| AbnerMason.com Founder & CEO, Corporate Responsibility Partners, LLC "better health through workplace wellness" |
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Abner Speaks at World Economic Forum Panel
I was honored to speak on a panel entitled "Impacting Health through
Multistakeholder Action", sponsored by the World Economic Forum and
Co-organized by the Pan American Health Organization and held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on April 14 in conjunction with the Forum's 2009 Latin
America Conference.
My talk was entitled "The NGO Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges
of Public-private Partnerships", and focused on the hurdles that must be
overcome to build effective sustainable public-private partnerships to
address the dramatic rise in chronic disease. Using our successful effort to
organize the business response to HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Jamaica as an
example, my talk addressed how we can overcome the "trust gap" that exist
between companies in the private sector and their government and NGO
counterparts.
Drawing on our experience developing CONAES and JaBCHA, the first
business councils on HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Jamaica respectively is a
particularly appropriate way to demonstrate the difficulties of building this
type of health related public-private partnership.
After we identified workplace related stigma and discrimination as barriers
to effective prevention efforts and began our work to organize the business
response, we had difficulty getting support for this type of public-private
partnership. The government agencies that would typically fund AIDS work
were reluctant to support us because they did not want to be seen as
"funding the private sector". The NGO's that would typically support
anti-AIDS stigma programs were reluctant to support us because they felt
companies "and the discrimination they tolerated" was the problem. Finally,
the companies themselves were reluctant to join our effort because they felt
they had "already lost their employees trust on this issue and it was too
late" to change opinions.
Fortunately this story has a happy ending and we were able to convince all
the players to work with us to build trust, honor commitments and deliver
results. Both HIV/AIDS business councils have grown in membership and
outreach and now serve as platforms for the business community in each
country to take a leadership role in the fight against HIV.
I believe no approach to providing universal access to quality health-care is
sustainable without effective prevention programs, and given the role
companies play in the provision of health-care to their employees, it is clear
to me that companies must be part of the solution if prevention efforts are
to be effective and sustainable.
Through workplace wellness programs and other efforts, companies can
take a leadership role in the effort to control and prevent chronic disease,
but it will often require working in partnership with government and civil
society. That is why learning how to create these public-private
partnerships is so important.
Other speakers on the panel addressed the need for increased access to
quality health-care, healthier foods, information communication and
advocacy, and workplace wellness.
Many company representatives from Brazil, Mexico and the Latin America
region were in attendance and I was encouraged by their eagerness to
hear about and implement workplace based programs to improve their
employees health and lower their health-care cost.
I believe Corporate Responsibility Partner's Mexico Workplace Wellness
Initiative will become a model for the region and that our results will
demonstrate that wellness programs deliver improved health and lower cost.
I was honored to speak on a panel entitled "Impacting Health through
Multistakeholder Action", sponsored by the World Economic Forum and
Co-organized by the Pan American Health Organization and held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil on April 14 in conjunction with the Forum's 2009 Latin
America Conference.
My talk was entitled "The NGO Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges
of Public-private Partnerships", and focused on the hurdles that must be
overcome to build effective sustainable public-private partnerships to
address the dramatic rise in chronic disease. Using our successful effort to
organize the business response to HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Jamaica as an
example, my talk addressed how we can overcome the "trust gap" that exist
between companies in the private sector and their government and NGO
counterparts.
Drawing on our experience developing CONAES and JaBCHA, the first
business councils on HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Jamaica respectively is a
particularly appropriate way to demonstrate the difficulties of building this
type of health related public-private partnership.
After we identified workplace related stigma and discrimination as barriers
to effective prevention efforts and began our work to organize the business
response, we had difficulty getting support for this type of public-private
partnership. The government agencies that would typically fund AIDS work
were reluctant to support us because they did not want to be seen as
"funding the private sector". The NGO's that would typically support
anti-AIDS stigma programs were reluctant to support us because they felt
companies "and the discrimination they tolerated" was the problem. Finally,
the companies themselves were reluctant to join our effort because they felt
they had "already lost their employees trust on this issue and it was too
late" to change opinions.
Fortunately this story has a happy ending and we were able to convince all
the players to work with us to build trust, honor commitments and deliver
results. Both HIV/AIDS business councils have grown in membership and
outreach and now serve as platforms for the business community in each
country to take a leadership role in the fight against HIV.
I believe no approach to providing universal access to quality health-care is
sustainable without effective prevention programs, and given the role
companies play in the provision of health-care to their employees, it is clear
to me that companies must be part of the solution if prevention efforts are
to be effective and sustainable.
Through workplace wellness programs and other efforts, companies can
take a leadership role in the effort to control and prevent chronic disease,
but it will often require working in partnership with government and civil
society. That is why learning how to create these public-private
partnerships is so important.
Other speakers on the panel addressed the need for increased access to
quality health-care, healthier foods, information communication and
advocacy, and workplace wellness.
Many company representatives from Brazil, Mexico and the Latin America
region were in attendance and I was encouraged by their eagerness to
hear about and implement workplace based programs to improve their
employees health and lower their health-care cost.
I believe Corporate Responsibility Partner's Mexico Workplace Wellness
Initiative will become a model for the region and that our results will
demonstrate that wellness programs deliver improved health and lower cost.
Edward Kadunc, Executive Director of the Pan
American Health and Education Foundation. Ed
previously served as Mission Director for USAID
in Mexico where he was a key supporter for AIDS
Responsibility Project's successful effort to
develop CONAES, the first business council on
HIV/AIDS in Mexico.
American Health and Education Foundation. Ed
previously served as Mission Director for USAID
in Mexico where he was a key supporter for AIDS
Responsibility Project's successful effort to
develop CONAES, the first business council on
HIV/AIDS in Mexico.
(from left) Chris Gray, Director of International
Policy for Pfizer, Sofi Bergkvist, Director of
Health Care Management, Emerging Markets
Solutions Initiative, Indian School of Business,
and Michael Seo, Associate Director,
Healthcare Industries and Global Leadership
Fellow for the World Economic Forum.
Policy for Pfizer, Sofi Bergkvist, Director of
Health Care Management, Emerging Markets
Solutions Initiative, Indian School of Business,
and Michael Seo, Associate Director,
Healthcare Industries and Global Leadership
Fellow for the World Economic Forum.
Rodrigo Calderon, Vice President, Public
Affairs and Communications for Coca Cola
Latin America.
Affairs and Communications for Coca Cola
Latin America.
Dr. James Hospedales, Coordinator of Chronic
Disease Prevention and Control Program, Pan
American Health Organization. Dr. Hospedales
is leading the effort within PAHO to develop
the Partners Forum which will serve as
PAHO's link to the private sector for it's
chronic disease program.
Disease Prevention and Control Program, Pan
American Health Organization. Dr. Hospedales
is leading the effort within PAHO to develop
the Partners Forum which will serve as
PAHO's link to the private sector for it's
chronic disease program.
World Economic Forum participants in Rio
de Janeiro April 14, 2009 (from left) Dr.
Fabio Mataveki, Johnson & Johnson
LifeScan Market Access Manager for Latin
America, Fernando Coelho Neto, Health
Services Executive Manager for CNI/SESI in
Brazil, Dr. Eva Jane-Llopis, Director of the
World Economic Forum's Wellness Initiative
and Chronic Disease Prevention Program,
Edward Kadunc, Executive Director of the
Pan American Health and Education
Foundation, Dr. James Hospedales,
Coordinator of Chronic Disease Prevention
and Control Program, Pan American Health
Organization, and Abner Mason, CEO,
Corporate Responsibility Partners
de Janeiro April 14, 2009 (from left) Dr.
Fabio Mataveki, Johnson & Johnson
LifeScan Market Access Manager for Latin
America, Fernando Coelho Neto, Health
Services Executive Manager for CNI/SESI in
Brazil, Dr. Eva Jane-Llopis, Director of the
World Economic Forum's Wellness Initiative
and Chronic Disease Prevention Program,
Edward Kadunc, Executive Director of the
Pan American Health and Education
Foundation, Dr. James Hospedales,
Coordinator of Chronic Disease Prevention
and Control Program, Pan American Health
Organization, and Abner Mason, CEO,
Corporate Responsibility Partners
(from left) Chris Gray, Director of
International Policy for Pfizer, Sofi Bergkvist,
Director of Health Care Management,
Emerging Markets Solutions Initiative, Indian
School of Business, and Abner Mason, CEO
Corporate Responsibility Partners.
International Policy for Pfizer, Sofi Bergkvist,
Director of Health Care Management,
Emerging Markets Solutions Initiative, Indian
School of Business, and Abner Mason, CEO
Corporate Responsibility Partners.
(from left) Kathleen M.A. Laya, Director,
Government Affairs and Public Business for
GSK Brazil, Micheline Marie Milward de
Azevedo Meiners, National Professional on
NCD for PAHO in Brazil, Dr. James
Hospedales, Coordinator of Chronic Disease
and Prevention Program for PAHO, Rogerio
Ribeiro, Vice President & Area Director for
Latin America and the Caribbean for GSK,
Dr. Eva Jane-Llopis, Director of the World
Economic Forum's Wellness Initiative and
Chronic Disease Prevention Program, and
Edward Kadunc, Executive Director of the
Pan American Health and Education
Foundation.
Government Affairs and Public Business for
GSK Brazil, Micheline Marie Milward de
Azevedo Meiners, National Professional on
NCD for PAHO in Brazil, Dr. James
Hospedales, Coordinator of Chronic Disease
and Prevention Program for PAHO, Rogerio
Ribeiro, Vice President & Area Director for
Latin America and the Caribbean for GSK,
Dr. Eva Jane-Llopis, Director of the World
Economic Forum's Wellness Initiative and
Chronic Disease Prevention Program, and
Edward Kadunc, Executive Director of the
Pan American Health and Education
Foundation.
CRP will host a briefing for companies interested in learning more about our workplace wellness programs. The time, date and location
will be announced shortly.