Robert Wood Johnson Foundation makes epic changes in health funding
By Rachel Zamzow, The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The nation's largest health philanthrophy has long been focused on discreet health problems such as smoking and obesity. But in a major policy shift publicly discussed Wednesday for the first time, the
"We have to make a seismic shift in the way we deal with health, and it has to come from the ground up," said foundation CEO
The foundation is highly influential in health circles, giving away
The foundation has long been devoted to improving access to health insurance and high quality care. It is a strong backer of the Affordable Care Act, which has raised some hackles. And its leaders want to make health costs more transparent to patients.
The new approach has drawn criticism too, because it has forced cuts in long-funded areas. Its Clinical Scholars program is ending in 2017 even though it has trained doctors to be leaders for over 30 years at the
Health futurist
Still, Morrison, who has worked with the foundation previously, thinks its efforts are likely to have a large influence.
Officials say the new approach is needed to make bigger, more sustainable leaps. It will need to identify new metrics. "We'll be looking for measures that are trackable and usable," said
In her speech, Lavizzo-Mourey, the CEO, cited the wide use of calling 911 as the kind of transformative idea the foundation is seeking.
Hundreds of humbler examples are in the works. The Flip the Clinic project is reimagining a doctor's visit to give patients more control over their care.
A model of a flipped clinic is the 11th
"It's all based on what the community needs, rather than what insurance will pay for," said
Nurses often create simple yet innovative solutions. So another project, MakerNurse, seeks to harness their bedside ingenuity. "At its core, we're trying to bring makers and health together," said
Nurses make novel devices, such as plastic IV covers or doughnut-shaped pads for transporting babies with exposed wounds, but often don't know how to share their ideas.
Gomez-Marquez and his team are collecting data on these "MacGyver nurses" -- referring to the 1990s tv inventor -- and considering how they can be better supported.
Care is ultimately just one facet of health. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program compiles data to help communities identify areas of strengths and weaknesses involving health.
Since 2010, this program has annually assessed each county's rankings across many factors, from air and water quality, to education and tobacco use.
"There is so much that can be done upstream to prevent the need for health care," said
It now provides community coaches, who are available to anyone, from a
"Almost anyone can get a movement going to build a culture of health in the community," she said. "We stand ready to help whoever shows an interest."
The county now ranks 72nd in the state, out of 82 counties.
And, of course health needs are vast among workers. The
"Focusing more on the workplace is fundamental to promoting a culture of health," said
Its commission encourages CEOs to cover employee health information in annual reports. That emphasizes the "most important source of human capital in the company: the workforce and the health of the workforce," he said.
The institute also seeks to "harness the power and enthusiasm of companies to do the right thing," Yach said.
The
"The significance of our success is reaching out to cross sector partners who share the common vision of the health of our young people," said
Such partnerships are "going to make a Culture of Health happen," Lavizzo-Mourey noted in her
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