Under the visionary leadership of Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera, the state of Colorado hopes to connect 99% of households to high-speed internet by 2027. This is just one of the initiatives in a larger plan to lead by example in establishing sustainable practices for addressing health care inequity. As Lt. Governor Primavera moves into her second term, she is prioritizing more equitable legislation surrounding housing, healthcare and education.

As the Covid-19 pandemic brought to light, many households have been negatively impacted by increasingly expensive healthcare and lack of access to digital services. In order to prevent financial toxicity, a scenario in which individuals are bankrupted by medical bills, Primavera and a team of dedicated professionals have established several innovative programs. One such program is the In Full Health Initiative, which provides resources and opportunities for organizations to connect, educate, and develop solutions to problems plaguing the healthcare system. Learning from each other in a community where many diverse voices are represented is the best way to advance equitable health innovations.

Director of the Office of eHealth Innovation Stephanie Pugliese also joins the conversation. The goals of the eHealth Commission are to make information more accessible through coordinated health systems and expanding the inclusivity of health solutions. One of the first steps for achieving equity is through data collection. Colorado recently passed a bill which requires the Health Department to gather demographic data. This information helps establish a collective picture of the challenges people continue to face in receiving access to quality healthcare and health education services across the state. Working together to address growing needs in ever-changing times makes Colorado a national model for prioritizing equal access to a universal human right.

Main Topics

• Lt. Governor’s priorities and goals for her second term (01:45)
• Ground-breaking Medical-Financial Partnership Program (04:13)
• Legislation to support equitable health care for people in Colorado (06:45)
• Stephanie shares updates on efforts to increase health equity (09:35)
• Colorado’s In Full Health Initiative (13:30)
• Priorities for Office of eHealth Innovation (15:30)
• How to bring health goals into reality (17:35)
• Policies that will help determine where to focus health equity efforts (19:35)

Episode Links

• oehi.colorado.gov

Connect with Lt. Governor Primavera:

https://ltgovernor.colorado.gov

https://twitter.com/LtGovofCO

https://www.instagram.com/ltgovofco

https://www.facebook.com/LtGovofCO/

Connect with KP:

linkedin.com/in/kaakpema-kp-yelpaala-379b269/

https://twitter.com/inonhealth

inonhealth.com/podcast

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In part two of this two-part episode, KP continues to share his personal story about his diagnosis of early-stage, moderately aggressive prostate cancer. As a young black male with no known prior history, he was significantly under the age to be screened for this condition. But he got screened early, and is thankfully cancer free after treatment from great physicians.

In this conversation, KP is joined by Ahmad Garrett-Price MD, a board certified family physician and the founder of GP Health. As a top family physician, Ahmad brings the clinical view as well as the context surrounding this issue. The two discuss KP’s cancer journey, Ahmad’s clinical expertise and experience, and the importance of examining the context surrounding men’s health in the Black community.

Main Topics

• Receiving the diagnosis, beginning the treatment journey, and navigating both a professional and a personal life (1:34)
• Understanding options for treatment, the Gleason Score, and how KP made the choice to take an aggressive treatment plan (9:40)
• How surgical treatment options can present roadblocks especially for communities of color (16:25)
• How lack of information and education prevents early detection and treatment (24:05)
• KP’s journey to choosing a radical prostectomy via a robotic procedure and the key differences between open and robotic procedure (28:34)
• KP’s pivot from indecision over treatment to moving forward in making a decision to treat as soon as possible— and the importance understanding the risks and potential outcomes of any procedure (35:27)
• KP’s relationship with his “cancer buddy” and how he was armed with information that removed anxiety from the treatment and recovery process (39:40)
• The preparation, procedure and recovery journey, and the challenges of navigating the process as an entrepreneur, a father and a husband (42:35)
• Preparing for life after the procedure and the importance focusing on mental and physical wellness (51:30)
• The importance of getting screened early (1:00:00)

Show Resources:

https://www.pcf.org/about-prostate-cancer/diagnosis-staging-prostate-cancer/gleason-score-isup-grade/

Connect with Ahmad:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmad-garrett-price-md-3438b0148/

Connect with KP:

linkedin.com/in/kaakpema-kp-yelpaala-379b269/

https://twitter.com/inonhealth

inonhealth.com/podcast

inonhealth.com/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

In part one of this two-part episode, KP shares his personal story about his diagnosis of early-stage, moderately aggressive prostate cancer. As a young black male with no known prior history, he was significantly under the age to be screened for this condition. But he got screened early, and is thankfully cancer free after treatment from great physicians.

But this journey has led him to unpacking the topic of cancer, and specifically prostate cancer, among the Black male population.

In this conversation, KP is joined by Ahmad Garrett-Price MD, a board certified family physician and the founder of GP Health. As a top family physician, Ahmad brings the clinical view as well as the context surrounding this issue. The two discuss KP’s cancer journey, Ahmad’s clinical expertise and experience, and the importance of examining the context surrounding men’s health in the Black community.

Main Topics

• Ahmad’s journey to his medical career and his family’s background in healthcare and community leadership (4:00)
• Ahmad’s time working as a senior physician at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and the founding of GP Health, a proactive and preventative health service. GP Health examines the economic constructs, genetic predisposition and lifestyles of its patients, which helps them understand the full context of their health conditions (14:00)
• Issues surrounding men’s health among the Black community, including cancer and specifically prostate cancer and why it impacts them earlier in life (20:54)
• KP’s cancer screening experience and how his family history and role in public health led to get screening earlier than traditionally recommended (27:59)
• The cost effectiveness issues of false positives in prostate cancer tests and how it leads to an older screening age among men (35:47)
• What makes Black men more prone to prostate cancer and other outside factors, including diet, socioeconomic factors and access to health care (41:34)

Connect with Ahmad:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmad-garrett-price-md-3438b0148/

Connect with KP:

linkedin.com/in/kaakpema-kp-yelpaala-379b269/

https://twitter.com/inonhealth

inonhealth.com/podcast

inonhealth.com/

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts