The New York Times Magazine article describes in detail how a for-profit hospital chain dealt with its patients during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrinia.  The allocation of health care during a crisis that may have resulted in the death of individuals.  What everyone  should learn from these past mistakes is a protocol must be in place showing that a hospital evacuate safely regardless of their medical condition people in its care.  If not then the hospital should not be able to function in providing care until such time.  The safety of an individual is not to say that the same level of care can be performed but that the individual can be transported to another location in a responsible amount of time to minimize the risk to their health.  Memorial Hospital clearly did not send an adequate  distress call that people were dieing and clearly government was not prepared to respond.

A health care system must not tie individuals to anyone system of care because even in diasters it is hard to see which entity will exceed and which will fail to achieve success in the care its provides.  The Memorial Hospital failure shows how even when resources were available an inadequate response can result in death.

Health care reform will makes it easier for the market place to punish those whom provide a level of care that the price is more afforadble somewhere else.  The highest quality at the best price only works when the customer is informed of results and can conduct comparative pricing.    Health care is considered a big ticket item and in most cases reviewed by the customer.

The is a good opportunity under a cooperative health care cooperation for many health care professionals and entities to join together and yet be stand alone organizations.

Nonprofits over the next few months should join the conversation and see how they can participate and improve health care for their organization and community.

pic from Chris

Massachusetts Charter Public School Association has posted a good summary of the Myths and Realities about Massachusetts Charter Public Schools.  I have reprinted them below.  For more information you can go to the site via this link.

MYTH: Charter public schools are private schools.
REALITY: Charter schools are public schools open to any child, free of charge; they offer public school choice to poor and working class families who cannot afford private school. Choice is a powerful tool for parents seeking educational equity and equal access to quality education for their children.

MYTH: Charter public schools accept only the “cream of the crop” and reject under performing students.
REALITY: Unlike exclusive private schools, charter public schools do not recruit and select “the best” students. When enrollment requests exceed the number of seats, charter schools hold a public lottery to determine who will attend. Because they are free and open to all, charter public schools do not engage in selective admissions policies.

MYTH: Charter public schools do not provide special education services.
REALITY: Charter public schools are under the same state and federal obligation to provide in-school special education services as other public schools.

MYTH: Charter public school enrollment does not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
REALITY: Overall, charter public school parents report lower income and education levels than district public school parents. Charter public school students are more racially and economically diverse than their counterparts in district public schools. Charter public schools have a higher percentage of students of color than district public schools (44%-23%). Charter public schools also have a higher percentage of students on free or reduced lunch (36%-17%).

MYTH: Charter public schools “drain money” from district public schools.
REALITY: When charter public schools are funded, there is no loss of public school money because charter schools are public schools. The total amount of spending on public education in communities with charter public schools is unchanged.

MYTH: Charter public schools receive more state money than district public schools.
REALITY: Charter public schools receive exactly what the districts spend to educate their students. A new funding formula ensures that the amount of money that charter public schools receive reflects the demographics, grade levels, and special education needs of the students who enroll.

MYTH: Charter public schools cost more.
REALITY: When you factor in both operating expenses and facility costs, charter public schools cost less than district public schools. Charter public schools are not eligible to receive state subsidies from the School Building Assistance Bureau (SBAB), which grants districts large subsidies (60% to 90% of the total cost) to finance new construction or major renovations. Just this year, charters started receiving a per pupil grant of $742, which covers a portion of our construction costs.

MYTH: The state should not be expanding any programs during tight fiscal times.
REALITY: Charter public schools require no new state funds, so this “expansion” comes without a price tag. Charter public schools receive the same amount of money that district public schools would receive if they were still educating that student. The money is just being moved from one public school to another public school.

MYTH: District public schools do not save $1 for every $1 that’s transferred to charter public schools when a student enrolls in a charter public school.
REALITY: Legislation provides that district public schools are reimbursed for the money that is transferred to charter public schools: 100% the first year; 60% the second; 40% the third. This gives district schools four years to adjust their budgets for the loss of students. Districts have to constantly adjust their budgets to account for changes in enrollment, whether students leave for charters or private schools, or when families move out of town. The only time they are reimbursed for such changes is for charter school transfers.

MYTH: Charter public schools are not held accountable for performance.
REALITY: The charter application process is rigorous. Only strong, viable applications are approved. The charter public school renewal process is equally stringent. Charter public schools must reapply for certification every five years and are subject to annual inspections by the state. Charter public schools that don’t succeed don’t survive. The Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute ranked Massachusetts’ application, performance, and oversight practices the toughest in the nation.

MYTH: Charter public schools are an unproven experiment.
REALITY: Charter public school students are outscoring their district counterparts on MCAS, and the longer students are enrolled in charter public schools, the better they do. In addition, charter public schools are held to extremely high standards; charters are renewed every five years; if they fail, they are closed by the state.

MYTH: Charter public schools are a fad.
REALITY: There is continued demand for charter public schools. There are over 20,000 students currently enrolled in charter public schools that are already operating or have been approved by the Massachusetts, with over 14,000 students on charter public school waiting lists.

Nonprofits are required to provide a public accounting of how and where they spend their money.  If nonprofits spend their funds for public good their support is usually broad and deep.  Government should use the same passion as stewards of the funding it receives and spend it wisely.  The advertisement and commentary from one faction of government against health care never mentions that these are the same individuals who have supported sending Trillions overseas while thousands of US citizens have died because of the lack of health care. 

I thought we only go to war to keep our country safe?  Instead more Americans have died in the war than were killed on 9/11.  The faster government truly focuses on its citizens it deals with health care the better for all Americans, including the wounded that have come home and need health care. 

pic by bethennshannon

Nonprofits all have different flavors and no one loses their investment if the outcomes do not work.  It usually results in a merger.

pic by J3concepts

Nonprofits have a mission that meets a charitable purpose.

Every month thousands of new nonprofits are created.  Many will never expand beyond the original incorporation stage and $25,000 in revenue. I would like to change the argument that there are too many nonprofits and that there should be a consolidation due to a limited amount of funds available.

According to the Small Business Administration there are 27.2 million businesses of which 99.9 percent of them employ fewer than 500 employees.  In 2007 the number of small businesses created was 637,100, closures represented 510, 300 and those that went bankrupt 28,322.  There is no argument that there are too many for-profits competing for a portion of the economy.

There are four simple facts about the creation of any business effort.  Know who the customer is, what service/product they want, what can you provide and at what competitive price.

I would suggest that lines between nonprofit and for-profit has merged sufficiently that the real question should be what defines a charitable organization and what defines public good.

pic by Chud Tsankov illustrations

In the Health Care Debate with lots of lies and distortions I am wondering who is trying to have their cake and eat it too?

Some groups who promote themselves as representing the country do not want nonprofits to be part of the solution to resolve health care costs.  All the more reason to do just that.

pic by Chud Tsankov illustrations

Look to nonprofits using a cooperative structure as its bylaws to come to the rescue of health care and the government option for the best costs to health care insurance.  The fastest way to success and making an impact will be the ability to get to the scale of the current Health Care Cooperatives. Size does matter.

pic by J3concept

I’m proud to say the only three abbreviations I have ever used on facebook and AOL instant messenger are TTYL, LOL, and OMG. Being twenty one, you would think I would know more of the text lingo.  I’m glad I’ve never heard of these abbreviations before reading an article from the Wall Street Journal: KUTGW, LMIRL, or IWSN. Did  you know that LMIRL stands for Lets meet in real life? Give me a break, why not just say LM? Lets meet.  Do people really use these abbreviations?

Let us know if you’re on the band wagon or not.

pic by Chud Tsankov Illustrations

You know, water does not taste all that bad. Put a splash of lemon juice or lime juice and you got the most refreshing drink on earth right in front of you without those evil calories and vast amounts of sugar. Of course, soda is not the only cause for obesity, but even if it is not, drinking a cool glass of water really does feel better than a can of soda, physically and mentally. Pound for Pound its the best reducer of weight and not be dieting.

Click here to read more about this topic.

Nonprofit approach to getting the world healthy again.