Health Talk

I just emerged from the most crowded and boring elevator known to man. Essentially, a hive of health care jargon, threatening those who didn't belong with the biggest buzz words out there. If you weren't paying particular attention to any one of the ten conversations happening simultaneously as we ascended from floor 3 to 20, you could still decipher the general gist. 'We need better processes in place, because the robust data (and data is plural, so always treat it as such) demonstrate that there are disparities on the micro and macro level of health care. BUT my organization had some key best practices to share.'

I sensed that they had figured me out - that this digital marketer in their presence didn't belong in their health-oriented click. So they did what the healthcare community does so well, they fought me off with jargon, encrypting their dialogue so I'd stay an outsider. But ... it didn't work. I followed along just fine. And I exited the elevator proud of my abilities to translate and call their fluff.

See, for the past several months, I've been brushing up on my health linguistics. With my new title, came a new responsibility - that of healthcare grant maker. The job requires me to travel out of my comfort zone of spinner and social media guru and into the wonderful, but confusing, layered, complex and messy world of  health care. And this week, I literally did travel - to Baltimore - to saturate myself in the hot topics of health and wellness at the annual meeting of Grant Makers in Health.

It was a great meeting - excellent speakers, generous amounts of information, and a well-planned agenda - and I feel like I'm leaving Baltimore as a more effective grant manager. However, I also feel like I've been granted insider knowledge about the problems plaguing our nation's health and the dire situation we are in.

While I don't know where to start and what problem to tackle first, I feel like I came away from the week with some observations. And as glib as they might be, I think they are worth something.

First, when trying to solve our healthcare crisis, we need to bring leaders and general consumers together. And it helps to do it in a city with a lot of bridges.

Then we need to get everyone to talk a common language. Sometimes it takes a really good ice breaker, like cocktails while watching the sharks, to chew through the jargon and get to the point. 

Then once everyone is on board, perhaps we can start navigating the more dangerous waters.

But don't be a menace and don't put your guard up. There are still others out there that we can listen and learn from. 

And at the end of the day, always find a great place to eat and digest what you've heard throughout the day. If you're in Baltimore, I'd suggest Germano's in Little Italy. Delicious beet raviolis, charming service, good prices, and Roman television programming.

Above all, as much as we love complex languages - the ones we've invested dollars and years in Ivy League Schools to attain - the health care crisis is a universal problem with stakeholders who will never read past an eighth grade level. And in order for everyone to rally around common solutions, we need to start talking about societal and health issues in laymen terms.

Lo.