Welcome to a special series within Relocalizing Health as we count down to RosettaFest in Nashville, July 29 to 31. Each one of these is a quick look inside the book and the communities that inspired it. Real places, real numbers, real people who decided to stop waiting for someone else to fix healthcare and just built something better themselves.

If you don't have your ticket to Nashville yet, go grab it at RosettaFest.org. This is where the people in these stories will actually be in the room with you.

Here's more about today's special episode

Phifer Incorporated is a family-owned manufacturing company in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. About 1,200 employees. They make aluminum, fiberglass, and polyester screening — the window screens in your home, the sun-shading fabric on your lawn furniture. They are also the last remaining made-in-USA manufacturer in their category.

And they figured out something most Fortune 500 companies still have not figured out about healthcare.

This episode is the story of Russell DuBose, VP of HR at Phifer, who refused to treat healthcare like a force of nature he could not touch. He looked at the glide path the company was on in the mid-2010s and saw a future where benefits became unaffordable to the plan and the people on it. So he did what any manufacturing leader would do. He treated it like a supply chain problem and applied the same lean six sigma rigor he would to any production deficit on the factory floor.

What followed was a seven-year roadmap, a zero-cost-share on-site clinic, direct contracts with the best providers, a transparent pharmacy, nurse navigation, scholarships for employees' kids, summer enrichment programs, childcare support for working families, and five straight years of essentially flat healthcare spending. The Plan Grader score went from 37 to 74. Retirement readiness climbed more than 20 points.

And then a benefits decision at a screen manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa turned into a national voice. Russell testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on ERISA and chairs the Alabama Employer Healthcare Consortium, helping spread the model to other employers across his region and state.

If a 1,200-person manufacturer in Alabama can do this, the excuse that you are not big enough stops being a reason. It is just a story we tell ourselves.

Russell DuBose is a co-leader of the Employer Track at RosettaFest 2026, July 29 to 31 in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland. He will be in the room. So will the playbook.

Key Takeaways:

• Phifer Inc. is the last remaining made-in-USA manufacturer in their screening category
• Russell DuBose reframed healthcare as a supply chain problem and applied lean six sigma rigor to it
• The 2017 read of The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream gave him the blueprint
• First Plan Grader score was 37 out of 100. Most employers start between 5 and 17.
• The Phifer Cares Clinic opened in 2019 with zero cost share for advanced primary care. Within months it was running at 88 percent daily capacity with 58 percent of eligible members actively using it
• Five straight years of flat healthcare spending through inflation and high-cost cancer claims
• Savings reinvested: scholarships for employees' kids (100-plus students to college), summer enrichment for hundreds of children, eliminated pharmacy co-pays for 1,700-plus patients, childcare support for 250-plus working families
• Plan Grader improved from 37 to 74
• Russell testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on ERISA
• He chairs the Alabama Employer Healthcare Consortium

Resources Mentioned:

• Health Rosetta Plan Grader: healthrosetta.org
• Nautilus Health Institute: open-source tools and frameworks
• Relocalizing Health by Dave Chase: pre-order on Amazon now
• RosettaFest 2026: RosettaFest.org — Russell DuBose is a co-leader of the Employer Track

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to Relocalizing Health. In today’s episode, host Dave Chase sits down with Kevin Bayuk, a partner at Lift Economy and a pioneer in redefining how communities can thrive by redesigning local systems. With over 20 years of experience questioning why wealth leaves local communities and how to rebuild systems that circulate, compound, and benefit all, Kevin Bayuk shares his journey from Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur to advocate for regenerative enterprise and bioregional self-reliance.

Together, they explore the root causes of ill health in society, including the “loneliness epidemic,” and discuss the vision and practicality of economies and healthcare systems that put well-being, community connection, and ecological thriving at the center. Through stories drawn from permaculture, multi-stakeholder co-ops, and innovative healthcare models like direct primary care, Kevin Bayuk and Dave Chase challenge business-as-usual approaches and invite us to imagine what is possible if we reclaim agency over health, wealth, and the future of our communities. Whether you’re leading a business, a school district, or simply curious about holistic approaches to community health, this episode will inspire you to see that the tools and models for transformation already exist; you just have to look a little closer.

Timestamps:

00:00 Early Silicon Valley entrepreneurship

06:04 Rethinking healthcare and wellbeing

10:01 Imagining a future economy

13:42 Community-focused motivation and cooperative structures

15:52 Workers owning the farm

18:40 Community-owned farming cooperatives

21:48 Direct primary care model explained

24:52 Community-driven profit reinvestment

29:01 Structural flaws in healthcare systems

33:37 Anna O'Malley's community medicine circles

35:28 Story of health intervention success

39:14 Future of Work and AI Automation

42:20 Slowing down for sustainability

46:00 Closing thoughts and action steps

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to Relocalizing Health, the podcast about taking back healthcare and rebuilding communities. In today’s episode, host Dave Chase sits down with Kenneth Aldridge, the long-time clinical leader at Rosen Medical Center in Orlando, Florida. Together, they explore how Rosen Hotels has built the nation’s longest-running and most comprehensive employer-sponsored advanced primary care model, one that delivers exceptional outcomes for a diverse workforce, including a high percentage of high-risk pregnancies, while spending less than half the national average on healthcare.

Kenneth Aldridge shares stories from nearly three decades of transforming care: from breaking down barriers to access for associates from third-world countries, to innovative programs like free transportation, on-the-clock appointments, medication support, and comprehensive case management throughout pregnancies. The conversation goes deep into the practical steps that have built lasting trust, improved health outcomes, and freed up resources for broader community well-being, including scholarships and neighborhood revitalization.

If you’re curious about what a truly high-performing health system looks like, how love and common sense can upend toxic industry norms, and why Rosen’s model is being replicated across the country, this episode is for you. Join us as we reveal the playbook behind America’s healthcare “OGs” and offer hope for clinicians, employers, and communities everywhere.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Relocalizing Health Podcast

06:17 Supporting employees with healthcare access

07:38 Helping patients manage diabetes

12:43 Creating a pregnancy management program

13:22 Prenatal care and pregnancy support

18:43 Bringing medical services in-house

21:13 Concerns about healthcare quality and costs

23:53 Rosen Medical Center health services

26:59 Commitment to supporting patients

31:51 Healthcare system challenges and solutions

35:09 The rewarding challenge of hard work

36:43 Reducing waste in healthcare spending

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to another episode of Relocalizing Health, the show about reclaiming healthcare and strengthening our communities. I’m your host, Dave Chase, author of Relocalizing Health: Taking Back Healthcare, Rebuilding Communities. Today, we dive into the realities of being a patient in America, a system where too often, getting sick can mean financial ruin, emotional devastation, and feeling invisible.

Our guest, Matthew Zachary, survived brain cancer as a young concert pianist and went on to do something even rarer, turning his experience into a national movement. As the founder of Stupid Cancer, host of the Out of Patients podcast, and cofounder of We The Patients, Matthew Zachary has spent nearly three decades fighting to give patients a real collective voice in a healthcare maze designed to isolate and overwhelm.

In this conversation, we explore what it means when patients stop being statistics and start becoming a civic force, the power of collective activism, and how something as simple as a patient navigator can be the “seatbelt” we all need on our healthcare journey. We’ll talk about fighting denial engines, rethinking industry incentives, and why the revolution in healthcare might just be led by people who never wanted to be activists in the first place.

Let’s dive in.

Timestamps:

00:00 Empowering patient advocacy

05:32 Financial strain of cancer care

09:29 Discussing healthcare affordability issues

12:08 Concerns over AI in healthcare

14:24 Understanding healthcare appeals process

18:20 Understanding patient needs vs. system assumptions

21:08 Discussing product design flaws

23:14 Using nurse navigators for better care

27:11 Discussing civic power in healthcare

31:56 Audrey Tang and gov0 initiative

35:26 Discussing waste in healthcare spending

37:20 Challenging powerful hospital systems

40:02 Discussing Matthew's impact and achievements

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to another episode of Relocalizing Health, where host Dave Chase draws a bold parallel between America’s rural electrification revolution and the grassroots transformation happening in healthcare today. In this episode, Dave Chase unpacks the inspiring story of Iowa farmers who built miles of power lines before they even had a power source, showing how local ingenuity can spark nationwide change. He introduces his “three, two, one” framework, a blueprint where pioneering communities prove what’s possible, their success spreads, and smart policy amplifies the impact.

You’ll hear real-world examples of how forward-thinking communities and cooperatives are reclaiming healthcare, like employer health plans in Wisconsin, a transformative effort in Ashtabula, Ohio, and successful models from Alaska Native tribes. Dave Chase shares actionable steps for employers, cooperatives, and policymakers to join the movement, and unveils his new book, "Relocalizing Health." Whether you’re a healthcare professional, policymaker, or simply passionate about your community’s wellbeing, this episode offers hope, practical guidance, and a reminder that American ingenuity is alive and ready to reinvent healthcare from the ground up.

Timestamps:

00:00 "Farmers' Power Revolution"

04:23 "Cooperatives: Community-Driven Solutions"

09:05 "Localized Care vs. Distant Decisions"

10:10 "From Worst to Best Healthcare"

16:15 "Empowering Community Health Innovation"

17:03 "Transforming Healthcare at Rosetta Fest"

20:18 "Transforming Communities, Reclaiming Healthcare"

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to Relocalizing Health. In this episode, we shine a light on Plainfield, Indiana, a town just west of Indianapolis, where public sector employees like police officers, firefighters, and public works staff were once priced out of their own healthcare. Nate Thorne, assistant town manager, joins us to share how Plainfield broke free from years of rising premiums and shrinking paychecks, fundamentally transforming its approach to employee health benefits.

Instead of accepting sky-high insurance costs as an inevitable “healthcare trend,” Plainfield’s leadership took courageous steps: moving to a self-insured health plan, forging a direct contract with their local hospital, and reimagining benefits so workers now pay zero deductibles and co-pays, with real dollars flowing back into their households. These savings built meaningful new programs like mental health support and childcare assistance, and Nate Thorne and his team are on a mission to show other cities and counties that there is a better way.

Whether you manage a city, run HR for a school district, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at how local governments can invest in their people and communities, this episode brings you the story, the lessons, and the playbook, direct from a Rosie Award finalist, on how to take back control of your health plan and rethink what’s possible for your workforce.

Timestamps:

00:00 Challenges of municipal worker benefits

04:21 Facing rising insurance costs

07:24 Challenge of risk in public policy

11:46 Implementing a Self-Insured Program

16:10 Managing healthcare spending changes

18:07 Cost-saving strategies for healthcare plans

22:02 Creative funding for employee benefits

26:18 Leadership and gradual progress advice

28:52 Challenges in the public sector

32:02 Managing retiree health benefits

35:13 Employee survey results on premiums

37:25 Annual employer gathering details

40:11 Plainfield's health plan changes

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to Relocalizing Health. In this episode, we take you behind the scenes at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, where an organization fighting hunger is revolutionizing health benefits for its employees. Join Dave Chase as he sits down with Amy Lein, Chief Human Resource Officer at Second Harvest, to uncover how this nonprofit broke away from the broken health insurance model, creating one of the nation's highest-quality, most accessible benefit plans.

Learn how every employee at Second Harvest pays zero in premiums, deductibles, and co-pays, translating into real quality of care and tangible support like paid leave and grocery assistance. Hear firsthand stories of transformation as employees, for the first time, can actually afford and access the care they need. This episode is a must-listen for nonprofit leaders, city managers, and anyone who has ever looked at a health insurance renewal and thought, “We can’t afford anything better.” As Dave and Amy reveal, a better way is not only possible, it’s already here.

Timestamps:

00:00 Making healthcare affordable for employees

05:41 Improving employee healthcare access

09:14 The concierge nurse navigator

10:01 Affordable access to top doctors

14:32 How the gift card program works

19:35 Offering paid parental leave

22:37 Having access to quality healthcare

26:07 Rising healthcare costs and solutions

30:02 Vision for what's next

30:43 Creating a great workplace culture

34:38 Wrapping up with final advice

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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 to Relocalizing Health with Dave Chase. In this episode, we explore what happens when a clinical leader takes health care into their own hands for both their patients and their employees. We'll meet Tim Spooner, a physical therapist who, in 1990, opened a single clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona with the conviction that the right care, at the right time, can transform lives. Thirty-five years later, Tim leads Arizona's largest private PT practice, operates clinics across Arizona and Texas, and runs Solve Global, a company that's reshaping how employers nationwide address musculoskeletal health.

But Tim's story doesn't stop with clinical excellence. Frustrated by skyrocketing premiums, opaque data, and decreasing reimbursements, he set out to redesign his company's health plan from the ground up. In the process, he redirected money typically lost to the old system back into his people, offering benefits like tuition reimbursement, direct primary care memberships, and robust musculoskeletal solutions. His efforts not only earned national recognition but also inspired other PT practices to follow suit.

Today, we'll dive into Tim's journey of leadership and innovation, the challenges he faced, and how his blueprint for change is empowering others to reclaim health care, making it more transparent, effective, and people-focused. Stay tuned as we learn what it truly means to "walk the talk" in health care and why the proof is in the room.

Timestamps:

00:00 How Tim Spooner got started

03:28 Discovering rising healthcare costs

08:06 High hospital markup example

13:14 Regenerative medicine success stories

15:36 Proactive healthcare and early intervention

19:57 Challenges for healthcare professionals

22:48 Transitioning to self-insured healthcare

24:12 Leadership and driving results

26:59 Medical costs and MRI findings

30:43 Navigating healthcare payment models

36:11 Closing advice for key audiences

36:49 Partnering with clinical practice leaders

Learn More:

RosettaFest 2026 - 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/