Connect Live @ Adventist Health | September 30, 2021
Story 46

How do we talk to and with each other? How do we maybe do less telling? Because communication isn't just about sharing information. It's a two-way street. How do we ask more questions?

Joyce Newmyer:

Welcome to Connect Live at Adventist Health. I'm Joyce Newmyer, the chief culture officer here at Adventist Health and your host for Connect Live. This week, we're talking about a multi-linguistic women's health team, philanthropy re-imagined, and the path forward. There's a multi-linguistic women's health team at Adventist Health Delano. They take special pride in caring for women at every stage of their life. This month, they expanded their team by bringing on three new specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, not only with decades of medical expertise, but also with linguistic arts to connect with our diverse community. These three new physicians are between them fluent in English, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil, Tagalog, and Visayan. Adventist Health Delano is delighted to be able to meet the community's needs better with the addition of these talented physicians. And we welcome them to Adventist Health. Today, I'm delighted to welcome Betsy Chapin Taylor to join me. Welcome, Betsy. So glad you're here.

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Great to be here, Joyce. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Joyce Newmyer:

Betsy, you were recently recognized with a very prestigious award. In fact, we talked about it briefly on our last Connect Live. You tend to downplay your personal accomplishments, but this is a really, really big deal. So please share with our viewers more about this award and why it's meaningful to your work at Adventist Health.

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Thank you so much. I am thrilled and honored that the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy recognized me this year with the Si Seymour Award. It's an award that they give annually. This will be the 41st time they've given it and I'll be the 11th woman to have won it. And it recognizes exceptional contributions to the field. So they told me that I was honored this year for the work that I've done, both for AHP, as well as for other industry associations, including the American Hospital Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives in driving thought leadership and in mentoring those in the field.

Joyce Newmyer:

That is so exciting. And we are so proud of you. Betsy, I know the role of philanthropy is changing at Adventist Health. We have a very bold and innovative strategy and philanthropy is now recalibrating, right?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Yes.

Joyce Newmyer:

What does that mean? And how are we shifting our focus?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Philanthropy has been an important part of the ministry of this organization for a long time. We know that there are donors who are excited about the work that we're doing and who want to be part of it. However, in the past, we've often invited them to be part of things that were extras or add-ons. Now we're asking them to be part of our most important strategic initiatives to help support care and well-being both within our own footprint and within a larger scope across the United States and beyond. So I believe that we've now invited donors to be part of our very best work, to be part of truly transforming care and touching the lives of people in ways that was just beyond us before. We're also seeking to dramatically increase the amount of money we raise every year. Our hope is that we will raise $1 billion by 2030 from external investment from individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments. So we're best positioned to vibrantly fulfill our plans.

Joyce Newmyer:

Wow. So isn't asking for money, like really hard? It sounds so uncomfortable to many people, but you make it sound like the best invitation anyone's ever received. So is that the difference between fundraising and true philanthropy?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Joyce, in some part, I believe it is. I know my entire career people have said, oh, I cannot imagine how you raise money. That must be incredibly difficult. But I think that if we view fundraising as being transactional, we view philanthropy as being about values-driven partnerships. And so I feel like when we reach out to a donor and we ask them to stand shoulder to shoulder with us to achieve the good that we both have in mind, it's an invitation to relevance. It's an invitation to purpose. I believe that it is something noble and beautiful. I always go back to the roots of the word philanthropy. It came from the Greek word philanthropia, which meant for love of humankind. I believe philanthropy is an other-centered action that really is an expression of love. How could we not want to invite someone to be part of that?

Joyce Newmyer:

We know that healthcare equity is nowhere near where we want it to be, and perhaps inviting people to that can tug on some heartstrings. So how can philanthropy help make healthcare more equitable and more accessible?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

I think we have significant opportunities there. The 2020 pandemic was not a pandemic. It was a triple pandemic. It was not only a healthcare cause. It was a social justice cause where people realize that structural racism was pervasive. It was also an economic pandemic where so many people were challenged financially. And I believe coming out of that, there has been an elevated consciousness of the importance of addressing health equity. That is part of access. It is part of care. And so now I think donors are in a position to understand the issues better and they're going to want to rise up and address it.

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

I also thought it was interesting seeing a study that was recently done by the firm Edelman. And they talked to corporations around their priorities for giving going forward. And they said healthcare was the most important thing we now needed to attend to. And they specifically called out equity and access. So I believe that what's happened over the last 18 months has really illuminated the situation and has raised our level of consciousness in a way that people are ready to respond like they were just not able to before.

Joyce Newmyer:

Wow. So Betsy, what do you wish that donors knew about Adventist Health that perhaps they don't know now?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

I think one thing that strikes me is that we are more than a collection of hospitals. We have a beautiful legacy of caring for people through our hospitals. That has been our traditional mode of care. But the vision that we have for the future is more expansive than that. It's inclusive of the activities we've already had to address, illness and injury, but it also causes us to look beyond that and to look outside the four walls of our hospitals, into our communities at large. And that's where we get the opportunity to be proactive in addressing well-being, and addressing equity, and addressing access, and addressing preventive care. There was a quote that came actually from John Rockefeller when he was talking about philanthropy. And he said, the highest use of philanthropy is actually addressing the root of the cause, not the symptoms that come afterward.

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

And so when I think about the role of Adventist Health, we're so much more than a hospital. We have an expansive vision for elevating the health status of people, both within our footprint and far beyond our footprint. And I believe there's simply no more sacred calling than that.

Joyce Newmyer:

Betsy, you more than anybody I've ever known in my entire career, make philanthropy sound like the most exciting profession. It's such an enabler to everything else that we do. I'm interested in, here's my last question for you. So what are your wildest dreams for philanthropy at Adventist Health?

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

Oh, wow. I can go a long way here. I think my incremental goal would be that philanthropy becomes something that we depend on and we plan around. That we know that there are people who are willing and able to step forward to empower our plans. Beyond that though, I would love to see a day that philanthropy is one of the major sources of driving our strategies. That it's not something that is secondary to revenue from our hospitals, but it stands right alongside revenue from our hospitals and our well-being initiatives as the way that we move things forward. I believe that philanthropy can be a catalyst to change. It can be a catalyst to elevating the work that we do. And so I hope that someday we talk about philanthropy in the halls of Adventist Health, people will realize it's an everyone endeavor, that it takes all of us. We all have an opportunity to connect, to tell the story and to be part of this vibrant circle of giving.

Joyce Newmyer:

That sounds so exciting. Betsy, you can consider me on the Betsy Chapin Taylor train. I love the energy and the enthusiasm, and I'm so grateful that you are a part of Adventist Health. I'm also grateful that you agreed to be on Connect Live here with me today. So thank you so much for joining me.

Betsy Chapin Taylor:

It's a pleasure and a privilege. Thank you so much, Joyce.

Joyce Newmyer:

Take care. Our final story today is about a path forward. This week, Shelly Trumbo, Well-Being Executive at Adventist Health, shares what her life experiences have taught her about intentional gratitude. In Shelley's words, "I do believe that in every one of those situations is a pathway to blessing and purpose." Shelly has had some really heartbreaking events in her life. She has a remarkable story and these shaped her in very important ways. She has led others with dignity and grace and continues to be a very inspiring force for good. I'm proud to call her my friend and my colleague. You can watch her story at adventisthealth.org/story, and I encourage you to go there. It is a very inspiring story. Friends, thank you for connecting live and we'll see you here again next week. Until then, let's be a force for good