Who’s Doing it Best? | Findhelp’s “American Compassion: LIVE”
As part of our mission to power a better social safety net, Findhelp fosters conversations about the state of modern social care and what can be done to improve it. We’re collaborating with The LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin to co-host a discussion panel series for the current season of American Compassion: The Safety Net Podcast. On April 22, we’re filming episode 4: “Who’s Doing it Best?”, exploring social care access and delivery innovations.
Video podcast episodes are filmed in front of a live audience at The LBJ School. This series is free and open to the public, featuring experts from academia, the public and private sectors, and practitioners who are innovating social care access and delivery.
“We’re working to use technology to bring dignity to that experience, protecting their privacy, ensuring they know who’s using their information and how, and really changing the experience of finding and accessing the help that people need.”
Jaffer Traish
COO, Findhelp
Episode 3: “Social Care in the Digital Age”
Season 3, episode 4: “Who’s Doing it Best?” panelists
We’ll be filming the fourth episode, titled “Who’s Doing it Best”, on April 22, 2025, from noon to 1:30pm Central. We’re talking to people who are at the forefront of providing better care to underserved populations and helping to build a better safety net. The discussion will explore how emerging best practices and creative uses of technology are shaping social care access and delivery. The panelists are:
Adrien Lewis began his career as a business development professional, spending a decade working in healthcare, technology, and education. In 2007, a mission trip to Haiti with his wife, Cynthia, transformed his perspective and deepened his calling. Over the next three years, he volunteered with The Global Orphan Project, where he witnessed firsthand the power of connection in caring for vulnerable children. In 2010, Adrien felt a clear call from God to leave the business world and fully dedicate himself to advocating for orphaned and abandoned children. This journey led him to become a foster and adoptive parent and, ultimately, to develop CarePortal—a Care-Sharing technology that mobilizes communities to take action for children and families in crisis, creating meaningful connections that change lives.
Amber Lombardi is a graduate of the University of New England, and a Master of Public Health candidate. She started Mainely Teeth, a non-profit mobile dental clinic, to bring community access to quality dental care. Mainely Teeth’s mission is to break down barriers to oral health care and provide access to quality, compassionate dental care to individuals, families, and communities. Core to this mission is the belief that quality oral health care should be a basic human right, not a privilege. Amber never wavers in her commitment to serving those left out of the traditional medical system due to systemic issues of racism, socioeconomic privilege, or the gap between private and public health insurance.
Julian Paraschiv is committed to improving healthcare quality and access, ensuring every patient receives compassionate care with dignity. As a leader at AIDA Healthcare, he focuses on developing innovative solutions that help hospitals, post-acute providers, and risk-bearing entities coordinate care more effectively. He is dedicated to breaking down silos and creating a more connected environment where all parties involved in a patient’s healthcare journey can work together seamlessly. Before AIDA, Julian co-founded and led a long-term care organization, managing compliance, admissions, and operations. That experience reinforced his commitment to creating a healthcare system that is more transparent, humane, and patient-centered. He believes that when designed with empathy and purpose, technology can play a key role in building a more just and effective healthcare system.
Erine Gray has dedicated his career to advocating for the underserved. He founded Findhelp in 2010 and leads the company’s vision. Erine is a 2019 TED Senior Fellow and has deep expertise in eligibility programs for public healthcare services. Prior to starting Findhelp, he helped the Texas Health and Human Services Commission streamline their public benefits enrollment process.
American Compassion Season 3 episodes are available on Findhelp’s YouTube channel, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts shortly after the live events. They will also air on KUT, Austin’s Public Radio station.
Previous episodes: The origins of the safety net
In the first two seasons of American Compassion, we dove into the history behind the safety net. From FDR’s New Deal to LBJ’s Great Society, host Rebecca McInroy spoke with prominent historians like Robert Caro, H.W. Brands, and Mark Updegrove to explore the origins of foundational government programs which still exist today. Rebecca returns to the series as host and moderator for season 3, bringing more than 20 years of experience in journalism and public radio.
“Over and over again, we were reminded that the safety net and the systems that we think today are impenetrable were imagined and built by individuals with empathy, creativity, passion, and vision. And as we attempt to mend and reimagine and rebuild our safety net for the 21st century and beyond, we look to individuals with those same qualities, that same drive, and that same mission.”
Rebecca McInroy
Executive Producer & Host
Season 3, episodes 1 -3: Available now!
Watch previous episodes to catch up on the conversation ahead of episode 4.
- Sept. 18, 2024 | “The Broken U.S. Safety Net”. We kicked off season 3 with a big picture look at the modern safety net. Panelists answered questions like how did we get here, what’s broken, and what are the biggest challenges standing in the way of Americans who need help?. Findhelp Founder and CEO Erine Gray joined a panel featuring Professor Maninder “Mini” Kahlon of Dell Medical School, Turning Point Center Founder Isha Deselle, and Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, Chief Community Health Officer for Walmart.
- Nov. 13, 2024 | “What Happens Now?” After the results of the US presidential election, we explore what the outcome means for social care and the future of the safety net — for the next four years, at least. Findhelp SVP Glen Chambers joined a panel featuring documentary filmmaker and educator Paul Stekler, Nursing practitioner leader and advocate Barbara Chapman, and BGR Group Chairman and CEO Bob Wood.
- Feb 12, 2025 | Social Care in the Digital Age Given the flaws in the safety net and the funding realities that exist in 2025, we explored how we can modernize the system. Panelists Emily Barey, VP of Nursing at Epic, Sherri Greenberg, Professor of Practice at the University of Austin at Texas, Amy McCarthy, Chief Nursing Officer at Hippocratic AI, and Jaffer Traish, COO at Findhelp discussed the roles played by AI, health insurance companies, and social determinants of health technology.
Be part of the conversation!
We invite you to join the live recording session of American Compassion LIVE on UT-Austin’s campus. Register today to claim your free spot. Hear directly from our featured experts and innovators, and enjoy a light lunch following the discussion.
