If you ask today’s analysts about the future of health, you’ll get a dismal response. They project runaway health care costs, inadequate health outcomes, and persistent health disparities for decades to come. The question is: are we just going to let that happen? A group of 17 cutting-edge health philanthropists from across the nation, including Missouri Foundation for Health, isn’t ready to throw in the towel. We recognize that we’ve all been too heavily focused on solving the problems of a system that no longer serves us well rather than challenging ourselves to envision and articulate the kind of system we really need. Finding a way out of our current system can seem next to impossible, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give it our best effort.
That’s why we’ve organized FORESIGHT, a three-year initiative to work collectively with leaders from other sectors, as well as residents from our respective regions, to (1) develop a new vantage point on our system for health and well-being, and (2) use that new vantage point as the basis for new thinking and action. We believe that working backwards from the future, with a new appreciation for what’s to come, will help us get “unstuck.” Only then will we be able to generate an imaginative and equitable vision for a new system for health and well-being where all people are thriving, and gain a solid understanding of what it would take to establish it. FORESIGHT is an opportunity to focus on resetting the way we think, first. And we’re open to whatever new vantage point we might find.
We kicked off our work with a serious look into 9 game changers that FORESIGHT futurists have found have major potential to significantly impact the United States in the short term (~10 years). The game changers make up the first of three building blocks that will help us develop a new vantage point. Tune into the blog at the top of the home page throughout September and October to discuss them with us.
Dive into the details about FORESIGHT on initiative website.
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