Expanding Healthcare at the Margins (with Dr. Toyin Ajayi)
What should we do about the fact that a person's health is affected in large part by social factors beyond the confines of the hospital? For a long time, traditional health care institutions have been inadequate in answering this question. Joining us in this episode is Dr. Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cityblock Health, a tech-driven health care provider for communities with complex health and social needs. With a focus on Medicaid and lower income Medicare beneficiaries, Cityblock Health has been widely recognized as an exemplar of a sustainable model of care delivery for marginalized populations. We are pleased to be joined by Dr. Ajayi to discuss Cityblock Health as well as her clinical work, which centers on patients with chronic complex and end-of-life needs.In this episode, you will hear about:Dr. Ajayi’s personal journey from growing up in Kenya to leading Cityblock Health - 1:57Why Dr. Ajayi chose to focus her career on patients with complex and chronic health needs - 4:11The social determinants of health and its impact on a patient’s ability to seek appropriate medical care - 5:21Dr. Ajayi’s story of a chronically-ill patient who appeared ‘difficult’ but in truth was suffering from social inequities that limited his access to health care - 10:35A discussion of Cityblock Health, the value-based healthcare provider that Dr. Ajayi co-founded to provide care to the Medicaid patient population - 18:07The stigmas around Medicaid patients and why Dr. Ajayi sees opportunities instead of barriers - 22:02An in-depth exploration of the services Cityblock Health provides - 27:00The challenges of the fee-for-service model of American healthcare, and how Cityblock seeks to address them - 32:36Dr. Ajayi’s advice to medical practitioners on how to build trust and rapport with their patients - 37:50The future of Cityblock Health and the health equity movement - 40:05Follow Dr. Toyin Ajayi on Twitter @ToyinAjayiDoc and Cityblock Health @CityblockHealthVisit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022