Asking more of health workers
LAST YEAR, United Way of Massachusetts Bay raised $52.9 million through its annual workplace giving campaign. By committing $2 here and $5 there, paycheck by paycheck, tens of thousands of employees from a myriad businesses contributed to this goal.
Yet the track record of the healthcare community as a contributor to the United Way campaign does not reflect the size of its workforce in Greater Boston or the hearts and souls of those who enter this profession. Less than 3 percent of total giving to United Way of Massachusetts Bay last year came from healthcare companies and their employees, well behind financial services, technology, and manufacturing industries.
Supporting United Way of Massachusetts Bay is a way to extend and support our healthcare mission. Consider the domino effect of obesity-related health risks that include increased incidences of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney disease. In Massachusetts alone, obesity-related expenses account for $1.8 billion of total annual medical expenditures, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance. Nearly one-quarter of Massachusetts high school teens are either overweight or at risk. Yet through programs supported by United Way, kids in Massachusetts are now learning about healthy choices, nutrition, and exercise and are offered venues to keep them active. Does this not support the mission of healthcare in immeasurable ways?
The healthcare community is at the core of the Massachusetts economy, employing far more people than any other industry. Greater Boston has the highest concentration of healthcare workers in the country, with approximately 393,000 employees. That many people can be a powerful force for doing good.
Our healthcare community still has a lot of important work to do that will require even greater collaboration and more creative thinking. For example, our quality and safety standards are not where we want them to be. We will meet these challenges, and others, as we must. But we also should be collaborating on how we, as an industry, can give back to the communities we serve. Not to do so is a missed opportunity to fulfill our social obligation and to channel the energy and generosity of the thousands of caregivers who work in the healthcare field.
As this year's annual workplace giving campaign kicks off, United Way of Massachusetts Bay celebrates its 70th anniversary. Since 1935, this organization has helped our friends and neighbors across the Greater Boston region find the tools, support, hope, and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency. It has never wavered from its ability to stay ahead of pressing needs and to identify emerging social crises in our region. We should support this effort.
The healthcare community is well positioned to have an enormous impact on the United Way campaign. Its leaders can serve as an example and inspire their employees and colleagues to give back to the community and make a difference. Given its size, mission, and potential, the healthcare community has the chance to collaborate for the greater good of the community.
We think that, better than any other industry in Greater Boston, the healthcare community is up to the challenge.
Cleve L. Killingsworth, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, is cochair of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay campaign. Dr. Peter Slavin, president of Massachusetts General Hospital, is co-chair (with Ellen Lutch Bender of Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP) of the campaign's healthcare outreach.
