It’s a troubling situation: Nearly one in three high school students report persistent feelings of hopelessness. 

At the same time, many communities have a lack of mental health professionals to counsel and help young people.

Leaders from philanthropy, public health, and private sectors think they have a path to a solution: Youth Mental Health Corps. 

This program, which launched a year ago, places young adults as mental health navigators in schools and community organizations. These navigators provide peer-to-peer support, connect young people and families to resources, and serve as trusted guides who understand firsthand the challenges faced by today’s youth.

Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter, hosts of “Conversations on Healthcare,” bring their extensive experience to the conversation. They speak to Corps funders Marie Groark, the managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation, and Alise Marshall, the senior global lead for public affairs at Pinterest.

Groark shares early findings from the Youth Mental Health Corps. “What they found is that when you have a Youth Mental Health Corps member in your school, especially, you see improved attendance, fewer behavioral incidents, and increased student awareness of mental health and help-seeking behavior.”

Focusing on prevention and early intervention, Marshall highlights the power of peer connection. “It is difficult for young people to trust educators and parents when navigating adolescence. Having someone very recently been there, who has navigated the same issues, can make a very big difference.”

Very early this morning the U.S. House passed a bill that would result in more than 7 million people losing Medicaid coverage if it became law; that estimate is from the Congressional Budget Office.

As the bill was coming together, the chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News shared her analysis. Julie Rovner highlighted that to get a bill across the finish line was going to require overcoming the skepticism of some politicians. “There’s a growing group of Republicans who are unhappy with how many reductions there are to the Medicaid program… including people who voted for the Republican [Party] and President Trump,” she said.

Rovner also reviewed the Trump administration’s efforts to ignore congressional appropriations and other laws. “As I say, this administration… is not following the law” and Rovner explained how that threatens the country’s public health.

From the future of Medicaid and food assistance to questions about accountability and health infrastructure, this conversation offers crucial insights into the latest health policy flashpoints with hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter.

A recent survey surprisingly found only 41% of physicians were “very confident” about their ability to provide equal quality care to patients with a disability. Megan Morris, Ph.D., and her allies are trying to figure out why and how to boost that percentage.

STAT News’ STATUS List recently added Morris to its prestigious collection of influencers because of her role as founder of the Disability Equity Collaborative.

In an interview with “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter, Morris discusses how outdated attitudes, inaccessible equipment, and a lack of training continue to limit healthcare access for patients with disabilities.

Morris also shares how new federal standards are pushing healthcare systems to better track and respond to disability needs and why simply collecting data isn’t enough without systemic change.

“We have long argued that collecting disability status information should be part of standard demographics. Just like asking what language you speak, you have to ask: ‘Do you have a disability?’ so you can identify accommodation needs early and deliver better care.”

From bias in provider attitudes to practical solutions using technology, Morris lays out a clear roadmap for building a healthcare system that truly serves everyone.

Watch the full conversation.

Mary Bono has left the halls of Congress, but she’s still winning with her efforts to stop the misuse of both prescription and illegal drugs. Bono, co-founder and chair of Mothers for Awareness and Prevention of Drug Abuse, wants to see a focus on solutions from lawmakers. With a greater presence of fentanyl in the drug supply, “everything [has] changed because there’s no longer time for experimentation,” Bono says. “‘One pill can kill’ is a [Drug Enforcement Administration] slogan, and it’s true.”

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing health care—but how do we ensure it’s safe, effective, and responsible? Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), explains to “Conversations on Health Care” how his organization is working to establish clear guidelines for responsible AI in health care.

Nurse practitioners, at 385,000 strong in the U.S., are increasingly seen as a key part of the solution to the primary care provider shortage. What are the challenges and opportunities to ensure everyone can get the care they need when they need it? Our guest is the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Stephen Ferrara, DNP. He also serves as the inaugural associate dean of artificial intelligence and a professor of nursing at the Columbia University School of Nursing.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter (who has been a family nurse practitioner for many years) discuss the opportunities for Ferrara and his members as they seek to expand what’s called “scope of practice.” In fact, the percentage of medical visits handled by health care providers other than physicians nearly doubled between 2013 and 2019, with many of those patients seen by nurse practitioners.

HIV/AIDS experts are cautiously watching as President Trump and his administration near inauguration day. On one hand, they remember how President Trump announced in 2019 his initiative called Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. It included Ready, Set, PrEP, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative that provides free access to the HIV prevention medication PrEP for thousands of qualifying individuals.

But there are worries “about the next four years because we’re hearing about a potential decrease in funding,” that will be detrimental to programs, according to Dr. Marwan Haddad, Medical Director of the Center for Key Populations, Community Health Center, Inc., and a former chair of the HIV Medicine Association.

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, Ph.D., MPH, Executive Director, Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, highlighted these issues as communities recognized World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. For instance, the CDC reports new HIV infections fell by 19% from 2018 to 2022 but there’s been a 12% increase in infections among Latino people.

Our guests join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter to discuss progress and the hurdles that still exist in the fight to end AIDS.

TV ads focused on health care issues — including transgender care, abortion and costs — ricocheted across the airwaves in the months leading up to election day. Erika Franklin Fowler, Ph.D., is a co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political ads. She joins “Conversations on Health Care” to discuss a controversial anti-transgender surgery ad from the Republicans that also benefited from free media attention, as well as House and Senate candidates picking up on similar themes in their advertising.

Preliminary numbers show $4.5 billion was spent on political TV and radio ads this year. These ads and their messages reflect the goals of President Trump and his new administration as they plan a return to power in the nation’s capital. Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter discuss the TV ad wars and their implications for health care policy with Dr. Franklin Fowler. 

Early voting is underway in most of the U.S. right now (with few exceptions) and health care is on the ballot. There are increasing signs that former President Trump, if re-elected, will try to proceed with “massive changes” to the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is vowing to protect the law and continue federal drug price negotiations. Both candidates say they’ll seek to expand support for in-home health care.

Our guests are the reporters covering these issues. Shannon Firth, MedPage Today’s correspondent in Washington, shares an update from a contentious U.S. House race in Minnesota that’s focused on abortion. Sarah Owermohle, who reports on federal issues for STAT News, explains the situation in Montana following her recent visit to the state.

Join Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter for our Reporters’ Roundtable as we countdown to election day and discuss what the results will mean for the nation’s health.        

If we agree that Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege, how do we make that a reality?

Author Charles Barber has captured the engaging details in the new book “Peace & Health: How a group of small-town activists and college students set out to change healthcare.”

Veteran news anchorwoman Thalia Assuras interviews Charles about how Community Health Center, Inc., transformed the delivery of health care for populations who had been ignored.

“Peace & Health” is available from online retailers Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble and a growing set of local booksellers.

Billionaire Mark Cuban never holds back his opinions on TV’s “Shark Tank” and now he’s trying to take a bite out of the health care sector — it might be his biggest challenge yet. Cuban understands he’s up against entrenched lobbyists and bureaucrats as he tries to reform how Americans purchase their pharmaceuticals.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter ask Cuban to explain his venture Cost Plus Drugs, its financial model and how some insurers are already joining in.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to President Biden, tells “Conversations on Health Care” that he’s thinking about what occurs after he leaves his position at the end of the year.

Fauci says he’s strictly adhering to ethical rules and not negotiating for any position until after he leaves the government but he broadly wants to utilize his 54 years of experience at the National Institutes of Health for writing, lecturing and serving in an advisory capacity to inspire the younger generation to pursue their interests in medicine, science and public health.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter note that this is Fauci’s fifth interview with them since the pandemic began and they again use the opportunity to ask him about the latest COVID details.

For over 50 years Community Health Center, Inc., has focused on one key thought: Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege.

“Conversations on Health Care” is CHC’s nationally syndicated program that brings the mission to life.

This week guest host Thalia Assuras, a CBS and ABC News veteran, continues her talk with Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter about CHC’s anniversary, the interview program and its first guest Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They also discuss how CHC’s experience helped it navigate the COVID pandemic, including setting up a mass vaccination site.

We’re marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of Community Health Center, Inc., by turning the tables on hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter. Join former CBS and ABC News anchor Thalia Assuras as she asks Mark and Margaret to share their memories on this special occasion.

You’ll learn about the early challenges of starting CHC, the patients it’s helped and how it fits into the larger effort to improve U.S. health care.

As the world faces enormous challenges, in Ukraine and from COVID, it’s doing so without one of its global health champions. Dr. Paul Farmer, the co-founder and chief strategist of Partners In Health, unexpectedly passed away in February.

This week Dr. Joia Mukherjee, the Chief Medical Officer of Partners in Health, shares memories with Conversations on Health Care hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter. She explains how the nonprofit’s focus will remain on community health in the countries it serves.

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Trump administration, a trillion dollar-a-year agency providing health coverage for 130 million vulnerable Americans on Medicaid and Seniors on Medicare. She discusses the agency’s dramatic transformation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including hundreds of waivers lifting restrictions for providers across the country, a swift expansion of telehealth adoption, and Operation Warp Speed’s quest to provide a safe and efficacious vaccine for widespread distribution, once it is approved. She also addresses recent allegations around agency spending questions.

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Sara Goza, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the largest organization dedicated to advancing the physical, mental and social health of the nation’s infants, children and young adults. Dr. Goza discusses how pediatricians can help inform the tough decisions families are making to keep kids safe while sending them back to school, the vital importance of continued well-visits and vaccinations for kids, and the policy agenda being promoted by the Academy to insure the health and safety of all children, including gun violence, poverty and social determinants of health.

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. William Haseltine, President of ACCESS Health International, a global health think tank. He is also a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Harvard Medical School’s HIV/AIDS and cancer research centers. He discusses his two new books: A Family Guide to COVID: Questions and Answers for Parents, Grandparents and Children, and A COVID Back To School Guide which are continually-updating ‘living e-books’ offering answers to the many questions families have about how to navigate their way through the pandemic.

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with New York Times Science and Global Health Reporter Apoorva Mandavilli, who has been covering emerging discoveries around the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses the rapidly-evolving science on how this novel pathogen spreads, the guidelines for sending kids and teachers back into schools, and the rapid development of therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent infection.

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Naor Bar-Zeev, Deputy Director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He examines the scientific guidelines governing COVID-19 vaccine phase 3 clinical trials, including a broad demographic representation to ensure vaccine safety across multiple populations, and the need to address vaccine hesitancy as well as the global supply chain needed to distribute billions of doses.