Welcome to the new and improved westhealth.org. Over the past six years, we have remained true to our mission: being committed to pioneering new and smarter technologies, policies and practices to make high-quality healthcare more accessible at a lower cost to all Americans. Our newly refreshed website reinforces this mission and is designed to make it easier than ever to find information about our research, learn more about how to get involved and stay up-to-date on the latest events.
Today, I’m very proud to debut a new section on our site designed to reflect our evolved strategic focus and renewed sense of purpose and commitment to our nation’s seniors. We call it “Successful Aging” — enabling seniors to live their lives on their own terms with access to high-quality health and support services that preserve and protect one’s dignity, quality of life and independence. It is a true passion of our founders, Gary and Mary West, and will be our guiding light for the next 50 years.
Moving forward, all of our policy proposals, research projects and legislative initiatives in Washington, D.C. and San Diego will build upon the Wests’ outcomes-oriented, results-driven philanthropy targeted at seniors. It includes creating new patient-centered and community-based care models, removing barriers that prevent evidence-based models of care, and shaping new care delivery pathways for our seniors. It involves exploring alternatives to emergency care, increasing seniors’ access to critical long-term supportive services and better coordinating home and community-based services.
Working closely with the Gary and Mary West Foundation, the second largest private foundation in San Diego, and with organizations like Serving Seniors and the flagship Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center, we are leveraging all of our previous work, such as our drive to advance medical device interoperability, in support of enabling successful aging for all seniors.
We are grateful for our many collaborators who have supported or worked with us on our journey to improve our current healthcare system. We hope you will do so again. With 10,000 people turning 65 every day, our healthcare delivery system will soon be overwhelmed and this threatens the future of our country. Today’s standard of care is simply not good enough. It’s not good enough for your grandparents or your parents. And someday, it won’t be good enough for you.
So, please join us. We’re excited about our refined focus that builds upon our research to-date to make successful aging a reality. We would like to learn more about your ideas to help ensure seniors everywhere are given the opportunity to age independently with grace and dignity – and that the healthcare system on which they rely is able to serve them in the best way possible.