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Beth Hartquist, MD We should be engaging consumers, our fellow citizens, more where they are—schools, employers, book clubs. Cultural and societal attitudes matter. Research shows that who our friends are helps determine if we are obese or not. Grassroots initiatives tied to social networking will be key. |
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Lawrence J. Massa Engage and motivate the public to take personal responsibility for improving their health. And keep it simple. Simple things like washing your hands regularly each day would make a significant improvement in health and productivity. Transforming the health of our state will be done through the acts of individuals, not institutions. |
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Andrew F. Nelson Community engagement is needed to transform the health of our state. The state must help people become aware and responsible. The University of Minnesota has the good will to safely facilitate a community plan. They can play the convening role, which would include going out to the rural regions and giving everyone access to the tools they need. Knowledge creation is accomplished through citizens and scholars together. And through this knowledge creation, we better the lives of the people of Minnesota. |
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Kim Mageau Tap the consumer. They want to be involved, but we haven’t given them the appropriate tools or communication vehicle to involve them in an outcome-based way. Engaging consumers would also help them become better judges of the health care services they need. Additionally, we could create much more value from the data we possess. |
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Jim Ehlen, MD We need to develop an effective coalition of forces to drive change. Workplace/employer health and wellness initiatives will be one key. We should engage and leverage the Minnesota-based health systems, health plans, the University of Minnesota, and employers to drive change towards health and wellness programs and services above and beyond what is being done today. Organizations like the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement and the Buyers Health Care Action Group that have strong analytic capabilities should construct pilots and assessments (geographically, seniors, employer groups) to demonstrate impact. |
