A Message From Chief Executive Officer

2022 was quite a year, full of reunions and refocusing on what’s most important.

Following every precaution, we were able to return to Washington, DC and meet for our National Annual Summit on Health Disparities, appropriately titled Mind Over Matter. Here we were able to honor those whose intellect, strength, grit, and just plain hard work led us safely through the pandemic. This includes Nurse Carla Brown who went door to door throughout her community to make certain everyone was able to get vaccinated. It also includes Senator Tim Kaine who passed legislation to protect both the physical and mental health of our healthcare workforce. And finally, it included our very own Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra who led the charge for health equity for decades—through Congress, to the State of California as Attorney General and finally, as Cabinet Secretary. At the Summit, we also discussed hopeful solutions to some of the most important issues like the Covid 19 Pandemic, mental and maternal health, obesity and rare disease.

Living through the last couple years—through a pandemic— taught us that while we have done a great deal, we have much, much more work to do. With that attitude, we were able to refocus and increase our efforts to live our mission of reducing patient risk by assuming optimal care for all. Every department at NMQF grew and took on more. Because of this our staff nearly doubled. Because of this the number of communities we engaged with more than tripled through efforts like our Faith Health Alliance or Cancer Working Group. Because of this, we were able to comment on more regulations and policy and help lead important healthcare legislation like the Health Equity and Accountability Act. Because of this we were able to complete more research and expand our studies through ARC and MRCIS. And because of this work that we do daily, we were able to both directly and indirectly educate over 1,000,000 people about health and health equity.

As we enter 2023, our goal is clear. We want to continue to advocate and educate for our most vulnerable and challenge the status quo. It’s only through this that we will meet over vision of an American health services research, delivery and financing system whose operating principle is to reduce patient risk while improving quality of life.

With your help, we can do just that!

Sincerely,
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD