PODCAST · business
Vitalyst Spark
by VitalystHealth
The Vitalyst Spark podcast explores what it means to create a healthy community in Arizona.
Episodes
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Episode 155 - The Pfister Housing Impact Fund
As part of Vitalyst's 30th Anniversary, the Board of Trustees approved a $2 million investment in The Pfister Housing Impact Fund, an investment fund created by Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) and managed by RDF. The Fund is a business-led investment opportunity designed to strengthen Arizona's...
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Episode 154: David Martinez to Lead AZ Impact for Good
On this episode, we spoke with David Martinez III during his last week at Vitalyst about his nearly eight years at the Foundation as he prepares to become CEO of AZ Impact for Good. AZ Impact For Good David Martinez III Will Lead AZ Impact for Good - Vitalyst Health Arizona Together for Impact –...
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Episode 153: The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
Earlier this year, Vitalyst invested in The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF). The Fellowship is a year-long leadership and service program that empowers graduate and professional students from any discipline to address community health needs. The Fellowship has 10 sites across the U.S. in...
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Episode 152: The Children's Vision Fund
As part of Vitalyst's 30th Anniversary investments, the Foundation invested $1 million into The Children’s Vision Fund, a collaborative effort led by Eyes On Learning, Vitalyst Health Foundation, VisionQuest 20/20, and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. The Fund will ensure that schools,...
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Vitalyst Update: A Conversation with Board Chair Susan Pepin and CEO Roy Pringle
Vitalyst has been on a transition plan since March of 2025 when Suzanne Pfister announced her retirement. Following Suzanne’s passing last summer, Board Chair, Sue Pepin, stepped in as Interim CEO. She and the Vitalyst Board of Trustees have been engaged in a year-long search for Vitalyst’s next...
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Episode 150: 2025 Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment Updates
There have been lots of changes to the HealthCare Marketplace this year. From staff cuts to subsidy end dates, there is a lot to discuss to ensure Arizonans who need health care coverage know where to get help and what they can expect. Joining us from the Arizona Alliance for Community Health...
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Episode 149: Vitalyst Update with Susan Pepin, Interim CEO and Board Chair
On today’s episode, we are back after a hiatus. A lot has happened in the world of community health, and at Vitalyst. We are catching up with Interim CEO and Board Chair Susan Pepin.
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Episode 148: Medicaid’s Impending Cuts
The U.S. Senate is currently considering a budget proposal that includes significant changes to Medicaid, building upon the House-passed "Big Beautiful Bill." While the Senate version is still under negotiation, some of the proposed changes to Medicaid, or AHCCCS in Arizona, include work...
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Episode 147: Medicaid’s Impact on Rural Communities
Medicaid has significantly improved access to health care for rural communities in Arizona by providing coverage to low-income individuals, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It has helped sustain rural hospitals and clinics by offering crucial funding, reducing...
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Episode 146 - Partnering With Faith-Based Organizations to Build Housing
Partners across the nation have found an untapped resource of land: churches. Vitalyst has been working with churches as part of an evolution of its school districts and housing work. LISC has been working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide information and tools to...
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Episode 145: The Arizona Justice Reinvestment Fund
After the passage of Prop 207 in 2020, The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) was charged with creating the Justice Reinvestment Program. The proposition legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older and created the Justice Reinvestment Fund, which funds initiatives to...
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Episode 144 PAUSE - Taking a Step Back with Heather Hiscox
Nonprofits and professionals all across the country are on edge right now. With federal grants pausing and unpausing, the limbo must be a whirlwind for so many people working in the nonprofit sector. We all get into this work because we want to help people. But along the way, stuff gets in the…
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Episode 143 - YIGBY: Yes, in God's Backyard Initiative
On today's mini-episode, Vitalyst's Gabriel Jaramillo sits down with Nicole Newhouse of the Arizona Housing Coalition and Pastor Jeff Procter-Murphy of Dayspring UMC in Tempe to discuss the YIGBY initiative. This innovative proposal would allow faith-based organizations to develop affordable...
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Episode 142 Looking back at 12 years as a Vitalyst Trustee with Nicholas Vasquez
Nicholas Vasquez, MD, was a Vitalyst Trustee for 12 years and Chair from 2020 to 2022. He often joined the podcast during the pandemic. On this episode, we wanted to talk to him about his experience on the Board of Trustees and Vitalyst's evolution. He sprinkled in other thoughts and wisdom...
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Episode 141: The Civic Language Perceptions Project
David Martinez III hosts this episode and has an insightful conversation with partners from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership at the Flinn Foundation, and the Center for the Future of Arizona about how Arizonans view civic language. A recently...
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Episode 140: What is Systems Change? A Conversation with FSG.
At Vitalyst, we have been trying to demystify systems change as our Systems Change Grants application deadline nears in the middle of November. But we know it can still be confusing, so we had our friends at FSG join us for a conversation. Additional Links: Understanding Systems Change Spark…
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Episode 139: ALL in Education's Multilingual Minds Initiative
As Latino Heritage Month was wrapping up, we sat down with the team at ALL in Education for a great conversation about the benefits of growing up bilingual and bicultural. Their new Initiative, Multilingual Minds, aims to uplift multilingual learners in Arizona and advocate for language equity in...
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Episode 138: Pastoral Care Associates and the Intersection of Faith and Health
On this episode, Reverend Michael Lessard of Pastoral Care Associates, a Vitalyst Spark Grant recipient, joined us before they held their Path to Complete Care Symposium. We talk about the importance of faith in healing, pastoral care and what was to come at the symposium.
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Episode 137: First Responder Mental Wellness: Mental Health Self-Care Practices for First Responders
As part of an ongoing series looking into local practices, Arizona First Responder Systems and Mental Health Integration Spark Brief author, Matt Eckhoff, hosted a conversation with Dr. Gail Bradley, Emergency Medical Services & Trauma System, Medical Director, Arizona Department of Health...
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Episode 136: TAPAZ 101 - What is Fiscal Sponsorship?
On this episode, we are joined by the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona. Juan Salas, Director of Operations and Accounting, and Kelsey Otten, Assistant Director of Partner Engagement share about fiscal sponsorship, what it is, what services are available, what organizations qualify, and...
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Episode 135: The Vitalyst Discovery Process is Open
Vitalyst opened its Discovery Process on August 1 for potential partners to explore partnership opportunities. Through the Discovery Process, Vitalyst team members learn about opportunities to support coalitions on their systems change journey. On this conversation with CEO Suzanne Pfister, and...
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E134: AHCCCS and KidsCare
In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved AHCCCS's expansion of KidsCare eligibility to 225% of the federal poverty level, up from the earlier 200% cap. KidsCare will now allow kids whose parents make too much to qualify for Medicaid but less than 225% of the poverty line,...
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E133: The Arizona Emerging Leaders Network in Action: Raising Special Kids
In episode 130, we spent time with Sara Gonzalez, Belen Gonzalez, and Melia Dunn, talking about the Arizona Emerging Leaders Network and its origins and evolution. Now, we get to sit with one of the executive directors who was part of the Emerging Leaders Network. Chris Tiffany, Executive…
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E132: Tucson: Mental Health Integration within Emergency Response
Our ongoing series looking into local emergency response practices, Arizona First Responder Systems and Mental Health Integration Spark Brief author Matt Eckhoff, hosted a conversation with Sharon McDonough, Director, Public Safety Communications Department, City of Tucson; Ana Corcoran,...
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E131: Arizona Housing Coalition and Veterans StandDown
Here at Vitalyst, one of our programmatic priorities is to support statewide housing initiatives along the spectrum of housing types. The past few years, this has meant a lot of capacity building for organizations, whether that is schools or, more recently, churches, to explore creating housing...
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E130: The Arizona Emerging Leaders Network
The Arizona Emerging Leadership Network is a statewide network of emerging leaders willing to invest time, talent, and treasure in recognizing the need for diverse and safe spaces to Convene around shared Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DEI) values. Participants capacity as Emerging leaders in...
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E129: Implementing Effective Community-Specific Alternate Response Strategies and Collaborations
In this candid conversation, Matt Eckoff, Author of the Arizona First Responder Systems and Mental Health Integration Spark Brief, speaks with Captain Seth Gregar of the City of Flagstaff Fire Department and Bryan Gest and Brad Mattingly of Terros Health as they discuss the past two years since…
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E128: ¿Qué es el Patrocinio Fiscal y qué hace TAPAZ por los proyectos patrocinados?
This episode is completely in Spanish and provides an overview of the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona. To listen to a similar podcast in English, click here. Hoy es un día especial – es nuestro primer episodio del podcast completamente en español. Tenemos a un invitado que ya ha…
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E127: Inclusive Voting in Arizona & Health Implications
This episode features some of the civic leaders working to strengthen democracy and civic life in Arizona and shows the intersection of civic engagement and health. It’s an election year, and Arizona is again at the epicenter. Let’s get the facts and explore how all registered voters could and...
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E126: What is Fiscal Sponsorship and What Does TAPAZ Do for Sponsored Projects?
If you have been listening to the Vitalyst Spark Podcast or are a subscriber to our Vitalyst Spark News, you have likely heard us talk about our affiliate organization, the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona. On today’s episode, we talk to Kelsey Otten, Assistant Director, Partner...
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E125: Legislative Outlook & Policy Updates
The legislative session is in full swing. We recently spoke with Vitalyst Trustee and Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association, Will Humble, Vitalyst’s Gabriel Jaramillo and Ana Roscetti. Their conversation explores some potential bills and proposed policy updates. Links…
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E124: HIV – Reducing Stigma and Educating the Public
This episode of the podcast is shedding light on a topic that doesn’t often get the attention it deserves: HIV. It’s a sensitive topic, but things have come a long way since it was first discovered. We can stop HIV together. By raising awareness of the role we can all play, we help end the stigma...
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E123: Housing Solutions_Manufactured Housing
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we get to listen to housing experts discuss manufactured housing and how Arizona is addressing it as a sustainable source of housing across the state. Our director of Healthy Communities, Gabriel Jaramillo, guest hosts this episode with Sara Liguori...
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E122: Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment, Medicaid Redetermination, and the Cover Arizona Coalition
On today’s episode, we are talking healthcare from AHCCCS to KidsCare, to the healthcare marketplace open enrollment period. Joining us today are Claudia Maldonado from the Arizona Alliance of Community Health Centers, and our newest team member here at Vitalyst, Ana Roscetti, Director of State...
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E121: Where is Arizona: First Responders and Mental Health Integration
On this episode, we host Sabrina Talyor of the Phoenix Police Department and Jesus Rivera of Surprise Fire-Medical. Over the past decade, there has been a lot of talk and programs aimed at increasing mental health training among emergency response personnel to better serve people experiencing...
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E120: Feeding Matters: The Systems Change Behind Pediatric Feeding Disorder
On this episode, we are talking about systems change with Jacklyn Pederson of Feeding Matters. The organization has a long history of partnership with Vitalyst, and it showcases how willpower can bring together partners committed to changing a flawed system. Through their 2016 Innovation Grant,...
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E119: Arizona Town Hall: Equity for All Arizonans
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we will be talking to Tara Jackson, President of Arizona Town Hall. The current topic Town Hall is convening Arizonans to discuss is one that is key to all of us, Equity for All Arizonans. Equity is critical if we want to maximize the potential of…
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E118: The Nature Conservancy and the Evolution of Systems Change
On this episode, we are talking to Anna Bettis, Arizona Healthy Cities Program Director at The Nature Conservancy. We are talking about the Conservancy’s 2017 Innovation grant, predecessor to Vitalyst’s Systems Change Grants. The grant was provided so the Nature Conservancy and partners could…
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E117 - Superior: Gateway to the Copper Corridor
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are joined by Chris Casillas of Regenerating Sonora. He talks to us about his family’s ties to the Copper Corridor, his TAPAZ Sponsored Project Regenerating Sonora, and what is happening in Superior, Arizona, which will host the 12th Annual…
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E116: The Long Game: A Conversation with Floribella Redondo of AzCHOW
On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Floribella Redondo, pioneer in the community health worker community in Arizona, and president of the Arizona Community Health Workers Association (AzCHOW). We talk about the difference between community health representatives, community health...
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E115: Systems Change Takes Time: Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth
During this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we will be exploring systems change and talking to 2023 Systems Change Grant recipient Coconino Coalition for Children and Youth to talk to us about their Self-Healing Community System and Policy Change in Coconino County initiative. We will be...
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E114: The Arizona Food Systems Network
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are joined by Kenneth Steel and Shelby Thompson from Pinnacle Prevention. We are talking about food systems in Arizona and the work of the Arizona Food Systems Network. Shownotes / Links Arizona Food Systems Network www.azfsn.org Pinnacle…
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E113: Medicaid Unwinding
Today’s topic: the end of Medicaid’s continuous enrollment requirement, also known as “The Unwinding.” What is this “unwinding”? Since the beginning phases of the pandemic, the federal government has prohibited states from disenrolling Medicaid members, regardless of their eligibility status. The...
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E112: A Conversation with UPI Loan Fund and Native Community Capital: A Look into Impact Investing
On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are talking about impact investments, and we are joined by Kerwin Brown, of UPI Loan Fund, and Dave Castillo, of Native Community Capital, two of Vitalyst’s recent impact investments. Also joining the podcast is Suzanne Pfister, Vitalyst’s…
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E111: Promising Housing Practices in Arizona
On this episode of The Vitalyst Spark podcast, we're going to be talking about housing, a huge issue that the state is facing overall, not just through the pandemic, but prior to. Housing has been on a climb in price and rental prices continue to increase. And we're seeing a lot more people...
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E110: The Technical Assistance Partnership and the Arizona Coalition for Military Families
On today’s episode, we are joined by Juan Salas, Director of Operations and Accounting with the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona, or TAPAZ as we refer to it in-house. TAPAZ is a fiscal sponsorship organization that provides back office technical assistance to nonprofits across the…
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E109: New Year, New State Leadership
It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities, new challenges and new state leadership. The results of the 2022 Arizona general election propelled a new Governor and over 40 new legislators (which is nearly half of the entire legislature) into state office. This political shakeup can also…
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E108: Innovative Housing Solutions - The Arizona Housing Fund
Throughout the life of this podcast, we’ve hosted a few episodes speaking to the importance of housing. Those conversations often center on the critical roles that government can and should play in preventing and addressing homelessness and housing instability in Arizona. Today’s episode…
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E107: Health on the Ballot
Arizona’s general election is right around the corner, and this presents an incredible opportunity for us to ensure that the people we elect and the policies we pass set Arizona on a promising path toward improved health and well-being. Ballot measures may not always be top-of-mind during an...
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E106: Dear Candidates
On November 8th, Arizonans will cast their votes to determine who will represent their interests at the legislature and in other statewide offices, including that of the Governor. In our daily lives, we’re only exposed to a handful of these candidates – often through television ads and local…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Vitalyst Spark podcast explores what it means to create a healthy community in Arizona.
HOSTED BY
VitalystHealth
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Vitalyst Spark have?
Vitalyst Spark currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Vitalyst Spark about?
The Vitalyst Spark podcast explores what it means to create a healthy community in Arizona.
How often does Vitalyst Spark release new episodes?
Vitalyst Spark has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Vitalyst Spark?
You can listen to Vitalyst Spark on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Vitalyst Spark?
Vitalyst Spark is created and hosted by VitalystHealth.
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