Monthly Archives: June 2022

A step backwards

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“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her wellbeing and dignity. It’s a decision she must make for herself”. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I was both angry and sad last Friday when the Supreme Court ruling was announced. There is no question that we are going backwards. My granddaughters will have less rights than me.

How did we get here? The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade should come as no surprise. I’m not just talking about the leaked opinion in May. I’m talking about the state level restrictions that have been enacted over the past decade leading to Friday’s ruling.

A piece in the New York Times on June 25, “How Did Roe Fall? Before a Decisive Ruling, a Powerful Red Wave”, by Kate Zernike laid it out clearly starting back with the 2010 elections. The fact that 1380 state level restrictions were enacted in the 50 years since Roe v Wade was decided and that 46% of them were since 2011 tells the story. It is a long article but worth reading.

Aside from understanding the recent history covered in this article, the takeaway is clear – your vote matters. It matters at every level from local elections to the national election for president. While more Americans voted in 2020 than in any other presidential election in 120 years, 80 million people didn’t vote. Local candidates and state legislators win elections oftentimes with only a small percentage of voters bothering to vote.

The health equity issues of this ruling are significant. The ruling puts the health and safety of women at risk with a disproportionate impact on women of color and the financially disadvantaged. Many leaders have recognized this in their statements of support for reproductive rights and the actions they are taking to provide services. Continue reading →

Ready to share your story?

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Last week I shared that going forward I plan to use this blog to also highlight the great work that so many of you are doing. I got a lot of positive reactions to that idea. The next step is to connect with those of you ready to talk with me and start lifting up the work you are doing for others to learn from.

In articles and podcasts, it is often senior leaders who are interviewed. I have worked with many awesome staff and management folks over the years. I know many of you subscribe to this blog or read it when I share on social media. Consider this a more direct appeal to you to share your stories.

If you have a particular project that you are proud of, an important initiative that you are driving, or key lessons you want to share with others, I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me a note describing what you want to talk about and I’ll follow-up to learn more. Be ready to share what you did and why, key challenges, results, and any lessons learned that will help others.

How best to reach me? If you don’t already have my email, send me a message on LinkedIn.

Together we’ll keep learning, sharing, and making a difference!

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Time to pivot

Time to pivot

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I’ve been writing this weekly blog for 8 years. It has been a weekly discipline and truly a labor of love. I started when I was the CIO at University of Michigan Health System Hospitals and Health Centers (now called Michigan Medicine). I was encouraged to launch it by the then social media coordinator for the health system. My purpose was simple – share my experience as a health IT leader and help develop next generation leaders. As my website “About” page says: “With this weekly blog, I share perspectives on the critical issues facing Health Care IT, the organizational transformations that IT organizations face, the challenges of leadership, and the work we need to do together to keep the paths of opportunity open for all. What we do matters.”

When I left Michigan and started down the path of interim management, consulting, and leadership coaching, I took over the blog and continued to write and publish it myself. I have served in both permanent and interim IT leadership roles for many leading organizations in the past 8 years. When I have been “in the seat” as a CIO, I have had plenty to share and at no loss for new topics.

But now that I am not doing interim engagements myself, I am removed from the day-to-day issues and challenges, and the many lessons learned from them. I continue to coach and help grow new leaders plus spend time connecting people to new opportunities. So even as I pivot, sharing leadership lessons will continue to be a focus area as well as commenting on significant events in our world as they relate to the work of healthcare and IT.

While blogs as a medium may have had their day, podcasts seem to have taken over in recent years. I listen to many different podcasts though I still read a lot too – finding ways to continually learn from others. I continue to share through other forums – our StarBridge Advisors blog, as a monthly host on the This Week in Health IT Town Hall/Community channel interviewing guests (my foray into podcasts), as well as speaking on webinars and panels.

So, what’s my pivot? I will continue to write but I am going to find ways to highlight the work of others and get their perspective on key issues. There are so many of you doing incredibly important and impactful work in our industry. I’m not sure how I’ll approach this change or if I will adjust the frequency of posts.  I consider it a work in process.

If you are interested in having your work highlighted or sharing your perspective on a key issue for a future post, please reach out. And if you have topic ideas, I’m all ears.

My work and writing continue…..

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Advice for bloggers: valuable content and discipline

Making time for reflection

Aging, but getting fit and healthy? Yes, it’s possible!

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When I turned 50 nearly two decades ago, I got myself a gym membership as a birthday present. Prior to that, I hadn’t worked out much and don’t remember ever having had gym memberships. I took a few aerobics classes once in a while and we had a treadmill in our basement for a few years. I had long commutes for most of my career and would try to take walks in the evening when the kids got older. That seemed the best I could do.

When I got the gym membership, I remember saying that no one is going to come into my office and tell me to go home and take care of myself. Rather, I had to tell myself. As a parent and a workaholic with big jobs, long hours, and an hour plus commute each way, where would I find the time to workout?

I have had gym memberships steadily since I turned 50 and used them consistently with some ups and downs. Like many people, we cancelled our gym memberships early in the pandemic. But I set a step goal that first summer and happy to say I hit or exceeded it most weeks. I amped it up in recent months and am now averaging 13,000+ steps a day. But I have missed the weight training I used to do to maintain my strength.

Fast forward to a month ago. We joined the local YMCA. I’ve been exploring classes to see what I liked and would be willing to do on regular basis. So far that has included Urban Fusion (dance routines for cardio), Cardio Fusion (combo of aerobics with some dance steps and weight training), Y Strength (interval workout for cardio and weights), Gentle Strength (decided it was too easy!), and Matt Pilates (might consider it someday). I have now booked the first three classes on my calendar as recurring appointments so will try to go to them each week if my schedule allows.

And then there’s pickleball. Continue reading →