2015 is already well underway, and I want to tell you about an important change to the Connecticut Health Foundation's (CT Health) Leadership Fellows program.
Specifically, we will not be recruiting for and convening a Class of 2016 while we complete an evaluation of the program.
The fact of the matter is that, due to the Affordable Care Act, the landscape of health care is changing rapidly. The foundation’s strategic shift in 2013 is an acknowledgement of and adaptation to that reality.
At the same time, the 2015 class of Fellows, currently in session, represents our tenth class; in June we will have effectively graduated 200 health equity leaders from our program in its ten years of existence. This is a good time for us to pause and evaluate the program, and incorporate recommendations from there.
At its heart, CT Health is a learning organization. We strongly believe in taking the time to assess the work we’ve done to inform the work we’ll do in the future. The ten-year evaluation of the Fellows program will be rigorous, and the results are slated to come in June of 2015. After much consideration, the foundation and its Board of Directors have chosen to place the class year component of the program on hiatus. As such, we will not convene a 2016 class of Fellows.
One thing is certain. Leadership will always be critical to achieving our shared mission of improving the health status of Connecticut residents. Our Health Leadership Fellows network mains important to advancing health equity. We will continue to engage our Fellows throughout the gap year.
Many of you have been instrumental in identifying potential leaders to join this program over the years, and I thank you.
About the author: Patricia Baker is the President & CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. For more information, visit their official website by clicking here.