By Heather Wood Ion For a week, I have had the privilege of watching how our healthcare system works, from ambulance ride to discharge, from a horizontal perspective. Most of our media reporting (from the vertical) comments on the financial and social crisis of American healthcare: it is absurdly, scandalously expensive, technologically driven, and unable […]
By Gary Gunderson The lean, tall boxer walked with ease, with long arms that looked like he could land a punch from around a corner. And he would probably need only one, according to his reputation across West Africa. In 1996 he was in Atlanta as part of the Olympic team […]
Thoughts on an Upcoming Convening By Gary Gunderson On September 5th and 6th Stakeholder Health will convene at Howard University in Washington, D.C., to help faith-inspired healthcare and their faith-inspired community remember and then imagine and then commit. Unlike a bazzilion DC conferences that are full of whining and scheming, this one’s about remembering how to […]
By Gary Gunderson In about three months we’ll be in a new world. Whether our president elect is Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton everyone in a position of public responsibility will find themselves in a bruised and disoriented body politic. From the new President to every elected official in every county and town, […]
The following is adapted from a speech Lars Houmann gave to business leaders in Florida earlier this year. Houman is the CEO for the roughly 20-hospital division of Adventist Health System that exists in Florida. Radical pioneers I’ll begin with two short quotes. The first comes from the Robert Wood Johnson […]
By Gary Gunderson Perhaps you’ve met a human. You have probably noticed that we can be hard to help. Perhaps you’ve been to a planet like Earth and noticed the same thing, except in 7 billion different ways. How do you help something with 7 billion moving parts be healthier? Advancing population health depends on […]
By Dr. Patricia Maryland Tragedy tends to bring out the best in Americans Our nation continues to marshal support for the people of Flint, Michigan, as the city rebuilds after its water supply was found to be contaminated with extremely dangerous amounts of lead. The long-term exposure of Flint residents to lead, which even in […]
A new message from RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey starts with an image from the AIDS quilt. Near the front door of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation hangs a quilt that tells the stories of several lives—stories of love, spirit, and joy—tragically cut short because of HIV/AIDS. Every six months for the […]
By Tom Peterson Helping Americans move to better health seems like an impossible, quixotic dream. But it is possible. And because of their unique size and role, health systems could hold the key. The more than 5,000 hospitals have a combined budget of $3.8 trillion. Combined they are country’s second largest private employer and individually are […]
By Tom Peterson Inspired in 2002 by frequent blackouts, Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser (pictured) thought up a simple technology that’s literally a brilliant idea. Just fill a clear plastic soda bottle with water (add bleach to prevent algae clouding), cut a hole in the roof of the house and snugly place the bottle in the […]
