How Ronald McDonald House Charities Intermountain Area provides skilled behavioral health support to families when they need it most
Release Date: 05/23/2022
AI helps Regence address unique needs of individual health plan members
HealthChangers
Laurent Rotival, executive vice president and chief information officer for Regence, talks about how Regence first started its work in AI a decade ago and how that work has evolved in helping Regence meet the needs of members.
info_outline
How Regence streamlines the prior authorization process for providers, patients
HealthChangers
Dr. Donna Milavetz, chief medical officer for Regence, talks about how prior authorization helps make health care safer, more effective and more affordable, and the pain points that the industry is committed to improving.
info_outline
Hospitals seek direction on how to tackle industry challenges
HealthChangers
Dr. Lisa Bielamowicz, chief clinical officer at TrustWorks Collective, explores the market forces impacting American health care today, and how hospitals and health systems can best adapt to rapid change.
info_outline
Dougy Center creates safe space for kids to help each other navigate grief
HealthChangers
Brennan Wood, executive director of the Dougy Center, and Peggy Maguire, president of Regence’s corporate foundation, Cambia Health Foundation, explore how Dougy Center supports so many grieving families around the world and why the Cambia Health Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the group.
info_outline
Heartbeat Health, Regence use telehealth to boost access and outcomes for cardiac care
HealthChangers
Dr. Jeff Wessler, a cardiologist and CEO and co-founder of Heartbeat Health; and William Krenz, senior vice president of government programs for Regence, discuss how Heartbeat and Regence are using virtual cardiac care to improve heart health and cardiac care for Regence members.
info_outline
New center in South Salt Lake offers ‘no wrong door’ to patients in mental health crisis
HealthChangers
Kevin Curtis, clinical operations director at the Mental Health Crisis Care Center, and Dr. Mike Franz, executive medical director for behavioral health at Regence, talk about the new crisis care center in Utah and what it can teach us about how to best address the national mental health epidemic.
info_outline
Digital health care means better access and affordability
HealthChangers
Dr. Daniel Meltzer, executive medical director at Regence, talks about the benefits of digital health to save lives and make underserved communities healthier.
info_outline
Election brings change to federal, state health care policy
HealthChangers
Ali Esquea, vice president of federal affairs at Regence, and Stephen Foxley, vice president of state affairs at Regence, look at how the fall election results could impact not just health policy in the White House and Congress, but in the four states where Regence operates: Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
info_outline
Large employers push for reform to stop the skyrocketing cost of care
HealthChangers
Bill Kramer, senior advisor for health policy at the Purchaser Business Group on Health, talks about how the country's largest employers figure out how to keep the cost of health care sustainable for their employees.
info_outline
DispatchHealth, Regence say in-home care can help address ‘silver tsunami’ of aging Americans
HealthChangers
Dr. Stefen Ammon, medical director of DispatchHealth, and Lara Magnani, director of clinical program management at Regence, talk about the innovative DispatchHealth in-home care model and how the DispatchHealth-Regence partnership has made care more affordable, accessible and effective for Regence members.
info_outlineWhen a child is seriously ill or injured, the entire family is affected. While the child requires medical attention and effective treatments, their family also needs to be supported with compassion and care. Families can find this support at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which works to ease the burdens of everyday life so families can focus on being with their children.
To expand the resources available to families, RMHC of the Intermountain Area has created a new family support program funded by the Cambia Health Foundation. This pioneering program includes a full-time staff person and provides crisis intervention, mental health support, grief and bereavement support, and collaborative case management to help address social determinants of health. This can include helping families at home after their stay by connecting them to community resources for job placement, food security, school, support groups and other services.
RMHC is a longtime community partner of Cambia Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cambia Health Solutions. The new family support program aligns with the Foundation’s new strategic vision to advance equity through whole-person health in underserved communities. With this renewed focus on behavioral health and belief in building a just and inclusive health care system for all, the Foundation is amid a multi-year, $11.5 million community initiative to increase access, improve quality of care and reduce the stigma of mental health.
This episode of HealthChangers highlights the innovative family support program founded at RMHC Intermountain Area. Carrie Romano, CEO of RMHC Intermountain Area, and Maria Gamvroulas, Family Support Services Manager, talk with Jim Swayze, president of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, about the work of RMHC and the support of families. The episode concludes with reflections from Peggy Maguire, president of the Cambia Health Foundation.