A Second Opinion with Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

We are joined again today by one of our very first guests on the show.  Sam Quinones is an award-winning journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic. Two years ago, Sam and I discussed how opioid addiction had transformed the health and healthcare landscape of our nation. Today, Sam is back to share with us his latest book, out now, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. His fascinating, in-depth reporting reveals the rapidly evolving drug epidemic that, while overshadowed by a global pandemic, has in many ways intensified.  He also shares stories of hope that demonstrate we still have a path forward on this uniquely challenging public health crisis.  And if you enjoy today’s episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to our original discussion in Episode #12. 

Dr. Kevin Churchwell is the president and CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, ranked the number one pediatric hospital in the nation.  There, they treat more rare and complex pediatric cases than any other hospital in the world.   On today’s show, Dr. Churchwell shares his inspiring story of how he went from being a practicing physician to leading major pediatric health systems – previously serving as CEO of the Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, the Vanderbilt Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital in Nashville, and today leading Boston Children’s.

Dr. Emily Wang is a professor in the Yale School of Medicine and directs Yale’s new SEICHE Center for Health and Justice, which works to stimulate community transformation by identifying the legal, policy, and practice levers that can improve the health of individuals and communities impacted by mass incarceration.  Today with Dr. Wang, we’re covering a topic we’ve never touched on in A Second Opinion: the effect of mass incarceration on individual and community health.  It’s an issue that’s overlooked and ignored by our traditional healthcare systems – yet so many are impacted: half of Americans have family members who have been incarcerated.  Dr. Wang’s expertise on this issue will have you rethinking our approaches to jail, prison, and healthcare.  To read more about what doctors, health system leaders and policymakers can do to support decarceration, Dr. Wang recommends: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2773226.  For a general review on mass incarceration: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(17)30259-3.pdf.  Additional information on the Transitions Clinic Network: Website: https://transitionsclinic.org/ NPR article: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/05/499775644/helping-ex-inmates-stay-out-of-the-er-brings-multiple-benefits   NY Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/health/ex-prisoners-health-california.html

On October 6th, the United Way of Greater Nashville hosted a timely and compelling discussion on “Healthcare Disparities in Our Own Backyard.”  The panel was made possible by the United Way’s de Tocqueville Society, a now-global society that was founded in 1981 by my brother Dr. Tommy Frist, Jr., to deepen relationships between the United Way and community leaders. We’re sharing this discussion with you as a close look at the health and healthcare disparities in one southern city, my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, as well as examine how our leading healthcare providers are working to specifically address these shortfalls. In the discussion, we highlight some of the concerning statistics uncovered in a recent community health and well-being survey, which you can find at: www.nashvillehealth.org/survey Now let me turn to our panel, where I’m joined by: James Hildreth, President & CEO of Meharry Medical College, and a member of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force; Consuelo Wilkins, Senior Vice President & Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Tama Van Decar, Chief Medical Officer of HCA Healthcare – TriStar Division; who prior to joining the private sector had a highly decorated 20-year military career, and Mary Kate Mouser, Director of Community Health and Benefits at Ascension Saint Thomas, where she works to establish strategies to improve the health of communities.

Dr. Harvey Fineberg is president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He previously served as president of the U.S. Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine), as provost of Harvard University, and as dean of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Our wide-ranging discussion today hits on so many topics, including the role of foundations in impacting health, his research on the controversial 1976 federal immunization program against swine flu – and its applications today, and how we should reform American medical education. It’s a discussion you don’t want to miss. 

This episode is brought to you by MEDHOST, a Trusted EHR for Healthcare Facilities. To learn more, go to Medhost.com. Dr. Scott Gottlieb is the 23rd commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, serving from 2017 through 2019.  Today, he’s a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, serves on the board of Pfizer, and is one of the most knowledgeable, sought-after experts on drug and device regulation and our nation’s public health. He also has a new book out called, Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.  In today’s discussion, Dr. Gottlieb shares with us what he learned in writing this authoritative account, including everything that went wrong that left us excessively vulnerable to Covid-19, including how we over-focused on political failures and continue to overlook our nation’s systemic shortcomings.  He gives an update on when we can expect Covid vaccine approval for kids, and what we need to do to be prepared for the next pandemic. Learn more about Dr. Gottlieb’s new book, including where to buy it, here: www.uncontrolledspread.com/ A note for listeners: we are taking a short break and won’t have a podcast next week on October 4th, but we’ll be back in your feed on Monday, October 11th.

This episode is brought to you by MEDHOST, a Trusted EHR for Healthcare Facilities. To learn more, go to Medhost.com. Dr. Keith Churchwell is the president of Yale New Haven Hospital. A strategic and innovative leader, Dr. Churchwell is leading Yale New Haven into the new era of hospital care with an eye towards equity and diversity. With his roots here in Nashville, Dr. Churchwell shares with us how his family’s commitment to excellence shaped his career – he and his two brothers are all hospital system leaders. And we talk about what it takes to make the tough calls in healthcare that take guts but result in true breakthroughs. For more insights from Dr. Churchwell, read the following resources: Call to action in Circulation: structural racism as a major driver of health disparities: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000936 Working towards more equitable communities: https://www.ynhh.org/publications/bulletin/111220/an-interview-with-keith-churchwell-md-president-yale-new-haven-hospital.aspx Fighting Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/ynhh_naacp_town_hall/ Pushing for diversity in clinical trials: https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/churchwell_interview/

Dr. Kelly Arnold is a pioneering physician who founded Clinica Medicos, a medical clinic designed to meet the unique needs of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Latino community. Will an entirely bilingual medical staff and a commitment to address all patients needs in a culturally sensitive approach, the clinic is based on a principle that no one who walks in will ever be turned away. In just over five years, Dr. Arnold has grown Clinica Medicos to treat thousands of patients, in a model that communities nationwide should look to as a way to provide care for the underserved and minority populations.

Today we are doing a deep dive into the revolutionary new field of synthetic biology.  I’m thrilled to be joined by Dr. Jason Kelly, the CEO and co-founder of the company that’s leading this revolution, Ginkgo Bioworks.   Ginkgo is the largest designer of synthetic DNA in the world, and programs cells for customers in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and energy industries. It’s valued at $15 billion and has been listed for the past three years on CNBC's Disruptor 50 List of fast-growing companies. I truly believe this field will dramatically transform future industries in the way that Apple and Microsoft have changed our lives with technology – and Jason tells the story of how this future is possible on today’s show.

This episode is brought to you by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are in every ZIP code in every state, working to improve health and expand access to care. Community by community. For the health of America. Today we’re focusing in on rural behavioral health, looking at Montana as an example for some of the barriers we’re seeing nationwide, and a model for potential solutions to these challenges.   I’m joined by two experts providing the clinical and insurer perspectives:   Julie Kelso, a board-certified adult psychiatrist who served at the Billings Clinic from 2007-2021 as Department Chair, Program Director for the UW Montana Track psychiatry residency and medical director of Integrated Behavioral Health. Now at Riverstone Health in Yellowstone County, she’s a collaborative care psychiatrist.   John Doran is the Divisional Vice President of External Affairs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana. With a background in journalism and communications, John oversees all government, public and media relations, community outreach, and corporate strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana.