Mark Sevco: President of AHN Shares Commitment to Help AHN Succeed in Competitive Industry and Continue Hiring People with Disabilities as Part of Its Workforce

At Highmark Health, we believe what makes us unique makes us better. Our differences broaden our perspectives and foster a variety of skills to complement each other, creating a stronger and more vibrant workforce. It's this belief that earned us recognition as the Best Place to Work for the 10th year for individuals with disabilities in a survey by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN. We'll continue to celebrate and benefit from the inclusion of all people. To find out more, visit highmarkhealth.org. 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. Special shout out to Yoshiko Dark before I even start the show. Yoshiko is the wife of the late, great Justin Dart. So this year, I wanted to send that special shout out right at the beginning. And thank you. Thank you to all of you. Oh my goodness. 22 years I've been on the air. 22 years. And last year I had my 1,000th episode. And couldn't do it without all of you. Couldn't do it without you great listeners. As I say all the time, you cannot have a successful car dealership if you don't sell cars. So, you know, without listeners, I wouldn't be here. So thank you so much. And to all the countries with listeners, do you all remember when I would say, and we have 15 countries with listeners, and now I say we have almost 100 countries with listeners. And listeners, I don't know what's going on, like in Singapore, but you're number 2 as the highest listening audience. But there are some, I always talk about this, maybe a company, a country, I'm sorry, in Africa, small country, there's only one listener. I say this every show. And by the way, listeners, I say this to you also. It only takes one person to make a difference. One. So thank you to that one. Well, here we are. We're coming to the end of the month. And what is this month? Hi, Mark Monz. As you know, we started with David Holmberg and then Karen Hanlon, then Larry Kleinman, and now we have a really big shot, the CEO of Allegheny Health Network, and I have to say it, king of the Mardi Gras. Mark, you know I have to say that, king of the Mardi Gras. Uh, and Mark, It is truly a pleasure to have you on the show today as guest. Highmark has been the sponsor of this show, the lead sponsor, for many years, and they're helping me spread the news around the world of quality of life for people living with disabilities. But listeners, you know, whether it's choosing a doctor, insurance, hospital, whatever it is, I know we all, as you know, I live with epilepsy and people with disabilities, we gravitate to people or companies, I should say, that care about us. So let me tell you this little story before we start with Marc. First time I met Marc, I had barely said 3 sentences about, and hi Marc, hires people with disabilities from us. And Marc said, oh, well, Yeah, I'm going to also. Yes, yes, I'm gonna hire people. And guess what he did? He had me attend his staff meeting and speak to all his top people. So why I'm telling you this, all of you living with disabilities or a family of someone living with a disability, Mark Sevko, CEO Allegheny Health Network, is the real deal. I mean it. So, you know, when I endorse someone, you know, I take it very seriously. So, Mark Sevko, it is a pleasure to have you as my guest on the show today. I was very excited about this. For our listeners' benefit, I thought maybe we could start a little bit about your story or your journey, you know, like how— where you grew up, how— where you went on to school, what happened after that?

Well, first, Joyce, thanks so much for having me. I'm honored and humbled by the invitation, and I appreciate your opening comments. And hello to everybody out there who's dialing in and listening. And just a real unique opportunity to really speak on behalf of Allegheny Health Network. And Allegheny Health Network is 100% part of Highmark. So we're really proud of that. And I'm certain we'll get into that a little bit. But yeah, Joyce Bender, you know, I appreciate the opportunity to say hello and connect. And, you know, my connection to healthcare really began when I was very young. My father was in an accident at work and he was a blue-collar electrician. And he was in a worksite accident. And I remember our family being rushed to the hospital. And when we were rushed to the hospital, just how compassionate the staff were in this situation, bridging life and death and helping our family understand what's going on. Unfortunately, Joyce Bender, my father was electrocuted and died that day. I was 12 years old. I was really struck by just healthcare and what was going on in that emergency department. And it really changed my life and it changed the trajectory of my family as well. We kind of struggled for many years. And, from the perspective of just going, persevering through that, led me to the University of Pittsburgh where I got a degree in applied mathematics. A degree in MBA, my master's in health administration. But what I wanted to share with you was just how much an employer can make a difference. The employer, after a short while after my father died, sat down with my mother and said, "Look, we know you're gonna have a tough time, you know, supporting your kids. They may not be able to go to college. We're gonna support all 4 of your kids to go to college on a full scholarship." That's what the employer decided to do.

And that— Wow.

That was my opportunity to go to college. So here I am and just had a passion for healthcare and knowing what a difference an employer can make.

That is unbelievable. Wow. What a great thing they did. You know, it's always so heartwarming to hear stories like that. So then what was your first job in healthcare? Your career, what did you do?

Yeah, my first job after finishing, I began working as a business analyst for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where I spent 30 years in that organization over a period of time, all on the provider side, just working with clinicians, physicians, centers of excellence, and really supporting the frontline staff in terms of providing care, just, you know, had the opportunity to work for practices, hospitals, and really helped build a network. But I was always fascinated really with the patient care experience. That's something that has always been my passion. How do you help people, you know, inspire them to be their best for patients that are coming and relying on us to provide care to them and help them navigate through a very difficult time, or it could be an acute issue or anything really. Healthcare's complex and my primary focus is customer service.

Well, didn't you work at Children's for a while?

Yeah, I was a unique opportunity, the president and CEO of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. And, you know, that really gave me a platform to lean in on the pediatric front and be part of a children's hospital that was, you know, one of the best in the country. And, you know, an amazing program there for children with epilepsy and just many other you know, opportunities to help kids that are going through a tough time, whether that's cancer or anything of that sort. But certainly most of the care provided was really for low complex and just medical issues that, you know, healthcare makes a difference for families who have kids. And I've always said that, you know, kids are 20% of the population, but they're 100% of the future. Isn't that right, Joyce Bender? I mean, kids are our future. Yes, that's right. Really, you're always looking to, you know, support the next generation and the next level of leaders, and you help kids through, you know, these programs and schooling programs and get them jobs.

You know, if you as a listener, if you— we, as you know, Mark at AHN, hi Mark, and me, Bender Consulting, we're all headquartered in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania, which I always say best city in America. But I, I want to mention that if you were here and you walked into Children's Hospital, oh my goodness, it's like the Disneyland of hospitals. I mean, I had not been in there till recently, and when I walked in, I mean, how it's welcoming for children and I can't explain all the things they have when you first go in, but it is really something.

Yeah, it is. It's a special place. Everybody's dedicated to the cause there. And, you know, I think when children arrive, you want to make sure that they are, um, you know, at ease and understanding with compassion that, you know, um, art therapy can be a distraction, music therapy can be a distraction, and just making them feel comfortable, like it's a fun place, right? Healthcare's not fun when you need it, but for kids especially, you wanna put 'em at ease and let 'em know. So many of the kids enjoy visiting Children's Hospital. They wanna go back. So that's actually a compliment to the team and so many therapists there. And we look to replicate that here at AHN in all of our settings too, just that type of culture.

Well, and just to give you all an example, If you have a child, an MRI, how they have this is it looks as if you're looking up at stars. So I don't know how they did that, but I thought, oh, I wish they did that for all of us, that we all have that. But then you moved on to California. Who were you? Where were you in California?

I moved to San Francisco and was working in Northern California for a very large health system called Sutter Health. They really have a provider network all around Northern California from Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Sacramento, Modesto, and Oakland. And really, it challenged me as a leader, Joyce Bender, you know, try something different, be part of an organization which I was ready for change, wanted to see something. I really learned a tremendous amount, had a lot of joy in doing that. And then as you know, I got the call from David Holmberg and Karen Hanlon and brought me back to Pittsburgh for this very exceptional opportunity to be the President and CEO of Allegheny Health Network. And just couldn't be more proud to be here and working for Highmark and working to build and support this exceptional team to do something very special.

Well, they're both good recruiters. Thank goodness they got you, and thank goodness you came back because you are a blessing and you are such a big asset for the organization. So, you know, when you're hearing this about AHN, if you're in Western Pennsylvania, you, you may be thinking, oh, Allegheny General Hospital, which, yes, that is, uh, I always call it the mainstay hospital. Of Allegheny Health Network, but far from it just being that one hospital. So, Mark, I thought maybe you could talk about AHN, how many hospitals, uh, uh, like the Wellness Pavilion, uh, urgent care centers, everything.

Oh yeah, thanks for that opportunity. Uh, you know, Allegheny Health Network is the provider arm meaning the physicians and hospitals and ambulatory network for Highmark. And we provide care really geographically dispersed all around southwestern Pennsylvania. We have 14 hospitals, soon to have 2 more. We're working on a merger with Heritage Valley and the hospital in Sewickley and Beaver. We're excited about that. So we'll go to 16. We have about a little less than 300 ambulatory sites. Practices, imaging sites, urgent care all over the southwestern Pennsylvania corridor from Erie to Butler or Beaver to Allegheny County, Westmoreland County, and really provide, you know, proud to support this team and these hospitals that are spread out really all over the place to create this unique destiny that if you come to Allegheny Health Network, you're part of one of the world-class provider networks that's integrated. We take care of patients where they need to be taken care of. If we need to, you know, take care of somebody above and beyond a clinical capability at a community hospital, we get them to the right place. And we really do that seamlessly. And Allegheny General is one of our flagship hospitals right here in Pittsburgh, and certainly proud of the work they do. But to your point, We have over 2,500 physicians and clinicians that are taking care of patients every day, really across every specialty from primary care to transplant. And so it's a comprehensive network, top-line revenue about $6 billion on the, on the hospital provider side. And, you know, we're not looking to get larger just to get larger. We're, we're actually, you know, we're growing because patients are selecting AHN, and we're certainly we're proud of that. So we'll keep that momentum and appreciate everybody's support.

Well, I will tell you, I've been to several of them, but mainly I go to the Wexford Health Pavilion. Yeah. So I had a procedure there. Actually, it was, I think, when I had a knee replacement. Dr. Tim Sauber.

Yeah.

Oh, if you, any of you need a knee replacement, I call him Titanium Man because I have titanium knees.

Yeah, but sure.

Whoa, he is one of my favorites. He is so good, so awesome. And I want to tell you, I am a great ad. I have no problems. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no problems at all.

Great.

Um, but what I wanted to say is The nurses and attendants were just fantastic. So nice, so friendly. I mean, I was so impressed. And it's like that, you know, whether it's for a woman with a mammogram or whatever it is, it is amazing how nice everyone is. So thank you. And, you know, there are all these other ambulatory facilities, as Mark said. But I really, really have been impressed. And not to forget, the best epileptologist in America, Dr. Jim Valeriano, is at AHN, who happens to be my doctor. And Dr. V is awesome, and my friend Don Whiting. They are running the Neuroscience Technical Institute. It is fabulous. So, um, as you can see, I really like that Neuroscience Institute. But Mark, King Mark, I call you King Mark because you will be and are the king of the Mardi Gras. And so that everyone hearing People like me, children, people that are the least of these, people who are living in poverty with epilepsy, because, you know, not everyone is like me, which the anti-seizure medication works so well, need help right now. For example, A lot of people need help paying for prescriptions. So we do so much. I'm the chair of the local Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA. So this Mardi Gras is a big fundraiser for us, and a person is nominated to the Epilepsy Association, a CEO, um, that is a community-minded person. That is Mark. So Mark, what's it mean to you to be the King of the Mardi Gras?

Yeah, well, thanks. I, I really appreciate it. It certainly is a once in a lifetime, you know, milestone opportunity to, to be part of something, you know, that's fun. But most importantly, as I've learned a lot about it and I've been to a couple of the events over my over my years. It's such a great cause, bringing people together to contribute and raise money for such a great cause and to support the Epilepsy Association at this fundraiser. To be the King of Mardi Gras is a little humbling, right? I'm not sure I'm going to— from that aspect of the celebration, it's fun, but I don't typically like center of attention. But once we get through that entrance-exit at the entranceway, it'll be a party. And it's on Fat Tuesday. And I've gotten to see what you've been able to do to help this organization advance and raise money so that we can help other people. Like you said, whether it's with medication or navigating healthcare or getting the right physician, so many things can make a difference through fundraising. And the Epilepsy Association helps hospitals and neuroscience centers like us at AHN. So we have a great partnership. They really help us do things we may not otherwise be able to do in terms of, you know, helping patients. And it's just a great cause. I just can't wait to see it all come to fruition.

You're gonna love it. Well, I'll tell you, just this morning I talked to a woman. She met me at my church. And her daughter is 16 years old and she lives with epilepsy and she also is high-functioning autistic. She said, boy, I'm so glad I met Dr. Valeriano at AHN.

Yeah.

Because the other— I went to a different facility, different healthcare concern, and they would not— they wouldn't even talk to me. Very abrupt. And here he is, takes all this time. And you know what all of you in the medical field have to realize when you have epilepsy? First of all, there's such a stigma. Not everyone's like me that, you know, I'm living with epilepsy and I'm not ashamed, as I always say at the Mardi Gras. But a lot of people, yeah, they are ashamed or their parents are ashamed, which is terrible. But that feeling when you go to a doctor and you have this thing that no one else has, that's hard to explain. You really need someone kind and a good listener. So I thought, wow, talking to Mark today, AHN, that's where Jim Valeriano is, and I have to make sure I tell him this story. But it really meant so much to that mother.

Thanks for sharing that.

Thanks.

Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Joyce Bender. I think we have so many clinicians like that here at Allegheny Health Network. And so proud of them. I get so many letters of recognition and support and really try to make sure that I'm reaching out to all of them as I get that, just to make sure that what is recognized is repeated. We're proud of, you know, the difference that they can make in an individual's life, you know. And, you know, really appreciate your recognition of our clinicians and Dr. V, and certainly will, you know, share with him, you know, this dialogue as well. But and the Titanium Man too.

I was gonna say, don't forget Titanium Man.

I talked to TJ a lot.

You better get him at that Mardi Gras because, uh, they had him come years ago and we won't tell him, but I made him stand up and I said, look at me, my knees are great. Titanium Man, Dr. Titanium.

Uh, well, you know, um, you, you've seen and felt that difference, uh, whether you know, you're working with an epileptologist, you know, Dr. V, who, you know, is, is just a world-renowned, you know, physician for epilepsy. But you also know, like, a world-class orthopedic surgeon who could do knee replacements, who, um, you know, it's a game changer. It gets you, you know, in a new place where you're not in pain. And you can— there's so much that can be done in healthcare right now, and it's getting even more exciting with the treatments, the pathways, and medicines, and interventional procedures. And it's just a— it's a fascinating field, um, and, uh, so much joy to be able to help people that reach out. And so for those that, you know, sometimes don't know how to reach out, like, get engaged. And that's what AHN's really working a lot on— community outreach and doing screenings and really getting people enrolled in primary care. And, um, you know, we can really make a difference, and that's what we seek to do.

Yeah, well, you do. Yeah, I'm the only one. The nurses told me this. They said, you are the only one that has ever done this. On my second knee replacement, when I woke up, I looked, and who do I see standing out there with a big smile on his face? Titanium Man, Dr. Sauber. And this is me. Oh, Dr. Soper! Oh, it's so great to see you. Oh, you know, I love seeing you. And the nurse said, you are the only person we've seen that's happy and nice to him after the knee replacement.

Yeah, because there's usually a lot of pain.

Yeah, but, uh, you know, I had a really great recovery. Yeah. And he is, he's just, that's great. First class. Yeah. Yeah, make sure he's at the Mardi Gras.

Dr. Tai Chi. I will.

So, Mark, this brings me to a question that different listeners have all asked me about, and that is that great TV show, The Pit, that won several Golden Globe Awards and I think Best Actor. Or Noah Wiley. It really— and it really is a great drama, uh, hospital-based, and it's filmed at AGH. And I do have a couple questions. One is, are these episodes realistic?

You know, for those who haven't got a chance to watch it, encourage you to. I mean, this, uh, is an amazing um, you know, world-class, you know, ED drama series that, um, that absolutely does. The answer to that is yes, Joyce Bender. I've watched every episode, and, um, I've talked to a lot of clinicians and physicians who really say, you know, this is what it's like. It's the most actual, like, drama series that's focused on medicine. Now, what they would say is like Not every day is like that, but everything that you see in the emergency department on the drama series actually happens. It just doesn't happen all on one episode or, you know, one series. You know, the drama series is actually one day. The whole season is one day. So it's like hour by hour. It's so well done. And, you know, Noah Waiawi and his team have been here a number of times at AHN and AGH. You know, mingling with our staff and doing rounds and getting to see what the world's like. And, you know, for, for us, and he and other members of his cast have really connected with our team, and it's pretty cool. I've had the opportunity to chat with him a little bit about it. His mom's a nurse, and he's passionate about behavioral health, and they, they really, they really do a nice job. It's, uh, it's based in Pittsburgh, so you can see all the The footage for the pit is externally outside of Allegheny General Hospital, but a lot of the inside series is filmed out of LA. But they actually come here and round and spend time with our teams, and it's really cool.

Now, do they film any of those scenes in the hospital?

At the entranceway? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, if you see anything from the outdoors on that, it's all around AGH. Like driving in, it's like parking, all that's— all that is filmed in the north side at Allegheny General Hospital. And you can see a couple of the episodes like, you know, more towards like, you know, as they're walking in and those types of things. But anything regarding, you know, the clinical care in the exam rooms, they are not filmed at the— at AGH, but there's certainly a replicate of AGH, but it's on a, you know, it's in a studio. So it's, it's, it's really cool to see, you know, they spend a lot of time filming. They need a full-time space to be able to film, so they've recreated, um, you know, the emergency department at AGH, the pit, uh, you know, right here in Pittsburgh, which we call it at AGH. So it's, uh, it's really quite fascinating to see, uh, what they've done with it.

Oh, and they do mention Pittsburgh frequently. Oh yeah. And when they had that coming in scene, walking in the front, I said, I know that. I know where that is. That's right. But that is really— I would encourage everyone to watch that show, The Pit. And I'm glad the staff is nice. I'm just wondering. Has that brought any recognition to the hospital, like people realizing more about the hospital?

Oh, it really has, Joyce Bender, and, you know, amazingly so. I mean, I think at first, you know, I was talking to David Holmberg, our CEO, about this when they were first approached about this opportunity. There was a lot of discussion around understanding what The Pit was about, like what they were going to do. They didn't want want to support an ED drama series that was going to go down a path of, um, you know, you know, some of those episodes where, you know, um, certain physicians, you know, have a lot of lawsuits, or, or the actors are having affairs and they're doing things that, you know, aren't, you know, um, something that would represent Highmarket AHN. But here is the thing with The Pit and their series, it's really just an actual, you know, emergency department setting that takes care of patients in all different forms, and their focus was to raise awareness around healthcare, the complexity of it. And, you know, it really does that. It reflects the teams and the staff so much so that there's raising awareness of just how hard it is to work in the emergency department. And do you remember, Joyce Bender, during COVID when we would have the healthcare heroes? —were being recognized. That was one of the most fascinating things for me and a joy to see that healthcare workers, whether you're EVS, dietary, nurse, or clinician, that you were being celebrated because you were coming in to help patients with COVID It kind of brings it back a little bit. It really brings it back where patients are understanding how difficult it can be. Now, our focus is always putting the patients first, creating a great place to work and practice. But, you know, I was talking to a physician just yesterday who works in the emergency department. I'm actually sitting here at Allegheny General Hospital now. And they said that sometimes, you know, the emergency department does get busy and the ED waiting room gets backed up. And he said, ever since this, this, this second season came out, people are watching it. When the ED is really, really busy, the emergency department, the doctor will go out in the waiting room and they'll say, "Here's what's going on. We got you. You're registered. This is how long it's going to take." And a lot of the patients will get really angry. But now they say, "Oh, we understand what's going on back there. It's fine. Like, we know how hard you're working." And they found that to be fascinating. It was like— Yeah. Is people are watching, like, understanding, okay, we're doing our best and, uh, you know, putting patients first. And, uh, we'll continue to, to, to create, you know, that opportunity to take care of patients here.

Boy, that is, that is really something. Yeah, I can see, I can see they would get it because that's been made very clear on different episodes, what you really go through, uh, you know, when you're a doctor. When you're in the emergency room.

I think one of the things you've seen, for those who have watched it, is Noah Wiley himself, which is Dr. Robbie, on the set is going through a little bit of PTSD himself as a clinician, and he's gotten burned out. And this happens, you know, physicians can get burnout and they can, you know, have some, you know, of their own behavioral health sort of, you know, challenges. And it reflects on the show. It's one of the things that Noah Wiley has really brought to the attention that, you know, you mentioned about epilepsy that we have to do, we have to lean in, remove stigma, and understand, you know, we're here for every patient and we need to meet them where they want to be met. The same thing with behavioral health. This is a real issue in healthcare in America. We want to remove that stigma. And he's done a really nice job saying if you have any behavioral health issues, you know, seek help, get help, you know, make a phone call. There's so many things we can do to help anybody who has anxiety or depression or any suicidal thoughts or anything like— there's so much that we can do. And to remove the stigma and help, you know, get patients to a better place, you know, so doable. So just— I really appreciate that about him. And what he's, what he's doing to, to help with that movement.

Well, yeah, that's the same, the stigma. That's why we have a campaign. And actually, Bender Leadership Academy, Deb Rice Johnson helped me get this started. But we have a campaign called Not Ashamed. And what it is, is videos. We have people go and do a video of themselves saying, hi, I'm Joyce Bender, I live with, you know, some mental health issue. Like, for example, Ty Herndon is a famous country star, and he said, hi, I'm Ty Herndon, I'm a country star, and I live with bipolar disorder, and I'm not ashamed. And so we're trying to get this news out because of that stigma that does exist. But boy, are we on the right track with our news anchor today with what we're talking about right now. Our Jennifer, I guess you could probably relate to this conversation.

Jennifer, I just got in, so I haven't heard what this conversation is.

Well, Mark is the CEO of Allegheny Health Network, which is how many hospitals, Mark? 14. 14. And the TV show The Pit with Noah Wiley is filmed at, uh, well, the filming is at Los Angeles, but they base everything on Allegheny General Hospital, and they've had tours there and you know, ask a million questions for the work that they're doing. And he was saying how Noah Wiley, the actor, the part— the fictional character lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, and how he's really big on wanting to break down the stigma with mental health. And, uh, Mark, Jennifer, who is a renowned, and I mean renowned, mental health advocate. I always say, if it's going to be an article in the New York Times, I just know they're going to quote Jennifer. I just know it. Um, and but she works— she's my news anchor every week. Nice. But her other job is she's at Bachelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, D.C., a very prestigious organization. I'm so honored to be on the board. And actually, I came up with that name, Not Ashamed, through discussions with Eve Hill, who is the chair of the board. But Jennifer, it's always nice to see you.

Yes, nice to be here.

Well, Mathis on the mic, we are ready for our news for the day.

Okay, well, today I would say it's not good news, but last Friday, January 23rd, Texas and 8 other states filed a new complaint in federal court in the case that they have had going for more than a year now, challenging the Section 504 regulation that HHS had issued in 2024. This is a court challenge that has been going on for a while. They originally filed that case saying we think that HHS acted unlawfully in issuing this regulation. Section 504 ADA is the law that prohibits discrimination by entities that receive federal funding from HHS and from other agencies. Each agency does their own regulations. It also applies to the federal government. That's separate. So in any event, they had previously focused primarily on an issue of whether gender dysphoria is covered under Section 504. And they— after the lawsuit was filed, HHS eventually started a rulemaking where they are carving out gender dysphoria from protection under 504. We talked about that in past news segments. But what happened on Friday is a smaller set of those states— there were originally 17, now a bunch of them have dropped out and there's 9, Texas and 8 other states— have filed a new complaint, which is really a full-frontal assault on the integration mandate in Olmstead. And so What they are saying now is that HHS had no authority and acted unlawfully in saying that its grantees had to administer services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting. They also talked about a part of the rule where HHS says based on decades of case law and Justice Department guidance, et cetera, that placing people with disabilities at serious risk of institutionalization may give— unnecessary institutionalization may give rise to a discrimination claim. So they are challenging both of those things. Both of those things, I think, are well-established law. This is not new. This was stuff that came out of, as I said, decades of court decisions out of the Olmsted decision. And so it was really surprising to see these states full-on challenging the integration mandate. And they're challenging it under both ADA and Section 504. The lawsuit was filed about Section 504 and about this HHS regulation under Section 504, but they actually say in this new complaint that they think neither the ADA nor Section 504 requires states to administer services in the most integrated setting appropriate. So this is a big deal. I will name the 9 states that are involved in this lawsuit, and I think it would be useful for people to, if you are concerned about this, to reach out to the governor's office and to the state attorney general if you live in one of those states and say, please withdraw this lawsuit, please do not attack Olmsted. Um, and those states are Texas, Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and South Dakota. And if you're looking for the contact information, how you find the Attorney General in your state, There is a list of how to contact your attorney general in these states and some of the others, because the others that were originally involved in the lawsuit, is on DREDF's website. DREDF, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. If you Google DREDF, D-R-E-D-F, and Protect 504, you will find it.

Well, first of all, that's horrible. Let's start there, because what that means— something you and I were worried about— people with mental health disabilities being institutionalized. Yes, this is— that is absolutely what this leads to, putting people back in institutions versus community living and community integration. So let me say, listeners, you've had a big impact on different issues way back before we even had the great honor of Jennifer joining us. You need to do what she said, D-R-E-D-F, DREDF.org. That's where you can get the information on who to send the letter to or make the call. Don't sit back. Don't wait until you hear, oh my God, they pulled those people out and put them in an institution. Don't. Do something now. Call. And I'm going to really count on you, and Jennifer's really going to count on you, that you're going to do that. You're going to make those calls. Don't sit back. Make a difference, and it will make a difference.

And I should say that DREDF, Bazelon Center, um, ARC, um, Center for Public Representation, a number of us will be putting out a statement. If it doesn't come out today, it will come out tomorrow, um, about this, and that will explain, um, this situation to people, and that will have the link to the information about how to contact your state attorney general, um, and that should be on all of our websites.

All right, Jennifer, thank you so much. This is alarming, and we will take action. And when you come back next week, we'll want to hear what has happened. Absolutely. All right. All right. Hey, we'll see you. Bye-bye. I'll tell you, it's always things that happen. And you know, Mark, Senator Harkin, before he retired, he told me, you know what? People don't realize the power of a phone call to an office. You think it wouldn't, but just remember, in even the presidential votes, how sometimes it's only 50,000 that make a difference. So you can make a difference. I hope you will, because we don't want to go back to that horrible day when people were in institutions. Mark, on a better note, I want to thank you for supporting the employment of people with disabilities. My question is, why are you so open when sadly, other than Heimark, you know, only 70% of people with disabilities are counted in the workforce? So I know it's terrible. My question is, why are you different? Why are you so open? Well, really appreciate that.

And I'm passionate about this. You know, I think, you know, it's just not a nice thing to do. It's actually, you know, for employers, it's a very strategic, you know, differentiation because you're creating an inclusive environment for everyone to work and to work together and to work together as a team. And for those that have disabilities, they're some of our best employees that make a contribution. They bring a special esprit de corps to the workforce. And it really is something that I've witnessed myself. And I think that everybody can make a difference. Giving them the opportunity is the first step, right? And so for leadership to really understand how to go about doing that, making the right connections, setting individuals up for success on how they can contribute and where they can. There's so much need in healthcare and there's so many that want to contribute to it. So for us, it's a high priority and we can always do better. Always want to learn how we can do better. You have helped us by raising awareness, by being an advocate yourself and opening up those doors. Thank you, Joyce, for meeting with my management team, my senior leadership team, sharing your story. And I remember that day as we all shared different stories and it was a real positive movement for my team that connected us. To this purpose. And, you know, our— at Allegheny Health Network and Highmark, we want to recruit, train, and retain the best. We want to be the employer of choice. And that starts with inclusive leadership and hiring with an inclusive mindset. So thank you. You're welcome.

And I just want to say that you are hiring people. You are hiring people from Bender, people with disabilities, and it is a business decision. Your EVP over all HR, Larry Kleinman, always talks about, wow, what a benefit with this incredible retention. I mean, we have people that with significant disabilities that have been at Highmark for 20 years, 23 years, 15 years, 10 years. And it isn't because people with disabilities are superheroes. It's because people with disabilities have been left out. And I always, when I speak at a company, always say, every day when you walk into work, you don't realize how lucky you are. You take it for granted that you have a job when there are all these people out there that would give anything to have a job. So of course, people appreciate, you know, the chance to work. But for all of you listening, including young people, I'm telling you, there are so many opportunities in healthcare, so many different jobs you can work in. And I'm happy to tell you that two of our employees went in, and when they called me, they said— the manager said, and you know what, We'd had some temps here before, like about 5 of them, and your 2 people outworked them. So, um, AHN, AHN, such a great place to be. So, Mark, you know, you are such a nice person. You are really like a good man.

Thank you, Joyce Bender.

So someone had to influence you. In your life. So who is your role model?

Uh, that's a great question. I, I have had, um, the privilege to have great mentors over my, you know, my career. My father passing away young, just a lot of it was, uh, you know, coaches. I played a lot of sports growing up, so I had a lot of, you know, great mentors, um, you know, through coaches, um, more so. But Yeah, it's a great question. I have a lot of people that I look up to and admire from the perspective of social change and courage and communication. Martin Luther King is certainly somebody I've always admired and look up to. From a philanthropy perspective, I grew up in Central PA in a little town right next to Hershey, PA. Milton Hershey was always somebody I admired because he built this Hershey factory and then didn't have any children. Then, he put everything back into philanthropy. He created a school for orphans. He created a hospital, the Hershey Medical Center, created an amusement park and just did really some amazing things and impacted people's lives in so many ways. You know, more connected to my current state, you know, Karen Hanlon is a role model for me. David Holmberg is a role model for me. These are individuals that have been at Highmark who really have had exceptional careers, and they're giving me an opportunity to contribute to this organization. And I really admire the way they carry themselves. They're servant leaders themselves, and they're really down to earth, but they want to do the right thing. And I respect them tremendously. So from that perspective, you know, coaching right now, I try to develop my team like a coach would in sports. I've talked about the analogy of sports a lot. You know, you have to have the best players, best culture, but you have to have the best, you know, operating rigor. The one that's really nailing it right now is Kurt Cignetti for IU football. He's a disciple of Nick Saban, who won 7 national championships. So, I study a lot. Why do certain coaches have success? And so, I really try to learn from other people, Joyce, and how I can actually apply some of those leadership traits and skills to really do something special. And, in my field, the opportunity is healthcare. And help people, you know, navigate the process and get world-class care and do it with customer service. And it's a true privilege.

Yeah, well, sports is so great to use for team building because, you know, as I always say, yeah, not one player, you need all the players to win. And wow, there you go. I'm hoping that Mike McCarthy has a great career here as the head guy for the Pittsburgh Steelers. We are biased here because Paula, who works for me, knows that family. But it is nice to have a Pittsburgher in that role.

So yeah, he grew up right here, grew up right here, right down the street, not too far from here, uh, in Greenfield. Um, definitely a Pittsburgh family. And, uh, I know some of his nieces and nephews through others. And, uh, you know, he definitely is a Pittsburgh family. So that's really wonderful. Yeah, yeah.

He can make an appearance in the pit.

Yeah, that would be good. We'll get him— how about an appearance on your show? We'll get him on your show more importantly. Oh, that is more important.

Yes. I'm more important than the pit. You get him on my show. I will. So Mark, what is the most important thing to you at AHN?

Oh, there's a There's many, but I honestly, Joyce, I think we touched on some things here. We want to create the ultimate patient care experience and we measure our success one patient at a time. You know, the mission here at Highmark and Allegheny Health Network is to create a remarkable healthcare experience, freeing people to be their best. You mentioned about your knee replacements. You've mentioned about what you've dealt with, you know, epilepsy. I mean, this is something that we're passionate about. And so what's most important is that when any patient needs something, that we're helping them navigate through a process from beginning to end where they can trust us. We hear them, we're listening, and we're creating an outcome that, you know, they feel good about. And we're, you know, super proud and take the approach that it's a privilege to serve. And so customer service and creating a great place to work and a great place for our clinicians to practice, these are all things that are really important to us at AHN.

Well, Mark, thank you so much for being with us on the show today. And it's a privilege to have you on. I wanted to say that Um, don't forget about the Mardi Gras. If you're living in— even if you aren't living in this area, you can send in a check. There you go. Yeah. E-A-W-C-P, Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA, dot org. If you want to make a donation to the Mardi Gras, uh, February 17th. And remember, You are helping change lives, and that is what it's all about. And we end every show with a quote. So today it has to be Shirley Chisholm, who said, you don't make progress by standing on the sidelines whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas. And how true that is. And in the words of Mary Brooker, when you get up tomorrow, remember, choose joy. It will help that day go so much better. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you all next week. Stay safe.

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.