My Heroes

From MLK to Today: Defending Democracy, Diversity, and Justice Together

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The irony of Martin Luther King Day and this presidential inauguration falling on the same day is one that’s hard to wrap my head around. So, I was glad to see there were several local events over the MLK holiday weekend sponsored by the No Place for Hate committee in our town.

My husband and I attended a free showing of the 2018 documentary, “I Am MLK, Jr.” on Friday night. (You can find it on various streaming services at home). What a powerful story it told. In just 12 years and 4 months, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a profound impact on our democracy and fight for social justice.

Seeing that movie made me wonder what Dr. King would say if he were alive and witnessing the inauguration today.

On Sunday afternoon, we attended a program that included a keynote from Reverend Rahsaan D. Hall, President and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. At an earlier weekend rally in Boston, the Boston Globe quoted Reverend Hall as saying in response to the new administration, “We’ll double down on the three D’s of defending democracy, demanding diversity, and defeating poverty” as their north star. On Sunday, he delivered a passionate talk with a closing message that emphasized repeatedly that change takes total participation.

Yes, the fight for social justice continues and it does take total participation. Some of Dr. King’s most famous quotes are especially poignant as we prepare for this next administration:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Shortly after the election I bought two of Timothy Snyder’s books, “On Tyranny – Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” and “On Freedom”. But I’ve hesitated to jump in. As this new administration becomes reality and we see more clearly what lies ahead, I decided it was time to read “On Tyranny”. I read it in a little over an hour on Saturday and I highly recommend it. Some of the key lessons: don’t obey in advance, support institutions, believe in truth, and contribute to good causes.

On Sunday night, we watched a virtual event sponsored by Red Wine & Blue – “Keep Calm and Listen to Heather Cox Richardson: Inauguration Eve”. It was just what we needed. Richardson writes a daily newsletter called, Letters from an American, which is also available as a podcast. For well over a year, I have made reading her letter my first “to do” with a cup of coffee each morning. As a history professor, last night she put things into perspective and reminded us that small groups of people can change history.

Red Wine & Blue sounds like they are trying to do just that – their website describes them as, “A national community of over half a million diverse suburban women working together to defeat extremism, one friend at a time. We train and connect women from across the country of all political backgrounds – including many who have never been political before – to get sh*t done and have fun along the way.” In what they call TroubleNation, they already have over 500 chapters for grassroots community organizing in 49 states.

As I’ve closed some of my past blog posts, now more than ever we need to stay informed, engaged and vigilant.

Related Posts:

Finding truth post-election: staying informed, vigilant and engaged

Martin Luther King Day and why it matters – 2020

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – why it matters

Hate has no place

Staying Positive, Telling the Truth, and Defending Care: Timely Advice for Health Leaders

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In the weeks following the November 5th election, I significantly reduced my news intake, but I continue to read and stay informed as I encourage everyone to do. Objective perspective and advice on how to navigate the changes we are going through as a country is always welcome. I was struck last week by an insightful article that one of our best healthcare leaders wrote. I’ve highlighted his articles in the past in this blog. His latest is one of the best things I’ve read in recent weeks. You guessed it – I’m talking about Michael Dowling, President and CEO at Northwell Health.

On this 4th anniversary of what has become known as “January 6” or simply “J6” on social media, and as we watch the way a peaceful transition of power is supposed to be, Dowling’s advice to healthcare leaders is timely. In the article, “Michael Dowling: 6 priorities for health leaders in a new era of change and disruption”, published in Becker’s Hospital Review on January 2nd, he discusses 6 key areas to consider:

  1. Maintain a positive attitude.
  2. Tell our positive story.
  3. Be a conveyor of truth.
  4. Be supportive of new opportunities.
  5. Defend access to care.
  6. Values matter.

While they all resonate with me, #3 really strikes a chord as we consider some of the potential new faces who will be leading and influencing healthcare in the new administration. As Dowling says: “We must never waver from our responsibility to preserve credibility and trust in evidence-based science. Scientific discoveries and their resulting treatments have had profound, positive benefits in increasing the lifespan of people worldwide. We must not be afraid to denounce skeptics who promote misinformation and stoke public fears.”

The last point is also a powerful one for me, yes, values do matter. As Dowling says: “Now more than ever, we as healthcare leaders need to promote the values of decency, respect, integrity, honesty and trust. We must be positive role models who embrace a sense of unity, togetherness and community — not anger and resentment.”

Leadership is hard. Staying true to your values is hard. But we owe it to those we serve.

Related Posts:

Towards a more civil society

The healing power of humanity

Live your values and be the change

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It may be easy to feel discouraged at times – by challenges at work or at home, or the current political scene, or the conflicts in the world. But I like to be an optimist and maintain a positive attitude finding ways to “be the change”.

Here are a few things in the past several days that have given me hope:

I listened to and watched several sessions at the Becker’s Healthcare 14th Annual Meeting Virtual Event this week. I love hearing healthcare leaders talk about why they got into healthcare, share the missions of their organizations to care for their patients and improve their communities, and describe the tangible outcomes of their continued efforts in these challenging times. It reinforces my passion for healthcare and why I have spent my entire career in this industry.

Last Friday, my husband and I went to a volunteer fair in my community. I was both surprised and encouraged when we pulled in and saw a full parking lot. I had no idea so many people would be looking for ways to help others through volunteer work. There were approximately 25 organizations with exhibits educating us about their services and describing the many volunteer opportunities. They included the local community hospital, Habitat for Humanity, homeless coalition, climate change, sustainability, the local art center, and much more.

We got home that afternoon just in time for a Volunteer Blue virtual call I had registered for. Volunteer Blue is a coalition of 24 grassroots organizations focused on electing Democrats. American historian, Heather Cox Richardson, was the guest speaker. She writes a daily newsletter, “Letters from an American”, on the history behind today’s politics. (My daily morning routine is to make a cup of coffee and read her newsletter before I do anything else – yes, even before checking email!) Her 2023 book, “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America” is a New York Times bestseller. After Heather’s comments, the organizers shared data on the key races in 2024. Finally, there were breakout groups organized by the many different ways to get involved. About 1,000 people were on the call and ready to commit time to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2024.

If you know me at all, you won’t be surprised that I’m sharing these examples of what motivates and inspires me. This is me from a young age. My first part-time job during high school was working as a nurse aid in a nearby nursing home. In the summers, I did volunteer work with my church youth group. And I was volunteering for progressive Democrat candidates from the time I could vote.

I truly believe you have to live (and vote) your values!

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Finding your passion

A passion for healthcare

Vote your values

How healthcare providers can empower voters for a healthier democracy

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It’s Super Tuesday – a day when voters in 15 states and one U.S. territory go to the polls for the presidential primary election. I’ve written in the past about the importance of exercising your right to vote, voting your values, and highlighted some of the non-partisan “get out the vote” organizations.

This time I want to address the intersection of voting and healthcare, but not from a policy perspective. You can probably guess my views on key policies. But rather from an empowering everyone to vote perspective. Whether you vote in the primary or not, much is at stake in the November general election.

Let me start with a very progressive organization, A Healthier Democracy, that I learned about last year when their CEO, Dr. Alister Martin, spoke at the annual NEHIMSS Chapter Conference. According to their website:

A Healthier Democracy builds platforms for collaboration and community organizing at the intersection of health and civic engagement to maximize collective impact on pressing challenges.

They are home to five high-impact national initiatives. There are two initiatives involving voting that I want to highlight – Vot-ER and Patient Voting: Continue reading →

Leadership and crisis management lessons from Pennsylvania

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I love seeing stories of success with lessons to apply to our work in health IT. The recent I-95 collapse in Philadelphia and the re-opening in just 12 days is one of those stories. There was a great opinion piece in the Washington Post on July 16th by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro – “Opinion: We fixed I-95 in 12 days. Here are our lessons for U.S. infrastructure”. Initially experts told the Governor it would be months before they could reopen the highway and get traffic flowing. Instead, they reopened it in just 12 days. Indeed, there are many lessons for leaders in all industries.

Here are the four key takeaways he comments on:

  1. Empower strong leadership
  2. Speed up the bureaucracy
  3. Encourage creativity
  4. Work together

In the face of a crisis, empowering strong leadership is critical. We’ve seen it in healthcare during the pandemic and when responding to any kind of disaster. As Governor Shapiro describes it – “Managers of every component of the project were empowered to be decisive, take ownership and make a call when necessary — not defer and delay to the often-circular bureaucracy. Decisions were made quickly and in a synchronized manner.”

We have plenty of bureaucracy in healthcare including many processes in IT that seem burdensome. Governor Shapiro described how an executive order he signed shortly after taking office that catalogued each of the 2,400 permits, certificates and licenses the state issues and set timelines for each of them resulted in significantly reducing wait times – with one example cutting the time from eight weeks to two days. IT leaders take note – how many processes can be streamlined in your shop?

Innovation in healthcare is greatly needed and there are many bright spots we read about each day. But innovation is not just the new big flashy stuff, it can be a creative and new way to solve a problem that comes from someone on the team or an observer. Governor Shapiro wrote, “Encourage creativity and allow everyone to bring their ideas forward”. The backfill solution to rebuild the collapsed freeway using a recycled glass product was a result of that creativity from PennDOT engineers.

We all know there is no “I” in team. We accomplish great things by working together. In Pennsylvania, state and federal officials coordinated closely with each other and private contractors and organized labor collaborated working 24/7 to get the job done.

While we never want a crisis to manage through, there will be more. These lessons will be key then and every day.

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Leading through a crisis

The transformative power of bold leadership in healthcare

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With reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights under attack in so many states, it was good to see the Summer 2023 Issue of the Brigham magazine in the mail this week. This issue is titled “Care for Every Body – Embracing Inclusive Medicine”. As a former VP and donor to Brigham and Women’s, I receive the paper copy to read. You can access it online here.

The main articles include:

  • Sex & Gender Glossary – essential terms and definitions for understanding sex, gender, and well-being.
  • Pro-Care. Pro-Patient. – describing how the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is working toward reproductive justice for all patients. An alarming data point: If all abortions in the U.S. were to stop, 24% more people would die from pregnancy complications and 39% more non-Hispanic Black people would die.
  • Soul Meets Body – describing how the Center for Transgender Health is breaking barriers and providing state-of-the-art, life changing care for trans and gender diverse people. An alarming data point: 46 states have proposed 491 anti-transgender laws in 2023, more than the previous four years combined.
  • Women ≠ Tiny Men – describing how physician-researchers are working to balance the scales for women’s health.

These articles and the programs described represent bold leadership in healthcare and what we should expect from healthcare providers.

Just as the Winter 2022 Issue titled “Standing Tall for Justice – Cultivating Equity and Inclusion in Medicine” was bold leadership as it covered racial equity in healthcare. And just as Michael Dowling, President and CEO at Northwell Health in New York, regularly shows us what bold leadership means. He doesn’t shy away from controversial issues as he addresses the issue of gun violence and calls for civility and decency in our public discourse.

Dr. Robert Higgins, President, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and EVP, Mass General Brigham comments in the introduction to the Summer 20223 Issue – “While forging the road toward a more inclusive healthcare systems is not an easy or immediately achievable goal, it is a vital commitment we must make. Our sense of humanity depends on it.”

Are you uncomfortable being a bold leader? Do you embrace or shy away from the DEI discussion? The DEI Committee of CHIME is hosting a webinar this Friday, June 30, at 12PM EDT that I highly recommend. It is titled “DE&I in Healthcare 2.0 – Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable in a Safe Space Zone”. Please follow this link to register if you want to learn how to stay DEI focused in an anti-DEI climate.

In a recent podcast interview, I was asked about some of the unique challenges and opportunities of being a CIO in the healthcare sector compared to other industries. I commented on how being in healthcare is mission driven and how we can make a difference in people’s lives. Leaders of our nation’s leading healthcare systems being willing to address the difficult issues and care for every person is one of the reasons I am passionate about working in healthcare.

What we do matters.

Related Posts:

Leadership means being bold and taking on the tough issues

Towards a more civil society

When is enough enough?

The healing power of humanity

 

ACP – addressing the digital divide

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“We need to advance health equity in a sustainable way – not with charity care and not performative health equity”, said Dr. Alister Martin, ED physician and CEO of A Healthier Democracy in the closing keynote at the annual NEHIMSS chapter conference last week. One of the many initiatives of A Healthier Democracy is Link Health which focuses on connecting patients to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to close the digital divide.

Listening to Dr. Martin last Thursday, I decided to use this week’s blog post to amplify this important initiative and help raise awareness among health IT leaders about the ACP and its importance for healthcare. As they say, timing is everything. June 14-22 is the ACP White House Week of Action and June 16 is the ACP Healthcare Day of Action.

Here’s some background on the ACP taken from the Link Health website:

COVID-19 Accelerated A Massive Shift To Telehealth.

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in widespread acceptance of telehealth and other digital innovations in medicine and dramatically increased the use of telehealth as an intervention to reach patients.  A recent HHS study shows a 63-fold increase in Medicare telehealth utilization and 32-fold increase in behavioral health care through telehealth triggered by the pandemic.

Access To Broadband Internet Is A Social Determinant Of Health.

Despite widespread internet usage in the United States, 15–24% of Americans lack broadband internet connection, a foundational requirement for telehealth and the bevy of other services that underpin the social determinants of health. In fact, access to broadband internet has been considered a “super” social determinant of health (SDoH).

The Affordable Connectivity Program Expands Broadband Access But Needs Help From Healthcare.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created the Affordable Connectivity Program which provides a subsidy of up to $30/month for lower-income households ($75/month for households on tribal lands) on participating internet service plans and a one-time $100 subsidy for a connected device. 51.6 million households are eligible for the ACP, yet only 25% have enrolled. 38 million more households are potentially missing out on money to pay their internet bill. Importantly, only 13% of patients with Medicaid have signed up for the ACP.

Link Health is partnering with the White House, Civic Nation, and leading healthcare organizations on the ACP Week of Action to leverage the health sector to connect patients to the ACP and close the digital divide. There are resources at this site if you are ready to be part of the action and amplify the message through your organization and in your community. Continue reading →

Memorial Day: remembering the sacrifice, celebrating the summer

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This coming holiday weekend for most of us is the first bookend of the summer season. It’s a time for picnics and barbeques, gathering with family and friends. Depending on where you live, it may be warm enough for a first beach trip and swimming pools open for the season.

But we can’t forget that Memorial Day as a holiday honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The history of this holiday may surprise you. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, originating in the years following the Civil War. In 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the president issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many people observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials and participating in local parades.

As a child growing up in Minneapolis my family had the annual tradition of visiting graves on Memorial Day. We went to Fort Snelling National Cemetery to visit my father’s grave and then to smaller nearby cemeteries to visit my grandmother’s grave and a great uncle’s grave. Anyone who has been to a national cemetery with rows and rows of uniform white grave markers is moved by the experience. We are reminded of so many who have given unselfish service to our country.

My husband and I had the opportunity last summer to visit the American Cemetery at Normandy in France. That was a very moving experience. Visiting Omaha Beach just prior to that and learning more about the landings on D-Day, then seeing the thousands of graves at Normandy was a sobering reminder of what fighting for our freedom has meant.

I hope that as you enjoy the long holiday weekend you will hold in your heart the memories of all those whose lives are celebrated on Memorial Day.

Inspiring the next generation of healthcare heroes

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It’s Health Technology Management Week, a time to celebrate and thank all the biomed technicians and clinical engineers who make up the critically important HTM teams in our hospitals. Not being involved in AAMI as I was over the past decade, I thought I didn’t have anything new to say this year. And then I saw a social media post that inspired this week’s topic. What better way to celebrate and acknowledge the work of our HTM teams than to highlight the need for more HTM professionals in the future.

Like many healthcare professions, HTM faces staffing shortages now and into the future. Educating young people about health careers and building a pipeline is one aspect of addressing those shortages.

“Ollie the Biomed” by Chace Torres is a new children’s book that describes what a biomed technician does. Like other children’s books about different jobs and careers, it makes the life of a biomed technician exciting and attractive. And it is written from the firsthand experience of a proud biomed tech and dad who is well aware of the staffing shortage in this field. Torres is the lead technician for Texas-based medical equipment manufacturer SPBS Inc.

AAMI featured the book in this May 2, 2023 article: “Meet Ollie, the Biomed ‘Device Doctor’ Who’s Teaching Children About Fixing Problematic Medical Products”. An excerpt from the article:

Torres, who also shines a light on the HTM profession via an ongoing podcast, says it’s more important than ever that young people are exposed to a “profession struggling to build awareness, [because] the majority of the workforce is set to retire within the next decade,” he wrote in an overview of his book.

The book is “about inspiring those who are younger and letting them know that there are other jobs out there besides those found in a typical children’s book—the standard professions that all kids see, whether it’s a police officer, firefighter, or doctor,” Torres said. “Many people have reached out to me who have purchased the book or have bought it for somebody else, and they will say, ‘My son, or my daughter, or my grandchild had no idea what I did as a biomed, but after reading the book, they understand and loved it.’”

The book description on Amazon provides more background:

This children’s book is a depiction of the profession known as Biomedical Equipment Technician, AKA “Medical Device Doctor.” Ollie the Biomed experiences a work day repairing, calibrating, and solving real world problems found within the everyday job of a Biomed. It illustrates the complex but rewarding career filled with so many devices used in healthcare today to treat patients. Biomeds are directly responsible for inspecting, repairing, calibrating, and managing all aspects of any medical device found in hospitals today. I wrote this book for my son to learn exactly what his dad does and why I love what I do each and every day. I hope to inspire kids across the world to seek out more information and become Biomeds because it is truly rewarding and fun.

Torres is an advocate for his profession in other ways. Since 2021 he has hosted “Bearded Biomed”, a podcast that drops twice a month. Some of his recent topics: Women in HTM, the 2022 HTM Salary Survey, and Dealing with Biomed Burnout. Continue reading →

Amplifying the voice of nurses

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May 6-12 is National Nurses Week. Nursing has been the most trusted profession for the past 20 years according to a Gallup Poll. That’s no surprise when you think about the nurses you have interacted with as a patient or as a colleague.

I’ve written a post about nurses almost every year since I started this blog. Do I have anything truly new to say this year? Yes, in that I want to highlight how the past three years has taken a toll on all our clinicians, in particular nurses. The public health emergency is expiring. Health care providers are adapting their policies as they continue to deliver care. We have entered a new phase for healthcare organizations, staff, patients, and families.

Staffing challenges are at the top of the list of concerns for many health executives – staff shortages and clinician burnout. There are no easy solutions. The toll of the past few years on our nurses was highlighted in a May 2nd NPR article by Jaclyn Diaz – “Nearly a third of nurses nationwide say they are likely to leave the profession“. The article starts with some sobering findings from the 2023 Survey of Registered Nurses conducted by AMN Healthcare. The survey examined the impact of COVID-19 on the career plans, job satisfaction, and mental health and wellness of more than 18,000 RNs. Key findings:

  • Close to 1/3 of nurses nationwide say they are likely to leave the profession for another career due to the pandemic. This level is up 7 points since 2021.
  • 89% of RNs said the nursing shortage is worse than five years ago, 80% expect that to get much worse in another five years.
  • Younger generations of nurses are also less satisfied with their jobs compared to their older counterparts.
  • 80% of nurses experience high levels of stress at work, an increase of 16 points from 2021.
  • 77% of nurses reported feeling emotionally drained, up from 62% in 2021.

Of all the blog posts I’ve written about nurses, this one from five years ago has the strongest message – “Celebrate nurses, but more importantly listen to them”.  This is true now more than ever. From the bedside to the boardroom we need to listen, amplify, and prioritize the voice of nurses.

IT leaders won’t solve the staffing challenges. But we have a role to play. The systems and solutions we provide and support as health IT leaders and vendors must help nurses do their job more easily and efficiently, not make it harder. We need to reduce the burden on nurses and ensure they are integrally involved in decision making, prioritization, and design processes.