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The Vitalyst Spark podcast explores what it means to create a healthy community in Arizona.
Episodes
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
During this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we will be exploring systems change and talking to 2023 Systems Change Grant recipient Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth to talk to us about their Self-Healing Community System and Policy Change in Coconino County initiative. We will be joined by members of the Coalition, including Virginia Watahomigie, Executive Director; Becky Daggett, Mayor of Flagstaff; and Andrea Meronuck, Clinical Director with Northland Family Help Center.
Links
Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth https://coconinokids.org/
Northland Family Help Center https://northlandfamily.org/
City of Flagstaff Mayor’s Office https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/1406/Mayor-Council
Self-Healing Communities with Kevin Campbell https://coconinokids.org/self-healing-communities-with-kevin-campbell/
Comprehensive Analysis of Historical Trauma https://coconinokids.org/comprehensive-analysis-of-historical-trauma/
Igniting Self-Healing Communities Informant Interviews (Spark Grant) https://coconinokids.org/shc-partners/
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are joined by Kenneth Steel and Shelby Thompson from Pinnacle Prevention. We are talking about food systems in Arizona and the work of the Arizona Food Systems Network.
Shownotes / Links
Arizona Food Systems Network www.azfsn.org
Pinnacle Prevention https://www.pinnacleprevention.org/
Farm Bill Overview https://www.usda.gov/farmbill
Anti-Hunger & Food Systems Advocacy Call Registration https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kc-6grT4sHdSXHCu2ghuuKaYeu9ZifU5_#/registration
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Tuesday May 23, 2023
Today’s topic: the end of Medicaid’s continuous enrollment requirement, also known as “The Unwinding.” What is this “unwinding”? Since the beginning phases of the pandemic, the federal government has prohibited states from disenrolling Medicaid members, regardless of their eligibility status. The goal was to protect the health insurance coverage of individuals and families who were most at-risk during the pandemic. Fast forward three years, and with the fading of the pandemic, the federal government has allowed states to restart their normal process for determining Medicaid eligibility beginning April 1st. What does this mean for Arizona? It means a large number of people who are currently covered by Medicaid – roughly 650,000 Arizonans – may no longer qualify and may be at risk of losing their coverage. Fortunately, Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (commonly referred to as AHCCCS) and local partners have long been preparing for this unwinding and are working hard to ensure that Arizonans take action to maintain their Medicaid coverage or find quality coverage elsewhere. Today we’re talking to two colleagues who work to improve health insurance coverage across Arizona: Claudia Maldonado, with the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, and Matt Jewett, with Children’s Action Alliance. In partnership with organizations across the state, they are helping to lead the charge to protect Arizonans’ coverage during the unwinding.
Show Notes:
- Medicaid/AHCCCS members need to update their information on www.healthearizonaplus.gov.
- To speak with an assister about your health insurance options, visit www.coveraz.org or call 2-1-1.
- To find helpful materials related to the unwinding, visit www.coveraz.org/unwinding.
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are talking about impact investments, and we are joined by Kerwin Brown, of UPI Loan Fund, and Dave Castillo, of Native Community Capital, two of Vitalyst’s recent impact investments. Also joining the podcast is Suzanne Pfister, Vitalyst’s President and CEO, to talk about what impact investing means to Vitalyst and philanthropy. We discuss the roots of both organizations and why it’s important for organizations to make socially conscious, impactful investments that create opportunities for underserved communities.
Show Notes Links
Local First Arizona Rural Micro-Loan Fund
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
On this episode of The Vitalyst Spark podcast, we're going to be talking about housing, a huge issue that the state is facing overall, not just through the pandemic, but prior to. Housing has been on a climb in price and rental prices continue to increase. And we're seeing a lot more people struggle, and it's getting more difficult for everyone to squeeze more out of their dollar. That's why we're talking about this today, something that Vitalyst has been involved in from a programmatic aspect for the past few years. And we've been really delving into it. We're going to be talking about housing and a newly released publication Spark Brief called Promising Housing Practices in Arizona, that features what organizations are doing across the state to mitigate the housing issue. Our guests are Suzanne Pfister, president and CEO of Vitalyst Health Foundation, Gabriel Jaramillo, Director of Healthy Communities of Vitalyst Health Foundation, and Darlene Newsom, former CEO of UMOM New Day Centers.
Guests
Suzanne Pfister, President and CEO, Vitalyst Health Foundation
Gabriel Jaramillo, Director of Healthy Communities, Vitalyst Health Foundation
Darlene Newsom, Former CEO, UMOM New Day Centers
Links
Promising Housing Practices in Arizona Spark Brief
Promising Housing Practices Webinar with Maricopa Association of Governments
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Friday Feb 17, 2023
On today’s episode, we are joined by Juan Salas, Director of Operations and Accounting with the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona, or TAPAZ as we refer to it in-house. TAPAZ is a fiscal sponsorship organization that provides back office technical assistance to nonprofits across the state but he will tell us more about that. Also on today’s podcast is Nicola Winkel, Project Director with the Arizona Coalition for Military Families. They are the largest sponsored project of TAPAZ, and are doing some really great work across Arizona to improve the lives of military members and their families. We hope you enjoy learning more.
Resources:
Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona www.tapaz.org
Arizona Coalition for Military Families www.arizonacoalition.org
BeConnected www.connecveterans.org
BeConnected Career Navigation www.arizonacoalition.org/careernavigation/
Overview of Arizona Roadmap to Veteran Employment https://youtu.be/yF2Uv7EGik0
Military/Veteran Resource Navigation Training www.arizonacoalition.org/navigator/
13th Annual Statewide Symposium, April 19 -20, 2023 (Scholarships available) www.arizonacoalition.org/symposium/
Connect to help and support at 1-866-4AZ-VETS (429-8387)
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities, new challenges and new state leadership. The results of the 2022 Arizona general election propelled a new Governor and over 40 new legislators (which is nearly half of the entire legislature) into state office. This political shakeup can also be felt on the policy front as new state agency directors and advisors are settling into their positions. Today, we welcome two outstanding individuals to give us perspective on these changes in state leadership; what it means for policymaking over the foreseeable future, and what stakeholders can do to harness these changes for a better Arizona. Here’s our conversation with the former Chief Public Policy Officer of Valley of the Sun United Way, Penny Allee Taylor, and former State Representative and former Executive Director of the Arizona Association of Health Plans, Deb Gullett, discussing a new year and new state leadership.
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Throughout the life of this podcast, we’ve hosted a few episodes speaking to the importance of housing. Those conversations often center on the critical roles that government can and should play in preventing and addressing homelessness and housing instability in Arizona. Today’s episode, however, features someone who’s developed a unique take on housing solutions in Arizona. Howard Epstein, by trade, is a national executive for Bank of America, and by passion, he’s the creator of the Arizona Housing Fund, a voluntary donation-based fund that’s working to bring permanent supportive housing to vulnerable Arizonans.
The Arizona Housing Fund – www.arizonahousingfund.org
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Arizona’s general election is right around the corner, and this presents an incredible opportunity for us to ensure that the people we elect and the policies we pass set Arizona on a promising path toward improved health and well-being. Ballot measures may not always be top-of-mind during an election, but their existence and their implications are critically important to our state. Today, we’re speaking with three local leaders who will give us their thoughts on a selection of ballot measures connected to civic health and health equity. Today, we’re encouraging you, our listeners, to vote and to vote in support of community health and well-being.
You may not know this, but nonprofits are allowed to advocate for/against public policy. As a nonprofit that recognizes the community health implications of public policy, Vitalyst Health Foundation is using our voice and taking a stance on 7 of the 10 ballot measures, and we encourage others to do the same.
- Vote NO on Props 128, 132 and 309. These ideas jeopardize civic health by silencing the voice and eroding the power of Arizona’s voters. 132 specifically would have devastating effects.
- Vote YES on 209, 211, 308 and 310. These hold great promise to protect vulnerable Arizonans from the downward spiral of medical bankruptcy, build transparency and civility in our elections, provide fair tuition rates to all Arizonans, and fund Arizona’s fire districts – all of which help to create healthier communities.
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
Thursday Oct 06, 2022
On November 8th, Arizonans will cast their votes to determine who will represent their interests at the legislature and in other statewide offices, including that of the Governor. In our daily lives, we’re only exposed to a handful of these candidates – often through television ads and local media – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of candidates running for office; candidates who need your vote and need to be informed about the issues that matter to you. In this episode, the team at Vitalyst has come together to highlight some of the issues that we believe are of critical importance for candidates to understand and consider as they move closer to obtaining public office.
- Bolder Advocacy – Policy and advocacy resources for nonprofits.
- Alliance for Arizona Nonprofits – Statewide association for nonprofits.
- Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth – Northern AZ coalition focused on children’s well-being.
- Arizona Housing Coalition – Statewide coalition dedicated to housing policy and advocacy.
- Southwest Folklife Alliance – Nonprofit focused on building more vibrant communities through the celebration of culture.
- AZ Food Systems Network – Statewide coalition dedicated to building more affordable, accessible and sustainable food systems.
- Center for the Future of Arizona – Creator of the Arizonan Voters’ Agenda and the Arizona Progress Meters