Well, I’m looking at the reading load for this week, two textbook chapters and five articles, I will only be able to discuss each reading briefly. I’ll try to keep it to 150 words per article, but I apologize if that doesn’t happen.
Chapter 7: Advocacy
I’ve sort of been waiting to discuss this topic for a while because as Brian O’Connell, founding president of Independent Sector, states, advocacy is “the quintessential function of the voluntary sector” (O’Neill 135). The comparison to David and Goliath is quite apt. I’ve been trying to focus on funding sources for different non-profit subsectors, so I found Table 7.4 on page 139 interesting. Advocacy relies heavily on private donations rather grants or service fees, which is practically the opposite of health care non-profits. Advocacy is unlike other non-profit sectors, such as health care, education, international assistance, or social service, in that it has “few ties to business and government and often targets both” (O’Neill 149). I guess you could say that advocacy groups stem from democracy, particularly the inefficiencies of democracy, as our nation becomes more populated and more difficult to govern.
The Non-Profit Sectors Proud Tradition of Serving America
“Americans of all ages, all conditions, and all dispositions constantly for associations … religious, moral, serious, futile, very general, and very particular, immensely large and very minute.” – Alexis de Toqueville (1840)
I guess I never quite realized the scope of advocacy in America, but it really has played a large part in our history. The National Grange. The National American Woman’s Suffrage Association. League of Women Voters. Townsend Clubs. NCAACP. Americans love democracy, we love being part of something bigger than ourselves, and we love having our voices be heard…sometimes we probably love it too much. Nonetheless I’m glad that I live in a country that embraces freedom and choice. I don’t know if our system of nonprofit advocacy is the most efficient system, but at least we have a system to work with.
Senate Bill 40 & Endorsement from Nonprofit Association of Oregon
Introduced on January 10, 2001 by Oregon’s Attorney General, Oregon Senate Bill 40 targets nonprofits that routinely use most of the funds they collect for fundraising, rather than for programs benefiting the community. After initial deliberations the Nonprofit Association of Oregon has decided to endorse the bill, which I’m happy to see. It’s doubt that it was an easy decision supporting a bill that might accuse nonprofits of poor practice, but it’s for the greater good and that’s what nonprofits are all about anyways. Plus, as it state on their website, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon has not seen this as a widespread problem in Oregon, so the enactment of this bill shouldn’t cause too much drama. It does make me wonder if there are any such governmental regulations on the private sector. Obviously not all private business operate with mission of providing a service to the community, but something has to be done about excessive money spent on advertising. Maybe there should be a bill that says private corporations must match every dollar spent on advertising with donations to nonprofit or charity organizations.
Sierra Club Newsletter
On the topic of advocacy, I regularly receive emails and newsletters from the Sierra Club about news in the environmental policy and advocacy world, and I wanted to share one such email with you all. The website below is one example of how the Sierra Club reaches out to its huge membership base to protect the American environment. I hope this serves as a good example of how a large environmental advocacy group can help shape the future of America.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=197521.0&dlv_id=169642
Chapter 8: Arts & Culture
The most interesting part of this chapter for me was reading that, “art is generally indentified with nonprofits and entertainment with for-profits” (O’Neill 152). That generalization probably isn’t true in all facets of the sector, but it makes complete sense. I’ve never known of any museums trying to increase their profit margins. The only expensive entry fees at a museum are usually only for special exhibits that have transportation costs that need to be accounted for. All other operational costs for museums are very static from month to month, which makes life easy for who ever is running the place. The entertainment business, see I can’t even say “entertainment” without added “business” at the end, on the other hand is way more interested in making money. Sure, Hollywood hot shots enter the business to express their creativity, but the people funding their work couldn’t care less what the content of the movie is as long as they don’t go bankrupt after its all over.
Art Groups Pumped $166.2 Billion into US in 2005, Study Says
I wasn’t aware that anyone was arguing that, “spending on arts and culture comes at the expense of economic development.” That sounds like a very American, capitalistic argument that has very little actual merit. Since when have art and economic development even been discussed in the same context as one another. Can’t we just let artists be artists and let anyone who wants to experience some culture do so without wondering how much profit could be made if a building were being used as a factory rather than a museum. Frankly, this article frustrates me.
Poetry Gives Teens Voice
This article sort of returns to our discussion of educational nonprofits, but it’s also a great example of why art and culture shouldn’t be compromised by desires for economic development. I would argue actually argue that economic development is one of the least important things that our nation needs right now, yet we feel that creating jobs will solve all of our problems. What about developing starter students or developing a greater appreciation for community? What about developing a love for the arts? I’ve always wanted to attend a poetry slam; from what I hear they’re incredible. It’s awesome that teachers are encouraging their students to express themselves via poetry. I loved the quote from one of the student’s mentors, Tia Mitchell, who said that she advises the students to “feel every emotion from anxiety to excitement” when performing on stage. That’s awesome!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Post 6: Education
Note: For the purpose of simplicity, I abbreviate “for profit” as FP and “non profit” as NP in this blog.
Subprime Opportunity: The Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities
My first reaction to reading was....”wait, what the %$#& is a FP college?” I made it about halfway through the first page and decided I needed to Google some examples of FP colleges. The results gave me all the information I needed to know... DeVry University, University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute, Le Cordon Bleu College of the Cullinary Arts, etc. Sound familiar, well that’s because these are the universities you see commercials for on daytime television. I’ve always wondered how those schools had the money advertise, and I always had a sneaking suspicion that those were just scams that offer prospects of education, careers, and personal prosperity without the actual follow through on providing solid education.
My favorite quotation in this article was, “The developing showdown between for-profit colleges and the government is another example of how the aspirations of the underserved and the unfulfilled promise of the American dream combine with lax regulation to make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer” (1).
We need to think of education as an investment into the future of America. Any money we take away from education, i.e., via ineffective and poorly managed FP schools, leads to a future decrease in prosperity.
Fed Up at Phoenix University
First of all, I’d like to point out the excellent use of words in the second paragraph when speaking of “duplicitous” college recruiters. I’m going to use that in the future.
More importantly, however, this article seems to confirm my suspicion of FP colleges, such as the University of Phoenix. What I didn’t realize was that government continues to provide Pell Grants to students who attend these colleges. It seems to me that this is just as much a problem with our federal governments as it is the FP education sector. As the author puts it, “Perhaps the Democrats should reconsider whether it's really in the public's best interest to continue to provide huge subsidies, in the form of federal grants and loans, to help low- and moderate-income students go to colleges that are much more interested in rewarding investors on Wall Street than educating students.”
It pains me to think that the government has lost the ability to control education, or at least it’s lost the ability to weed out any and all ineffective educational institutions; FP, NP, or public.
Will the For Profit Education Bubble Burst in 2011?
I think this article has echoed the ideas of the previous two articles, so I won’t say much about it. It’s disgusting to think that there needs to be investigations into the legitimacy of educational institutions, and after reading these articles it’s becoming fairly clear to me that generating a profit has NO PLACE in any conversations occurring within the educational sector.
I just looked at the next article on the benefits of for profit schools. This oughta be good.
For-Profit Schools
Well, it seems as if there are merits to the theory of FP schools, but the ideology doesn’t seem to match up with reality. The possible advantages of FP schools include increase efficiency, encouraging innovation, response to clientele, and increased competition all seems reasonable. I agree with the innovation and efficiency idea. As for the ‘response to clientele’ thought, well, I’ve been on the wrong end on of poor customer service calls a few too many times to agree with that. And the only way that competition leads to better universities is if every university is a FP university, and that seems darn close to impossible. On top of all of this, let’s consider the fact that possible disadvantages of FP schools – lack of knowledge, misguided focus, eliminated services, large added costs – are all pretty BIG disadvantages.
I found the point at the end of the article about educational management organizations (EMOs) fairly interesting. The article stated that the most influential EMOs, such as Edison Schools, Mosaica Advantage, and Chancellor-Beacon, have “struggled to show profits.” Let me paraphrase, the most effective FP education organizations are better at being educational organizations than profit generating businesses. Ironic.
Chapter 6: Education and Research
I’ll be honest about something…. I don’t really have anything to say about the textbook. I’m a little confused as to why research was grouped with education, but that’s about it. I’m excited to read my team’s blogs to learn more perspectives on this.
Aim High
I’ve decided to include a post from the educational NP organization that I’ve worked for the last two summers. I thought it’d be interesting considering there was so much info about FP schools in this weeks readings. Plus, it’s a blog, so technically speaking I’m blogging about blogging. Enjoy:
http://aimhighblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/essential-lessons-from-aim-high-alums/
Subprime Opportunity: The Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities
My first reaction to reading was....”wait, what the %$#& is a FP college?” I made it about halfway through the first page and decided I needed to Google some examples of FP colleges. The results gave me all the information I needed to know... DeVry University, University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute, Le Cordon Bleu College of the Cullinary Arts, etc. Sound familiar, well that’s because these are the universities you see commercials for on daytime television. I’ve always wondered how those schools had the money advertise, and I always had a sneaking suspicion that those were just scams that offer prospects of education, careers, and personal prosperity without the actual follow through on providing solid education.
My favorite quotation in this article was, “The developing showdown between for-profit colleges and the government is another example of how the aspirations of the underserved and the unfulfilled promise of the American dream combine with lax regulation to make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer” (1).
We need to think of education as an investment into the future of America. Any money we take away from education, i.e., via ineffective and poorly managed FP schools, leads to a future decrease in prosperity.
Fed Up at Phoenix University
First of all, I’d like to point out the excellent use of words in the second paragraph when speaking of “duplicitous” college recruiters. I’m going to use that in the future.
More importantly, however, this article seems to confirm my suspicion of FP colleges, such as the University of Phoenix. What I didn’t realize was that government continues to provide Pell Grants to students who attend these colleges. It seems to me that this is just as much a problem with our federal governments as it is the FP education sector. As the author puts it, “Perhaps the Democrats should reconsider whether it's really in the public's best interest to continue to provide huge subsidies, in the form of federal grants and loans, to help low- and moderate-income students go to colleges that are much more interested in rewarding investors on Wall Street than educating students.”
It pains me to think that the government has lost the ability to control education, or at least it’s lost the ability to weed out any and all ineffective educational institutions; FP, NP, or public.
Will the For Profit Education Bubble Burst in 2011?
I think this article has echoed the ideas of the previous two articles, so I won’t say much about it. It’s disgusting to think that there needs to be investigations into the legitimacy of educational institutions, and after reading these articles it’s becoming fairly clear to me that generating a profit has NO PLACE in any conversations occurring within the educational sector.
I just looked at the next article on the benefits of for profit schools. This oughta be good.
For-Profit Schools
Well, it seems as if there are merits to the theory of FP schools, but the ideology doesn’t seem to match up with reality. The possible advantages of FP schools include increase efficiency, encouraging innovation, response to clientele, and increased competition all seems reasonable. I agree with the innovation and efficiency idea. As for the ‘response to clientele’ thought, well, I’ve been on the wrong end on of poor customer service calls a few too many times to agree with that. And the only way that competition leads to better universities is if every university is a FP university, and that seems darn close to impossible. On top of all of this, let’s consider the fact that possible disadvantages of FP schools – lack of knowledge, misguided focus, eliminated services, large added costs – are all pretty BIG disadvantages.
I found the point at the end of the article about educational management organizations (EMOs) fairly interesting. The article stated that the most influential EMOs, such as Edison Schools, Mosaica Advantage, and Chancellor-Beacon, have “struggled to show profits.” Let me paraphrase, the most effective FP education organizations are better at being educational organizations than profit generating businesses. Ironic.
Chapter 6: Education and Research
I’ll be honest about something…. I don’t really have anything to say about the textbook. I’m a little confused as to why research was grouped with education, but that’s about it. I’m excited to read my team’s blogs to learn more perspectives on this.
Aim High
I’ve decided to include a post from the educational NP organization that I’ve worked for the last two summers. I thought it’d be interesting considering there was so much info about FP schools in this weeks readings. Plus, it’s a blog, so technically speaking I’m blogging about blogging. Enjoy:
http://aimhighblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/essential-lessons-from-aim-high-alums/
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Post 5: Environmental Non-Profits
Before I even begin responding to the readings I’ll point out that I’m super excited about this weeks’ classes. My college path started on the Environmental Studies track. One of the main reasons I came to Oregon was the ENVS department to be completely honest, and then I slowly realized that I wanted to learn a skill set to apply my environmental background, which led me to the PPPM department. I’ve always been a large proponent of wilderness, although contrary to popular belief I don’t consider myself the most ‘wildery’ of persons. Regardless I’m stoked to finally be learning about the non-profit sector in terms of a professional field that I’m have a genuine desire to join. I only hope that my following ideas reflect this passion.
Mackenzie Watershed Council (Annual Report & Website)
Watershed Councils are genius! They represent a perfect mixture (at least in theory) of people with a passion for protecting the natural environment and skills in how to protect the environment. Plus there’s the added benefit of people that know how engage the public and incorporate their opinions and relationship with the local environment into the management practices. The only other aspect of watershed councils I’ll touch on is the difficulty in collaborating with private sector businesses, government, and other public sector organizations. I feel like so much discourse can occur at watershed council meetings, and if that discourse inhibits a council’s ability to function, then the environment and the public will be the losers of that debate. I’ll try not to bring in too much hippie-dippie theory into my post, but a very common theme of environmental studies courses is that humans most often view our relationship with nature in a utilitarian sense, which I believe leads to very short sighted methods for managing the lands that we rely on for our existence.
Paul Hawken’s Commencement Address
“YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING.” My response is...here’s a copy of my resume and I’d be happy to provide a cover letter. In all seriousness, though, I wish someone would say this to me every day. Moreover I wish each one of my professors would say this to my classmates every once in a while.
I’ve always enjoyed Paul Hawken’s writings, and I keep meaning to read Ecology of Commerce. Hawken writes and speaks in a manner that I wish to learn from. His thoughts reflect a deep passion for the environment, yet he attempts to put his thoughts into a context that the greater society understands. He wants to create a better world for us to live in and he understands that will require activating a feeling of environmental stewardship in a wide variety of people. Protecting the environment is an impossible task for policy makers, economists, and non-profit leaders alone. It’s an impossible task for anyone alone. Instead it will require a fundamental change in human attitudes towards nature, because all of our actions are directly representations of our ideas.
A Guide to Environmental Non-Profits
I guess the first thing I should say is thank you for providing this detailed list of organizations that I should apply for jobs with after I graduate. Awesome! I’ve already applied with the Environmental Defense Fund, but have yet to hear anything back from them. I’m in the process of filling out an application with the Sierra Club because they’re based in San Francisco, which is near my hometown, and I’ll look into some others on the list. Although I’m curious as to why the authors chose so many marine and marine wildlife conservation organizations. Unfortunately, I’m not too interested in marine organizations, nor do I want to be in the global environmental field. I’m more interested in the local, terrestrial side of the environmental equation.
One organization that I noticed was left out of the list is The Nature Conservancy, which I’ve always thought up very highly. I remember hearing recently that the Nature Conservancy owns more land than any other single organization in the world, which is a pretty astounding statistic. The organization started in 1951 when a group of neighbors wanted to save 60 acres of forest. Now they help protect over 119 million acres of land across all 50 states in America and a total of 30 countries worldwide. I guess you have a lot to live up to when your web URL is www.nature.org. I stumbled across this video that highlights the Conservancy’s conservation efforts in the past year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sooLoui1F-A
One final word about this article, I’m really glad they made a point of highlight the anti-environmental groups that give off a false veneer of environmentalism. There are more of these groups than most people realize, or want to realize, and there are numerous organizations that believe they are helping the environment, when in fact they are doing it a tremendous disservice.
Saving the Environment for a Profit
This in an interesting topic and one to which I haven’t given much personal thought. It’s become more clear through this class that non profits have the passion and private companies have the power. The question raised at the end of the article –“Will advocacy be the comparative advantage of the nonprofit, and action the comparative advantage of the market?” – is definitely thought provoking, but my one argument is that this question is assumes that nonprofits and private businesses have the capacity or desire to collaborate on behalf of the environment.
P.S. to our GTFs –
I don’t think this will matter much, but I feel like this is the perfect amount of material to read and still be able to generate a meaningful blog/response within the given word limit. I’ve noticed that my group members and I have a tendency to write in depth about the first articles and then we feel pressured to adhere to the limit that we then discount the last article or two. Obviously, we can just completely disregard the word limit, but at the same time I we can all agree that there’s a limit to how much meaningful information we can process by reading these responses just like there is a limit to how much meaningful information we can produce as writers.
Mackenzie Watershed Council (Annual Report & Website)
Watershed Councils are genius! They represent a perfect mixture (at least in theory) of people with a passion for protecting the natural environment and skills in how to protect the environment. Plus there’s the added benefit of people that know how engage the public and incorporate their opinions and relationship with the local environment into the management practices. The only other aspect of watershed councils I’ll touch on is the difficulty in collaborating with private sector businesses, government, and other public sector organizations. I feel like so much discourse can occur at watershed council meetings, and if that discourse inhibits a council’s ability to function, then the environment and the public will be the losers of that debate. I’ll try not to bring in too much hippie-dippie theory into my post, but a very common theme of environmental studies courses is that humans most often view our relationship with nature in a utilitarian sense, which I believe leads to very short sighted methods for managing the lands that we rely on for our existence.
Paul Hawken’s Commencement Address
“YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING.” My response is...here’s a copy of my resume and I’d be happy to provide a cover letter. In all seriousness, though, I wish someone would say this to me every day. Moreover I wish each one of my professors would say this to my classmates every once in a while.
I’ve always enjoyed Paul Hawken’s writings, and I keep meaning to read Ecology of Commerce. Hawken writes and speaks in a manner that I wish to learn from. His thoughts reflect a deep passion for the environment, yet he attempts to put his thoughts into a context that the greater society understands. He wants to create a better world for us to live in and he understands that will require activating a feeling of environmental stewardship in a wide variety of people. Protecting the environment is an impossible task for policy makers, economists, and non-profit leaders alone. It’s an impossible task for anyone alone. Instead it will require a fundamental change in human attitudes towards nature, because all of our actions are directly representations of our ideas.
A Guide to Environmental Non-Profits
I guess the first thing I should say is thank you for providing this detailed list of organizations that I should apply for jobs with after I graduate. Awesome! I’ve already applied with the Environmental Defense Fund, but have yet to hear anything back from them. I’m in the process of filling out an application with the Sierra Club because they’re based in San Francisco, which is near my hometown, and I’ll look into some others on the list. Although I’m curious as to why the authors chose so many marine and marine wildlife conservation organizations. Unfortunately, I’m not too interested in marine organizations, nor do I want to be in the global environmental field. I’m more interested in the local, terrestrial side of the environmental equation.
One organization that I noticed was left out of the list is The Nature Conservancy, which I’ve always thought up very highly. I remember hearing recently that the Nature Conservancy owns more land than any other single organization in the world, which is a pretty astounding statistic. The organization started in 1951 when a group of neighbors wanted to save 60 acres of forest. Now they help protect over 119 million acres of land across all 50 states in America and a total of 30 countries worldwide. I guess you have a lot to live up to when your web URL is www.nature.org. I stumbled across this video that highlights the Conservancy’s conservation efforts in the past year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sooLoui1F-A
One final word about this article, I’m really glad they made a point of highlight the anti-environmental groups that give off a false veneer of environmentalism. There are more of these groups than most people realize, or want to realize, and there are numerous organizations that believe they are helping the environment, when in fact they are doing it a tremendous disservice.
Saving the Environment for a Profit
This in an interesting topic and one to which I haven’t given much personal thought. It’s become more clear through this class that non profits have the passion and private companies have the power. The question raised at the end of the article –“Will advocacy be the comparative advantage of the nonprofit, and action the comparative advantage of the market?” – is definitely thought provoking, but my one argument is that this question is assumes that nonprofits and private businesses have the capacity or desire to collaborate on behalf of the environment.
P.S. to our GTFs –
I don’t think this will matter much, but I feel like this is the perfect amount of material to read and still be able to generate a meaningful blog/response within the given word limit. I’ve noticed that my group members and I have a tendency to write in depth about the first articles and then we feel pressured to adhere to the limit that we then discount the last article or two. Obviously, we can just completely disregard the word limit, but at the same time I we can all agree that there’s a limit to how much meaningful information we can process by reading these responses just like there is a limit to how much meaningful information we can produce as writers.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Post 4: Health Care
First, I'll bring up the NY Times article linked below that discusses how the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010” snubbed nonprofits in future health reform. The Act provides tax credits for small businesses, but because nonprofit health care providers do not pay income taxes, the result would give for-profit business as advantage. After reading a quick summary of the health care reform act it doesn’t seem like any amendments were made that counteracted this glitch in the system, so it’s an interesting topic to consider.
Link: Nonprofit Groups Upset at Exclusion from Health Bills
Chapter 5: Health Care
Funny, I found the NY Times are title article above before I read any of the articles for this week and the concluding sentence of the chapter reads, "...the shape of American health care, and the role of nonprofits in that effort, is far from settled" (O'Neill 106). This book was written a almost a decade before health care reform became a hot topic in American politics. I can't say I learned too much from this chapter, though. Health care is a very touchy subject. Do American's have the right to proper health care or are the best doctors and best practices reserved for the wealthy elite? Is it the government's responsibility to provide health care for all 310 million Americans? I can't say that I have an answer to these questions and it might be because I've never had to worry about health care because I've always been able to claim myself as a dependent on my parents' plan. I'm sure I'll pick a side in the next few years as I graduate, find a job (knock of wood), and become a contributing member of society. Until then I'll just remain neutral.
Non-Profit Packers
I consider myself a pretty big sports fan, and I had no idea the Packers were a publicly owned non-profit. Fan owned since 1923, the NFL’s “Green Bay Rule,” GM Ted Thompson being the luckiest guy in football….all news to me. My first thought is, I have no idea how this relates to health care. That skepticism aside, I think this model is quintessential Green Bay. If there’s one thing I know about football, it’s that Green Bay is steeped in NFL tradition. Vince Lombardi, the Lambeau Leap, and the fact that you practically have to be born into a family with season tickets if you ever want a chance to watch the Packers play at home. It makes sense that Packers are publicly owned and I’d love to see this idea spread through the NFL.
Non- Profits Valuable for Health Care
The most interesting quote from this article is, “The nonprofit sector is where we go for solving our most troubling social problems. It is where we go to protect our values and culture. The nonprofit sector is society’s safety net.” I’d like to address each of those sentences individually.
Why is it that our most ‘troubling social problems’ have to be solved by nonprofits? Does that mean that social problems are best solved by grassroots organizations? Is it that for-profit organizations just don’t care to solve difficult social problems? It seems odd that nonprofits that are arguably understaffed and underfunded compared to private businesses (not in all cases, but in many) are left to solve the most important social issues in America. Does that mean that profit is more important than society in modern America? That might be slightly exaggerated, but as I’ve expressed in previous posts I believe that community is losing value in American society, and that’s a HUMUNGOUS PROBLEM.
Speaking of values… why do we leave the protection of value and culture to nonprofits? That sounds about as simple as solving America’s social problems!!
And if the nonprofit sector is society’s safety net, then I sure hope we - as in we the people and communities of America, not just the government – are doing everything we can to support these nonprofits. I guess it just boils down to my thoughts on America’s social system. We have a whole lot of problems in America – homelessness, obesity, underfunded education, addiction to cigarettes, drugs, and oil – and we somehow think that someone else is going to pull us out of this hole we’ve dug ourselves into.
Last Monday I was able to hear Van Jones, founder of several non-governmental organizations such as Color for Change and Green for All, speak on the UO Campus. His father, who lived a sort of rags-to-riches life, had a motto by which he lived. “There’s nothing anyone could give an individual that will bring them out of poverty. That person needs to climb out of poverty themselves. They need to be able to climb that ladder out of poverty.” Then Jones added his own wisdom and modern context by saying that “society has the duty to build that ladder.”
Merger in Michigan
The point about the difference in health care services provided by non-profits and for-profit hospital was particularly interesting. At the end of the article the author noted that "for-profit hospitals are more likely to offer lucrative services, such as cardiac and diagnostic services, while their non-profit counterparts often provide more less-profitable services such as trauma centers, burn centers and alcohol- and drug-treatment programs.” When Nurse Lori Brown was asked if she thinks Detroit Medical Center will change after being purchased by Vanguard, she replied, “We'll continue to be the hospital that takes care of everyone. We don't turn anyone away."
I’ll give Nurse Brown the benefit of the doubt on this one, but I can’t believe that this merger will happen without any change to the DMC’s regular activities. With more money they’ll practically be considered irresponsible if they don’t ramp up their services. There are certainly advantages to for-profit corporations, most notably the availability of MONEY, but the future of the DMC is not in the hands of its CEO, whereas before the merger it was more in the hands of the community it served.
Disease Mongering
First of all I want to note that the story about David Neeleman, the guy who scored low on the English section of the ACT exam and later discovered he had ADD, is exactly how I found out that I’m dyslexic. It was the same low score on the English section of the ACT that raised a red flag for my parents and me. Funny. The only other comment is that this article brings up another problem in American society, addiction. In this case the article points out our addiction to “lifestyle” drugs, which is basically any prescription drug we take to remain “normal.” Whatever that means.
Final Thoughts
As you can see I'm in a questioning mood today. Feel free to answer any questions you find intriguing in your comments, and by all means answer my questions with questions of you own. It would be hypocritical of me to disallow that.
Thanks for reading!
Link: Nonprofit Groups Upset at Exclusion from Health Bills
Chapter 5: Health Care
Funny, I found the NY Times are title article above before I read any of the articles for this week and the concluding sentence of the chapter reads, "...the shape of American health care, and the role of nonprofits in that effort, is far from settled" (O'Neill 106). This book was written a almost a decade before health care reform became a hot topic in American politics. I can't say I learned too much from this chapter, though. Health care is a very touchy subject. Do American's have the right to proper health care or are the best doctors and best practices reserved for the wealthy elite? Is it the government's responsibility to provide health care for all 310 million Americans? I can't say that I have an answer to these questions and it might be because I've never had to worry about health care because I've always been able to claim myself as a dependent on my parents' plan. I'm sure I'll pick a side in the next few years as I graduate, find a job (knock of wood), and become a contributing member of society. Until then I'll just remain neutral.
Non-Profit Packers
I consider myself a pretty big sports fan, and I had no idea the Packers were a publicly owned non-profit. Fan owned since 1923, the NFL’s “Green Bay Rule,” GM Ted Thompson being the luckiest guy in football….all news to me. My first thought is, I have no idea how this relates to health care. That skepticism aside, I think this model is quintessential Green Bay. If there’s one thing I know about football, it’s that Green Bay is steeped in NFL tradition. Vince Lombardi, the Lambeau Leap, and the fact that you practically have to be born into a family with season tickets if you ever want a chance to watch the Packers play at home. It makes sense that Packers are publicly owned and I’d love to see this idea spread through the NFL.
Non- Profits Valuable for Health Care
The most interesting quote from this article is, “The nonprofit sector is where we go for solving our most troubling social problems. It is where we go to protect our values and culture. The nonprofit sector is society’s safety net.” I’d like to address each of those sentences individually.
Why is it that our most ‘troubling social problems’ have to be solved by nonprofits? Does that mean that social problems are best solved by grassroots organizations? Is it that for-profit organizations just don’t care to solve difficult social problems? It seems odd that nonprofits that are arguably understaffed and underfunded compared to private businesses (not in all cases, but in many) are left to solve the most important social issues in America. Does that mean that profit is more important than society in modern America? That might be slightly exaggerated, but as I’ve expressed in previous posts I believe that community is losing value in American society, and that’s a HUMUNGOUS PROBLEM.
Speaking of values… why do we leave the protection of value and culture to nonprofits? That sounds about as simple as solving America’s social problems!!
And if the nonprofit sector is society’s safety net, then I sure hope we - as in we the people and communities of America, not just the government – are doing everything we can to support these nonprofits. I guess it just boils down to my thoughts on America’s social system. We have a whole lot of problems in America – homelessness, obesity, underfunded education, addiction to cigarettes, drugs, and oil – and we somehow think that someone else is going to pull us out of this hole we’ve dug ourselves into.
Last Monday I was able to hear Van Jones, founder of several non-governmental organizations such as Color for Change and Green for All, speak on the UO Campus. His father, who lived a sort of rags-to-riches life, had a motto by which he lived. “There’s nothing anyone could give an individual that will bring them out of poverty. That person needs to climb out of poverty themselves. They need to be able to climb that ladder out of poverty.” Then Jones added his own wisdom and modern context by saying that “society has the duty to build that ladder.”
Merger in Michigan
The point about the difference in health care services provided by non-profits and for-profit hospital was particularly interesting. At the end of the article the author noted that "for-profit hospitals are more likely to offer lucrative services, such as cardiac and diagnostic services, while their non-profit counterparts often provide more less-profitable services such as trauma centers, burn centers and alcohol- and drug-treatment programs.” When Nurse Lori Brown was asked if she thinks Detroit Medical Center will change after being purchased by Vanguard, she replied, “We'll continue to be the hospital that takes care of everyone. We don't turn anyone away."
I’ll give Nurse Brown the benefit of the doubt on this one, but I can’t believe that this merger will happen without any change to the DMC’s regular activities. With more money they’ll practically be considered irresponsible if they don’t ramp up their services. There are certainly advantages to for-profit corporations, most notably the availability of MONEY, but the future of the DMC is not in the hands of its CEO, whereas before the merger it was more in the hands of the community it served.
Disease Mongering
First of all I want to note that the story about David Neeleman, the guy who scored low on the English section of the ACT exam and later discovered he had ADD, is exactly how I found out that I’m dyslexic. It was the same low score on the English section of the ACT that raised a red flag for my parents and me. Funny. The only other comment is that this article brings up another problem in American society, addiction. In this case the article points out our addiction to “lifestyle” drugs, which is basically any prescription drug we take to remain “normal.” Whatever that means.
Final Thoughts
As you can see I'm in a questioning mood today. Feel free to answer any questions you find intriguing in your comments, and by all means answer my questions with questions of you own. It would be hypocritical of me to disallow that.
Thanks for reading!
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