CASAT Conversations

Sam Quinones joins us to discuss his book, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. He shares what he has learned about the opioid epidemic over the last 10 years, and how the landscape has changed. We discuss the power of storytelling, and how it helps people to making meaning of their experience and how it helps to develop empathy. He also highlights the many ways communities have come together after these drugs have ravaged communities. 

Key Words: Opioid, Fentanyl, Meth, Community, Sugar, Alcohol, Social Media, Neuroscience of Addiction

Dr. Michael Christie is a chaplain for the Department of Correction. He has been working within the prison system for over a decade. In this conversation, he shares the role of spirituality in healing from trauma, and lessons he learned about the need for trauma-informed care.

Key words: spirituality, trauma, healing, mindfulness meditation, non-violent communication, internal family systems

In this powerful episode, Claudia shares her lived experience of racism, intergenerational trauma, and health inequity. She discusses her healing journey, and the need for people to share their stories.

Claudia Martinez has over 25 years of experience in healthcare.  Claudia feels that she has been blessed with the ability to communicate in English and Spanish and she comes with a very diverse background.  Unfortunately, she has had to face many challenges one of them is discrimination which is why Claudia is here today to hell her story in hopes of encouraging others to speak out.

In this episode, Dr. Eloisa Gordon-Mora discusses the connection between our understandings of democracy, and with respect to equity and health care. From her political science formation, she analysis the notion of “democracy” itself, addressing its historical evolution and from comparative, global perspectives, as well as myths, assumptions and values that are connected to the notion. She gives a brief overview of how other, high-income, developed nations, and other global examples, compare and contrast to the US, regarding their classifications as full-democracies, as well as in their provisioning of health care access, delivery and quality of care.

This week we are joined by Zhizhong (Z) Li. Z is a seasoned trauma and critical care nurse, who is now nursing faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno. Z highlights inequities seen in emergency care, and how stigma can impact patient care. He shares how human dynamics play a role in patient treatment and patient outcomes. We discuss how leadership plays an important role in addressing health equity. You won't want to miss this insightful conversation.

Key Topics: Transformational leadership, quantum leadership, moral injury, cultural competence, moral ethics, compassion fatigue.

Within this episode Dr. Lorraine Benuto discusses the stigma associated with mental health in the LatinX population. She shares creative ways she and her team have worked to address mental stigma and break down language barriers. She talks about important ways to reduce health disparities, and improve health for minority populations.

Key Words: mental health, stigma, depression, anxiety, latinx, health disparities, domestic violence

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Within this episode you’ll hear from Will Rucker, a dynamic and engaging speaker who shares how health equity pertains to our common humanity. Will describes the importance of compassion, non-judgement, and self-awareness as important skills for creating a more equitable world. He also shares about the importance of diversity and how it shapes our culture. You won’t want to miss this inspiring conversation.

Will Rucker is gifted to communicate with clarity, compassion, and creativity. He gives voice to what is possible while influencing the culture and developing the systems required to achieve it practically. Will brings a unique perspective of the world, and our places within it, to his mission of cultivating a global culture centered on compassion.

Will is engaged in local, statewide, and national platforms advancing socio-spiritual transformation efforts in restorative justice, health equity, and humanity first initiatives. Nearly twenty years of experience in leading individuals, teams, and organizations to extraordinary success informs his unique approach to change. Will’s educational background includes certifications as a ColorCode Personality Science Trainer, Compassionate Integrity Training (CIT) Facilitator, and a Master’s Degree in Executive Leadership.

Currently, Will is honored to serve his community by leading development and expansion for the American Lung Association’s programs and educational efforts as the Western Division’s Health Promotion Director. Working with the nation’s oldest public health organization has been a fulfilling experience, and he is proud to have obtained millions in grant funding for such a worthy cause. Will is a current board member of several non-profits, including the Interfaith Council of South Nevada, Community Partners for Better Health, Compassionate Las Vegas, and the Nevada Minority Health & Equity Coalition.

Will regularly moderates informative and dynamic educational panels for organizations such as UNLV and can be seen hosting Compassionate Las Vegas – The Podcast each week or the A Healthier Tomorrow monthly radio show on KCEP in Las Vegas. He also regularly leads workshops on Interpersonal Relationship Skills, Meditation, Team Building, and Ethical Mindfulness. No matter the endeavor or format, Will’s passion for tangibly improving the quality of life for all people shines through.

Key Topics: Health equity, diversity, compassion, policy

Kendal Holcomb and Diana Lara share information about the Nevada Resilience project. The Nevada Resilience Project supports families and individuals experiencing struggles and behavioral health challenges. This important resource helps to connect people with local resources, and access care. Within this episode we discuss mental health statistics for the state of Nevada, and what are some of the biggest needs that Resilience Ambassadors are seeing within the state.

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

We are joined this week by Dr. Russel Kennedy, The Anxiety MD. Dr. Russ shares his own journey with anxiety as a healthcare provider, which led him to write his new book, Anxiety RX. He integrates neuroscience with wisdom practices to support healing the root cause of anxiety. You'll want to hear his unique perspective!

Key Words: Anxiety, worry, fear, panic, childhood trauma, somatic therapy, root cause, neuroscience, developmental psychology

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Cohen Silver joins us this week to share her research findings on how people respond to large scale disasters. We discuss the role of media exposure (both news and social media) on stress and well-being, and how important it is to practice technology hygiene when it comes to media exposure. Dr. Cohen Silver also shares important things to consider on how to care for yourself when living in the midst of a disaster.

Key Words: Community disasters, National disasters, tragedy, COVID-19 research, resilience factors, media exposure, media consumption, doom scrolling.

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Meghan Corrado shares her resilience journey as she has learned to tap into sources of strength and creativity in order to support her own healing journey. She discusses how healthcare professionals work in difficult environments, and how critical it is to honor the reality of the challenges faced on a daily basis. She shares practical ways to support healing.

Key Words: trauma narratives, creativity, wounded healer, collective healing process

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Within this episode, Henry Tobey shares his wealth of experience regarding secondary trauma. He shares what he has found to be helpful, along with what he doesn't find to be helpful when it comes to supporting health-care providers in dealing with the stress and trauma of their work. He shares his vicarious trauma dialogue, which he and his colleagues developed. Be sure to listen, as you may even hear some of the thoughts you've had.

Key Words: secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, resilience, healthcare providers

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dana Rose Garfin, a researcher at UC Irvine. She and her colleagues have been conducting research to under the impact of both the acute and chronic stress of COVID-19. She has been studying how we respond to disasters for the past decade, and how to cope with stress. We discuss a balanced approach to looking at both the positive and negative aspects of COVID-19, along with her important research on mindfulness meditation in homeless women.

Key terms: COVID-19, acute stress, chronic stress, anxiety, depression, resilience, adaptation, psychological distress, grief

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Within this episode Dr. Gordon discusses the importance of mind-body medicine to support healthcare providers. He shares the importance of looking inward, and the importance of practicing self-care techniques, so that you can bring compassionate presence to the people you serve.

Key terms: mind-body medicine, self-discovery, compassionate presence, meditation, nutrition, vagus nerve, microbiome, nutrition psychiatry.

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Within this episode Joshua Michael Wenner shares best practices for dealing with stress and trauma. He discusses the importance of creating a warrior culture, and how to practice self-regulation so that you can have better relationships with those that you love.

Key terms: Trauma, self-regulation, emotional-regulation, resilience, warrior culture

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Within this episode, Alaine Duncan discusses the role of Integrative Medicine in treating burnout and compassion fatigue. She discusses how she has combined Eastern and Western philosophies to treat physical symptoms of stress and trauma within the body. Her approach to treating the body, and helping to support the parasympathetic nervous system is critical for helping us understand how the nervous system impacts the people around us (i.e. family, patients, and clients).

Key words: acupuncture, integrative medicine, five elements theory, somatic experience, polyvagul theory, trauma, stress

Dr. Kathy Kain discusses the science behind a somatic approach to help heal the impacts of stress and trauma. She also describes how the body responds to the experiences of our lives, and gives important recommendations for how to support ourselves when working in high stress environments.

Key Topics: allostatic load, interoception, exteroception, neuroception, somatic approach, polyvagul theory, stress, trauma, aging, health, chronic disease.

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Dr. Patricia Watson has been supporting people in stressful jobs (i.e. military, first responders, healthcare providers) with her work at the National Center for PTSD for many years.  She discusses the stress continuum, along with the five key elements for supporting a person who is experiencing stress, burnout and fatigue. In addition, she discusses the importance of psychological safety, and ways to help build a sense of psychological safety within organizations.

Key terms: psychological safety, resilience, meaning and purpose, stress continuum, burnout, fatigue, social connectedness, self-efficacy.

Funding for the Nevada Resilience Project was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

Within this episode, Dr. Michael Ungar shares his wealth of knowledge on the key elements of resilience. His research focuses on the impact of the environment on our resilience. You’ll hear about the complexities of resilience and what healthcare providers can do to support their own resilience.

Key Topics: Resilience, rugged individualism vs a resourced individual, resilient systems, vicarious resilience, social prescriptions

Within this episode, Mariah (a wife of a firefighter, and school teacher) shares how creating community beyond the family has supported her and her family. She believes in the power of creating a community of support, and does that through her work as the founder of the Northern Nevada Fire Wives.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert Eliot shares ways on how to support a loved one who has experienced PTSD.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert Eliot explains what signs and symptoms to look for in your first responder/front line staff family member, and resources for PTSD and secondary trauma.

Within this episode, Brittany (stay-at-home mom of three, and a police officer wife) discloses the impact of how the way police officers are portrayed in the media have a significant impact on the family.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert Eliot reviews tactics for dealing with worry and fears about a family members safety when at work.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert Eliot walks us through the benefits and drawbacks of disclosing work details. She gives tips for how to set boundaries and communicate about work effectively.

Within this episode, Melissa (an educator and police officer wife) illustrates how working on communication has supported her relationship, and positively impacted her family.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert-Eliot shares many skills to help strengthen your relationship.

Within this episode, Amanda (an ICU nurse, and wife of a police officer) shares with us how self-care is a critical tool she uses to deal with life’s challenges.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert Eliot talks to us about both foundational and targeted self-care strategies. She discusses multiple practices that can implement into your life to improve your self-care routine.

Within this episode, Derek Reid (founder of the Nevada Peer Support Network, and Battalion Chief Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue) joins us to discuss resources available in Nevada, the value of peer support, and a vision for the future of how to support first responders. He also shares how family & relationships are critical for the wellbeing of first responders.

Within this episode, Jed (a Fire Captain) and Jen (an Emergency Physician) join us as a unique couple who are both supporting family members and are personally first responder front line staff. They share with us what they have learned throughout their careers to support their family’s wellbeing.

Within this episode, Dr. Trudy Gilbert-Eliot discusses the importance of sleep on health, along with strategies for ensuring good sleep hygiene in the midst of shift work, and spouses being on call.

Within this episode Dr. Trudy Gilbert- Eliot introduces us to resilience, emotional intelligence and what it takes to be a resilient family.