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Mindset #1: Work Upstream

Do we need charity or change? How often does our focus on easing the immediate pain and suffering prevent us from changing systems and processes that cause it?

In this episode, we explore the first of nine mindsets that, if enough of the 30,000 adopt, we’ll be well on our way to Kansas leading the nation in health.

Mindset #1 is Work Upstream. We unpack the difference between upstream and downstream efforts and why it’s important that, while we continue charitable acts, we don’t forget to look for the root causes of the issue. 

In this conversation, we’re joined once again by Teresa Lovelady, President & CEO of HealthCore Clinic, who brings powerful real-world examples of how one organization works both ends of the stream simultaneously. From cancer screenings and social drivers of health, to giving kids books during their annual checkups, Teresa paints a vivid picture of what upstream work looks like in practice and issues a challenge to all of us: take just one step upstream at a time. 

Highlights

• Kansans love volunteerism; in fact, we’re ranked 7th in the nation. But that mentality also has a downside, one that drives our tendency to stay downstream. 
• The imbalance between charity (treating symptoms) and upstream work (addressing root causes) in Kansas. 
• Charity can actually weaken the urgency to change the conditions that create the need for charity in the first place.
• How HealthCore Clinic operates simultaneously in upstream and downstream efforts in practical ways that other organizations and businesses could model. 
• Going upstream is disruptive, and members of the 30,000 should be prepared to take those risks. 

Chapters

• 0:00 – Introducing Mindset #1: Work Upstream
• 1:34 – Charity vs. Change: Why Band-Aids Aren’t Enough
• 2:50 – What Upstream Really Means
• 6:22 – Guest Joins: Teresa Lovelady Returns to Talk Practice, Not Theory
• 7:19 – Inside HealthCore Clinic: Serving Needs Today While Preventing Tomorrow
• 12:06 – Beyond Healthcare: Literacy, Community Factors & Everyone’s Role
• 14:02 – Why We Default to Downstream: Ease, Feel-Good Charity & the Health Gap
• 16:26 – Beyond Charity: Take One Step Upstream
• 17:14 – Why Upstream Work Feels Disruptive (and Gets Criticized)
• 18:23 – Downstream Is Tempting: Human Nature & Quick ‘Feel-Good’ Wins
• 20:00 – What It Takes to Swim Upstream: Org Pushback, Boards, and Incentive
• 26:18 – Influence Beyond the Field: Bankers, Electeds, Advocacy, and Collaboration Spaces
• 29:16 – Examples on the Table: Boardroom Questions, CEO Budgets, and Textron’s Model
• 32:21 – Call to Action & Wrap-Up: Audit Your Giving and Shift Upstream

Resources

• HealthCore Clinic: Federally qualified health center in northeast Wichita, KS; offers medical, dental, behavioral health, substance abuse services, pharmacy, food pantry, gym, walking path, and transportation for patients.
• America’s Health Rankings: The national health rankings that measure state health outcomes, including volunteerism as a sub-measure.
• Textron Aviation (Wichita, KS): Cited as an example of upstream workplace wellness and workforce development.
• Wichita State University: Mentioned as a resource for scholarship opportunities available to low-income patients at HealthCore.
• Storytime Village: A new early literacy program in Wichita integrating a clinic, bookstore, and community convening space.

Continue the discussion with these resources:

• Book Clubs
• Speakers and Workshops
• Share Your Story

Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Claim your copy of the book and learn more about the movement.