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Projects



  • Leading Healthy Communities

    Leading Healthy Communities provides community health leaders with a single source of practical information supporting the creation, financing and execution of community initiatives aimed at improving the health of the community. WRGH is seeking a new home for www.leadinghealthycommunities.com. We have deactivated the current website but you may preview it here. For more information about acquiring this resource, contact .


  • WRGH partnered with the AIDS Action Foundation to help them develop and execute a national strategy to re-invigorate the debate here in America, and lay down a challenge to end the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in ten years.

    HIV/AIDS has killed more than 25 million people worldwide since 1981. In the U.S., approximately 37 thousand new infections are reported every year and roughly a half million Americans live with this disease today.

    To accomplish our objective to end this epidemic, we need to better understand how the socio-political, scientific, and clinical environments surrounding HIV/AIDS have changed, and what the facts are today. WRGH and the AIDS Action Foundation met with key opinion leaders to develop creative strategies to reawaken the public, broaden perspectives, and engage public policy makers, with a goal of definitive action.


  • Tilting at Windmills: Push / Pull Strategies for Constructive Health System Change

    We have written this book with the hope of stimulating new thinking among public policy makers, academics, corporate public affairs professionals, health system executives, elected officials and their staffs. Our goal is to outline a new method for engaging health, business, and public sector executives in meaningful dialogue designed to achieve measurable improvements in healthcare system performance, the health of the public, and the ultimate consumer experience.

    Click here for an overview.


  • The Employers' Guide to Healthcare Consumerism

    WRGH announces publication of the Employers' Guide to Healthcare Consumerism, which describes the market evolution in the 5 years since our 2001 Employers' Guide to Patient-Directed Healthcare. This Guide frames the promise of healthcare consumerism, which represents a true sea change in how all stakeholders view and participate in American healthcare, while being realistic about its challenges. Each chapter provides a perspective on different key elements for an effective transition and explores the roles and reactions of payers, providers, and consumers. ·

    • Click here for intro
    • Click here for PDF of the Guide



  • NCCR Industry Project

    Work with the chain restaurant industry leadership to build a unified public policy position with regard to the provision of healthcare benefits. Develop a strategic plan for positioning the industry as a thought leader in the state and national debate.


  • Congressionally mandated Citizens' Health Care Working Group (CHCWG)

    Jon R. Comola and Marcia L. Comstock MD MPH, were engaged by US Department of HHS to provide support to Congressionally mandated Citizens Healthcare Work Group.

    From September 1st, 2005 to June 2006, WRGH principals served under contract with the US Department of Heath and Human Services through the Agency for Health Research and Quality to create a strategic architecture to engage allies to support the charge of the Citizens' Health Care Working Group.

    This Group was created by Congress as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and charged with the responsibility to provide for a nationwide public debate about improving the health care system to ensure that every American has the ability to obtain quality, affordable health coverage.

    Congress has directed the work group to address four key questions:

    • What health care benefits and services should be provided?
    • How does the American public want health care delivered?
    • How should health care coverage be financed?
    • What tradeoffs are the American public willing to make in either benefits or financing to ensure access to affordable, high quality health care coverage and services?

    The Citizen's Health Care Working Group published their initial recommendations on June 2nd. To view the recommendations go to http://www.Citizenshealthcare.gov. The final recommendations, will go to Congress and the President the 1st of September, 2006.


  • A 21st Century Model of Care: Optimizing Use of Underutilized Services

    In creating a better healthcare future for our country and its residents, there is a compelling need to re-evaluate the roles of all health professionals and consider new models of service delivery. Current trends, including our aging population more prone to chronic disease, healthcare workforce shortages, rising costs, and public demand suggest that cost-effective, high quality alternatives are needed.

    The opportunity is ripe for professionals with diverse health backgrounds to join forces and work across disciplines collaboratively to advance areas of common interest in public policy and in the marketplace. A 21st Century Model of Care: Optimizing Use of Underutilized Services is a multi-faceted initiative to develop and advance new models of care that will better address growing demands.

    A white paper is being developed that will articulate the value of multidisciplinary service delivery models. The paper will be published in the winter of 2007/2008.

    For the project overview, click here.


  • An Environmental Scan of State and Local Healthcare Reform Efforts.

    The healthcare reform landscape has been fertile since the late 1980s with local, regional, and state-based programs emerging to address cost, quality, and access. These programs have met with varying levels of success. Now is an excellent time to survey such efforts with an eye toward what might be relevant on a national scale in the coming years.

    As background for "America's Health Care Leadership Talks," a baseline scan has been completed which captures a number of healthcare reform concepts which have been developed and tested at the state and local level. The scan includes a brief description of each initiative, its mission, the players involved, strengths and weaknesses, and progress to date. It also highlights common critical success factors that relate to their replicability and scalability to the national stage. We believe a better understanding of experience to date can inform the health policy debate by providing insight into what is likely to be viable and what should be avoided.

    Click here for the scan.

    (WRGH is grateful to G. Abraham Dabela, who performed the Environmental Scan in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Public Health, Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA.)


  • America's Health Care Leadership Talks

    The leadership talks are intended to draw upon, validate, and enhance the findings from our community leadership, blueprint, reform scan and 21st century models work. We will invite a select group of well-seasoned leaders, "sages" recognized by their peers, from professional healthcare associations, business and govenment to participate in a session to share the wisdom gleaned fromtheir long and productive careers relative to what would be most likely to work in reforming this country's healthcare system.

    Click here for information on this project.