Comments on: Is Sustainability “Thriving” at Kaiser Permanente?

By: Anon

Anon — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:03:36 +0000

Nicely said, Jen. As a 15-year Kaiser employee your views resonate with me. Kaiser may have been cutting edge five or ten years ago implementing things like the farmers markets and green purchasing programs, but it’s time for a much bigger, systemic sustainability strategy. With health reform forefront on the nation’s agenda, we have the opportunity to apply tools like whole systems thinking and natural capitalism; health reform can’t be separated from the issues of natural resource limits, climate change, and economic collapse. Thrive puts a great face on the organization and presents an inspiring vision, but true authenticity and transparency are required today.

By: Jen Boynton

Jen Boynton — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:11:36 +0000

Thanks for your feedback guys!

By: Liz Krueger

Liz Krueger — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:53:43 +0000

I’m a former Kaiser employee (in a central/corporate function) and will say that Kaiser is many different organizations. My observation is that Kaiser is working to implement whole systems thinking regarding member health and care – understanding that health care is as much about getting & keeping people healthy as it is about treating people after they get sick. It’s also why there is focus on getting more healthy food into Kaiser hospitals and communities.
In terms of functions not directly related to care delivery, I didn’t see much evidence of systems thinking or sustainability. Even basic recycling was not universal in central offices. That is probably why we don’t see the direct link between the Thrive campaign and how Kaiser folks talk about it. I suspect that Kaiser is another example of an organization that is trying, and given its organizational complexity, will take time to evolve.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:20:35 +0000

Yeah, I feel like it’s a tough topic. I ride BART and see the “Thank you from..” ad campaign, and it just doesn’t seem to track. At the same time, I’ve been a Kaiser member my whole life and feel like I’ve never got anything but good service from them. Obviously, good service and attention doesn’t equal sustainability, but it does also seem like they care about their presence in the community.