Welcome to Relocalizing Health, where we explore how communities are reclaiming control over healthcare and rebuilding systems that truly serve people. In this episode, host Dave Chase welcomes Patrick Blackaller, the driving force behind the Employer Healthcare Cooperative of Wisconsin. Together, they dive into the journey of transforming healthcare for schools and employers in Wisconsin, shifting from an extractive industry toward a model that prioritizes care, cost transparency, and community partnerships.

You'll hear honest reflections on the tough choices and personal stories that sparked this movement, including the profound impact of rising costs and restrictive insurance plans on real people. Patrick Blackaller shares how direct contracts, innovative clinics, and new pharmacy approaches are not only saving millions but also bringing dignity and access back into healthcare. This episode is packed with lessons on pioneering change, even in the face of skepticism, and offers a blueprint for other communities ready to take bold steps toward a better future.

Timestamps:

00:00 "Rural School Struggles with Healthcare"

05:04 "Creating Care Through Self-Funding"

09:14 Overcoming Skepticism to Find Support

12:50 Affordable Medication Access Strategies

14:23 "Optimizing Health Plans Affordably"

17:10 Streamlining Healthcare Navigation and Education

20:30 Healthcare Spending and Employer Insights

23:51 "Optimizing Quality and Cost Balance"

27:21 Perseverance Through Challenges

31:23 Purpose-Driven Leadership Strategies

35:21 "Relocalizing Health: American Comeback"

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/

On this episode of Relocalizing Health, host Dave Chase is joined by April Kyle, president and CEO of Southcentral Foundation in Alaska, for a deep dive into one of America’s most remarkable healthcare transformations. Together, they explore how the Alaska Native community took control of their own healthcare system, moving from an underfunded, top-down model to a community-owned system that now boasts some of the best health outcomes and highest satisfaction rates in the world.

April Kyle shares the practical blueprint behind this success: from the generational trauma and distrust that had to be overcome, to the pivotal role of true community engagement and ongoing governance that keeps the transformation alive. The conversation highlights the importance of listening, evolving systems to meet community needs, and the challenges of sustaining change across decades. Listeners will hear inspiring, concrete stories of how community voices are not only heard, but drive real decisions, from scheduling mammograms around moose hunting season to making tough calls about housing for providers.

Whether you’re a community leader, healthcare provider, or simply passionate about building better systems, this episode offers actionable insights and hope for communities everywhere looking to take back control and create a system built for and by them.

Timestamps:

00:00 "Relocalizing Health: Community-Driven Care"

04:18 April Kyle's Introduction & Journey

09:31 "Community-Centered Evolving Healthcare Model"

12:42 "Relocalizing Health, Not Healthcare"

15:20 Listening to Families, Closing Gaps

19:35 "Listening, Dialogue, and Community Partnership"

22:24 "Community-Driven Leadership Challenges"

27:15 Listening to Community First

28:12 "Community-Driven Listening and Customization"

32:49 Community Decision on Housing Safety

36:31 "Clinical Outcomes Data Sharing"

37:26 Community Resource Allocation Dialogue

40:42 "Power of Convening Communities"

46:25 "Embracing Community-Led Healthcare Change"

48:13 Integrating Behavioral Care Insights

50:48 "Rosetta Fest: Health Care Transformation"

Podcasts: IHI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-people-of-the-system-own-the-system-with/id1681829836?i=1000678625961

Moving to Value Part 1 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-1-the-nuka-blueprint-w-april-kyle-and-dr-doug-eby/id1716935535

Part 2 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/part-2-the-nuka-blueprint-w-april-kyle-and-dr-doug-eby/id1716935535

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/

Welcome back to Relocalizing Health, the podcast where we shine a light on the communities taking healthcare back from corporate control and making it serve people, rather than profit. In today’s episode, host Dave Chase sits down with Christina King, a benefit advisor from Columbus, Ohio, who’s breaking the mold on how we think about hospitals and employer health plans.

Instead of waiting for Washington to fix a “terminally broken” system, Christina King has been rolling up her sleeves and partnering with regional hospitals to create community-owned health plans, even as much of Ohio’s healthcare landscape is collapsing around her. She unpacks how these grassroots efforts are not only keeping care in the community, but transforming hospital relationships, employer incentives and even employee recruitment by building something better from within.

We’ll dig into the unique financial models, the critical role of direct primary care and independent pharmacies, and why employers are finally able to use health benefits as a genuine tool to attract their workforce. Plus, Christina King shares how these local successes are fueling statewide excitement and connecting an ever-growing network of visionary leaders ready to take healthcare transformation on the road.

Get ready for an inspiring conversation that offers practical insights and real hope for reclaiming the American dream, one community at a time.

Timestamps:

00:00 Reclaiming Healthcare, Serving Communities

04:33 Networking to Reach Hospital Executives

08:41 Healthcare Innovation Around Metro Areas

12:45 Replicating Community Health Plans

15:42 Community-Focused Healthcare Collaboration

18:05 "Health Plans Driving Employee Attraction"

23:20 "Employer Community Health Revolution"

25:00 Community Celebration After Denver Trip

28:25 "Employers Discussing Healthcare Challenges"

31:33 Hospital Competition and Cost Reform

36:12 "Live in Anticipation of Connections"

37:45 Reclaiming Healthcare, Building Community

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2025 - https://rosettafest.org/

Health Rosetta - http://healthrosetta.org/

Nautilus - https://www.nautilushealth.org/

Kynexions - https://kynexions.com/

Dave Chase - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedave/

Podcast Website - https://relocalizinghealth.com/