Health Calls

In times of financial hardship, it can be challenging to prioritize investments in projects make sweeping commitments to that address matters such as the climate crisis. But with health impacts related to environmental degradation becoming an increasing part of our daily lives, such investments have never been more important.

Indu Spugnardi, CHA Director of Advocacy and Resource Development, and Gary Cohen, President of Health Care Without Harm, join the podcast to discuss the urgent need to prioritize environmental stewardship in health care work. They address financial incentives to advance environmental sustainability, areas where systems can make the most impactful changes, and the Laudato Si' Action Platform, a Vatican-led initiative to inspire radical change in the fight against climate change.

Resources

• CHA’s Environment page
• Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home (Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical)
• Watch “The Letter” a documentary commissioned from The Vatican about Laudato Si’ and the ecological crisis facing our planet
• Health Care Without Harm’s Official Website
• Visit COP27’s official website to follow updates from the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference
• How Health Care Can Lead the Way on Renewable Energy (Health Progress article authored by Gary Cohen)
• Combating Global Warming: Healthy Climate, Healthy People (Health Progress article authored by Gary Cohen)
• Thinking Green on Behalf of Patients and Workers (Health Progress article authored by Gary Cohen)

Following their conversation with Msgr. Robert Vitillo of the International Catholic Migration Commission, Brian and CHA’s Sr. Director of Global Health Bruce Compton continue their conversation about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Christian Kostko, a consultant with the Catholic Response for Ukraine, joins the program from Ukraine and updates us on the morale of the Ukrainian people. Kostko also highlights some of the biggest needs facing war-torn communities and the importance of working with well-connected international partners when looking to donate material goods.

Resources

CHA’s Ukraine Resources Page

The number of uninsured children in the U.S. has risen significantly in the past few years. In this episode, Professor Joan Alker from Georgetown University and Dr. Heidi Sallee from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital discuss the reasons for this trend, the policy implications, and what Catholic health care can do to help increase coverage for kids.

Catholic health care works to reverse worrisome dip in children's health insurance coverage

Medicaid Makes It Possible

Amidst the public discourse about COVID-19 vaccines are questions and concerns pertaining to moral implications and religious objections. Fr. Tom Nairn, PhD, a trained ethicist and author of several books on bioethics, joins Dr. Reginald Eadie, president and CEO at Trinity Health of New England, in countering some of the myths and clarifying some of the misinformation that has arisen.

CHA’s Love Thy Neighbor campaign

This is an updated version from our previous podcast posting with the full episode - we apologize for the inconvenience

As artificial intelligence is implemented into more and more aspects of health care, it can be difficult to keep up with the varying ethical considerations that arise. If Catholic health care is to thrive in this new era of technology, a robust theological perspective is necessary.

Dan Daly, Executive Director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, returns to Health Calls to discuss how Catholic health providers can find theological guidance and ethical clarity on technological questions. He discusses Pope Francis’s perspective on AI, why human empathy is crucial, and why efficiency and profit cannot be the ministry’s ultimate goals.

Resources

Visit the Center for Theology and Ethics in Health Care’s new website

Revisit Dan Daly’s previous Health Calls episode on the Center’s mission and values