The Catalyst Podcast

A weekly podcast and newsletter, The Catalyst is Chestnut Health Systems’ platform for sharing ideas, insights, and innovation that advance public health and strengthen systems of care. Rooted in Chestnut’s decades-long commitment to direct care, prevention, research, and education, The Catalyst highlights real-world solutions that support whole-person health, foster resilience, and help individuals, families, and communities reach their full potential. It reflects the full scope of Chestnut’s work—from direct care and community‑based services to research, prevention, recovery, and policy‑relevant insight. -Chestnut Health Systems™ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health through a comprehensive approach that includes direct service delivery, prevention, research, training, and system improvement. For decades, Chestnut has worked to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice—helping individuals thrive, strengthening organizations, and supporting healthier com

The Catalyst Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 79 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Catalyst Podcast, a health show with 79 episodes published.

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  The Catalyst Podcast

  Using AI in Primary Care and the Primacy of Human Judgment

  Sep 30, 202629 minS1

  Today’s guest is returning champ, Dr. Michael Dennis, the Chief Research Officer for Chestnut Health Systems’ Lighthouse Institute (LI) and a Senior Research Psychologist, who is making his record-setting fourth appearance on the Catalyst pod. The conversation focuses on a presentation Mike recently gave on " Using AI in Primary Care" for OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Illinois. We discuss: Why this is an important and timely topic for primary care and residency training—not just from a tech perspective, but from a clinical, ethical, and operational one. What residents need to understand before they start using these tools every day. The difference between appropriate uses and those that should remain off-limits. Why AI can serve as an excellent administrative assistant, but can never replace human judgment…and that it must be properly supervised and constrained to reliable medical sources like PubMed and JAMA rather than open-source internet content The concerns that primary care is underestimating, including bias, deskilling, privacy breaches, and loss of patient trust or empathy. Why practices need to ask who trained the model, what data it uses, who owns the output, how well it performs, and what guardrails exist. How and what Mike uses in his daily work. including meeting notes, clinical applications, and training simulations. We take a momentary “doomer-adjacent” detour, but quickly get the conversation back on track. This is a must for anyone in the field looking for a succinct tour d’horizon of the issues to consider in incorporating AI in your practice. You can download a summary of Mike's presentation here. It includes a chart listing common AI applications in order of popularity as of this writing.

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  The Catalyst Podcast

  "Help, Not Handcuffs": How and Why Problem Solving Courts Work

  Aug 25, 202620 minS1

  What if the smartest response to addiction, relapse, and repeat court involvement is not harsher punishment, but a highly structured path back to stability? The Honorable Shannon R. Dougherty, a Circuit Judge for Division 6 of the 23rd Judicial Circuit in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Lori Epley, the Director of Project Access at Chestnut Health Systems, break down how problem-solving courts are helping people stay in recovery, keep families together, and rebuild their lives while protecting public safety. Judge Dougherty explains how treatment courts work in practice: close monitoring, regular drug testing, team staffing, and individualized responses that mix accountability with support. Lori Epley, Director of Project Access at Chestnut Health Systems, shares how Chestnut's clinician and peer support specialists work alongside the court team to provide therapy, transportation help, resume support, and practical services that participants need to succeed. You'll discover: Why treatment courts are more demanding than many people assume How judges, probation, prosecutors, treatment providers, and case managers make decisions together What happens when a participant struggles or relapses Why employment, housing, credit repair, and transportation are often part of recovery How misinformation and stigma can block access to life-changing programs Our guests make the case for better education, stronger interagency collaboration, and a future treatment court center where participants can access multiple services in one place. If you care about criminal justice, substance use recovery, family stability, or practical solutions that actually change outcomes, this episode is essential listening.

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  The Catalyst Podcast

  Behavioral Healthcare Meets Predictive Analytics: The Science of Making Compassionate, Effective Mental Healthcare Scalable.

  Aug 18, 202646 minS1

  Michael Castanon is the founder and CEO of Alter Behavioral Health and Care Predictor, and founder of the Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium. After 30 years in banking and predictive analytics, Michael brings an outsider’s eye to behavioral health and makes a case the field can’t ignore: if you can measure the inputs, you can improve the outcomes. He explains how a deeply personal trauma journey led him from private equity and finance into mental health care, and why that intersection of lived experience and data science became the foundation for Care Predictor. Michael discusses two important concepts - “relational velocity and relational intelligence” - and how these traits can be measured, scored, and developed. He describes how Care Predictor uses psychometrics and AI to help deliver better care. We also get into what some are calling the loneliness epidemic, driven by AI “companionship,” remote work, and algorithmic echo chambers. Michael makes the case that when we lost human connection, people lose the friction, challenge, and healthy conflict that build resilience, judgment, and real relationships. Finally, Michael discusses the upcoming BHOC 26 gathering, where policymakers, health plans, providers, technologists, and researchers will come together to create a more unified outcomes framework for behavioral health (more information is provided below). The Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium (BHOC26) is an outcomes-focused event designed for behavioral health leaders, operators, providers, payers, and partners committed to advancing measurable outcomes across the continuum of care. Dates: September 8th – 10th, 2026 Location: Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, Dana Point, California Register here.

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  The Catalyst Podcast

  Missouri’s Shocking – and Preventable - Maternal Health Crisis: Data, Barriers & What Works

  Aug 12, 202634 minS1

  Mental health and substance use disorders are behind a shocking share of pregnancy-related deaths across Missouri – indeed, nationwide - and many of those deaths were preventable. Joining us to discuss this are Charisse Montgomery, Family Services Coordinator with Chestnut Health Systems, and Lindsey VonDras, Perinatal Care Coordination Manager for the Missouri Hospital Association. Charisse and Lindsey break down what the data really says about pregnancy, postpartum risk, foster care disruption, and why so many families never get connected to the support they need. You’ll discover why nearly 40% of pregnancy-related deaths happen after delivery, how stigma and access barriers keep people from asking for help, and why Missouri’s maternity care deserts make the problem even harder to solve. We also get into what actually works: family-centered care, individualized recovery pathways, peer support, doulas, and coordinated wraparound services that keep mom, baby, and family in the picture. Charisse shares how Chestnut Health Systems supports parents through pregnancy and postpartum, and Lindsey explains Project STORK, a new Missouri framework promoting real connection, recovery support, and ongoing care. If you care about maternal health, behavioral health, child welfare, or better systems for families in crisis, this conversation is essential listening.

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  The Catalyst Podcast

  The Looming Medicaid Crisis: Administrative Hurdles to Strip Millions of Working Americans of Vital Coverage in 2027

  Aug 7, 202636 minS1

  Starting January 1, 2027, changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements will leave millions without coverage. Dr. Timothy McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis and a leading health economist, breaks down these provisions and explains how they threaten to strip coverage from people who are already working.We discuss the new twice-a-year eligibility checks, the end of self-attestation, and the extra documentation now required of caregivers, pregnant women, and medically frail patients. What sounds simple on paper quickly becomes a maze of mailed forms, state-by-state implementation differences, missing paperwork, and delayed doctor sign-offs. Key points include: How administrative hurdles—not just the policy itself—will drive millions off coverage Why the new rules may be especially punishing for people with disabilities and caregivers How managed care companies, state agencies, and providers could get squeezed in the process Why the fraud narrative is often aimed at the wrong part of the system (beneficiaries rather than the providers who actually commit fraud) Dr. McBride also outlines the broader stakes: rising uncompensated care, higher medical debt, added pressure on rural hospitals and safety-net providers, and a likely increase in uninsured Americans as coverage rolls back month by month. For a clear-eyed look at what these changes mean for patients, providers, and the healthcare system, this is essential listening.

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