OVERHEARD AT TEDMED 201510 Themes on Making Health a Shared Value

What is masquerading as health?

When was the last time you impacted someone’s health?

How did someone recently impact your health?

How is technology advancing or inhibiting health as a shared value?

Name one small shift that would make the biggest impact on health.

How does your community impact your health?

How can business positively impact society’s health?

How does your culture view or treat heath?

How can government play a role in improving society’s health?

What is the secret to making health a shared value?

At TEDMED 2015, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation engaged Delegates in a conversation around “Making Health a Shared Value” as part of the Foundation’s ongoing effort to build a culture of health in America.

They posed a series of questions on-site and online,

asking the TEDMED community to reflect on the role

of health in their lives and their communities:

THE PARTICIPANTSMore than 800 delegates contributed on-site, and over 150

community members contributed online.

Voices included:

Healthcare providers

Government officials

Non-profit leaders

Academics & educators

Hospital administrators

Health IT experts

Public health professionals

Scientific researchers

Journalists and bloggers

Health advocates

Entrepreneurs

Industry leaders

10 THEMESDelegates and the broader TEDMED community

shared over 1,000 responses, telling a story of how

they see health as a shared value in America.

10 themes emerged:

1. Healthwashing is the new greenwashing.

2. The “business of health” should align with the “culture of health.”

3. Community is not obvious.

4. We’re playing a personal vs. public tug of war.

5. We know the what, but not the how.

6. What is health anyway?

7. In tech we trust (too much?)

8. People are the secret sauce.

9. Are we ready to take on policy & systems?

10. It’s the economy, stupid.

When asked “what is masquerading as health?”

Delegates offered up consumer goods, exercise

movements and health fads. Commercial entities

gain as consumers buy into this new “silver

bullet,” but public health remains unchanged.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Fancy juice as the newest fad

Natural does not necessarily equal healthy

Low-fat everything

Counting steps as a measure of health

#crossfit #paleo #madness

1. HEALTHWASHING IS THE NEW GREENWASHINGConsumers still buy into “the silver bullet.”

Many of the responses pointed to problems

with our current healthcare system, indicating

a deep divide between business and wellness.

What would it take to align these forces?

Overheard at TEDMED:

Taking care of the sick instead of helping with preventative care and wellness

We must put prevention before drugs

A mask that corporations have crafted to take fearful public for a ride. No doubt corporates will be richer!

Focus on physical health instead of holistic

2. THE “BUSINESS OF HEALTH” SHOULD ALIGN WITH THE “CULTURE OF HEALTH.”Can a capitalist society be a healthy society?

When asked how community impacts health,

responses overwhelmingly reflected physical

places, like neighborhoods or work environments.

Noticeably absent were religious or cultural

affiliations and digital communities.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Nicer and safer neighborhoods mean easier to stay active, outdoors, and healthy

Working in a hospital, I’m aware of infection and exposed to more germs

Access to good food, security, services, and transportation

What’s important: schools, places to play, trees & plants (some edible)

3. COMMUNITY IS NOT OBVIOUS.We don’t think beyond the place we live.

In many responses, public health seemed to be

at odds with individual liberty. While Delegates

want the best for society, citizens often prioritize

the best for their families and selves.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Single payer system!

Recognize that health affects everyone

As medicine becomes more specialized, it is crucial to maintain a “big picture” approach

Inhibiting health through navel-gazing

Make organ, eye, tissue donation opt-out instead of opt-in

Ensure no child has access to a firearm

4. IT’S A PERSONAL VS. PUBLIC TUG OF WAR.Who takes priority—the person or the people?

Delegates often suggested the end goal. Now,

how do we get there? Some of the best ideas

for building a culture of health imply disrupting

established norms and the system at large.

Overheard at TEDMED:

We need to change health insurance so it covers the whole person—teeth, eyes, health, and mental

Paying for quality and value, not volume

Break down silos across government agencies: housing, transportation, labor

Incentivizing wellness, making healthy choices the affordable obvious option

5. WE KNOW THE WHAT, BUT NOT THE HOW.Does building require breaking?

Health is broadly defined, based on a cultural

point of view or individual’s background. In

the absence of a cohesive culture, it’s difficult

to envision a cohesive narrative on health.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Health is not a condition of living, it’s a condition to treat

Health = fitting into your best skinny jeans

Pay attention to what your body is telling you

Healthy means eating enough

My culture believes that chicken soup cures all

6. WHAT IS HEALTH ANYWAYS?Different strokes for different folks.

Technology is heralded as the panacea for our

broken healthcare system. While Delegates love

their gadgets, they’re coming to terms with tech’s

constraints and unintended consequences.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Instagram fitness models masquerade as health

We’re offering tech as the answer, but missing common sense

Tech is not yet serving as a problem solving tool

To reap the benefits of technology, we need to add a human connection

7. IN TECH WE TRUST (TOO MUCH?)Technology is not the cure-all.

“Education and communication” are the common

refrain by experts, but this requires a human

connection. In order to build a cohesive culture

of health, the narrative must be built through

trusted relationships.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Business should educate employees around drugs and disease

How about instilling in our youth the importance of staying healthy?

Impacting the health of others by sharing health concerns with friends

The secret is more compassion

8. PEOPLE ARE THE “SECRET SAUCE.”Start with a human connection.

Real change requires policy and investment, and

many Delegates explicitly called on government

to incentivize better behavior and mitigate

the negative outcomes of the current system.

Overheard at TEDMED:

We need to overhaul the food system

Implement smoke-free protections in government housing

Make companies pay for true cost of their products/services

Controlling drug costs

#LabelUSAGMOs #LabelGMOs

9. ARE WE READY TO TACKLE POLICY & SYSTEMS?What is the role of government in creating a culture of health?

While the majority of Delegates come from

a privileged perspective, many of the

solutions offered pointed to economic status

as determinant of health.

Overheard at TEDMED:

Access to good food, transportation, security, services

Fair pay > help people save $ afford to make healthy choices

Limit the production of unhealthy foods & enhance access to healthy foods

Reduce income inequality

10. IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID.It all comes down to opportunity.

CONTRIBUTORS

Slide 9: “The U.S. Capitol Building—Washington DC” by Glyn Lowe Photoworks, flickr.com/photos/glynlowe, adapted under the CC BY 2.0 license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0