Podcast: Advancing health care in our communities

Bechara Choucair, MD, and David Grossman, MD, discuss the importance of social and community health

Kicking off the 2022 season of the Permanente Medicine Podcast, host Chris Grant examines the key role health systems play in supporting social and community health. Bechara Choucair, MD, senior vice president and chief health officer of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, and David Grossman, MD, interim vice president for social and community health of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, discuss leveraging Kaiser Permanente’s unique model of care to address social determinants of health, how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated innovation in health care, as well as current and future priorities for addressing social and community health.

Dr. Choucair, who served as the White House’s national vaccinations coordinator early in the pandemic, offers an inside look at his experience in that critical role and how it influenced his current views on health care in this country. Previously a senior leader of the Washington Permanente Medical Group and senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, Dr. Grossman speaks to the critical research Kaiser Permanente is conducting around social determinants of health and improving health outcomes.

This pandemic has exposed the silos of how our public health system and health care systems operate.

— Bechara Choucair, MD

We learn very early on about the connection between social, community, and individual health.

— David Grossman, MD

Tell us what you think: Leave a review for this episode on iTunes

In this new season of the podcast, Grant, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Permanente Federation, talks to Permanente physician leaders and industry experts about timely topics affecting health care today, including issues facing the industry as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests for upcoming episodes include Katie Deming, MD, of Northwest Permanente; Scott Becker of Becker’s Healthcare; Geeta Nayyar, MD, chief medical officer of Salesforce; Jason Brayley, MD, of The Permanente Medical Group; Doug Christie, a coach for the Sacramento Kings; Paul Bernstein, MD, of Southern California Medical Group; and Jay Crosson, MD, retired executive director of The Permanente Federation.

Connect with Dr. Grossman on Twitter at @grossman_d, Dr. Choucair at @choucair, and Grant at @cmgrant.

Program notes:

• 2-1-1 is a special abbreviated telephone number available to be used in communities to reach information about health and social services and referrals.
• Thrive Local is Kaiser Permanente’s online social services resource directory for clinicians to connect patients with community resources and referrals.