Throughout this project I have noticed many times an overriding sentiment that we are: "re-inventing" health care, we "blazing" a new path, "revolutionizing" Whatcom CO.
While I agree that what we are attempting and will eventually suceed at doing is monumental I just can't help but have a little bit of reservation when I hear the phrases mentioned above. Although, I don't think this is true these phrase give an impression that while in the process of re-inventing the wheel we are not considering what the folks before us have done and what our peers of today are doing. No matter how screwed up the healthcare system is there are parts in it that do work and work well and they work well because folks, prior to P2 and the other grant recipients, have stepped up to the challenge of improving the way they do things. They too have recognized that their processes didn't work and they set out to improve them.
The quote: 'Do not follow where the path may lead, Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail...' is a perfect example of where I think our intent is in the right place but where we are failing to acknowledge all of the hard and sometimes wonderful work folks before us have done. Their work has allowed us to know that there ARE trails and paths out there in the first place. Simply sprinting into the woods were there is no path will get us all lost, confused, and ultimately unsuccessful. I equate it a little bit to our beautiful National Parks and Wilderness areas. If we didn't stay on the path but instead all took our own NEW route and then left a trail I don't think our National Parks would be so pristine anymore.
I would like to place our project in a different context: We are revolutionizing the Health Care Community by standing on the shoulders of those that have come before us and using their knowledge and wisdom to forge ahead. It is a balance between learning from the success and mistakes others have made and using that as our guide to success. The key to our sucess is to not limit ourselves and to be able to expand the thoughts, ideas, and dreams of those that have tried before. To bring them to places that the originators may have not thought possible.
