As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we are joined by two women who are passionate about addressing health equity. Carolyn Belisle is Blue Cross’s Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Carrie Bridges is Vice President of Community Health and Equity for Lifespan Health System. We sat down for a frank discussion about the state of women’s health equity, health equity overall, and the tremendous work needed to turn change into transformation.Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We're in the last few days of Black History Month, and during this time, we look back on and celebrate Black leaders from the past. But it's just as important to think about future leaders. Needed change can only happen when representation exists in the rooms where decisions happen. Today, on this episode, we hear from a Rhode Island leader who is building a pipeline of leaders of color for positions of influence throughout the state. Angie Bannerman Ankoma is vice president and executive director of the Equity Leadership Initiative (or ELI) at the Rhode Island Foundation. Angie sat down with Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, diversity, equity, and inclusion manager at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. They talked about the great work that ELI is doing to strengthen the leadership landscape in the Ocean State.Learn more aboutThe  Equity Leadership Initiative here.Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

February is Heart Health Awareness Month, and today, we'll be engaging in conversations, and tackling some difficult topics on how to make your heart healthier. You'll hear from a Blue Cross associate who has learned to turn loss into activism. We'll be joined by Michelle Clark from the American Heart Association. And finally, a Blue Cross & Blue Shield Rhode Island dietitian will share insights on how to eat more heart-healthy without the heartbreaking decision to give up all your favorite foods.Learn how you can help the American Heart Association here.To meet with a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian call, click, or come by one of our five Your Blue Store Locations.Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Join us as we look back on the 2023 Road to Health podcast season, reliving moments of happiness, connection, and community strength. In this episode, we'll chat with a Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian for tips on sticking to dietary resolutions. We'll hear from two practitioners using creative play to improve children's mental health. Explore the diverse definitions of joy from our employee business resource groups. Learn from a Rhode Island institution safeguarding dignity and hygiene health. Finally we'll celebrate the 20th birthday of the BlueAngel Community Health Grant. It's a journey through the year's inspiring stories and valuable insights on the road to wellness.Here some of the episodes we featured segments from:The Rhode to Resolution20 Years: BlueAngel Community Health GrantThe Rhode to Black HealthThe Rhode to Women's HealthThe Rhode to CreativityRhode to LGBTQIA+ AllyshipThe Rhode to Latinx HealthBe healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

For the past eight years Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has been working to create health settings that are transparently inclusive, safe, affirming and welcoming to LGBTIA+ people through the Safe Zone Program. We believe LGBTQIA+ Rhode Islanders deserve to be cared for by providers who show a commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion. Safe Zone certification has blossomed to include a wide variety of healthcare settings that meet the unique needs of this population where they are. The program now boasts 117 Safe Zone locations, 37 of which joined in our fall 2023 cohort. Scott Gowrie, Safe Zone program lead, cohosts, as we hear from several of these new Safe Zone providers and learn about their ongoing journey toward LGBTQIA+ inclusion and the pursuit of Safe Zone certification.If you are a provider interested in learning more about the Safe Zone program go to:www.bcbsri.com/providers/safezone-programIf you'd like to find a Safe Zone participating health care provider go to:www.bcbsri.com/safezonesBe healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Blue Cross is dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders stay healthy as they age. And for good reason. Rhode Island's population is one of the oldest in the United States. And healthy aging means more than just maintaining physical health as we get older. It means aging with dignity, mental well-being, and secure access to social determinants of health like housing and food. Ensuring healthy aging is a big job. Of course, aging affects all of u. And that's why we're dedicating today's episode to this important topic. We'll speak with Maria Cimini, Director of the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging, learn about everything available to older Rhode Islanders at a Your Blue Store, and hear from a chef and a dietitian about how we can eat smarter as we age.To learn more about the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging go to oha.ri.gov. If you need to report elder abuse, neglect, financial exploitation and self-neglect call 401-462-0555. Reports can also be entered via a secure Web Intake line.Click here to learn more about Your Blue Stores.View the schedule of upcoming events such as exercise, education, or nutrition classes here.You can find more information about the MIND diet here.

Today we're continuing our celebration of 20 Years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants with a beloved institution; The Rhode Island Community Food Bank. The Food Bank was a recipient of two BlueAngel Community Health Grants, one in 2004-2005 for "Eating Well" and the other in 2009-2010 for "Raising the Bar on Nutrition." I got to sit down with Flannery Sullivan – Community Nutrition Manager, and Yesenia Barnier – Program Manager of the Food Bank's Kids Cafe, and we discussed the many ways this critical Rhode Island organization keeps folks fed and healthy.The Rhode to Health is a podcast presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. It's produced and hosted by me, Mark Sheldon and Mason Im is our sound engineer, with additional support from David Montalvo. I'd like to thank our guests Flannery Sullivan and Yesenia Barnier from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, Gerente de Diversidad, Equidad, y Inclusión y voy hacer su presentadora en lo que exploramos la salud de Latinos durante el Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Van a oir las perspectivas de Latino@Link, nuestro grupo de recursos para empleados en el estado de salud. Vamos hablar con Oscar Alexis Mejias, director ejecutivo de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de RI y vamos a volver a visitor una conversación con Marcela Betancour, Directora Ejecutiva de la institución de Politica Latino y Jennifer Gaviria, cofundadora de la red Latina de salud mental.  Sigan saludable. Sigan bien. Y sigan con sus ojos en el camino.

Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager will be your guest host as we explore Latinx health during Hispanic Heritage Month. You'll hear thoughts from our Latin@ Link EBRG on the state of healthcare. We'll talk with Oscar Alexis Mejias, CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and we will revisit a piece featuring Marcela Betancour, Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute, and Jennifer Gaviria, Co-Founder of Latino Mental Health Network of Rhode Island. Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Welcome to the Rhode to Health Back Rhodes. Now that kids are back at school and settling in we’re revisiting a segment from our Rhode to Learning episode from a year ago, where we sat down with Sarah Dinklage, CEO of Rhode Island Student Assistance Services, about how RISAS is working to protect Rhode Island youth from behavioral health and substance use risks. Recently, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island committed one million dollars over three years to fund this critical work. Let’s listen as Sarah explains how RISAS is removing kids' barriers to well-being.

We're continuing our celebration of 20 years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants with a 2023 grantee, Westbay Community Action, which opened its doors in 1966. Since that time, they have served Kent County with an impressive range of services. One of these services stemmed from a pilot program known as Hoarding Intervention Response and Evaluation, or HIRE. HIRE sits at the crossroads of multiple health crises in Rhode Island, most notably the current crises involving housing and behavioral health. Sarah Lopatka-Faria, Westbay’s chief program officer, and Kelly McHugh, director of case management, sat down with me and spoke about HIRE as well as everything Westbay Community Action is doing for their community.Learn more about West Bay Community Action here.Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

Today we're revisiting a segment from July of 2022. As summer rolls to an end there are still a few outdoor barbecues left in the season, so we've got some summer eating tips with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island dietitian Laura Beltz. Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

In the month that we celebrate our independence, we’re taking a moment to acknowledge the  folks who protect it. Today we're learning about Rhode Island’s veteran population by sitting down with an organization that protects their health and well-being in so many ways. Erik Wallen served as a United States Air Force Captain in the Department of the Judge Advocate General. Since 2011 he has served as the full-time executive director and general counsel for Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. The organization offers a wide range of life-changing services including supportive permanent and transitional housing, legal and VA benefit representation, intensive case management, basic human needs assistance and employment training programs. Erik sat down with us and discussed the many ways Operation Stand Down is  helping to support Rhode Island’s most vulnerable veterans.To learn more about Operation Stand Down Rhode Island go to www.osdri.org.Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

The party continues as we celebrate 20 years of BlueAngel Community Health Grants, and in honor of today's guest, we're making it a bit of a Quinceañera. For the last 15 years, Clínica Esperanza has made it their mission to provide culturally attuned and linguistically appropriate medical care and preventive health services to uninsured Rhode Islanders. And in that time Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has supported the Clínica in a number of ways, notably as a BlueAngel Community Health Grant recipient in 2010 and 2011 and then again in 2015 and 2016. Morgan Leonard, Clínica Esperanza's executive director, sat down with us and we talked about everything they do.Learn more about Clínica Esperanza at aplacetobehealthy.org.Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We're revisiting an episode from summer of 2022, when we met with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Medical Director and surf enthusiast Dr. Victor Pinkes, who shared with us some great tips on how to stay safe on Rhode Island's beautiful beaches.  Be healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

We’re continuing our celebration of 20 years of the Blue Angel Community Health Grant with a first-time partner: West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation (WEHDC).By providing high quality home buyer education and foreclosure prevention support, WEHDC helps first time homebuyers to transition from tenancy to acquire their first homes and supports long term housing and economic stability.  Hear from Candace Harper, WEHDC Executive Director and Jessenia Tolentino, WEHDC’s new Bilingual Housing Counselor as they share with us the ways that they’re tackling Rhode Island’s growing housing crisis. With Jessenia onboard, WEHDC can now offer these resources in Spanish, helping to reach the 62% of Latino residents that call the West End home. Learn more about West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation at westelmwood.org and their educational programing classes by clicking here.

June is Pride month. Unfortunately, in social media, the news, and, scariest of all, in places that affect lives, livelihoods and the future of our underrepresented friends and neighbors, anti-LGBTQIA discourse is on the rise. And so now, more than ever, it's time to show up in ways that go beyond rainbow-washing and can help protect the health and wellness of a community that is so ingrained in the fabric of our state. This podcast is dedicated to making us all better allies. Joining us are members of Blue Cross's BluepRIde employee business resource group to discuss the challenges for the LGBTQIA+ community and the best way for allies to be genuinely helpful. Learn more about BCBSRI's Employee Business Resource Groups.For the past eight years, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has been working with healthcare providers to make that ally-ship measurable and visible through our Safe Zones program. Scott Gowrie, Safe Zone program lead, joins the latest cohort of providers to become Safe Zone certified as they reflect on what it means to create a safe space to seek medical care. Learn more about the Safe Zone program.And finally, we are joined by Elise Strom,  Jason Preciphs and Jodi Glass from Aldersbridge Communities. This organization has been providing services to older adults throughout Rhode Island ranging from long-term care to skilled nursing to independent and assisted living services for more than 50 years. They discuss their newest community, which is conceived to be LGBTQ friendly from the ground up, and  why the intersection of this population, aging and housing vulnerability make for an opportunity for ally-ship of the highest order. Learn about Aldersbridge Communities.You can find music and more information about the Candace Brooks Band at thecandacebrooksband.com.Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

In this BACKRHODES episode, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island's own Aneesah Cameron shares a unique perspective on the intersection of Juneteenth and healthcare in the African American community. Aneesah sheds light on issues of trust and equity, reminding us that in order to look ahead and make progress, we must understand and acknowledge the past.Be healthy. Be well. And keep you're eyes on the Rhode.

We are continuing our year-long celebration of 20 Years of the BlueAngel Community Health grants with a Rhode Island institution that has been awarded the grant three times: Farm Fresh Rhode Island.Farm Fresh is also celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. In the past two decades, the organization has made it their mission to connect eaters with the locally and honestly produced foods and flavors  of our area. This work to make Rhode Island’s people and land healthier has required methods and actions that are at times both creative and surprising. We sat down with Farm Fresh’s Executive Director, Jesse Rye, and  talked about everything Farm Fresh is doing to cultivate the best possible farm to table experience.Lear more about Farm Fresh RI at www.farmfreshri.org.Be Healthy. Be Well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.

May is mental health month and today’s episode was chosen by you, our listeners. We reached out on social media and you told us what you wanted to hear. So, we’re going to have an overview of the pediatric behavioral health crisis and how we’re responding. From Rosaly Cuevas, Manager of Behavioral Health Quality, Network and Policy; Sarah Fleury, Director of Behavioral Health; and back from the top of the show, Rena Sheehan, Vice President of Clinical Integration. We sit down for a round table discussion with Jenny Bautista-Ravreby, Amber Dicks, Shikenya Gough, Chante Foster, Marissa Rodrigues, and Scott Gowrie. Together, we talked about how their diverse backgrounds have played a significant role in how they each perceive the behavioral health space and how having these important conversations can shed light on the need for greater variety in approaches to care. Finally, we’ll talk with Dr. Eric B. Loucks, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Professor of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health, on the effectiveness of mindfulness and meditation on your overall health. Be healthy. Be well. And keep your eyes on the Rhode.