Recap
Stories for Health put a face on health policy
About eighty people came to Grand Canyon University’s West Valley building on October 26 to hear Arizonans’ health care stories and a policy panel on what it would take to make care more affordable.
Arizona Talks 
On Monday, October 26, about eighty people came to Grand Canyon University’s West Valley building in Phoenix for Stories for Health. The evening started with personal stories about getting care in Arizona and ended with a panel on what it would take to make that care more affordable.
The first half belonged to the stories. Students, health leaders, and advocates talked about the moments when access to care, or the lack of it, changed things for them and the people they serve.
Lorenzo Sierra, an author and former state representative, spoke about his mother and about his wife’s cancer, and about how much the course of someone’s care can depend on what they earn.
Shannon Clancy, chief executive officer of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, shared stories from her organization’s work about what life without access to care does to a family. Brenda Cardenas of Adelante Healthcare and Ray Young of Terros Health spoke too.
Then the conversation turned to policy. Stephanie Innes, a health reporter at The Arizona Republic, moderated a panel with Joe Greenberg, chief operating officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association; Matt Jewett, deputy executive director of Children’s Action Alliance; and Daniel Derksen of the University of Arizona Health Sciences.
The panel dug into some of the biggest financial pressures in Arizona health care and what employers are doing to make coverage more affordable for families, then took questions from the room.
Thank you to our partners, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, and Denova Collaborative Health, for making the night possible. Thanks also to Adelante Healthcare, Helping Families in Need, and Zeihan ProHealth, who each brought a table and leaders from their teams, and to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Maricopa Community Colleges, and State Senator Carine Werner for joining us.
Our next event is Third Thursday: Friendsgiving Edition, on Thursday, November 19, at Greenwood Brewing in Phoenix. Join us for a shared meal and a conversation about Indigenous foods. Get tickets.
Photos by Gage Skidmore.
