The GNL Master’s class XXII Healthcare Day session was held on January 31, 2018 in the Naples Community Hospital (NCH) auditorium. Space, morning and afternoon drinks and snacks plus a “healthy” lunch in the “Garden of Hope and Courage” were all generously provided by Dr. Allen Weiss MD, CEO of NCH healthcare systems. The session day theme was”Healthcare Delivery in an Uncertain Environment” which was made more prescient given the announcement the day before by Amazon, JP Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway that they are joining forces to create a nonprofit healthcare system for their workforce of one million employees. This trend in healthcare adds to current uncertainty. The session day goal was to provide abroad picture of the current state of US healthcare then funneling to Florida and then down to Collier County. Dr. Ronald Riner of the Riner Group Inc was the first speaker and provided a dynamic start to the day addressing the challenge of Healthcare in the U.S. Dr. Riner is a repeat speaker and a fan of the GNL program.
The second speaker was Mr. Bruce Rueben, President of the Florida Hospital Association followed by Dr. Allen Weiss M.D. discussing Collier County. Interestingly Drs. Riner and Weiss sent Thank you notes TO the team. Lunch in the Garden was a wonderful way to break up the day and be outside on a crisp, sunny day. The afternoon session started with a brief “Blue Zones Projects” presentation by the Executive Director, Debbie Logan followed by a 4 person panel addressing “The Needs of the Underserved in Collier” The panelists were Nancy Lascheid RN, CEO of the Neighborhood Clinic, Mike Ellis CEO of the Healthcare Network, Nancy Dauphinaise CEO of the David Lawrence Center and Wayne Mullican CEO of the Senior Friendship Healthcare center. The greatest takeaway from them is the amount of coordination among their four nonprofits increasing the impact they have on the needy.
The last two speakers were Dr. Ronald Garry M.D a geriatrician and Dr. Andy Lipman M.D. an oncologist who surprised us with the fact that they often treat a patient simultaneously. Their chosen fields of clinical practice are sobering but they conveyed with passion their love for their work. The days are long and at the same time never long enough so upon request the team forwarded the Riner and Rueben presentations plus the answers to the healthcare quiz to Class XXII.