Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode: Jessica Salem, Executive Director of the Center for Health Equity at Dayton Children's Hospital
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Chris Soso

Overview

In this episode, Chris Soso speaks with Jessica Salem, Executive Director of the Center for Health Equity at Dayton Children's Hospital, about the inception, execution, and anticipated impact of the Kinship Housing Project. The conversation explores how Dayton Children’s took an active role in addressing the housing crisis faced by kinship families—relatives caring for children in lieu of foster care—through a unique, community-driven affordable housing initiative. Jessica shares the complexities, partnerships, and hopes for the project, offering insights and advice for healthcare systems contemplating similar ventures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jessica Salem’s Role and Background

• Salem is a career member of Dayton Children's Hospital, with 18+ years focused on community health initiatives.
• Oversees community health needs assessments, engagement strategies, and the broader "community" portfolio.

  “If the word community is in it, it seems to kind of fit into my realm.” (B, 00:27)

Origin and Rationale of the Kinship Housing Project

• Conversations with community health workers in 2019-2020 identified housing as the top barrier for kinship families.
• Dayton, OH was facing opioid epidemic–related increases in kinship care, compounded by a tornado damaging local neighborhoods.
• Kinship families faced specific housing challenges: e.g., “a grandparent wanted to take custody … but they were living in senior housing, or their housing wasn’t big enough for the teenager…” (B, 01:32)
• The hospital CEO, Debbie Feldman, recognized the need and drove the vision:

  “It’s one of those things, like not often that a CEO says let’s build housing. But she is a very community driven person.” (B, 02:42)

Planning and Partnerships

• Spanning 4–5 years and requiring significant planning, the project brought together:

  • Local architect—ensured design fit neighborhood aesthetics (not a high-rise, but duplex homes).
  • The Model Group (developer and contractor)—specialized in community development.
  • Wallach Communities—to handle property management.
  • CityWide Development—for neighborhood engagement and ground-level development.

• Funding sources included:

  • $2M in congressionally directed funding from Senator Sherrod Brown (B, 04:31)
  • County and city funds
  • 4% low-income housing tax credit structure.

• The project opened its first cluster of homes on October 27 and is currently filling (“lease up phase”). (B, 05:08)

Hospital’s Role and Scope

• Dayton Children’s acts as convener, leveraging organizational capabilities while acknowledging limits.

• Stresses importance of partnerships for skills outside their expertise (e.g., property management, legal complexity).

  “...we really, we often say that we're like the sole organization dedicated to health in our community or children's health in our community. And this is children's health ... And to really rally people around it—that's really been the role that our team has played.” (B, 06:29)

• Internal teams critical to success:

  • Facilities
  • Legal
  • Accounting/Finance

• External partners essential for daily management and neighborhood integration.

Measuring Success and Long-term Vision

• Project will serve 26 families, prioritizing kinship situations and those with chronic childhood health conditions.
• Immediate metric: stable housing for 26 families, with goal to fill by early 2026. (B, 08:47)
• Data Collection Approach:
  • Surveying families on pre/post housing situation
  • Track impact on specific health conditions (e.g., asthma control, mental health)
  • Homes were designed intentionally for health (no carpet, simple features, shared playground, proximity to hospital/schools/transit).
• Long-term aspirations:
  • “Thriving children in this neighborhood… that can mean a lot of different things from the health, like a true health care perspective all the way to our more holistic health perspective.” (B, 11:32)

Lessons Learned and Advice to Other Health Systems

• Key: Deep and broad partnerships, both within and outside the hospital.
• Community development partner is especially important.
• Lean on internal teams with relevant expertise—facilities, finance, legal.
• Engage entire staff—boosts morale and builds pride.
  • Over 150 employees toured the homes at open house; broad internal interest and pride. (B, 15:24)

“You, across a hospital, … can get different people excited about a project like this. And I think it does help employee morale, too … I just—they were just proud.” (B, 15:18)

• Advice: Get the right partners on board early, communicate roles/boundaries, and be patient—complex projects evolve over years and reveal unexpected elements along the way.

Unique Aspects and Broader Impact

• Unique blend of direct patient/family support and neighborhood development for children's health.
• The model allows even staff members who are kinship caregivers to apply for housing. (B, 16:13)
• Positions Dayton Children’s at the cutting edge of upstream healthcare interventions—addressing social determinants through real estate/housing.

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• “If the word community is in it, it seems to kind of fit into my realm.” (Jessica Salem, 00:27)
• “Not often that a CEO says, ‘let’s build housing.’ But she is a very community driven person … It was just kind of that perfect storm of all the right pieces coming together.” (Jessica Salem, 02:45)
• “We are assembling an incredible team… because we want families in this little neighborhood to feel like they are part of the neighborhood…” (Jessica Salem, 03:46)
• “From getting people in the door. But it isn't always, you know, just about housing, but it really is about how do we ensure stability for the kids that probably have been moved around a lot, given their background…” (Jessica Salem, 08:59)
• “You, across a hospital, … can get different people excited about a project like this. And I think it does help employee morale, too—to say, you know what, this is something really cool our hospital’s doing.” (Jessica Salem, 15:18)

Important Timestamps

• 00:14 – Jessica Salem introduces herself and her community health work
• 01:14 – Inception of Kinship Housing Project and local context
• 04:31 – Congressional and other key funding sources
• 05:08 – Launch of first homes and current status
• 06:12 – Salem describes the hospital’s role in convening partners
• 08:34 – Plans for measuring success and metrics
• 13:07 – Advice and framework for other health systems
• 15:18 – Staff morale and internal impact
• 16:13 – Model even supports employee caregivers

Episode Takeaways

• Innovation is possible in healthcare—especially when tackling social determinants like housing.
• Complex projects require true partnership: Both internally (across hospital teams) and externally (with funders, developers, community organizations).
• Measuring true success includes not only health outcomes but also stability, mental health, and community pride.
• A rising tide lifts all boats: Projects like this provide not just patient support, but also boost organizational morale and set a new standard for community stewardship.