12 | MARCH 23 • 2023
PURELY COMMENTARY
guest column
Dream Big
Getting big, bold things done requires determination and resilience.
D
reaming big was on
my mind as I boarded
my flight home after
spending a few days in Israel
last month. I traveled to
Israel with Corewell Health
and Henry Ford
colleagues, and
others from
Michigan, to
gain insights
from Israeli
culture, inno-
vative start-ups
and the country’s
health care system.
Beyond the technical
insights we gleaned,
larger, cultural themes —
determination and resilience
— especially stood out. Those
attributes were central, not
only to the health care field,
but also to every story I heard
about life in Israel. They were
evident in every organization
and in every person we met.
After an exhausting, yet
energizing, journey and on
the long flight home, I was
finally able to reflect on what
we can learn from Israel’s
approach to health care and
innovation, and how we can
apply those learnings at home,
here in Michigan.
It is remarkable that a
small country that has so few
natural resources, is only 75
years old and has been in
a nearly continuous period
of conflict has amazing
outcomes for health, finding
ways to become self-sufficient
in growing its own food, and
is known and sought after for
driving innovation.
I am inspired by this
focus on improving society,
of Israel’s beauty, the
cultural traditions and the
congeniality of its people. In
fact, I admire the citizens for
this determination, resilience,
partnership and innovation.
The consistent theme from
every person was a focus on
the betterment of society.
Health care and insurance
coverage clearly spoke this
language. Health care in Israel
is organized and funded by
the government. There is
the option to participate in
other tiers of coverage, mainly
for greater access, which a
majority of citizens purchase.
The most compelling part
of their system is its holistic
approach. For instance,
99 per-cent of citizens
maintain their health care
coverage in the same HMO
and the same health care
system for life. It is a true
community, with a neighbor-
to-neighbor emphasis and
the understanding that
healthy individuals beget a
healthy society. This creates
an incentive to invest in
population health and care
for individuals early on, thus
avoiding potentially serious
illnesses in the future. The
focus on long-term health of
a population is an enormous
benefit and achieves the goal
of bettering society.
So, how can health care in
the U.S. apply these themes
and deliver better outcomes
for our communities?
We must first start with
addressing health equity
and access to care. We have
significant inequities in health
outcomes today. Eliminating
these inequities and widening
access is no easy task, though
it is the hill we must climb.
Some health care organiz-
ations, including Corewell
Health, have a priority to
truly improve the health
of our communities. This
will require partnerships,
determination and resilience
— all elements of Israel’s
culture.
I believe we can impact
equity and access in health
care. To do so, we must
embrace community partner-
ships, finding win-win solu-
tions to address social, cultur-
al, racial disparities and other
challenges that affect health.
We must listen and seek to
understand our communities,
ensuring we are helping each
person achieve their best
health and quality of life. And
we must not be discouraged
by the difficulty of this lofty
goal. Here determination and
resilience, so prominently
modeled in Israel, must be
essential themes for us in
Michigan.
We have shown this deter-
mination and resilience
before. We don’t have to
look very hard to see it in
our work. We displayed both
during the pandemic. With
all of our hospital partners,
Michigan is recognized as a
leading innovator in quality
and safety collaboratives. We
have strong health systems,
many of which are partnered
with health plans to coordi-
nate care and coverage.
As Corewell Health, we are
proud of our integrated model
that offers insurance coverage
and care together, allowing us
to focus on prevention and
primary care, thus reducing
costs. Our integrated model
also allows us to address
long-term health needs and
inequities, as well as improve
access. All of this requires
determination, resilience and
innovation.
Innovation is a key part of
the culture in Israel. We met
with numerous health tech
start-ups — some that we
Tina Freese
Decker
DREAM BIG SIGN AT THE PERES CENTER FOR PEACE & INNOVATION