Congresswoman Lois Capps, U.S. Representative of California and founder of the House Nursing Caucus, discusses her commitment to quality health care for all.

Conversations on Health Care® speaks with Congresswoman Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, founder and co-chair of the House Nursing Caucus. Congresswoman Capps is a former nurse, public health advocate and since being elected to Congress in 1998, she has made it her legislative priority to help underserved populations gain access to quality health care.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Dr. Mitch Katz, San Francisco's Director of Public Health, discuss the public option and the universal access program.

Conversations on Health Care® is an innovative radio show debuting today with special guest U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Dr. Mitch Katz, the nationally-known health director for the city and county of San Francisco, will also make a guest appearance. The show can be heard on WESU-FM at 88.1 or you can listen online at www.wesufm.org—streaming live worldwide. Join us for what we anticipate to be a memorable and inspiring inaugural show.

Health Care Transformation Task Force Chair Dr. Richard Gilfillan on Value-Based Care Policies Trump and Congress Must Consider

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Richard Gilfillan, CEO of Trinity Health and Chair of the Health Care Transformation Task Force, a consortium of health industry leaders committed to improving health care in the US. Dr. Gilfillan discusses the need for continued support for value-based health care delivery improvements from Congress and the Trump Administration.

Dr. Rick Bright to Lead Bold Pandemic Preparedness Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Rick Bright, Sr. Vice President for Pandemic Preparedness and Response at The Rockefeller Foundation, former chief of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) at HHS, and member of the Biden Transition Team on COVID-19. Dr. Bright is launching a new pandemic preparedness initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation, creating the first-of-its-kind national and global pandemic surveillance infrastructure to alert governments around the world about emerging pandemic threats. Dr. Bright resigned his post at BARDA after filing a whistleblower complaint against the previous administration for mishandling of the pandemic response.

Health Policy Challenges President-Elect Trump Must Face

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Blendon, Director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health about health opinions that will challenge the Trump administration in establishing health policy. Dr. Blendon discusses how differing opinions regarding health care will shape the administration's health policy agenda moving forward.

Robert E. Mechanic, Senior Fellow at Heller School, Brandeis University

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Robert E. Mechanic, Senior Fellow at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Mr. Mechanic is the lead author on a report in this month’s Health Affairs that offers the first in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of cost containment measures in the State of Massachusetts since near-universal health coverage was achieved in that state. The report looks at the rise of Accountable Care Organizations and the creation of an independent commission to oversee health care system performance as having a positive impact on cost controls.

Robert Gallo, Scientist Who Co-Discovered HIV Offers Guidance to Patients as Omicron Increases

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome famed AIDS Researcher Dr. Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of the HIV virus, which led to the first tests and treatments for AIDS. He is Director of the Institute for Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Co-founder of the Global Virus Network, a consortium of research centers of excellence in 66 countries around the world, a nongovernmental agency collaborating on emerging virus research. Dr. Gallo says their network of scientists knew early in the COVID-19 pandemic that the mRNA vaccines would be effective, but for a limited time, and that boosters will be required until the global outbreak is brought under control. He says it’s too soon to predict the full impact of the omicron variant, but that it is likely to overwhelm many countries.

Ending HIV/AIDS in America and Confronting the Resurgence of Measles: CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield on Public Health Solutions

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which is dedicated to eradicating the AIDS Virus as we know it in this country, dramatically reducing new infections within a decade. He also addresses the domestic and global spike of previously eradicated diseases like measles, resulting from a growing anti-vaccination movement.

Ending HIV Epidemic in a Decade: CDC Director Robert Redfield on Treatments, Prevention and Hope For Vaccine

This week, on the eve of World Aids Day, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter revisit their conversation with Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the quest to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in ten years. They discuss the CDC’s efforts to advance infection prevention in high risk groups through the use of PrEP, better treatment protocols for those already infected, and the ongoing quest to develop an AIDS vaccine.

Dr. Robert Wachter, Author of the "The Digital Doctor"

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Wachter, Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine at U.C. San Francisco. He is considered the founder of the "hospitalist" movement and is author of The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age which examines the challenges being experienced in the rapid transition to digital medicine.

Dr. Robert Wachter, Author of the "The Digital Doctor"

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Wachter, Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine at U.C. San Francisco. He is considered the founder of the "hospitalist" movement and is author of The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine's Computer Age which examines the challenges being experienced in the rapid transition to digital medicine.

Reaction to Philadelphia’s New Mask Orders: “A Little Premature”

“It feels a little premature…I might have waited a little longer to see what happens.”

That’s the reaction from COVID expert Dr. Robert Wachter to Philadelphia’s decision to again require people to wear masks indoors, including in schools and daycares. It’s the first major American city to take this step. Wachter is chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco and a popular voice on Twitter.

He also shares that policymakers, including those looking at renewing public transportation mask orders, must consider that the public is tired of wearing masks after over two years.

Conversations on Health Care hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter’s full interview with Dr. Wachter is available now.

Dr. Robert Zarr, ParkRx Advisor, National Park Service

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Robert Zarr, pediatrician at Unity Health in Washington, DC and founder of the ParkRx movement, which seeks to help patients achieve optimal health by prescribing the use local park spaces. Dr. Zarr discusses the science behind the movement and the development of a national data base for clinicians around the country to prescribe park time for improved mental health, physical wellbeing and reduced obesity rates among their patients.

Robin Guenther, FAIA, Sustainable Healthcare Design Expert

This week on Conversations on Health Care, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Robin Guenther, FAIA, Principal at the global architectural firm Perkins & Will and a Senior Advisor to Healthcare Without Harm. Ms. Guenther, a leading expert on sustainable design in health care, addresses the growing trend of green building design in the health care industry, leading to a reduced carbon footprint as well as healthier, more sustainable buildings.

West Alabama Women’s Center Director Talks About the Impact of Roe

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, overturning a constitutional right to abortion, has led to abortion services ending at West Alabama Women’s Center, Inc., in Tuscaloosa.

The clinic’s director, Robin Marty, explains that the states making abortion illegal are also the ones blocking Medicaid expansion. She says their idea appears to be that “It’s too expensive to give people health care but you can force them to give birth against their will.”

Amanda Allen is senior counsel and director of The Lawyering Project, which is a nonprofit that uses the law to “improve abortion access and uphold the rights and dignity of people seeking and providing abortion care.” She reports that her team is devastated by the Supreme Court decision but they’re “doubling down on our efforts to help providers, to help the patients they serve…there are people out there who need our help.”

Join Conversations on Health Care hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter for this important discussion.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Talks Boosters, Masks and Health Equity

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Walensky defends the science behind lifting mask restrictions for vaccinated Americans, examines the ongoing research on vaccine efficacy against emerging COVID variants and possibility of a need for booster shots. She also outlines efforts underway by the CDC and the Biden Administration to leverage provisions in the American Recovery Act to address health inequity by strengthening the nation’s public health infrastructure

A Candid Conversation with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Politics of the Office, Masking Guidelines, COVID Testing and Pandemic Frustration

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, addressing confusion and frustration around lack of rapid COVID tests and need for more N95 masks for the public. She talks about the shifting plan of action from the Biden Administration in response to the dramatic surge in omicron-driven COVID cases, and the scaled up efforts to make rapid tests and high quality masks available to all Americans.

Ron Pollack, Chairman of the Board of Enroll America

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Ron Pollack, Chairman of the Board of Enroll American and Founder and Executive Director of Families USA, whose mission is to assist all Americans seeking insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Pollack discusses Enroll America's mission to facilitate navigation of the online insurance exchanges as well as help those customers who will benefit from the Medicaid expansion.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, ranking member on the Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Representative DeLauro discusses the opioid crisis, lead poisoning, lack of funding for research, as well as her efforts to create a permanent health emergency fund to be ready to confront emerging disease outbreaks like Ebola and the Zika Virus.

Coronavirus Pandemic and Congressional Action: Representative Rosa DeLauro on Protecting Families and Businesses Through Crisis

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, on the passage of the Families First and the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Act, two bills passed in Congress to address the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Congresswoman Delauro discusses the need for more resources for testing and for health systems support, the need for paid sick leave and family leave, the rise of telehealth to meet demand and the need for the public to heed the warnings to stay home through the worst of the crisis.