with Interim CEO and Board Chair Susan Pepin.

The U.S. Senate is currently considering a budget proposal that includes significant changes to Medicaid, building upon the House-passed "Big Beautiful Bill." While the Senate version is still under negotiation, some of the proposed changes to Medicaid, or AHCCCS in Arizona, include work requirements, provider tax limits, prohibitions on gender-affirming care, and increasing the frequency of eligibility verification to twice a year, among others. On this episode, we delve into the specifics of what this budget could mean for Medicaid with Vitalyst Trustees Will Humble, Ann-Marie Alameddin, and Wendy Armendariz, as they view it from various public health perspectives.    Links:  Will's Blog on Medicaid  AZFamily Story About Impact on Rural Communities and Hospitals Meidcaid Matters Video by NOAH

Medicaid has significantly improved access to health care for rural communities in Arizona by providing coverage to low-income individuals, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It has helped sustain rural hospitals and clinics by offering crucial funding, reducing uncompensated care costs. As a result, Medicaid has played a vital role in maintaining health care infrastructure and improving health outcomes in these underserved areas. Dr. Jonathan Melk, medical doctor and chief executive officer of Chiricahua Community Health Centers based in southeastern Arizona in Cochise County, joined us to shed light on rural health care. 

Partners across the nation have found an untapped resource of land: churches. Vitalyst has been working with churches as part of an evolution of its school districts and housing work. LISC has been working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide information and tools to support faith-based organizations as they explore housing development. In this episode, we will explore how these two initiatives intersect and what opportunities are available. Links and Resources Guide:Working With Faith-Based Organizations on Affordable Housing Development Webinar: Building in God's Backyard  UCSD Housing Center for Policy and Design Housing Development Training Institute ARCHES Report (Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability)    

After the passage of Prop 207 in 2020, The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) was charged with creating the Justice Reinvestment Program. The proposition legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older and created the Justice Reinvestment Fund, which funds initiatives to increase safety and community resilience around arrest and incarceration, including the Justice Reinvestment Program. There are approximately $10 million in grants across four priority areas: Public and behavioral health initiatives for substance use prevention, treatment, and early intervention services. Restorative justice, jail diversion, workforce development, and mentoring services for economically disadvantaged individuals in communities disproportionately affected by higher arrest and incarceration rates. Addressing the root causes of crime, reducing drug-related arrests, and lowering the prison population. Developing technology and programs to restore civil rights and expunging criminal records. All information is at www.azjusticegrants.org 

Nonprofits and professionals all across the country are on edge right now. With federal grants pausing and unpausing, the limbo must be a whirlwind for so many people working in the nonprofit sector. We all get into this work because we want to help people. But along the way, stuff gets in the way. The organizations and systems we all work with can be cumbersome and lead to frustration. How can we get out of our way? Heather Hiscox tells us on this episode.  Heather Hiscox - PAUSE for Change Website  Discover the Five Skills to Address Uncertainty Top 20 Questions to Ask Your Collaborative Partner

On today's mini-episode, Vitalyst's Gabriel Jaramillo sits down with Nicole Newhouse of the Arizona Housing Coalition and Pastor Jeff Procter-Murphy of Dayspring UMC in Tempe to discuss the YIGBY initiative.  This innovative proposal would allow faith-based organizations to develop affordable housing on their properties without burdensome rezoning requirements. This initiative addresses one of Arizona's major obstacles: restrictive zoning that limits land availability for multi-family housing development.  Yes, in God's Backyard Initiative - Arizona Housing Coalition 

Nicholas Vasquez, MD, was a Vitalyst Trustee for 12 years and Chair from 2020 to 2022. He often joined the podcast during the pandemic. On this episode, we wanted to talk to him about his experience on the Board of Trustees and Vitalyst's evolution. He sprinkled in other thoughts and wisdom throughout our conversation.

David Martinez III hosts this episode and has an insightful conversation with partners from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, and the Center for the Future of Arizona about how Arizonans view civic language. A recently published study finds that Arizonans react strongly to different civic language terms—more so than the rest of the country—and that these perceptions can enhance or hinder collaborative community conversations. 

At Vitalyst, we have been trying to demystify systems change as our Systems Change Grants application deadline nears in the middle of November. But we know it can still be confusing, so we had our friends at FSG join us for a conversation.  Additional Links:  Understanding Systems Change Spark Report – Report by FSG in collaboration with Vitalyst The Water of Systems Change Report by FSG The Water of Systems Change: Action Learning Exercise Clarifying Systems Change: An Interview with John Harper, CEO of FSG “Thinking in Systems” by Donella H. Meadows  

As Latino Heritage Month was wrapping up, we sat down with the team at ALL in Education for a great conversation about the benefits of growing up bilingual and bicultural. Their new Initiative, Multilingual Minds, aims to uplift multilingual learners in Arizona and advocate for language equity in schools through awareness and policy changes. 

On this episode, Reverend Michael Lessard of Pastoral Care Associates, a Vitalyst Spark Grant recipient, joined us before they held their Path to Complete Care Symposium. We talk about the importance of faith in healing, pastoral care and what was to come at the symposium. 

As part of an ongoing series looking into local practices, Arizona First Responder Systems and Mental Health Integration Spark Brief author, Matt Eckhoff, hosted a conversation with Dr. Gail Bradley, Emergency Medical Services & Trauma System, Medical Director, Arizona Department of Health Services; Captain Michelle Pickrom, Tucson Police Department; Sharon McDonough, Director, Public Safety Communications Department, City of Tucson; and Matt Shaw, Battalion Chief, Guardian Medical Transport in Flagstaff and rural northern Arizona. This conversation turned the lens inward into practices used by local departments to help their first responders deal with the trauma they encounter while serving communities. Links Arizona First Responder Systems Mental Health Integration

On this episode, we are joined by the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona. Juan Salas, Director of Operations and Accounting, and Kelsey Otten, Assistant Director of Partner Engagement share about fiscal sponsorship, what it is, what services are available, what organizations qualify, and much more.    TAPAZ Website  Learn More About Becoming a Sponsored Project 

Vitalyst opened its Discovery Process on August 1 for potential partners to explore partnership opportunities. Through the Discovery Process, Vitalyst team members learn about opportunities to support coalitions on their systems change journey. On this conversation with CEO Suzanne Pfister, and Director of Strategic Community Partnerships David Martinez III, we walk listeners through Vitalyst's different grant opportunities.    Links Vitalyst Grants and Partnership Opportunities  Spark Report: Understanding Systems Change

In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved AHCCCS's expansion of KidsCare eligibility to 225% of the federal poverty level, up from the earlier 200% cap. KidsCare will now allow kids whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid but less than 225% of the poverty line, which is right around $70,200 for a family of four, to pay an affordable premium for quality Medicaid (AHCCCS) coverage. Today’s conversation focuses on how Arizonans can connect to KidsCare and other resources to receive the healthcare coverage they need for their families.   Links Cover Arizona Coalition KidsCare page AHCCCS KidsCare page Alliance of Arizona Community Health Center’s Outreach & Enrollment Page Children’s Action Alliance Advocacy & Outreach pageAHCCCS Map of Uninsured Hotspots

In episode 130, we spent time with Sara Gonzalez, Belen Gonzalez, and Melia Dunn, talking about the Arizona Emerging Leaders Network and its origins and evolution. Now, we get to sit with one of the executive directors who was part of the Emerging Leaders Network. Chris Tiffany, Executive Director of Raising Special Kids, sat down with Melia Dunn and me and shared very candidly what a personal and organizational DEI journey can be—from victories to struggles. Links Raising Special Kids Website: https://raisingspecialkids.org/ Arizona Emerging Leaders Event Page: https://hexagon-sawfish-wahp.squarespace.com/azeml-learningseries

Our ongoing series looking into local emergency response practices, Arizona First Responder Systems and Mental Health Integration Spark Brief author Matt Eckhoff, hosted a conversation with Sharon McDonough, Director, Public Safety Communications Department, City of Tucson; Ana Corcoran, Administrator at Public Safety Communications Department, City of Tucson; and Amy Devins, Director, First Responder Services and Urgent Engagement, Arizona Complete Health, to learn more about Tucson's emergency response network.

Here at Vitalyst, one of our programmatic priorities is to support statewide housing initiatives along the spectrum of housing types. The past few years, this has meant a lot of capacity building for organizations, whether that is schools or, more recently, churches, to explore creating housing options for members of our community. This also means we collaborate with a lot of partners, including the Arizona Housing Coalition. George Campbell and Jamie Podratz from the Coalition joined us for a conversation to learn more about their work and initiatives.   Links Arizona Housing Coalition - Arizona Housing Coalition (azhousingcoalition.org) Arizona Veterans StandDown Alliance - Arizona Housing Coalition (azhousingcoalition.org) Grant and Per Diem Program - VA Homeless Programs Supportive Services for Veteran Families (va.gov) Temporary and Permanent Supportive Housing Solutions for Veterans (usvets.org) Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans - Meeting the needs of Vets since 2003

The Arizona Emerging Leadership Network is a statewide network of emerging leaders willing to invest time, talent, and treasure in recognizing the need for diverse and safe spaces to Convene around shared Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DEI) values. Participants capacity as Emerging leaders in Arizona have been built to work more intentionally and equitably supports communities and leaders to transformational change.   Links: AZEML Learning Series Events Website May Workshop: Eventbrite Registration Page