Shift: Conversations on Innovation and Improvement in Canadian Health Care

An Unlikely Duo Working Together to Address Transportation Challenges for Older Adults

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573710/fan_mail/new] In this episode, we explore an unlikely but powerful partnership between Terry Kostyna [https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-kostyna-176152124/], a "get-shit-done" (GSD) entrepreneur and small-town mayor, and  Dr. Jacob Al Hassan [https://medicine.usask.ca/profiles/che/jacob-alhassan.php], an academic researcher focused on health equity. Together, they discuss their work with the Health Quality Council’s "Thrive at Home" initiative [https://www.saskhealthquality.ca/thrive-at-home/], specifically focusing on how rural communities can innovate to provide sustainable transportation for seniors. From volunteer-run shuttles to specialized software, Terry and Jacob share how they are working to bridge the gap between research and action to ensure older adults can age in place with dignity.   Resources  * Health Quality Council's Thrive at Home Initiative [https://www.saskhealthquality.ca/thrive-at-home/] * A Call for a Transportation Strategy [https://www.moosejawtoday.com/provincial-news/ndp-to-bring-forward-transportation-strategy-to-fill-stc-void-11879506] * Prince George's Social Prescribing Initiative [https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/social-prescribing-helps-seniors-in-prince-george-12066894] * Drive Happiness (Alberta) [https://drivehappiness.ca/] * Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle [https://www.sasktoday.ca/southwest/assiniboia-times/community-support-key-to-success-of-gravelbourg-cares-shuttle-11579037]

How Failure Demand Keeps Us Stuck with John Mortimer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573710/fan_mail/new] In this episode, I sit down with John Mortimer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mortimer-06117083/?originalSubdomain=uk], a specialist in systemic service design and founder of Impro [https://www.improconsult.co.uk/about-john.html], to tackle a concept that is silently draining the resources and morale of our health care system: Failure Demand. John explains that much of the "spinning" felt by practitioners today—the feeling of running faster while staying in the same place—is the result of a system designed to manage the consequences of its own failures rather than meeting the actual needs of the person. If you have ever felt that you or your organization is only as helpful as the rules allow, this conversation offers ideas for finding traction in the spin and eliminating the invisible drain of failure demand. Resources John’s Videos on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUvH-haM6CfwGnqHJ8Zx5xg]   Buurtzorg Mode [https://www.buurtzorg.com/about-us/buurtzorgmodel/]l  Human Learning Systems [https://www.humanlearning.systems/overview/]

Who’s Missing?: Equity Informed Health and Health Services with Erin Beckwell

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573710/fan_mail/new] Recorded just twenty-four hours before Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR)—formerly known as AIDS Saskatoon—officially closed its doors on April 9, 2026, this episode features a deep dive conversation with social worker and advocate Erin Beckwell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebeckwell/].  Erin shares her decade-long history with AIDS Saskatoon, starting from its roots as a community-led response to the HIV crisis to its evolution into a vital institution that provided life-saving services in the community.  As you will hear, Erin and her co-workers were doing Relational Service long before it even had a name.   In this timely conversation, we explore what it means to lead with a health equity lens, the frustrations of working in a huge bureaucracy, and the opportunity to do change approaches when we think outside the health care box.  Resources  Prairie Harm Reduction (formerly AIDS Saskatoon) [https://prairiehr.ca/] Wellness Wheel Clinic (Regina) [https://www.wellnesswheelclinic.ca/] University Health Network Housing Model [https://uhnfoundation.ca/stories/uhn-expands-social-medicine-housing-with-new-development-for-at-risk-seniors/] Video: How Public Policy Creates Poverty with Colleen Christopherson-Cote [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEE-zwgp5k8] This Week's Shift Shout Out: Trillium Heath Partners AI Challenge [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ai-health-challenge-trillium-health-partners-9.7154175]

If It Ain’t Broke, Break It: The Courage to Disrupt the Status Quo with Dan Florizone and Marlene Smadu

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573710/fan_mail/new] In this episode, I sit down with two of Saskatchewan’s most experienced health care leaders, Dan Florizone [https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/about/executives-in-residence/dan-florizone.php]and Marlene Smadu [https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/about/executives-in-residence/marlene-smadu.php], to explore a fundamental crisis in leadership: why we continue to treat an infinite system like a “finite game."  Drawing on their decades of experience—from pioneering "Magnet" hospital environments in the late 90s to their current work teaching excellence in health leadership—Dan and Marlene discuss the urgent need to shift away from "command and control" culture brought in by the militaristic and religious structures of the 20th century. They reflect on how the modern health care system is often trapped by finite thinking, where leaders are pressured by four-year election cycles to "win" short-term battles like surgical wait-time targets, often at the expense of the long-term sustainability of the workforce and the system itself. We also discuss the power of the public and the direct care workforce as the greatest untapped resources for change. Marlene emphasizes that we have a well-educated public and 44,000 staff members who are "bursting to participate" if only they are given an invitation and a "North Star" to follow. While the administrative and logistical challenges are significant, both guests leave us with a message of deep hope, noting that the clinical breakthroughs and the "Patient First" shift in the last decade have been significant.  This episode is a call to action for leaders at every level to embrace humility, curiosity, and transparency to build a health care system that is not just fit for the next election, but fit for the next century.   Resources: The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek [https://youtu.be/RFxIm7fcB7c?si=62aHk0feHtugGXbm] Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Program [https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/programs/executive-education/excellence-in-healthcare-leadership-program.php] Kouzes & Posner Leadership Model [https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:3ebf8f68-7eec-42c0-8aa7-d2ea3790f5ef] Berkana Two Loops Model [https://youtu.be/B1jcfax4ntw?si=3hziUJFQLuTs9l8r] Raise Her Community [https://www.raiseherco.com/our-story] Industrial Disease [https://youtu.be/nTb0RnJTsRQ?si=9reE5LcxeF22ChFU]

Quarter One Learnings

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2573710/fan_mail/new] In this special episode, Kyla pauses her interviews to reflect on the key themes and insights from the first three months of the podcast.  Kyla shares what she's gleaned from conversations with Dennis, Andy, Teri, Kath and Steven - distilling the learnings from each of them into practical ideas to shift the system.