Conversation is an important part of bringing an end to racism so that everyone thrives in our society. It’s something that the leaders of 904Ward care deeply about.

The 904Ward organization evolved the Jacksonville 904 dialing area code into a nonprofit whose mission is to create racial healing and equity through deep conversations and learning, trusting relationships, and collective action.

Dr. Kimberly Allen served as the inaugural CEO of 904WARD from 2020 to 2025.

“I think we all make judgments all the time because that's just the nature of our brains and how it works, but what I would encourage us to do is to call those judgments out and, I say, ‘Say the quiet part out loud.’ Call those judgments out so that you can start to work through where they come from,” Dr. Allen says.

In this conversation, which was first recorded in 2022 for the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Allen is joined by 904 resident Sharon LaSure-Roy. They spoke with Movement Is Life’s Sarah Hohman.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The underlying causes of health disparities are many, and sometimes healthcare providers can exacerbate disparities with how they operate.

Health equity researchers have conducted "secret shopper" studies, revealing how healthcare providers limit appointments — and even treatment recommendations — to people with certain types of insurance.

“Patients with Medicaid were significantly less likely to be offered appointments compared to those with Medicare or private insurance, and in many cases, clinics told us they weren't accepting any new Medicaid patients or that they didn't take Medicaid at all,” says Dr. Daniel Wiznia, Associate Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale and a former member of Movement Is Life’s Steering Committee.

“But when we would call back with private insurance, suddenly they have plenty of appointments available for the private insurance patients,” he says.

Wiznia and his colleagues also found that even when Medicaid patients were offered appointments, wait times were often much longer — delays which can have serious consequences.

“So if a Medicaid patient has to wait six weeks or eight weeks for an appointment, while a private patient just waits maybe a week, that can really impact outcomes, especially for patients with chronic conditions or urgent needs,” he says.

Wiznia joined Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor to discuss these findings in detail. He offers advice to patients who may find themselves in a situation where they’re denied care due to their insurance status and explains how raising reimbursement rates for Medicaid could help address the problem.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What does it take to create healthy neighborhoods that include broad, deep, and permanent pathways to prosperity for low-income families?

That question is the focus of today’s episode with Carol Redmond Naughton, CEO of Purpose Built Communities based in Atlanta.

“I really have become an advocate for community development as a way to move the needle on health outcomes. And I'm not talking about simply putting a kidney dialysis center in the bottom floor of a senior high rise,” Naughton says. “I don't mean to say that that's not a good thing to do, but we've got to move upstream. We've got to be way upstream and be thinking about: How are we building communities and supporting children, so those children 60 years from now will not need kidney dialysis?”

In a conversation that was first published in 2022, Naughton speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Tamara Huff about the difference between access to health care and health outcomes and the importance of addressing the social determinants of health.

She also calls on all of us to reflect on the systems that have kept people trapped in poverty — especially Black and Brown communities — and consider what it takes to create communities that support a “cradle to college pipeline.”

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.