Advancing Health

Some patients don’t need more care — they need a different kind of care. In this conversation, leaders from University of Utah Health share how an intensive primary care model is reducing hospital utilization and improving patient stability.

In this Advancing Health encore episode, Duke University's Anna Tharakan, lead project manager on Closing the Gap on Hypertension Disparities, and Bradi Granger, Ph.D., research professor at Duke University School of Nursing and director of the Duke Heart Center Nursing Research Program, discuss how Duke’s team is closing hypertension disparities by integrating community health workers, student ambassadors and local clinics.

As demand for mental health care rises, primary care clinics are expanding how they support patients. In this conversation, John Muir Health's Jeremy Fish, M.D., director of the Family Medicine Residency Program, and Pilar Corcoran-Lozano, PsyD, behavioral health core faculty and supervising psychologist of the Co-Training Program, discuss how training physicians and behavioral health professionals as a team is improving patient care, strengthening teamwork and expanding access to these vital mental health services.

Health care leaders are facing workforce shortages, rising burnout and growing demand for care. So, what’s working — and what's next? In this conversation, Gratia Pitcher, M.D., chief medical officer and patient experience dyad leader with Essentia Health, and Larissa Africa, vice president of health care workforce solutions with Staff Garden by Ascend Learning, discuss findings from the 2026 AHA Health Care Workforce Scan and how hospitals are redesigning care teams, using AI to reduce administrative burden, and building career pathways for the next generation of clinicians.

Hospitals impact far more than what happens inside their walls. In this conversation, Doug Brown, partner with Manatt Health and current chair of the American Hospital Association's Foster G. McGaw Prize Committee, discusses how hospitals are tackling food insecurity, workforce development, safe neighborhoods, and other social drivers of health through authentic community partnerships. Discover what it takes for hospitals to truly serve as cornerstones of their communities, and how the Foster G. McGaw Prize highlights these innovative programs that are making a difference.
To learn more about the Foster G. McGaw Prize and apply for the 2027 award, visit aha.org/fostermcgaw.