Will short-term thinking's results ever jolt us into reality?

When I started this post it was late Tuesday evening January 5th, and I wanted to simply get on-line and finally say Happy New Year to all of you who have been so tremendously supportive of this blog and our network and the mission that Diversity HealthWorks believes is absolutely critical to healthcare being all that it needs to be for this country.

Thank you for your support. I cannot fully express my appreciation in a writing, but know that the conversations generated, and the movement made towards creating what I feel is "REAL and ROBUST" healthcare reform (vs. financially-driven political health insurance reform) is greatly appreciated.

It was hard to get it all out when I started because I have had a heavier than usual sense that we are moving more and more rapidly away from our capacity to empathize. It is being replaced by blame, fear, and a mindset of scarcity. I understand it and I sympathize because I know that folks are struggling to different degrees. My concern is that the struggle is not making us more progressive as a nation. Frederick Douglass said: "If there is not struggle, there is no progress." My worry is that struggle is resented and as a result progress is thwarted.

I expressed in the last post that I am concerned that Americans don't have anything we agree on that connects us. Perhaps my Utopian sensibilities seem unrealistic, but it occurs to me that without any common bond, we are not a United States, we are simply a bunch of individuals focused on, as Janet Jackson stated in her song and Eddie Murphy repeated in a later comedy special, "What have you done for me lately?"

We are so wrapped up in the moment that we have no vision beyond "what I get more of" and/or "what they will take more of" and/or "if I get less of anything, it is wrong". Now, this is not a universal sentiment. Some feel blessed to have or have ample amounts and are willing (at least for now) to contribute a little more of what they have for those who have little to nothing.

Of course, since I talk about and explore facets of healthcare more than anything, I have seen this response to various health insurance reform bills proposed that suggest that those with more will pay a little more in some cases. So, I applaud those who are okay with this. Personally, I cannot say that they are right or wrong for thinking this way, but I think it is honorable and anyone willing to give gets a nod from me. I dare not question their intention, it is not my job.

On the other hand, there are those adamantly opposed to anything that speaks to addressing social issues that seemingly affect a few, but in reality affect us all. There is a belief that "those people" who could be the uninsured in the case of health insurance reform, "don't deserve care if they cannot afford it".

There is no consideration of what happens to a society that thinks like this, no consideration of how they are and will increasingly be directly and indirectly negatively affected, no consideration of the future of a nation that does not care for its people.

So, why this rant from a blogger that has traditionally been very much committed to presenting as balanced a perspective as I try to have in my consciousness?

Well, my conscience is speaking to me. My intuition is clear that where we are going, under the guise of making America strong, has very little to do with preserving the integrity of these not so United States and everything to do with individual preservation and in my opinion, our rapid demise.

I feel compelled to simply express my concern that we stand in the space of exploration about who we are choosing to be, more so than perhaps we ever have in our history. And for the most part we are not going too deep in this exploration. In fact, we are not even truly exploring anything beyond short-term dynamics that historically when focused on, have lead us to another short-term dynamic with less than ideal results.

Now, I am not saying to stop questioning our political system or the possible draw backs of spending taxpayer money to fix social problems, like health insurance reform, or even the dynamics of the economic recovery. By all means, say what you feel.

My issue is that as much as we scream and as much as we disagree because of concerns for self-preservation, is it possible to simultaneously consider a longer-term reality that transcends the individual and speaks to connectivity?

The time we are in speaks to a new reality of connectedness that we have not experienced in the world we are in prior to now. What this connectivity speaks to is a necessity to consider that win-loss dynamics in any capacity will no longer work.

So, there isn't an environmental policy that is good for one and bad for another. There isn't a healthcare solution that benefits one person and harms another. Yes, there are temporary situations that appear beneficial to one vs. another in a situation with apparently dichotomous variables; however, when we go beyond the short-term we will see that they won't work for long and "for long" is a lot shorter than it once was.

The reality of a short-term mindset will jolt us into reality. It is already happening and it will make itself more and more evident moving forward. Will we recognize the effect quickly enough to begin changing the tide?

I trust that some won't; I am confident and aware that many will.

Make it a great day!

Chain Reactions

I have been in California for the past week and traveling basically from DC to Chicago, NYC to LA to where I am now in San Francisco since January 14th.

My travels have given me a unique opportunity to compare the dynamics that are happening with the economic realities we are facing from a more intimate local perspective in the cities I have been in.

First off, everyone as expected is concerned about financial realities. It is a part of every conversation and in each business conversation that I have had both healthcare and non-healthcare related, it comes up in context or through more specific content. In each local paper I read, there is some semblance of the economic reality. Hotels are cheaper (good for me) and the appreciation I get for a tip seems to be acknowledged more so than I can recall from past experiences where I have given equal percentages for the service delivered.

Specifically, with my healthcare industry conversations, the over arching theme is the cutting of budgets by hospitals and healthcare systems. In NYC where I visited a hospital in Brooklyn, stretching the dollar for programs related to diversity and cultural competency is not a new thing. However, this particular facility has shown tangible results as far as ROI directly and indirectly through the efforts of its diversity lead; however, the budget to increase initiatives has remained flat and this year has threatened to be cut significantly. What is the rationale?

In Chicago there is a theme of cost cutting as well, but some of the healthcare organizations there are experiencing an increase in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claims. This is to be expected since the EEOC reports that when the economy is down, discrimination charges go up. A recent Society for Human Resource Management article (January 2009, HR Magazine) quoted The Training Associates marketing director Jeanne Picardi stating that, "Not all senior leaders are familiar with employment law, and may see all training as 'discretionary spending' to be cut. This is a bad idea at any time, and especially in a downturn, because employment law claims increase substantially during a poor economy."

So, while I cannot speak for all of Chicago or all of anywhere for that matter, it is evident that claims will go up and some organizations are taking preventive measures to mitigate the potential circumstances that can result from the current economic reality.

In Los Angeles and in all of California, the talk is on the CA State budget. It is a mess and all Californians are feeling it. From the healthcare industry to retail, jobs are being cut, budgets slashed and consumers are feeling the effects. The effects are coming in decreases in public services (including cuts in public health funding/services), hospital personnel, infrastructure, etc. Not anything different from the rest of the country per se; however, in California there is a conversation in the media that illustrates the dynamics of how the State budget connects to the local economy connects to healthcare that connects to a more profound crisis of deeper, chronic (pun intended) proportions.

Again, I am sure this is happening in most States, but I am not sure about the dialogue being future-oriented given the challenges in the present and the recounting of rationale from the past.

So, where do these chain reactions leave us? First, I think they leave us with a need to turn inward for clarity about what those of us who have the privilege to contemplate the future can do right now to play our role in the collective betterment. This does not exclude concern for our personal and family well-being, but it does require us to look beyond a myopic sentiment of self-interest towards what will create long-term prosperity for many.

Second, we have to stay the course. The money did not "go away". Whatever comes from congress or whatever the banks at some point decide to loan again, we cannot quit moving forward with the focus on growth, not maintenance. Maintenance is death, you grow or you die. If we are maintaining to keep what we have, we will soon see it dwindle. So, whether it be money-wise, health-wise or otherwise, whether we profit, break even, or take a loss, growth has to be at the root of what we do.

If we miss the mark of fiscal profit or better health, we have to sow the seeds and reap profit from our learning about what we missed. If we profit, re-invest in future growth rather than hoard. Gather and store, but let the overflow return to the flow. If it sounds a little Buddhist in nature, so be it. We will see nothing less than the reaping of our labor's fruits of the next 6-12 months. It will seem to arise almost immediately on either continuum. Take note and do what we have to do to not create more suffering from the suffering that we are experiencing individually and collectively right now.

Thirdly, but not last (as I am only sharing snippets) acknowledge that this is temporary and if you act in temporary ways, we will have results based on temporary circumstances. This crisis was created and it can be transformed. It will take the efforts of many to do it. Act based on what you want, not based on what you don't. Either way, we will get what we act upon. Let's act on the greatness that we desire!

Make it a great day!