The Rippel Foundation Releases Groundbreaking Report Highlighting Americans' Hopes and Fears About the Future of Health and Well-Being
MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Rippel Foundation published Creating an Equitable Future for Health and Well-Being, a report on major findings from its FORESIGHT initiative. FORESIGHT is an equity-focused futuring project that aims to envision a new future for health and well-being—and how we get there, together.
FORESIGHT, launched by 17 philanthropies, engaged futurists to identify the major forces that could shape the future of health and well-being in the United States. Then, in group sessions with diverse individuals across the political spectrum, these findings were shaped into a set of four potential scenarios. Short videos illustrating these scenarios were presented to thousands of Americans who shared their reactions and ideas and told FORESIGHT what excites and worries them about the future of health and well-being in the U.S.
The FORESIGHT team, in partnership with Public Agenda, considered participants' collective input and organized it into five interconnected themes:
- Equitable access to basic needs and supports
- Economic well-being
- Inclusive, just communities
- Holistic, innovative, culturally rooted health care
- Regenerative practices for people and the planet
When asked to envision a new future, many of the 7,500 individuals reached, particularly those in historically marginalized communities, often returned to the basics: economic security; community infrastructure; a health care system that serves them; a healthy planet; and access to the most essential things they need to thrive, including housing, food, and education.
Growing inequality between the "haves" and "have nots" was among the top 3 worries individuals cited upon watching the videos. Respondents were enthusiastic about technological innovation reducing burdens and allowing for more fulfillment, but they also expressed concern that most advancements would pass them by and only be accessible to the very wealthy.
"The future is now. We are already living in a world where we're reacting to crises that have a devastating impact on health and well-being—where the COVID pandemic has shed more light on existing health inequities and where entire communities are deluged by climate change. So, business as usual isn't good enough. We need to think now about what's coming and how to design for the future, so that these and other threats to well-being don't become even worse, especially for communities already disproportionately impacted," said Laura Landy, President and CEO of The Rippel Foundation. "The game-changing trends that FORESIGHT explored, including technological, scientific, and environmental innovations, may have a powerful impact on future health, but only if they don't bypass the people facing the greatest disparities—which is the concern expressed by many of the people FORESIGHT spoke with. For that to change, we need to break long-held habits, focus our energy on new directions, think ahead, and think differently."
"At the most basic level, people want conditions and resources that will give them the opportunity for a healthier, better quality of life," said FORESIGHT co-chair Peter Long, Senior Vice President of Healthcare and Community Health Transformation at Blue Shield of California. "Instead of continuing to try to fix imperfect systems, we need genuinely transformative approaches that will make health and well-being for all more than a pipe dream."
"Everyone has aspirations about the future—for themselves, for their children, and for the generations to come," said FORESIGHT co-chair Amelia Hardy, Vice President of Strategic Community Engagement at Best Buy. "We started a conversation that is centered on the voices of people experiencing the greatest inequity. This is the only way to ensure that the future we are all actively shaping is equitable and works for everyone."
Methodology:
FORESIGHT invited input from a diversity of people across the country using a national poll and three independent methodologies that focused on hearing from community members in their own voices and centering the experience of those facing the greatest inequities in our current system. Outreach was conducted between May and October of 2020, so many participants responded not only to the ideas presented in the scenario videos, but also to many crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racial violence and protests, economic distress, and climate catastrophes.
- Community Conversations. In partnership with Marnita's Table, a Minnesota-based nonprofit specializing in Intentional Social Interaction, FORESIGHT hosted 23 community conversations with 1,043 people in nine regions.
- Focus Group. The Disability Policy Consortium conducted a focus group with nine members of the disability community in Massachusetts.
- Online Survey. The spryng platform hosted an online survey that reached 487 people.
- National Polling. NORC, at the University of Chicago, fielded a nationally representative poll of 6,010 American adults.
For detailed information about the methodology, see pages 11-12 of the full report.
"So where do we go from here? FORESIGHT findings provide the foundation we need to actively and intentionally design a future that works for all of us," said Landy. "Together, we step forward with purpose, knowing that if we build a future that meets the needs of those who are being inequitably served by our current system, we all benefit."
ABOUT FORESIGHT
FORESIGHT is an initiative of The Rippel Foundation, created in partnership with Blue Shield of California Foundation and actively supported by forward-thinking national and regional philanthropic partners.
ABOUT THE RIPPEL FOUNDATION
Rippel is a nonprofit operating foundation dedicated to fostering equitable, exceptional health and well-being for all. Together with partners and co-investors, Rippel works with health care organizations, foundations, corporations, government institutions, and change agents throughout the United States to guide thinking and action that inspires innovative system transformation and to promote shared stewardship as a rising norm. Rippel's flagship initiative, ReThink Health, continually explores how to achieve equitable system change in real-world settings. FORESIGHT, Rippel's equity-focused futuring initiative, aims to envision a new future for health and well-being.
Media Contact:
Lynsey Billet, [email protected], 347-361-8449
Rajath Vikram, [email protected], 347-925-0101
SOURCE Rippel Foundation
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