Thursday, November 20, 2003 TODAY
School of Public Health news
SPH students and faculty chosen as top 10 in national health-care reform contest
A research team from the School of Public Health participated in a national contest
to generate new ideas about health-care reform. The contest, “A Challenge:
Build an American Health System,” was the brainchild of Kathleen O’Connor,
MA, principal of O’Connor Health Care Communications, based in Seattle,
Washington, who wanted fresh ideas on health care.
Out of 109 entries, Loma Linda University’s team was chosen as one of the
top 10 proposals. Because of that, they were able to present their ideas to a
panel of judges in Portland, Oregon, on October 24, 2003. The top three entries
would then be given to the Washington State Congressional Delegation to direct
to Congress.
“A few doctoral students at the School of Public Health believed that this
was a wonderful opportunity to get the great minds of health-care at the same
table to talk about how we can find solutions to our health-care challenges,” says
Dora Barilla, MPH, CHES, public health doctoral student. “It would give
adversaries in health care an opportunity to collaborate on solutions, helping
people working in health care the opportunity to get in the proactive mode of
solutions rather than the reactive mode of crisis.”
In the Loma Linda University team’s executive summary, it states, “Health
care will be seen as nothing more than a public utility that is available to
all citizens. Individuals and families will receive vouchers from the government
to purchase basic health-care coverage, ranging from $2,000 to $18,000, depending
on health risks, to purchase basic health-care coverage.”
The Remi Miles Kaemke Making a Difference Scholarship was awarded to the LLU
team for being the academic institution that provides the best student/collegiate
entry.
To view the contest online, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is web casting
the contest at: <www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/contest/oct03>.
“The event was one of the most inspiring events of my life,” says
Ms. Barilla. “The creativity and careful thought that each individual put
into the contest was breathtaking.”
Ms. Barilla and a few others are currently putting together a synthesis of the
top 10 proposals that will be available in March.
The LLU School of Public Health health-care reform team includes Dora Barilla,
MPH, CHES, public health doctoral student and the principal investigator; Eric
Andersson, MHA, CHE, finance student; S. Eric Anderson, PhD, MBA, program director,
health administration, SPH; Mary DeWalle, RN, quality management consultant for
the state of California; Brad Gilbert, MD, MPH, medical director, Inland Empire
Health Plan; Daniel Giang, MD, vice president, medical education, LLUMC, and
associate dean, graduate medical education, School of Medicine; Nancy Loomis,
RN, nursing director, San Antonio Community Hospital; Jeff Mason, MD, health
plan medical director, PacifiCare; Monica McKenzie, MPH, RN, CHES, CLE, public
health doctoral student; Carolyn Lopez Melcher, RNC, CLE, MPH, nurse manager,
Perinatal Services Network, LLUMC; Rhodes Rigsby, MD, senior medical director,
Managed care, and assistant professor, School of Medicine; John Shaffer, insurance
broker; and Bruce Smith, MD, MPH, medical officer, maternal child and adolescent
health, San Bernardino County.
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Thursday, November 20, 2003 TODAY
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