← Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Selynto Anderson, PhD, FACHE, Chief Community Health and Impact Officer at Lee Health
00:28:29
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- [00:01]
A
This is Laura Dardo with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Cilento Anderson, Chief Community Health and Impact Officer at Lee Health Cilento. It's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.
- [00:14]
B
Thank you so much. I'm excited and happy to be here.
- [00:17]
A
Fantastic. Well, I'm looking forward to a conversation. I know we're going to be talking a lot about community health, health disparities, and some of the great things you're doing at Lee Health in order to address those concerns. So I'm excited for this conversation. But before we dive in, can you just a minute and tell us a little bit more about yourself and your career journey?
- [00:37]
B
Absolutely. So, again, appreciate being on the podcast and looking forward to the discussion. But as you mentioned, Celento Anderson, Chief Community Health and Impact Officer with Lee Health, I've been in healthcare now for about 20 years. That's hard to believe. I don't consider myself to be an old man, so just saying that out loud is something else. But I've sort of been in this space for the majority of my healthcare career. Started out early at a system in South Carolina and was there for a number of years and had the privilege of coming here to Lee Health a little over three years ago, ironically, started here one week before Hurricane Ian. And so that was an experience within, within itself. And I'll kind of come back to that in just a few. But the work that I do is both, you know, although it's professional, for me, it's personal as well. So growing up in rural South Carolina, I, you know, definitely dealt with different lacks of resources, specifically when it came to healthcare. And so my, I've got a younger sister, younger brother, and my family, oftentimes there was no access to primary care. We were from a very small rural town. And so as I sort of got into healthcare, you know, that stayed with me. And it was one of those things that I've always tried to create an intersection between the business of healthcare in the community health space. And so being able to do that for a number of years, you know, gives me great joy to be able to improve, work on improving the health of our communities. And, you know, sort of going back to being here at Lee one week before Hurricane Ian, it gave me a chance firsthand to see the response to the community after that disaster to where the work that we did with, you know, with Lee county in general, things that we did for our team members in our communities. Even though the hurricane was devastating, it truly allowed for me to see us living our mission out firsthand, that's amazing to hear.
- [03:17]
A
And, you know, I really appreciate you sharing how you became the person that you became and why this work matters so much to you. Now, I'm curious, can we dig a little bit further into that moment for you that has really, really kind of shaped or defined the work that you're doing today? I think, as you mentioned, the hurricane made a huge difference. In looking at that response, I'd be curious to know a bit more about what you were actually able to do and how you mobilized for Lee county, because I know it really matters, having that experience that you had and realizing that zip code can really be an important way when you're thinking about health outcomes and all those kinds of things. So I just love to hear what you were able to do and the impact that you were able to have and what you learned through that process.
- [04:08]
B
Yeah, absolutely. And like I said, I was. I was here for a week, so was an opportunity for me to. To get right into it. And so, as you can imagine, during that particular time, it was devastating. Many communities were without, you know, utilities and, you know, food and things of that nature. And so, you know, I partnered with many of my peers here within the health system to set up mobile sites to where we were able to provide, you know, food and create different points of access for individuals who were injured during the storm. We also worked very closely with our community partners to provide support to those individuals who needed it most. You know, I was just having a conversation with one of my peers, and so we were talking about that particular time, and, you know, I'm kind of joking with him, you know, to say, hey, I'm a true Floridian now. You know, I survived, you know, Hurricane Ian, and I remember, you know, him actually going out, and I was with him going out to different community partners and helping to install Starlink devices so individuals could have Internet access and be able to, you know, do the things that they needed to do. And so we partnered with a variety of community partners to make that happen, whether it was, you know, individuals from the private sector, folks from the public sector. But it was really great to see firsthand how we live that mission out. And so our mission is to be a trusted partner, empowering lives through care and compassion. And what better way to do that than after something so catastrophic?
- [06:19]
A
That's such a great message and certainly makes so much sense to have that kind of opportunity then to see, actually boots on the ground being able to put it together. I Know, a lot of times when we talk about health disparities, you can have the data, you can have the information, but it can feel kind of abstract. And the human cost to all of this is real. So what are some of the most pressing disparities that you're seeing now, as well as I can imagine many times throughout your career that in the community that Lee Health serves and who tends to be left behind the most?
- [06:55]
B
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, you're exactly right. That data can feel abstract until you really see who it's impacting. So in the communities we serve, you know, a few disparities consistently rise to the top. I'd say, you know, one of those first things is around access. And I don't think that is something, you know, unique to, you know, Lee Health, you know, but access would probably be at the top of that list, you know, especially for working families and underserved communities. You know, this shows up within the health system whether it's delayed care, higher ER utilization, higher length of stay, and, you know, ultimately worse outcomes. And, you know, it's not that people don't want care, it's that, you know, individuals who are getting that care, it doesn't necessarily fit in the reality of their lives. You know, the health system within itself is very tough to navigate. And so I'd say access is probably one of the biggest things. And so, you know, especially for us here in Lee county, where we're slated to have, you know, over a million in population, that continues to be a priority for us because we want to provide that access to all of our patients in all of our communities. Regardless. I'd say probably the second is around chronic disease. You know, typically your hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We do see a higher prevalence and worse control in lower income communities and communities of color. And those conditions are also heavily tied to things such as, you know, food access, you know, utilities, safe spaces, you know, individuals being active. And so those are things that, you know, we consistently, you know, focus on and our goal. You know, we sort of approach things from a for all, you know, perspective. You know, we may look at the data and the data shows us that typically there, there's one segment of the population that there's an opportunity. But in community health, oftentimes, even if you are looking at one subset of the population, any intervention is going to improve the healthcare for all. Maternal health and infant health disparities continue to be an opportunity. Again, those outcomes also are dependent, oftentimes depending on an individual's race, income, access to Prenatal care. And you know, it's one of those also very concerning because this impacts generations. And then, you know, there's the aspect of behavioral health, which again is not something that is just specific to health, that's just healthcare in general. But access to mental health services is still a major challenge. And so we continue to focus on all of those areas. But if you're sort of asking who's being left furthest behind, it's typically those people at the intersection of multiple challenges. Just from my experiences, it's typically not just one thing. Oftentimes it's a combination of those things. And so when those combinations start to stack up, that's when the outcomes really start to diverge. And so for us, the focus has been more than just treating a condition or conditions. We design care in such a way where partnership matters and we try to reach people where they are, because if we don't, those same communities will continue to carry the greatest burden. And so the reality is that, you know, the people who need the most support often have the hardest time accessing it. And so that's the gap we're, we're really working to close.
- [11:41]
A
That makes so much sense. And you, I love that kind of mindset and approach and ability to look at access to care and what will really make a difference in bridging that access for people in populations that traditionally don't have access to care and where access to other aspects of their life that make them healthy, such as the food, as you mentioned, in safe spaces and all of those types of things really dovetail into making sure that you're able to provide that care and worried about the wellness of these communities. And so I think that's so helpful to understand from the philosophical perspective. And then I can imagine when you bring it down to how do we actually accomplish this, it can get a little bit trickier. So you mentioned, mentioned designing partnerships and other things. Can you share an example or two of ways that you've been able to tackle this or starting to kind of address some of these issues in a, in a very real way?
- [12:42]
B
Absolutely. Happy to do so. So a couple things, you know, come to mind, you know, when we're looking at just initiatives in general. And so as you can imagine, we have a variety of these things that we're focusing on. But one initiative just from a systemic perspective that I'm really proud of is how, you know, as a system, we've been intentionally building stronger connections between our health system and community based organizations to address, you know, social needs. Alongside the aspects of clinical care, we've been extremely intentional about, you know, bringing our communities to the table. I think it's very important that as a health system, and we do a wonderful job of this here at Lee, but as a health system, you know, we're not necessarily setting out to make decisions for the community. And in some aspects, of course there, there's, there's opportunities that we do those things, but we want to bring those communities and representation from those communities into the conversations, the decision making conversations, to be able to do that. And so we've been able to do that where we go out and we have what we call the listening tours. And so we're going out firsthand to all communities to get their insight on things that they may need. As you can imagine, you know, we may have data that suggests one thing, but there may be a pressing need in that community that individuals are dealing with on a day to day basis. And so just from a system perspective, the way in which we're involved in the community I'm extremely, extremely proud of. Another example is, you know, as we talk about, you know, different chronic conditions and so as individuals come in and they may be hypertension, they may have diabetes, we're not just treating them and sending them home, you know, we're posing the questions, do they have access to healthy food? Not just food, but food that will be beneficial for them and won't necessarily worsen their conditions. Can they get to a follow up appointment and not just get to the appointment, but what day and time works best for them. And so we've even, you know, worked and saw within the system where we are exploring our no show data rates to where we're diving deeper to understand why individuals may not show up for appointments. And so we're trying to be proactive and think about, you know, making sure we're giving individuals certain times and days that work for them. Are individuals able to navigate the health system? You know, the health system is a, can be a challenge to navigate and we're directly linking them to community organizations that work for them. And so community organizations that may be within their particular areas. And to sum that up, I think one of the most unique things that we're doing, we're closing the loop. You know, we're not just saying, hey, you know, we're giving you this, you know, hey, good luck. No, we want to close the loop. We want to work with our community partners to be able to do that. So that's been very encouraging. Another initiative that I think we've done really well. And so as it comes to working and focusing on health disparities, so in our system, we noticed that in terms of colorectal cancer screening rates, we noticed that when we looked at our males and females, we noticed that although the volume was about the same, we noticed that our males typically had a higher not screen rate. And so we put a core team together of physicians and programmatic individuals throughout the system who did a phenomenal job of creating some targeted interventions. Whether those things were around some focus groups, we also had some targeted communication, and some of that communication was around language barriers and things of that nature. And what we've noticed is that through those interventions and those targeted efforts, those colorectal cancer screening rates have improved, and not just for one race or one ethnicity, but across the board. And so that's where I mentioned earlier. Oftentimes these targeted interventions isn't just about assisting one particular group. And sometimes it is, because that may be what the data suggests. But even if that's the case, oftentimes it's going to improve care for all. And so we're really excited for that. We'll actually be presenting in May at the 2026American Hospital Association Healthier Together conference on our colorectal cancer screening work. And then we've also received Quality Improvement Partnership awards from the American Cancer Society for that work for last year and this year as well. So extremely proud of that work.
- [18:45]
A
That's amazing to hear and, you know, really impressive to have those kind of accolades and be able to set up a program that really clearly is working well for the community and making a huge difference. So thank you so much for digging a bit deeper in there and just sharing how you have been able to do that. I know for a lot of organizations and our listeners, health systems in their organizations aren't always, you know, built or designed with equity in mind. And so from your perspective and where you're seating, how should leaders navigate that tension sometimes between the institutional priorities in what kind of. Is coming from the broader strategic lens as well as the urgent needs of the underserved communities within their broader population base?
- [19:31]
B
Yeah, yeah, And I think that that's a great question. I think that tension is real. And I also think, you know, it's important for, you know, systems and individuals, you know, who are in my space to acknowledge that up front, you know, healthcare systems were not originally designed with equity at the center. It was more so along the lines of, you know, hey, you know, come to us and we will fix you. And so there are Times when institutional priorities and community nails community needs can feel like they're pulling in different directions, where you're kind of thinking, you know, hey, margin, margin versus mission. And so how do you sort of blend the both of those? But, you know, the way I approach that is, you know, I don't see equity as competing with any of the priorities that we have. You know, I see it as essential to achieving those priorities. And so, you know, we're focused on access, we're focused on quality outcomes, you know, even financial, you know, sustainability. You, you can't get there and improve in those spaces if there's, you know, large segments of your community that are consistently left behind. So instead of treating equity as an add on, you know, I work with my peers across the system to embed it into how do we define success? So, you know, who are we not reaching? Where do the disparities lie? You know, and what would it take to close those gaps in a way that's scalable and realistic? And so as we work to, you know, focus on those core, you know, metrics around, you know, quality readmissions and length of stay, those things that, you know, oftentimes, you know, drive different aspects of the healthcare system, you know, it's important to dissect that data in such a way to where we sort of know and understand what may be, you know, driving some of that, you know, even as you think about things such as, you know, patient experience or individuals, you know, having an experience to where not only that they feel that they're getting the care that they need, but what's their experience in doing that. And so, you know, when you think about, you know, different HCAHP scores and things of that nature, those are all things that are greatly important because different things mean different things to different subsets of the population. And so how do we work to continuously address those things? And so there's definitely moments where you have to balance those short term and long term pressures with our long term impacts. But when you align, you know, those aspects of health equity with those core business goals, you know, it stops being attention. And I think it starts to be a strategy. And so I'm always in constant communications with our CFO or chief Quality and Safety officer, our chief Medical officer, our chief Strategy Officer, marketing and communication, because I also want to be able to work with them in their spaces so that, you know, they are able to work with me as well to improve things in such a way where it benefits the organization. So at the end of the day, you know, my role is to assist the organization, you know, and assist our communities. That, you know, our core business strategy, you know, it isn't separate from our mission. It's essentially how we live it out. And if we do it well, it strengthens both our community impact, our brand and our performance. And so, you know, I guess to sum that up for me, it's not about choosing between institutional priorities and community needs. It's about aligning them so we don't have to choose.
- [24:11]
A
That's such a great point. I love your answer here. And really kind of bringing together all the, your colleagues in the C suite level, understanding how important this work that you're doing is and what it can do overall, all for the institution, the community, and really continuing to grow and develop and build those healthier communities that I know are top of mind across the board for organizations. So that makes a lot of sense and it's just such a helpful way and a refreshing way to think about things.
- [24:42]
B
Absolutely.
- [24:44]
A
Definitely. So before we wrap up here, I'm curious, how are you at Lee Health thinking about the future and what's actually moving the needle for. For reducing some of these disparities that could serve as a model for other health systems? I know you talked a little bit about some of the things you're doing with the colorectal cancer screenings in other care, but where are some of the spaces that really are focuses for you in the future as well as things that other organizations can learn from?
- [25:11]
B
Oh, absolutely. I think that probably the most important thing that I think when I think about future income, how to address health disparities and needs from various communities, I think it's important to create those strong community partnerships. As I alluded to earlier, Lee county in the next several years is going to be over a million population. And so for us, it's about creating those innovative partnerships to where, you know, we're able to partner to provide better access or better healthcare in a sense to our patients. You know, I think I'd be remiss if I don't mention different aspects of AI. And so when we think about how individuals receive care, what populations and what subsets of the population population prefer to receive different aspects of care. So you think about telehealth and you think about which generations are more prone to receive that care. And then also as you think about different aspects of the population, there's also things that you have to focus on from an aging population as well. And so being able to provide those types of things. One thing I didn't mention earlier that I think you will start to see more. We also have a mobile unit here. And so continuing to focus on going to the community and not necessarily waiting on individuals to come to us and so thinking about how do we do those things. And so I think a lot of those things will be something that's needed in the future. And of course, you know, healthcare policy and things of that nature will play a major role. But I think continuing to focus on the needs of the community and what and how to meet those needs will be something that is a continued focus of what we're doing here at lee. Again, our mission is rooted in being that trusted partner, empowering healthier lives through care and compassion. And so we're looking at all assets to be able to do that.
- [27:38]
A
I love it. Dr. Anderson, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been such a fabulous conversation. I think you set the tone so well and certainly I learned a lot in terms of how you're attacking things at the health and what could be really beneficial for communities in the future. I appreciate your time and definitely let's continue continue this conversation. Love to make sure that we're continuing to highlight the things you're doing, Eli Health and how really other health systems can learn and grow and develop when they think about health disparities.
- [28:07]
B
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on.