The reasons why things is like they are

Acts of commission, omission, and microaggression are just a few examples of how we contribute to the racial divides and socioeconomic disparities in our communities. Nothing earthshattering or new here. The crux of the problem can be found in Tower of Power’s 1976 hit, “Can’t Stand To See The Slaughter.” We want positive change, but not if it comes at the expense of our personal comfort or gain. What is new about this time in our history is that technology and social media make it nearly impossible to live in a state of denial about the widening gap between the Haves and Have Nots, the Ins and the Outs. Is 2020 going to be the year that we take a hard look at how we are living, and take personal and political action to forge a more equitable, compassionate, and benevolent society? If the answer is yes, cue up Tower of Power’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Stoppin’ Us Now.”

When I'm Weary

Right behind the great James Taylor, my favorite performing artist is Dave Matthews. I’m told that I started to follow him and the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) after they peaked in popularity. No worries. At this stage of my life, I like what I like, and Dave’s jam rock takes me to a very happy place in my mind. Favorites include Bartender, Crash Into Me, The Space Between, and my all-time favorite, #41. Over the past few months, and then more so over the past week as I’ve watched, along with you, the protests, riots, and anarchy that are threatening to unravel the tattered fabric of our society, I’ve been thinking a lot about the lyrics to his 2018 ballad When I’m Weary. If you find yourself weary and tired, and seeing the world as a dark place, I admonish you to take off the blinders that kept you focused as a premed, medical student, resident, and fellow, but no longer serve you well as a physician on a 30 year journey. Look to both sides of you and behind you, and you will see that you are making this pilgrimage with legions of fellow healers. We are one body with many parts, and together we must face what lies ahead. You remind me, and I will remind you, to keep on trying.

It's like the 1960s all over again

I attended today’s in-person meeting with CEO Rich Isaacs and Interim KFH President Tom Hanenburg at our Roseville medical center. Our leaders acknowledged the many ways in which our people have performed admirably during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasized the importance of launching the recovery and reactivation programs that will help us maintain our position in a world of job losses, reduced revenues, and frequent reminders of the deeply entrenched inequities in our society such as the death of George Floyd on May 25th. Dr. Isaacs pointed out that headlines of a manned space launch and riots reminded him of the 1960s, the decade into which I was born. Christopher Booker described that era as “a classical Jungian nightmare cycle, where a rigid culture, unable to contain the demands for greater individual freedom, broke free of the social constraints of the previous age through extreme deviation from the norm.” To my parents’ generation, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the race riots, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, and the Vietnam War played out as a protracted nightmare, full of angst, and short on hope. Some of us may feel this way about our current state of affairs. I’m here to remind you that we survived the 60s and will also emerge from our current predicament. According to Dr. Isaacs, the trajectory of our recovery will look more like the subtly sloped end of the Nike swoosh than a V-shape, but the direction will be upward. As I looked around the room at our colleagues who are helping to lead the charge and listened to the meaningful exchange between them and our regional leaders, I was filled with hope. Kaiser Permanente and TPMG will be a leader in this recovery because of our integration, prepaid model of care, and the ability of our people to collaboratively adapt to change. Of that, this child of the 60s is certain.