What should we do about the fact that a person's health is affected in large part by social factors beyond the confines of the hospital? For a long time, traditional health care institutions have been inadequate in answering this question. Joining us in this episode is Toyin Ajayi, MD, MPhil, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cityblock Health, a tech-driven health care provider for communities with complex health and social needs. With a focus on Medicaid and lower income Medicare beneficiaries, Cityblock Health has been widely recognized as an exemplar of a sustainable model of care delivery for marginalized populations. We are pleased to be joined by Dr. Ajayi to discuss Cityblock Health as well as her clinical work, which centers on patients with chronic complex and end-of-life needs.

In this episode, you will hear about:

• Dr. Ajayi’s personal journey from growing up in Kenya to leading Cityblock Health - 1:57
• Why Dr. Ajayi chose to focus her career on patients with complex and chronic health needs - 4:11
• The social determinants of health and its impact on a patient’s ability to seek appropriate medical care - 5:21
• Dr. Ajayi’s story of a chronically-ill patient who appeared ‘difficult’ but in truth was suffering from social inequities that limited his access to health care - 10:35
• A discussion of Cityblock Health, the value-based healthcare provider that Dr. Ajayi co-founded to provide care to the Medicaid patient population - 18:07
• The stigmas around Medicaid patients and why Dr. Ajayi sees opportunities instead of barriers  - 22:02
• An in-depth exploration of the services Cityblock Health provides - 27:00
• The challenges of the fee-for-service model of American healthcare, and how Cityblock seeks to address them - 32:36
• Dr. Ajayi’s advice to medical practitioners on how to build trust and rapport with their patients - 37:50
• The future of Cityblock Health and the health equity movement - 40:05

Follow Dr. Toyin Ajayi on Twitter @ToyinAjayiDoc and Cityblock Health @CityblockHealth

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