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CEO At Town Hall Forum: Improving Health Must Be Goal

Monday, January 01, 0001

The current debate on health care reform has strayed from the most important goal: improved health for all Americans, according to James M. Anderson, president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, who today addressed a raucous crowd gathered at the University of Cincinnati.

Anderson spoke at the invitation of U.S Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who called the town hall-style forum to discuss proposals before Congress to reform the U.S. health care system. The crowd at times listened politely as panelists made introductory remarks and told of their experience with the system. At other times, some in the crowd rudely shouted at speakers and nearly everyone found something to applaud at one time or other.

"I want to thank Sen. Brown for facilitating (the discussions)," said Anderson, who described the decade-long journey at Cincinnati Children’s to improve outcomes, experience and value for its patients and families. "I want to encourage and even challenge us to think of reform in a different light: quality improvement of the delivery system to improve health of Americans."

See the comments that Mr. Anderson said at the health forum.

About Cincinnati Children’s

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of 10 children’s hospitals in the United States to make the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Reports 2009-10 Americas Best Children’s Hospitals issue. It is #1 ranked for digestive disorders and is also highly ranked for its expertise in respiratory diseases, cancer, neonatal care, heart care, neurosurgery, diabetes, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. One of the three largest children’s hospitals in the U.S., Cincinnati Children’s is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

President Barack Obama in June 2009 cited Cincinnati Children’s as an island of excellence in health care. For its achievements in transforming health care, Cincinnati Children’s is one of six U.S. hospitals since 2002 to be awarded the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The hospital is a national and international referral center for complex cases. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.