Vitalyst Spark

Episode 140: What is Systems Change? A Conversation with FSG.

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

 

Episode 139: ALL in Education's Multilingual Minds Initiative

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. 

Episode 138: Pastoral Care Associates and the Intersection of Faith and Health

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. 

Episode 137: First Responder Mental Wellness: Mental Health Self-Care Practices for First Responders

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

Episode 136: TAPAZ 101 - What is Fiscal Sponsorship?

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 

Episode 135: The Vitalyst Discovery Process is Open

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

E134: AHCCCS and KidsCare

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 page
AHCCCS Map of Uninsured Hotspots

E133: The Arizona Emerging Leaders Network in Action: Raising Special Kids

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

E132: Tucson: Mental Health Integration within Emergency Response

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.

E131: Arizona Housing Coalition and Veterans StandDown

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