16.2K
Downloads
141
Episodes
The Vitalyst Spark podcast explores what it means to create a healthy community in Arizona.
Episodes
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
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Today we’re joined by Justin Chase, President and CEO of Solari Crisis and Human Services. As you’ll hear from Justin, Solari, formerly known as Crisis Response Network, provides an array of important resources to individuals experiencing challenging times. These challenges could range from a mother needing to locate to closest food bank, to finding a safe place for your loved one who’s experiencing a bipolar episode. Solari even works with 911 dispatch units to refer mental health calls to appropriate levels of care. Solari is a connector. They improve community health by improving connections between people during some of life’s most difficult periods. Solari’s mission is simple: Inspiring Hope. And after hearing from Justin, it’s easy to see exactly what that means.
Links:
Solari Crisis and Human Services Website: www.solari-inc.org
Arizona Crisis Line: 1-800-631-1314
Arizona Warm Line: 602-347-1100
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Vitalyst’s Discovery Portal: www.vitalysthealth.org/partnering-with-vitalyst
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Thursday Jul 21, 2022
Today we’re talking with Dr. Amanda Burke from the Center for the Future of Arizona about the Arizona Voters’ Agenda, a new resource which takes a radically different look at voters’ interests and political campaigns in Arizona. What is this radically different approach? Instead of continuing to fuel the fires of division that seem to inundate our lives, CFA’s latest research reveals the issues that a majority of us actually agree on. As it turns out, despite the smoldering embers we constantly encounter, there is plenty of untapped common ground where Arizonans agree – common ground which, if championed by political candidates, could lead to a winning formula for elections and an improved quality of life for Arizonans. Speaking of elections, Arizona’s 2022 Primary and General elections are on the horizon (August 2nd and November 8th, 2022). Make sure your voice is heard by visiting www.arizona.vote.
- The Arizona Voters’ Agenda can be found at www.arizonafuture.org
- Make your voice heard in the upcoming elections by visiting www.arizona.vote
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Friday Jun 24, 2022
Today we’re joined by two Arizonans working to create healthier communities that recognize, address and prevent traumatic experiences. We’re not referring to the type of trauma you see in the traffic section of the news each day. Rather, we’re discussing the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs, as they’re commonly known) and toxic stress that can stem from harmful relationships with the people, places and policies that surround each of us. These experiences are often connected with things like abuse and neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse in the home, or the loss of a loved one. Sadly, recent evidence indicates that Arizona has the highest rate in the nation of people experiencing multiple ACEs. Today’s guests are working to change that. Angie Burleson is the Executive Director of the Arizona ACEs Consortium, a statewide collaborative that engages professionals and agencies to increase awareness about the causes, effects, and opportunities to decrease ACEs in our community. They do so, in part, by training school leaders, teachers and staff to create trauma-sensitive environments for Arizona’s children. Shomari Jackson is a member of the ACEs Consortium and is incoming Executive Director of the South Mountain Works Coalition, a non-profit working with youth and leaders in the South Mountain communities of Phoenix to prevent substance abuse. If you or anyone you know are navigating through a traumatic experience, or if it would be helpful to speak with a peer who’s gone through a similar experience, support is always available by calling Arizona’s Crisis Line at 1-800-631-1314 or by calling the Peer Support Warm Line at 602-347-1100.
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
For more than 100 episodes, we’ve hosted this podcast to highlight the inspiring work of Arizonans working to create healthier communities. We’ve spoken with experts focused on a wide range of issues, ranging from food systems to housing to transportation, as well as local leaders among Arizona’s Latino, Black, Tribal and Rural communities. Today, we’re doing something a little different. Today, we’re taking a moment to look inward, to pull back the curtain, and to better understand the motivations, milestones and mechanics of Vitalyst Health Foundation. This is a conversation with President and CEO, Suzanne Pfister. If you’ve ever been curious about what makes Vitalyst Vitalyst, or what the future of community health may hold, this is the episode for you. We hope you enjoy.
Referenced Materials:
