52: Resilient, Accessible, and Affordable Healthcare: Bouncing Forward from COVID-19

COVID-19 has not only stressed the U.S. healthcare and public health systems, but also highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in pre-existing conditions and health outcomes. These inequities are in part the result of differential access to quality and affordable healthcare, including access to health insurance. And individuals in rural and underserved areas face additional barriers to care, including limited access to healthcare providers, insufficient high-speed broadband connectivity, and less access to critical care because of high rates of rural hospital closures. In this episode, our guests discuss how health officials can serve as chief health strategists to work across sectors and ensure that all people have access to the services and resources that allow them to be well. This episode also details how states and territories can transform service delivery, ensure equitable access to prevention and healthcare services, and ultimately build stronger, more resilient communities. Guests: • Esther Muña, CEO, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands • The Honorable Lance Robertson, Director, Healthcare Practice, Guidehouse Resource: • ASTHO Bounce Forward Resources: https://astho.org/COVID-19/Bounce-Forward/