President's Message

A new year encourages us to reflect on the past and the possibilities for the future. A year and a half into this role, I have had the privilege of learning from many of our partners and grantees; thank you for welcoming me with openness and candor. Our work is guided by our mission of providing access to quality, affordable health care for all Californians and ending domestic violence. I believe that learning, partnership, and leadership will be the cornerstones of the transformative changes that can improve the lives of the most vulnerable Californians.
 
To succeed in the new world ahead, the health care and domestic violence fields need to fully embrace learning...a top priority for Blue Shield of California Foundation. When learning is embraced, ideas flourish, people are heard, and challenges that seem intractable become solvable. The next two years will be critical in determining if we make bold, transformative changes or incremental advances. Success will not be based on outputs, but rather on the outcomes and experiences of patients and clients. The Foundation has provided planning and implementation grants to counties to help establish Low Income Health Programs, a healthcare coverage program created under the “Bridge to Reform” §1115 Medicaid Waiver. In the first five months of the program, more than 235,000 low-income Californians gained coverage. We have learned a number of things that have worked and are sharing them with others. We have also discovered some things that haven’t worked and we want to share those, too.
 
Blue Shield of California Foundation continues to support our grantees in their quest to find new solutions to some of California’s biggest challenges. We focus both on enhancing the capacity of our grantees to address today’s challenges, and encouraging innovation for a better tomorrow. We are building infrastructure and leadership in the health care and domestic violence fields through Clinic Leadership Institute and Strong Field Project. This year, Clinic Leadership Institute will expand beyond emerging leaders to also offer advanced data management skills for clinic executive teams. The second class of the Strong Field Project Leadership Development Program recently started. We’ve learned that nearly 70 percent of the graduates of the first class feel more confident in themselves as leaders. While focusing on the fundamentals, we are also spurring new thinking to address big challenges that lie ahead. In the healthcare safety net, we are supporting small-scale innovations in community health centers to improve the quality of care and patient experience. We’re supporting a range of projects designed to increase the cultural competency of domestic violence providers to make sure that those with the highest need are receiving the information and services to keep them safe.

This will not be accomplished in isolation, and I look forward to continuing our partnership and learning with each of you in the year ahead.

Peter V. Long, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Blue Shield of California Foundation

(February 7, 2012)