Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal • 2 022 Economic Forecast 25 Presenting sponsor: Corporate sponsor: Media partner: CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS HealthCare FORUM A Worcester Business Journal Event CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS HealthCare FORUM A Worcester Business Journal Event Thank you to our speakers, sponsors and all who attended WBJ's virtual Health Care Forum on November 30, 2021! To watch the event recording and view the digital program book visit www.wbjournal.com/healthcareforum included Ken Bates, president and CEO of Worcester nonprofit Open Sky Community Services, Richard Burke, president and CEO of Worcester insurer Fallon Health, and Lisa Colombo, execu- tive vice chancellor of Common- wealth Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester. Equitable access to care, work- force pipelining and retention, and shis in healthcare delivery, including the expan- sion of telehealth, are all reshaping the face of the indus- try in and around Worcester, panelists agreed. An ongoing healthcare worker shortage, coupled with healthcare disparities highlighted by the pandemic, were issues rearing their heads more than any others during the length of the discussion. "In my 20+ years of working in this field, I have never seen as much attention to [healthcare disparities] as I've seen right now, and the problem has existed for really forever," said Burke. "So, I think the No. 1 thing is that we take advantage and not miss this moment when so many people are talking about health equity and disparities in delivery of health care." at includes accountability on behalf of industry stakehold- ers, understanding gaps in access to health coverage, screening health-related social needs, and ensuring people from all socioeconomic backgrounds have access to services oen harder for them to reach, like behavioral health care, and ensuring behavioral healthcare workers are paid equitably. In many ways, with the pandemic now entering its third calendar year, the healthcare industry is at an inflection point, panelists said. While they have faced increased pressure from every angle, there is the oppor- tunity to reform and revamp how care is delivered. To do so, all agreed, will require stakeholders working together. Lisa Colombo, Commonwealth Medicine Richard Burke, Fallon Health The WBJ Health Care Forum event was conducted virtually again in 2021. The panelists (clockwise from bottom left) were Ken Bates, Richard Burke, and Lisa Colombo, with moderator Brad Kane, WBJ's editor. H E A LT H C A R E W

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