Laura Carlson: Executive Director of Development AGH Division of Brain & Spine Health Discusses Latest Advancements in Area of Specialized Healthcare

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Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show. This is Joyce Bender with Disability Matters. On voiceamerica.com. Happy St. Patrick's Day. I have my green on, so does my guest. We're really in the celebratory state here. So if you are celebrating, one thing, be safe. Very important that you be safe. And wow, I can't imagine what's going on in Ireland right now. But you know what? We do have listeners in different parts of the world. I'm not going to read all 180. However, I am going to highlight a few as I do on every show, and I always start with Singapore because you are the second largest listening audience after the United States. That is amazing. I'm telling you, Singapore, you spread that news about quality of life for people living with disabilities. You need to go to the US Embassy and tell them you're looking for a venue where friends of yours and colleagues could listen to the show and getting it translated for you. You need to do that. Any English-speaking venue, you need to do that. Now, with listeners, as long as they can understand English, you got to get them on board also. But You're awesome. Brazil, same thing. But you're number 3. But who would ever think 4th place would be China? So here, let me just mention a few of the other countries listening to the show today. Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Estonia. Estonia used to be Swaziland. I know because I have children through World Vision that I support. And I know 7 years ago, whatever it was, that the dictator changed the name. So there you go. I know about you. Czech Republic, Mongolia, Fiji, Malta, Mauritania, Zimbabwe. Now, mind you, these are only just a few. That I— Tunisia, Iceland, I'm not gonna read all of them, but I just wanna say to all of you around the world, you do not know how much I appreciate that you care about people with disabilities in your country. You are doing a great thing. You are a great advocate, and I just thank all of you. And of course, everyone in the United States, North America, South America, Thank you so much. The United States, you are just awesome listeners. I appreciate so much how you follow this show. I know I have people that listen to every show, and I'm going to start naming them. David, David Mann, I'm calling you out. See, you all better be listening to every show because I'm going to start calling you out, people I know listen. But Yoshiko listens to every show. Yoshiko, special shout out to you. You've listened to every show for years and years because Yoshiko, she is the widow of the great late Justin Dart, who was the hero, legend in the civil rights for the disability world. Yoshiko and, uh, went with Justin around the country so many times, maybe it was 5 times before the ADA was signed, just to meet with groups of people with disabilities and get them invigorated to support, uh, the vote. And you know what? They did that on their own, not through some other organization. They did this on their own. What great people. Yoshiko, I love you, Yoshiko. Lead on. You know how I love you. Thank you for always being there for us. And then we come to Highmark. This company, for people with disabilities, there is no company like Highmark. There is no company like Highmark and AHN. You know, it's great and it's sad. But when I say Highmark stands alone, I mean it. There's not one company that I know of where from the top down, for ready, CEO, 31 years, every CEO has stood behind Bender and hiring people with disabilities. 31 years from the top down, and it's still with David Holmberg and Mark Sevko, who we'll be talking about. But all of this, what a great company. And of course, when you know it, they're the sponsor of the show. And that is why, oh, I love Laura Carlson. I'm gonna tell it ahead of time. You hear my bias now. I love her. And she is with us today. She's the executive director of Brain and Spine Health at the great Allegheny Health Network. And we'll talk later about that Neuroscience Institute. But love you, Laura. Love everything you do. Such a good person. And now, you know, people are listening to you everywhere. And here's the thing, they don't know you. So would you mind sharing a little bit of your journey? For example, I didn't know you worked in a not-for-profit where you worked in education, which so fits with everything about you. But let's start where you grew up and what happened from there.

Sure. Thank you so much, Joyce Bender. Happy to do that. And I'll tell you, you have a gift for making people feel very special. And I just want to share that I'm so honored to be with you on this show and certainly talking to so many of the people who listen to this weekly because this is a very important topic and certainly disabilities and disability access and inclusion is something that I've learned so much about from you. So just grateful to be here and happy to share my story and hope it resonates and we can help some other people along their journeys as well.

So I'll just start. And as you can all see, she's wearing the green for St. Patrick's Day. I wore green.

I wore green for St. Patrick's Day. That's right. We're in the spirit. Thank you for pointing that out. Yeah, I'm happy to just share a little bit about how I started. I'm from Pittsburgh. I am born and raised here. Proud to be a true Pittsburgher. My journey to the role that I have now was certainly not a straight line. And I don't know how far back you'd like me to go, Joyce. I'm mid-career at this point. But I'll just share that I knew that I always had a heart for business. I was always interested in going into something where I could show up and wear a suit to work, and I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do in the business world, quote unquote, but I knew that's the direction that I wanted to go. And I think a lot of that stemmed from the fact that I came from a large family with 5 children, and neither one of my parents had a college degree. My father was a steamfitter for Local 449. You might be familiar with that if you're from the Pittsburgh area. Area, and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. So we had a very traditional upbringing, always had enough food on the table, but not a lot of extras. And so growing up, you sort of start to see other parts of the world and you think to yourself, wow, how can, how can I move my family ahead or perhaps have an easier life than my childhood was growing up? And so business at the time was what I had the most exposure to. So I ended up at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Such a good school.

Yes, it was great. A great Jesuit school. Uh, their motto is men and women for others, and so that really resonated with me when I was there. I met my husband at John Carroll, and we both got the same degree. We both got a business management degree from John Carroll. And, um, now remember, Joyce, I was very motivated to pay back a lot of the college debt that I had after I graduated, and So, I thought to myself, "Well, what can I do in business right away that would allow me to do that?" And so, that led me to be in sales. I always had sort of this niche in sales and I had an internship in college. And believe it or not, it's with a company by the name of Flight Options today. It was Flexjet back then, but it was private aviation. And so, I actually started as an intern in college in a private aviation company in Cleveland and really got my start working for what I would describe describe as the top 1% of earners in the country. And there were a number of key takeaways that I got from that experience that sit with me today and help me advance the work that I do. And one is fanatical attention to detail. That was a theme, a key theme at this company, because similar to healthcare, if you didn't get the plane off the ground and back on the ground safely, lives were at risk. And so fanatical attention to detail was something that was talked about all the time. And so I had a very interesting experience there. I got to learn about customer service, how to make people feel, very important skill sets that I take with me to this day. But what I found was that it didn't fill my heart. And so fast forward, I got married to Jeff, who I met at John Carroll in Cleveland. We decided that we wanted to start a family and And so I, I sort of followed his career. I knew that we wanted to have children, and so I thought the best way to do that would be to help support him. And so from Cleveland, we moved to Minnesota where he got a job with the Mayo Clinic as a healthcare administrator. And when we were out there, Joyce, we found out that our 3-year-old daughter needed open-heart surgery. And I didn't know where Minnesota was on the map. Before we moved out there. But wouldn't you know it, they pioneered the surgery that she had. She ended up having 6 holes in her heart, and she is 16 today and just doing brilliantly. But it was a very tough time. It was one of those pivotal moments in life where you start to think about what you're here for and your purpose. And fast forward, we had 2 children at that time, we were then 18 hours away from my family who who was still in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Jeff's family, who was in Erie. And so we thought, boy, wouldn't it be great if we could just be within driving distance of family? Didn't have to be back in Pittsburgh, but just within driving distance. I'm sure, as you can relate, when you go through a pivotal health issue, it just starts to pull at you to be around those you love and those you care about. So we were fortunate enough for my husband to get a job at Allegheny Health Network. At the Wexford Health and Wellness Pavilion, which I know you like, Joyce.

I've heard you talk about it. I love it. Yes, I do love it.

Yes. So he came back and he got a job at the Wexford Health and Wellness Pavilion. And when we settled—

Well, wait, how many years ago was this?

That was about 12 years ago now. In fact, he opened the pavilion when it was just the pavilion and there was no hospital.

I was going to say, it had to be like right at the beginning of the—

It was. Yes. It had not even opened. And that was his job coming back here. So that was very exciting because not only was it in Pittsburgh, it was in the hometown that I actually grew up in. My dad was still a volunteer firefighter at the time. And so it was sort of like the universe knew it's time for you to come home. And so we started here in Pittsburgh and I knew I wanted to go back to work. The kids were getting a little bit older, but there was nothing in my heart anymore that drew me to sales, Joyce. And our children were small, and I had been exposed to the world of philanthropy when Jeff worked at the Mayo Clinic. And I would go to some of these events. And of course, the purpose was to raise money for the mission at Mayo Clinic. And I remember meeting the chief development officer, and I said to him, boy, you're really like a salesperson. And of course, he was immediately offended. No, no, no, I don't, I don't sell anything. And I said, well, you don't sell a product or service, but you certainly sell impact and change, and, and it's meaningful and it captures your heart. So, um, when Jeff was with AHN, I certainly was around all the folks who worked there and around that mission, and it was always very appealing. And there was no job opportunity at the time, but I did start in education at a small nonprofit called the Education Education Partnership, and I was the community relationship manager who helped raise money for school supplies for all of the underserved schools in the city of Pittsburgh. So, um, really proud to share that they advanced and really started the Adopt a School program where companies can take a school and provide the supplies that school needs, down to pens and pencils and paper and Kleenexes and all the things that you would expect expect would be available at a school, and in some cases are not. And that's really how I got my start in nonprofit. My heart was drawn to it. It is very much— what I do is very much a sales role. It is inviting and education and educating and sharing about the needs in our community. And so, um, my— a piece of me is still at the Education Partnership and all the kids that we served. Yes.

Wow, that is a great story. I'm so glad you came back. Thank you for coming back. Yes, that— what she's talking about is Allegheny Health Network has Wexford Hospital in Wexford, PA, which you all know I'm headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, and they built a health pavilion And it is so awesome. It really is so nice. I was there for a very minor orthopedic procedure. And you know what? Everyone in there was so nice to me. I'm meaning everyone was so nice. It was a minor procedure. You know what it was? It was a knee replacement.

Oh my goodness.

But I'm going to tell you what. Well, first of all, Dr. Sauber, I call him Titanium Man. Yes. And he is the best. He is just wonderful. But everyone that works there, like, I'm meaning the nurses, you know. Yes. The medical attendants, whatever the job. They all are so nice. Yes, I had a really good experience there. And of course, Dr. Valeriano, my epileptologist, can go there or to AHN. So I just, I just love it there. I love it that you can go in here. I'm being a commercial now, but it's true. You can go in, you can have your physical, and then if you need a mammogram, you can do that. Then if you need bone, all in one location. I mean, that is just awesome. And Jeff Carlson is the CEO, correct?

Well, he started there and then he had a stint in St. Vincent Hospital and area, and now he's at Forbes. Forbes.

Sorry, he's the CEO of Forbes Hospital.

CEO.

CEO. I promoted you. You did. I gave him a promotion. But you know what? I was at Wexford way back and Variety, the Children's Charity, was there doing a presentation or something. And now that I reflect on this, this COO came out— that would have been him.

That was him. Small world.

Yes.

Uh, in fact, you and I— Charlie Lavallee, I, I should mention him. He's a big part of my story. Um, when I was trying to figure out what to do and what my purpose was and how I wanted to make a difference in Pittsburgh, I went to a Variety fundraiser. And I saw Charlie Lavallee, and you know him quite well, his energy and his enthusiasm. And he was on stage and he looked like the happiest man in the world. And I remember turning to Jeff and saying, do you see what he's doing? That's how I want to feel when I'm doing the work that I do. And so Charlie has been a close mentor for me since that event, and really is a part of why I'm here today. He's followed along with me every step of the way in this nonprofit. He's a great nonprofit leader, so really proud of him and what he's done.

Charlie, we're going to have you on. We're going to have you on this show. And I will say, Charlie Lavallee is one of the best people I know. He is.

He is.

He really is awesome. I just think the world of him. Well, we can't go to our news break until we talk about the Neuroscience Institute, which of course I love for many reasons, but I'm all about neurology being that I live with epilepsy. And, you know, I was the chair of the national board years ago, the Epilepsy Foundation, where I work with all these neurologists. And now I'm the chair here in Pittsburgh. So I'm still working with, you know, different epileptologists like Jim Valeriano, best doctor in America, as I tell everyone. But I wanted you to talk about the Neuroscience Institute. Tell our listeners about it because I think it's so fabulous.

Well, thank you. Thank you for that opportunity. This is an area that I have become very passionate about, and I'm sure all the listeners will too when they start to understand neuroscience and what it is and the needs out there for really growing services for our communities. Just to go back, after I left the Education Partnership, I made this transition to healthcare. It was a natural transition because, as we shared, Jeff was very involved with AHN, and as I learned more about the needs at AHN, it was clear that healthcare was a nonprofit area that we really needed to expand here in Pittsburgh. And so Neuroscience is sort of what you might think of as the final frontier in medicine. So for the past few decades, there's been heavy national investment, local investment in cardiac, in cancer care, and this has really happened across the country. And what we're seeing now is in the last 5 to 7 years, a real increase in investment in the neurosciences. And why is that? Well, one, technology 2, people are living longer because of those great advancements we've made in cardiac cancer. And so, um, what we found here in Pittsburgh is we're the second oldest population behind Palm Beach, Florida. Can you believe that? I mean, this, it was like the perfect place for us to start understanding the needs of not only the patient, but the caregivers, the families around the patient and how some of these diseases, memory disorders, for example, Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson's. We happen to be in what's called the Parkinson's belt here in Pittsburgh, where we have a, a much higher percentage of a chance of getting that disease versus other areas in the country. So we started to look at what do we need to do as a health system to not only provide that acute medical care when that individual comes in, but also what can we do to help each person live their very best life? And so neuroscience, we decided that we were going to start a philanthropy campaign that is around two things. One, the messaging. We needed to tell our story. I have been so impressed. You mentioned Dr. Valeriano, the other physicians here from our chair, Dr. John Whiting, to all of the neurologists and neurosurgeons, nurses, administrative staff that we have in this institute. And I think this can be said for all of AHN. This is really healthcare with heart. These people are here because they have a passion for delivering exceptional patient care, and they don't just take what we do today as status quo. They look at that, and then they think about ways that they can improve it. So, this neuroscience team really, really engaged connected with me right away and, and shared a lot of those impact stories that they're seeing with patients and just said, look, we, we need to share with our community what we want to build here. We have many of our staff are 5 to 6 years out of residency. So these are very young physicians who are starting a career here and we want them to stay. And what a great place to pilot different ideas around the neuroscience And I'll tell you, Joyce Bender, it covers everything. Again, epilepsy, you mentioned neuro-oncology, migraines. Migraine headaches are a huge, huge area. I think one of the top 2 disabilities in the world. I've learned from you, I actually am a migraine sufferer and do see one of our neurologists here at AHN. I never understood that that was a disability. And I do today because of you and because of you sharing that with me. In fact, just a little side note, before I got on this call, and if anyone on here is a migraine sufferer, they'll understand, it did cross my mind, what would I do if I got the migraine aura while I'm on this call? Because that can happen. And so it's always with you. And whether that's migraine or epilepsy or Parkinson's, We are, as you said, living with this disability. So how do we not allow it to stop us? How do we allow us to keep moving forward and supporting one another in that? So we have a $55 million philanthropy campaign that we kicked off last May, and that's to grow research, that is to grow our facility and access to our facility. And that is also to grow integrative wraparound care that I referred to earlier. How do we help the families and the caregivers along with the patient?

Mm-hmm. I think you can see just how wonderful Laurie is. She is speaking from her heart. And by the way, yeah, migraines even was a targeted— meaning considered a significant disability by the federal government, you know, because they had a push to try to hire more people that had a significant disability such as epilepsy or being blind. Because what people don't realize still today, I'm sure it's some— probably many companies, but back before it was worse. A woman would have a migraine and her boss would say, "Really? Go take an aspirin." Yes. With no understanding that this is debilitating, can take you out for a week. And there is a connection cross with epilepsy in that when you have epilepsy, you also have an aura. Yeah. And actually, guess what? The aura is part of the seizure. So your aura is part of the migraine. It's not just this warning. It is a warning, but I mean, thank God I haven't had it in a long long, long time. I still take medication, of course, but I know very well what that, that is like. And this Neuroscience Institute, I was in an event. Dr. Whiting, who I think the world of, did this. He had a presentation for a group of people from Highmark. A gentleman with Parkinson's and it showed how significant the tremor was. But Dr. Whiting, they had come up with something where I think it was an implant. It was something. And then he flipped that on and it's gone. Like, wow. I couldn't believe it. But that's the kind of things they're doing. Yes. At the center.

That's right. In fact, Dr. John Whiting is a world-renowned expert in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's. And so that is what you're describing, that implant that helped calm someone's symptoms, really calm their body. And he actually is now using that for other types of illnesses like Tourette's. We recently had a lovely young woman by the name of Abby come in and speak to us about how Dr. Whiting did an implant to help with her Tourette's, which was just life-altering. She couldn't work because of her Tourette's. She couldn't function normally. And so after years of suffering, she also had this deep brain stimulation. So again, very fortunate to have such expertise here.

Yeah, we are. We're very fortunate. But you may know a family member that has a child with a significant disability and, uh, that you also know is a philanthropist or just someone with the means to make a significant donation. And as this news gets out, Laura, if someone tells someone who tells someone, how— what would they do if they wanted to make that, that, uh, significant donation? What would they do?

Well, thank you for sharing that, Joyce Bender. I'd have them call you first to figure out how to get to me, and I'm happy to walk people. You know, it's, it's really, it's a partnership. This is as much about allowing the giver to feel the impact of a gift like that as it is the impact on the patients who experience this, because it's impossible for hospitals to invest at the level that philanthropy can really invest in to take things above and beyond what is currently available. So, if anyone wanted to talk further, we'd be happy to do that. They can contact you, they can contact me. We'd be happy to bring them out for a visit and meet the team.

Okay, well, you all know, but it's jbender@benderconsult.com. And if you get in touch with me, I'm going to direct you immediately to Laura Carlson at AHN. What is your email, Laura?

It's Laura, L-A-U-R-A, dot Carlson, C-A-R-L-S-O-N, at a-h-n dot org.

Yes, so there you have it. Now you know, you know what to do if you know of someone Every, every single dollar counts, but I know there are people out there that have grandchildren or child or they themselves, and they really would love to make an investment. They would. Okay, well, Laura, now we heard about that. Let's get to that CHILL project because that's why I said no surprise you worked in education. No surprise. Could we tell everyone about that CHILL Project?

Sure. Well, the other part of the role that I have here in the Division of Brain and Spine is not only neuroscience, but it's psychiatry. So it's everything from therapy up to brain surgery. So brain health, if you will. Psychiatry is actually where I got my start here at AHN almost 9 years ago. And I had the pleasure of meeting the founder of the CHILL Project, which started in 2019. His name is Dr. Will Davies. And he came to us with a vision to really come up with a new way to deliver psychiatry services in schools. This was also before COVID Joyce. So I do want to— he was very, he was very much a visionary in this regard. But it hit fast and furiously, the needs for supporting youth differently around mental health once 2020 came. And once COVID hit. So his timing was perfect. He thought that perhaps there could be a way to have behavioral health services embedded in a school system, just like we might do for math or reading support. If a child needs to maybe step out of class for a minute and have some one-on-one time around literature, it might work for behavioral health, but it never really existed that way. And what's what schools were sharing with Dr. Davies is that their guidance counselors were overwhelmed by the number of students who had anxiety, depression, even if it was just a little test anxiety, or think about middle school, those awkward relationships and bullying. And they— so children didn't have an outlet for it. So part of what Will created ended up being onsite services 5 days a week offered in school districts. Along with what he calls a chill room. And that chill room was a room that kids could go in to feel a safe space, certainly a separate space from in the classroom where you're not sure the inputs or the energies around a child at any point in time. And so this has grown from 2 schools, Joyce, in 2019 to 52 schools. Wow. In Pennsylvania, one in the middle of the state, a rural school school district, Tussey Mountain, one in Delaware, in Erie, Pennsylvania, and it's also created some additional offshoots of different ways to deliver behavioral health services.

You know what is— well, that's wonderful. And you know, the Mary Brocker Mental Health Initiative, which is part of the Bender Leadership Academy, is so all about mental health, and you are so right. There's such a need, uh, you know, such a need for these high school students and middle school students living with mental health disabilities. I, I have to tell you that I was just so impressed with this from the beginning. I went into the children And so you all know this room. So if you're having a bad day or having a panic attack or whatever it is, you can go to this room. And what I remember is the tent.

Isn't that neat?

Yes. That was up and that you could go inside and sit there and just be away from everyone. That was so awesome. Well, that's great that you're doing such great things. Laura. Well, folks, it is time for our news break. Mathis on the mic, and we have Jennifer with us right now. Jennifer, I'll bet that you can relate to hearing about this since, uh, Jennifer is the Deputy Director— is that the right title?

Yes, indeed.

Yeah, she is the superstar at Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law which I'm so honored to be on the board. But I've got to tell it. I'm going to say it. Do I not say on all of these shows, she's so famous, you will read about her in the New York Times or the Washington Post. And excuse me, Miss Jennifer Mathis, but you were recently in— was it the New York Times, right? Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. So whenever they are looking for Oh, this is good for you to know, Laura, since you work in that, uh, psychiatry area. When someone is looking for an expert on mental health, it's like directly to Jennifer Mathis, um, and they'll call her, you know, something's happened that relates to mental health and they want, uh, her opinion. So now you know Jennifer Mathis who is my news anchor. I have such a famous one, and we call it Mathis on the Mic. And here's the next thing I always say: I have no idea what you're going to talk about in the news because there's like a zillion things happening. So take it away, Jennifer. What's our news today?

So there are two pressing issues, and so what I'm going to do is give an update on one of them today. And I think let's talk about the other one next week. Okay. The one that I'm going to talk about next week is— was the subject of the New York Times article that you referenced, and that's about a new effort by the VA to place lots of veterans, including lots of homeless veterans, under guardianship. But today I'd like to talk Again, about this Medicaid fraud issue that we have talked about a couple of times on the news segments, because there is a significant update in that yesterday there was a new executive order doubling down on the narrative of fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicaid program and in public benefits programs generally, and, um, setting forth new plans to try to, I would say, to kind of advance a narrative which is not true, that there is rampant fraud in Medicaid services, including in home and community-based services. As we have talked about before, of course, Nobody is in favor of fraud in the Medicaid program. And when there is a legitimate suspicion of fraud, absolutely there should be an investigation and there should be consequences if there is a finding of fraud. But what is happening is something else where we have seen the federal government take action first in Minnesota freezing $260 million across service categories in the Medicaid program without much explanation to Minnesota of what it is that they are seeing, other than that there's increased use of services in certain categories, and they feel like the state hasn't taken enough steps to prevent fraud, but they aren't apparently telling the state, at least according to Minnesota, they have gotten very little feedback or no feedback from CMS, in fact, on the corrective action plan that they had submitted. Then there were letters to a number of other states similarly citing increased billing for certain services primarily focused on home and community-based services for people with disabilities, community behavioral health services, and services that are very important to people with disabilities. And they do not seem to— they don't seem to have specific instances of systemic fraud. They cite isolated instances which I don't dispute, which happened in some cases years ago. But without evidence that there is widespread fraud, they seem to be threatening to freeze funding across services. And that is significant and very concerning. And so yesterday we saw a new executive order, um, and this, it, it has language saying states have embraced loopholes in benefits programs that, and states have refused to institute basic fraud controls. And as a result, quote unquote, illegal aliens, criminals, foreign gangs, bureaucrats, state and local officials, non-governmental organizations, and ineligible providers exploit these programs, and that has resulted in widespread fraud, waste, and abuse. And they talk about immigration fraud and how all benefits are going to undocumented immigrants who they call illegal aliens and There is a lot of sort of hysteria, I would say, in the language that is used. And it talks about reason to believe that in addition to Minnesota, that California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado also have similar problems with widespread fraud and It directs the government to set up a task force to eliminate fraud comprised of heads of different executive branch agencies. It directs the task force to develop a national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs. And I think the concerning piece is that It seems to be focused on strategies that are designed to withhold funds, um, absent actual findings of fraud. So for example, there's a provision talking about instituting eligibility verification processes and controls that operate before funds are obligated or disbursed. To prevent improper payments in benefits programs, including by coordinating agency action to determine when ongoing fraud or potential fraud require proactively pausing certain types of funding until such controls can be established. And then it talks about recommending ways that federal funds may be withheld from jurisdictions that do not have adequate anti-fraud requirements. So in other words, if we think that you don't have sufficient anti-fraud requirements, and they give examples of screening and proof of identity and eligibility verifications, which all are, we know, processes that can be extremely burdensome for people with disabilities, for older adults, for low-income people who rely on these programs to survive, that if we don't like your programs that you have in place, your, your, your screening programs to make sure that there are adequate controls on fraud, then we're going to look for ways to freeze the money in your benefit programs, even if there is no fraud. And so that is extremely concerning. There is a hearing today that is happening as we speak in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. There's an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. There is a hearing today on Medicaid fraud. I know there are many people from the disability community who intend to show up to make visible their presence and known their concern about what is happening, because it seems like people with disabilities have essentially become scapegoats in this fraud initiative. And again, I want to emphasize that I don't support fraud in the Medicaid program, and none of us do. But it is a different thing to investigate legitimate concerns about fraud than to wholesale just freeze funding or threaten freezing funding for everybody who gets particular types of services based on nebulous concerns about increased use of the services when we know that yes, these services are increasing in use because a lot of people need them and find them useful and use them to survive. So without a lot more than this is, you know, increased billing and looking at our historical billing patterns, we think there are concerns here and based on nothing anything else, we may freeze your funding. That's a concern.

Well, that's a big concern, uh, Jennifer. How do, how do you follow up on that? Our listeners, can they go to bazelon.org or should they go to DREDF?

So, well, we have, um, we have some information actually. I think it's on our social media. Um, there should be a statement. I will check if it's on our website yet. We, we did issue a statement, a couple of statements. One a broader disability community statement. And then that we also have a statement about this with mental health and substance use organizations. And you can find those. I will make sure they're on our website, but they're also on our social media. All right. LinkedIn, I guess.

So what you all have to do, go to bazelon.org and go to the social media. So that you can— this is very important that you understand this. So make sure you go read this. And Jennifer, I want to thank you for keeping us so up to date. And I know you have part 2 next week, so we will look forward to seeing you then. Indeed. All right, we'll see you. Thank you. Bye-bye. Oh my, it's always something, let me tell you. But you know, education Is the key. Education is always the key, Laura. Laura, I'm going to move on to something happy, and that's Mark Sevko, AHN CEO, who is— so you know this, he is— I want all listeners to know this— made a point of getting in touch with me. Hey Joyce, what do I have to do to keep going hiring people with disabilities? I want to do that also. And already contacted my friend David Orr in Human Resources, and they are sending openings for Bender to work on. So, I mean, he is just— what can I say? He's fantastic. But anyway, I don't know how Highmark gets all of these people. I mean, everyone is so great at Highmark, but What do you think about Mark Sevko, Laura?

Yeah, I'm so glad you brought him up. We couldn't be luckier to have him here in Pittsburgh, and my understanding is that he left Pittsburgh for a few years and recently came back and again is born and bred here, and so wanted to use all the gifts and talents that he has to really advance healthcare here in Pittsburgh. He also has an amazing personal story that he shared with all of AHN about his father dying at a very young age. He lost his father and how that impacted him and, and what he wanted to do to give back, and also how that company took care of his family at a very difficult time and sent him and his siblings through college. So what a great example of philanthropy and giving back and making an impact And boy, did they do something great because so many have really benefited from his leadership. And I think I would say I've observed that a lot of the culture here is about servant leadership. So it's how can we help? And I think that what Mark did by calling you and saying, what can I do? That's, that's really what we all do here. How can we help advance mental health? How can we change care around the neuroscience and every other one of the care areas that we serve. So I think that's something that we really look for here. This is definitely a network with heart. If I didn't already say that, I feel that so strongly. And so I think that's the type of person that we attract. And you've seen that, you know, so many folks here at both AHN and Highmark.

In your, but in your observing different companies in your background, Don't you think it's unbelievable that every single person at the top is like this? I mean, David Holmberg, Karen Hanlon, of course, Mark Sevko, Deb Reich Johnson, Mick Melk. I mean, I could go on. Dan Honorato. I could just keep going on. Larry Kleinman. I mean, all of them are so supportive. For example, Bender Consulting and disability. Don't you think that's amazing?

That it's amazing. Yeah, it's amazing. And I think the secret sauce is the mission, right? I mean, it— if you— we talk about that when you interview here. So remarkable health experience, freeing people to be their best. And so if you're into the mission, you be— you are that type of servant leader that wants to give back, that wants to use and develop your gifts and skills to their fullest extent. To make a difference. And I think that's also so special about working in a nonprofit.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And if it weren't for Highmark, there wouldn't be a Bender, because that's who helped me get started 31 years ago. Bill Lowry, next CEO John Brouse, next CEO Ken Maloney, next CEO Bill Winkenwerder, and then along came David Holmberg. And oh, is he— Just awesome. Just awesome. As is your neighbor, Karen Handlin. But, you know, a lot of companies, and I've seen this, there will be a CEO, maybe their mission is diabetes, maybe someone in their family. Okay, they leave and that mission goes away. I hate to say it, but I mean, I see that happen. Ade. Ade. All these years, 31 years. I mean, it's just absolutely remarkable. And I believe that Mark has embodied that servant leadership. I really do think that. But I see how awesome you are, Laura. And that comes from somewhere. That comes either whether it's business, family, history, whatever it is, but someone has influenced you. So tell me, who is your role model?

So I have a number of role models in my life, but I'm going to share a personal story from just last week, and it actually gets me choked up a little bit. Um, it's about my father, and I told you that my dad was a steamfitter, Local 449, raised 5 children. Things have never been important— money, things— that's never been important to him. But integrity is, character, giving back. And so recently, he got a job as a driver for Quality EMS in Mars, Pennsylvania. And so his job is to pick up likely folks who are disabled and may not have transportation to get to their medical appointments. He picks picks them up from, you know, maybe their nursing home or facility. A lot of these folks have no family. They're alone. And he transports them to their medical appointments. And so last week, he brought someone down to AGH to the Neuroscience Institute. And he pulled up and he got the patient in and got them registered. And he sent me a text message, hey, I think this is where you work. Are you at the Hemlock Building in Neuroscience? I said, I sure I am, Dad. You're on floor 4 and I was on 5. So, and he said he was with a patient. So, I brought down a little gift bag, some neuroscience swag, and I got to speak with this beautiful woman whose son came along with her. And she was going in to see one of our neurosurgeons. I said, well, who are you going to see? And she gave me the name. And I said, well, ma'am, I don't have any favorites, but if I did, he'd be one of my favorites. And so I, you know, I was able to talk to her about her clinician and the experience, and then to have my dad there being the one to push her around, it just said to me, you know, Dad, this is what you were born to do. We're doing what we were born to do. That was just such a full circle moment for me. So I would really have to say my dad is very much my role model, even in his mid- 70s, he is out still helping others with the gifts and talents that he has.

And what a great story that is. That is truly is a great story. Servant leadership. He's like the Good Samaritan. Remember when I talked about that? Yes. Here he is helping that woman. Um, and you know what? She will be one person she'll never forget. So never forget that experience. Yes. I never forget she met the executive-level daughter, and she was with the father, and you came down and you talked to her. And wow, what a great story.

You know, it was a great moment for me to say, Dad, you're doing what you were born to do. And it was just such a beautiful thing. So I feel very driven to follow in that path.

Well, Laura, before we end the show, I have to ask you, over the past several years, what do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Hmm, so that's a great question. Um, is it women's— it's— is it women— it's like International Women's Month.

It's a— it's a month for women. Women's History Month.

Yeah, Women's History Month.

Thank you.

I thought that was the case. And so I'm I want to share something that I'm really proud of that pushed me out of my comfort zone. And I sought out and applied and went into a program called the EDGE Women's Leadership Program, which is put on by an amazing woman by the name of Christy Uffelman, who is also out of Pittsburgh and has studied under Brené Brown, uh, just another amazing human being and amazing woman. And I had an all-female cohort, and she took us through coaching and allowing us to find our voice, which was certainly and continues to be something that I'm working on. Going through that program with her and stepping out of our comfort zones to talk more about not what we do, but who we are as people was just, just an incredible experience. So I would encourage any woman and man to just keep building their gifts and talents. And, um, I know that that was a program that really supported me.

Wow. Did you get an award or something?

We got a graduation certificate that's lovely, and it's hanging in my office.

Oh, well, congratulations. Thank you, Laura. I will tell you, it is a blessing to me that we have you here in Pittsburgh and that I count you my friend. You know what? You're helping change lives. You're helping save lives. You're doing so many wonderful things, um, and you're just a good person, period. That's it. So you're going to love the quote that ends the show. Oh, you're going to really like it. Ready? Here is our quote that ends our show today: Philanthropy is the market "Life is for love," said Dan Palata. And I know you like that quote, Laura. And of course, before we end the show today, remember, in the words of Mary Brooker, when you get up tomorrow morning, choose joy. You won't be disappointed. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters at voiceamerica.com. Hey, talk to you all next week with County Executive Sarah Ann Alvarado. Talk to you then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.