July 13, 2022 • 20 mins
Medical research often depends upon the generosity of donors: In this episode we talk to philanthropy experts about the role of donations in driving medical breakthroughs and achieving health equity across all zip codes. The panel includes:
Brian Lally, senior vice president and chief development officer for Northwell Health and head of Northwell's Foundation.
Mark Butler, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Health System Science, part of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. He is leading a study using smart prescription pill bottles to help address medication adherence and reduce cardiovascular disease in the Black community.
Emmet Conlon, senior vice president and group head of U.S. Healthcare and Higher Education at TD Bank, which funded Dr. Butler’s clinical trial.
Support our nonprofit mission and save lives. Your generous gift will allow our clinical teams to remain at the forefront of care for people in our communities.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brian Lally (00:02):
The federal government which is primary source of revenue for
research doesn't like to fund brand-new things, they really like the
fund things that they know it's going to work, which is a little bit of
a conundrum, right?
So how do you actually prove i? And you proved it with philanthropy.
It's not just the impact on the community.
It's the impact on research itself, so that we actually can get more
funding to do more research.
Once we prove principle.
Host (00:30):
Welcome to 20-minute Health talk.
I'm your host Rob Hoell.
One of the biggest factors in determining a person's health is the
community in which they work live and play. Healthcare systems like
Northwell are investing in programs to address racial disparities in
health care access and outcomes and equip communities with the
resources they need to lead a healthy life.
To get their philanthropy
(00:51):
also plays a critical role.
Our guests today are each working toward that goal of Health Equity
Across all zip codes and will share their unique perspectives.
We have Brian Lally. He is the senior vice president and chief
development officer for Northwell Health leading, its foundation.
Brian Lally (01:06):
Thanks Rob
Host (01:07):
We Have Dr. Mark Butler.
He's an assistant investigator for the center for personalized Health
at the Feinstein.
Institutes for medical research and is leading a study using smart
prescription pill bottles to help address medication adherence, and
reduce cardiovascular disease in the black community.
Dr. Butler (01:23):
Thank you again for supporting the research.
Host (01:25):
And finally, we have em at
Inland he is the senior vice president and group head of US, Health
Care and higher education, at TD Bank which has funded dr.
Butler's, clinical trial.
Mr. Conlon (01:34):
Thank you rob for having me on today and what a pleasure it is to meet
Brian and Mark.
Host (01:38):
Thank you everybody for joining us here on 20-minute Health Talk.
Brian Lally.
Tell us about your role in why philanthropy is so important in
healthcare.
Mr. Lally (01:46):
Well, thanks, Rob
My role is to lead the foundation, which is essentially the
fundraising arm of Northwell Health, and specifically to why
We have to be; well, let me let me preface by saying to my thanks on
behalf of North well
and frankly a broader Community to TD Bank for the work that they
are doing.
It's not just here, by the way, it's a national initiative that they
(02:08):
have underway and it's pretty spectacular and I know we'll hear more
about it.
The nature of Health care is such that we run on a very, very thin
margin.
This is a non-profit Enterprise and very, very expensive. The Capital
cost to run a Health Care, Organization are enormous.
So there are many many
Many things that we need and want to do and certainly research is one
(02:29):
of them and and helping the communities that are underserved
is another and there's no funding for these.
There's no appropriate funding without philanthropy these things
just they wouldn't happen.
So it's extraordinarily important to move the organization forward to
the point at some point that we hope that these things do get funded
but without philanthropy, a lot of things just wouldn't happen.
Host (02:49):
And I feel that is also very true in research.
Dr. Butler (02:54):
Absolutely.
I think having the opportunity
for external funding from philanthropy opens up so many
new doors for research possibilities and I think for, you know, we're
going to be talking about my study but this study in lots of other
studies that are at the Feinstein institutes couldn't really exist
without those external funding sources.
Host (03:11):
Yes.
Why don't you tell us a little bit about your research into smart
prescription bottles.
Dr. Butler (03:16):
The particular study, that TD Bank has graciously funded here is
looking at the adherence to Statin medications amongst individuals
identifying as black or African-American.
And so the reason why we're doing this research is
Is because there's a lot of information showing that Statin
medications Instituted as primary prevention.
So if you provide someone with Statin before, they have a
(03:39):
cardiovascular disease event like a heart attack or a stroke or
something along those lines, you can actually prevent the incidence of
those events.
So individuals, prescribe statins with that primary, prevention
capacity can reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes.
Now, this is great, but in general, medication adherence is low for
most medications but for
(04:00):
statins, within the first year about 60 percent of people who were
using them
do not use them as prescribed within that first year.
So there's a lot of opportunity for improvement for getting people to
take their medications as prescribed.
And the reason why we're focusing specifically on individuals
identifying as black or African-American is because individuals who
fall within that group have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease,
(04:22):
greater risk of cardiovascular mortality than non-hispanic whites.
And perhaps most importantly have lower rates of medication
adherence than non Hispanic whites.
So we wind up in a situation is where we have a greater burden of both
mortality and cardiovascular disease, amongst individuals, identifying
as black or African-American, but reduced adherence, to potentially
(04:43):
life-saving medication therapy.
So we hope to address is by creasing medication adherence.
We hope to bridge
at least partially some of that disparity between non-hispanic whites
and black, or African-American individuals
Host (04:56):
Emmet Conlon, what about Mark's
And the Feinstein's research prompted TD
Bank to provide $150,000 dollar Grant in support?
Mr. Conlon (05:04):
At TD Bank, we're committed to giving back to the communities we
serve, and we fulfill that commitment by leveraging our business our
philanthropy and our human capital as levers
of focusing impact. The TD ready commitment
where this grant came from, is our Global corporate citizenship
platform and guides are working the local community by targeting
(05:25):
Community Investments that fall
under one of our four key drivers, which together help create a more
inclusive and sustainable future for all.
And one of those for drivers is better health and the goal of that
driver is to support incredible organizations like Northwell Health
and their Innovative programs such as this one led by Mark which focus
on breaking down barriers to Health Care access and improving outcomes
(05:48):
overall. And that's exactly what this grant is designed to do. To improve
healthcare outcomes for the black community by launching Mark's new
research program and the first clinical trial to determine
the best interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease.
And really, that's a long way of saying, it was really just a perfect
match and fit into our vision, that match up perfectly with Mark's.
Host (06:13):
So awesome.
We're talking about a prime example of philanthropy opening doors for
research focused on historically underserved and under treated
populations.
This question for Brian and Emmett (06:21):
what lessons have you learned about
how to make an impact through investment?
Mr. Lally (06:28):
Well I'll take the lead on this; I'm sure Emmett will reflect on this as well.
But certainly from my experience it's a continuation of lessons
learned, which is as I said earlier without the without the funding
that we can't get from the health system, philanthropy has
to fill in.
And the a lesson learned is when you find something along the lines of
(06:49):
Mark's project, you actually can create a bright future so without the
funding, no research. When the research happens,
assuming this does prove to be effective
It becomes practice then, and then it does get funded and then it turns
out that lots and lots of people's lives get saved.
That is an impact of philanthropy.
And I think that, you know, the call it a lesson learned.
(07:12):
But for people who want to make a difference, investing in
organization like Northwell has a huge impact that goes beyond just a
dollar in.
It's a much bigger opportunity than that.
Host (07:22):
It's a ripple effect.
Mr. Lally (07:23):
It is a ripple effect.
Mr. Conlon (07:24):
What I would add is well, I think I work with my
colleagues
I've definitely learned that
it's all about the approach and what makes TD really unique is how the
bank approaches Community
giving, you know, the focus of our corporate citizenship program is to
be intimately connected to the communities we serve.
and we do that by working with organizations, like Northwell and
(07:46):
people like Mark who are on the ground and deeply rooted in those
communities.
And those strong relationships really helped the bank identify the
most pressing issues, and best ways we can help Drive positive change.
With reference to this grant specifically we know cardiovascular disease to a
does not impact on communities equally as mentioned
earlier, you know.
(08:06):
And we hope that through this investment, we can really help identify
ways to support Mark in his efforts to break down barriers to care,
address, inequities and improve overall health care outcomes for
vulnerable populations.
Host (08:20):
Yeah, Mark, how does identifying a funding source factor into
designing a trial like this?
Dr. Butler (08:25):
I think greatly I think that every funding source has their particular
goals and priorities.
So whether it be NIH or TD Bank, I think it's about finding that, you
know, nice overlap, in the Venn diagram between their research
interests and your research interests.
And I think when people are when both groups are really well aligned,
it allows things to flow more smoothly.
(08:46):
And I think, you know, in terms of design
for philanthropy, as opposed to design for say government
funding, at least in my limited experience
it seems that we're working with the philanthropy sources
allow the design to
be a little more agile, a little more Nimble.
So for the process of this particular project, I you know, the Northwell
(09:07):
and TD representatives communicated over a period of several
weeks.
And at the end of that period we had identified a study that we were
both aligned with and both were willing to move forward with.
I think if you have other sources of funding, there can be a longer a
bit more rigorous
but also slow process and there are trade-offs and benefits.
But what I've really enjoyed in this process is you're able to move
(09:28):
ahead quickly, identify something that we
both found interesting and then just engage in it.
Mr. Lally (09:33):
Yeah, I think just to leverage on that and also what Emmett said,
philanthropy a piece of this is about relationship.
So you know, TD Bank has been a great partner over the years and has
become a better partner and I think that's also on our end.
So we're delivering for them or to them what they want to accomplish
in the community.
And I think that's it.
That's the important thing is a relationship and then
(09:55):
specific to what Emmett said, and I can tell you this from long experience
that the Federal
Government which is primary source of revenue for research doesn't
like to fund brand-new things.
They really like the fund things that they know is going to work, which
is a little bit of a conundrum, right?
So how do you actually prove it and you prove it with philanthropy.
So you know, when we talked about that opportunity to the ripple
(10:16):
effect, it's not just the impact on the community its impact on
research itself so that we actually can get more funding to do more
research
once we prove principle.
Host (10:24):
Yeah.
And what would you be our advice to other healthcare
systems who are trying to address these racial
disparities?
Mr. Lally (10:30):
Well, first off, don't talk to TD Bank.
I look, I think it's the same thing, right?
It's relationships.
The fact that there are underserved communities is not news, right?
These communities have been underserved forever.
And what happened in the in the context of covid is all of a sudden
(10:52):
there's just been huge, huge Awakening and Northwell has
been been doing this and been dealing with this for a very very long
time.
We are actually coalescing now in the context of covid and really
putting a lot more energy into that space and I think it's a good idea
for others to do the same thing.
This is not this is not a simple problem that will get solved in New
York or the New York metro area.
(11:12):
This is a national problem, which by the way is is an interesting
thing to from TD's perspective.
I think.
And certainly ours, which is this is a; in the scale of this scheme of
big things
it's modest project, that actually can have impact across the United
States of America, which is kind of
A big deal when you think about it and it's kind of cool. For $150,000
(11:34):
you can change lives in California.
So I'd encourage folks to push into the same space we are
Host (11:39):
Yeah, I think Dr. Butler
What is interesting, too
Is that when you do a research project like this, whatever the outcome
is, it raises awareness.
I don't think a lot of people knew how bad
following medication how much of a problem that could be and how what
an impact it could be on people's health and communities.
Dr. Butler (11:57):
And I think, you know, so both piggybacking
Off of that and Brian's point in terms of new
and Innovative strategies.
and the federal government not liking to fund new entirely Innovative
things.
I think TD's been very generous because we're doing a bunch of
different things here.
And I think that regardless of the outcome of the trial, the
information we collect will be very important because we have a
(12:18):
virtual behavioral intervention for individuals on medications.
We have a smart pill bottle and then we have a focus group testing
before and satisfaction surveys afterwards
to incorporate basically the idea of how people feel about the trial
before it occurs and then how to feel about it afterwards.
And oh, yes, the smart pill bottle
Host (12:38):
I would love to hear about that.
Dr. Butler (12:40):
So we in this current trial, we have a very cool thing where
traditionally medication adherence is measured in a bunch of different
ways.
Self-report, is one where if I ask you, did you take your medication
odds are
If I'm your doctor, you're going to lie to me because I told you to
take it, and you didn't.
So that is not the best way to do it.
Pharmacy refills or another way where you track whether
the prescription was filled and taken out, but what we're doing is
(13:03):
tracking medication.
adherence, in real time using a smart pill bottle, where you dump all
the medication in, there is a weight sensor at the bottom of the pill
bottle which registers individual pills being removed and taken.
So not only that happens but when the weight sensor measures the
change, it transmits information via a cell signal to an online portal.
(13:23):
So, we essentially have real-time medication adherence data, which we
are then using to inform our
intervention.
So I am telling people, well, not me.
But also the team are telling people
'You took your medication as prescribed yesterday.'
'You do not take your medications prescribed yesterday.' So we can
titrate our intervention based on actual performance and I think
(13:45):
that's pretty cool.
We're incorporating a lot of very theory-based things from the human
behavior change project which is a group that breaks down behavioral
interventions to its component parts.
So we actually have in our intervention components that relate to all
those kinds of behaviors
you just talked.
It's a multi-component intervention that addresses
those different causes of medication non-adherence and provides
(14:08):
feedback on real-time.
So the goal is to hopefully really if your, if your frazzled and
you're forgetting or you know, to help build a system where you do
take your meds,
Host (14:19):
This is exciting.
I mean, it's amazing.
Brian, what you're doing and north wall, and what the foundation is
doing, tell us a little bit more about the Outpacing Impossible
campaign.
Mr. Lally (14:29):
So that's a system wide initiatives to generate philanthropic or
higher level
We hope philanthropic support across the Enterprise.
You know, the word that Emma has used in the context of TD
Bank that I've heard him say
and I know this for a fact time and time again is community.
They are
based, they are of and they are thoughtful about the community and
(14:52):
this campaign and our organization.
At the end of the day, is a community organization.
We are the components of so many different parts.
Yes, we're the largest health system in the region, but we touch
millions and millions of lives.
And so, what Outpacing the Impossible is about is about generating
support for the communities from the communities, across the
Enterprise, and in the context of this campaign, not only are you
(15:14):
seeing new buildings go up, which is of course important you're
seeing projects, like this come to life. Our research initiatives,
which have been a little bit under the radar as has frankly, the
entire organization, despite our size is being elevated and people are
coming to understand
from a research perspective, just use this one example.
And this is really ultimately what this campaign is going to be about
(15:35):
when you think about Community what other organization can engage
with.
so many people from so many disparate organizations in an Enterprise
and effort in order to deal with things like health disparity?
The answer is simple.
There is no other organization in America that can do what Northwell
can do.
And at the end of the day, I think this Outpacing The Impossible
campaign is about that about what we can do with those in for those
(15:57):
communities.
Host (15:58):
Emmett, when you hear
this talk and you had mentioned before about communities
why is it so important for an organization like TD Bank to have
healthy communities?
Mr. Conlon (16:09):
So look, we're your neighbors, we operate in the same
community in which Nortwell operates in which all these
institutions, which we support are in.
You know.
And I do think companies across, you know all Industries are
increasingly understanding the importance of giving back to the
communities in which they do business.
We look to see if our support will help create meaningful impact and
(16:31):
greater equity and you can have a better example than, you know, what
Mark is working on here.
Finally what I'll say it's so important
organizations like TD and Northwell to come together.
You know, I think because together, you know, we have the resources
and the expertise to really address these inequities, to improve
(16:51):
Healthcare outcomes and to ultimately create a more sustainable
inclusive future for everyone in that community.
And that's why it's so important.
Host (16:59):
And I want to ask you a question, it is the same question
I asked Brian. I asked Brian before about is important for other
Healthcare organizations to get involved with philanthropy.
What about you?
You know, is it you talk to other Banks or businesses about the
importance of doing what you're doing?
Mr. Conlon (17:15):
You know, I think the importance is, you know, at its core, you know,
this corporate citizenship that's thrown around, you know, it's really
about customers, colleagues and communities, you know, and as I've
mentioned time again, you know, I think we have a responsibility to
show up in the communities in which we operate to be a driver for
positive change.
And I think we have that unique culture, TD where our colleagues
(17:36):
across the entire footprint are
really passionate and want to get involved you know in supporting
their local communities and you know and whatever changes they can
bring. We have a lot of people who show up to the
Northwell annual walk, and we have just people that
really just want to get engaged and institutions like Nortwell give
(17:57):
us a lot of opportunity for that so
I think being a really good corporate citizen is more than just
supporting causes, you know, and organizations financially, it can
really mean, you know, being inclusive and sustainable policies, and
practices that you can embed into your business and creating
opportunities for your employees to give back individually.
(18:18):
I think you see a lot of organizations you know, realizing that, you
It's not just good for business,
you know, it's good for our customers.
It's good for our colleagues and it's
Really just great for the community and there's that word again right?
Host (18:34):
With 165K donors
tell us about the various types of donors we have. We have a
Emmett here today from TD Bank and they're also individuals like Leonard
and Susan Feinstein who donate because of first-hand experience.
Mr. Lally (18:46):
Yeah, so I think about this 165,000 organizations and people have made
a gift to Northwell Health in the last few years.
That's a lot of people, right?
Which is a great.
It's a great corollary to what we've been talking about.
Is a community that's reaching out to us.
They're connecting to us.
And people who have supported this campaign thus far include people
(19:08):
who have given us literally tens of millions of dollars of their own
wealth, which is extraordinary and other people who have given
$10, or $25, and organizations, like TD Bank who are partnering
with us. Emmett mentioned the health walk, this
grant is significant but not the only thing that TD Bank does and
(19:28):
yeah, I'll take it a step further.
There are there are people who work for TD Bank who are participating
in this walk and and they're writing personal checks to Northwell
Health.
So they're committed to the organization to understand what we're
doing.
And they're trying to make a difference. For a lot
of people it has something to do with their own personal experience.
So they've had a health situation and it's prompted them to want to
(19:50):
give back. But for other people.
And this is, this grant is a perfect example that they are looking at
this, from a much bigger perspective.
They're looking at this from the societal perspective from the
civic duty.
And what can we do to make society better?
And there's a lot of people who are committed to us in that space
165,000 and more.
(20:10):
We're not done yet.
Host (20:11):
It's awesome.
Brian, Lally
Dr. Butler. Emmett Conlon
Thank you so much for joining us here on 20-Minute Health Talk.
And for you, the listener, thank you so much for tuning in.
I'm Rob Hoell. Have a great day and stay safe.
The federal government which is primary source of revenue for
research doesn't like to fund brand-new things, they really like the
fund things that they know it's going to work, which is a little bit of
a conundrum, right?
So how do you actually prove i? And you proved it with philanthropy.
It's not just the impact on the community.
It's the impact on research itself, so that we actually can get more
funding to do more research.
Once we prove principle.
Host (00:30):
Welcome to 20-minute Health talk.
I'm your host Rob Hoell.
One of the biggest factors in determining a person's health is the
community in which they work live and play. Healthcare systems like
Northwell are investing in programs to address racial disparities in
health care access and outcomes and equip communities with the
resources they need to lead a healthy life.
To get their philanthropy
(00:51):
also plays a critical role.
Our guests today are each working toward that goal of Health Equity
Across all zip codes and will share their unique perspectives.
We have Brian Lally. He is the senior vice president and chief
development officer for Northwell Health leading, its foundation.
Brian Lally (01:06):
Thanks Rob
Host (01:07):
We Have Dr. Mark Butler.
He's an assistant investigator for the center for personalized Health
at the Feinstein.
Institutes for medical research and is leading a study using smart
prescription pill bottles to help address medication adherence, and
reduce cardiovascular disease in the black community.
Dr. Butler (01:23):
Thank you again for supporting the research.
Host (01:25):
And finally, we have em at
Inland he is the senior vice president and group head of US, Health
Care and higher education, at TD Bank which has funded dr.
Butler's, clinical trial.
Mr. Conlon (01:34):
Thank you rob for having me on today and what a pleasure it is to meet
Brian and Mark.
Host (01:38):
Thank you everybody for joining us here on 20-minute Health Talk.
Brian Lally.
Tell us about your role in why philanthropy is so important in
healthcare.
Mr. Lally (01:46):
Well, thanks, Rob
My role is to lead the foundation, which is essentially the
fundraising arm of Northwell Health, and specifically to why
We have to be; well, let me let me preface by saying to my thanks on
behalf of North well
and frankly a broader Community to TD Bank for the work that they
are doing.
It's not just here, by the way, it's a national initiative that they
(02:08):
have underway and it's pretty spectacular and I know we'll hear more
about it.
The nature of Health care is such that we run on a very, very thin
margin.
This is a non-profit Enterprise and very, very expensive. The Capital
cost to run a Health Care, Organization are enormous.
So there are many many
Many things that we need and want to do and certainly research is one
(02:29):
of them and and helping the communities that are underserved
is another and there's no funding for these.
There's no appropriate funding without philanthropy these things
just they wouldn't happen.
So it's extraordinarily important to move the organization forward to
the point at some point that we hope that these things do get funded
but without philanthropy, a lot of things just wouldn't happen.
Host (02:49):
And I feel that is also very true in research.
Dr. Butler (02:54):
Absolutely.
I think having the opportunity
for external funding from philanthropy opens up so many
new doors for research possibilities and I think for, you know, we're
going to be talking about my study but this study in lots of other
studies that are at the Feinstein institutes couldn't really exist
without those external funding sources.
Host (03:11):
Yes.
Why don't you tell us a little bit about your research into smart
prescription bottles.
Dr. Butler (03:16):
The particular study, that TD Bank has graciously funded here is
looking at the adherence to Statin medications amongst individuals
identifying as black or African-American.
And so the reason why we're doing this research is
Is because there's a lot of information showing that Statin
medications Instituted as primary prevention.
So if you provide someone with Statin before, they have a
(03:39):
cardiovascular disease event like a heart attack or a stroke or
something along those lines, you can actually prevent the incidence of
those events.
So individuals, prescribe statins with that primary, prevention
capacity can reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes.
Now, this is great, but in general, medication adherence is low for
most medications but for
(04:00):
statins, within the first year about 60 percent of people who were
using them
do not use them as prescribed within that first year.
So there's a lot of opportunity for improvement for getting people to
take their medications as prescribed.
And the reason why we're focusing specifically on individuals
identifying as black or African-American is because individuals who
fall within that group have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease,
(04:22):
greater risk of cardiovascular mortality than non-hispanic whites.
And perhaps most importantly have lower rates of medication
adherence than non Hispanic whites.
So we wind up in a situation is where we have a greater burden of both
mortality and cardiovascular disease, amongst individuals, identifying
as black or African-American, but reduced adherence, to potentially
(04:43):
life-saving medication therapy.
So we hope to address is by creasing medication adherence.
We hope to bridge
at least partially some of that disparity between non-hispanic whites
and black, or African-American individuals
Host (04:56):
Emmet Conlon, what about Mark's
And the Feinstein's research prompted TD
Bank to provide $150,000 dollar Grant in support?
Mr. Conlon (05:04):
At TD Bank, we're committed to giving back to the communities we
serve, and we fulfill that commitment by leveraging our business our
philanthropy and our human capital as levers
of focusing impact. The TD ready commitment
where this grant came from, is our Global corporate citizenship
platform and guides are working the local community by targeting
(05:25):
Community Investments that fall
under one of our four key drivers, which together help create a more
inclusive and sustainable future for all.
And one of those for drivers is better health and the goal of that
driver is to support incredible organizations like Northwell Health
and their Innovative programs such as this one led by Mark which focus
on breaking down barriers to Health Care access and improving outcomes
(05:48):
overall. And that's exactly what this grant is designed to do. To improve
healthcare outcomes for the black community by launching Mark's new
research program and the first clinical trial to determine
the best interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease.
And really, that's a long way of saying, it was really just a perfect
match and fit into our vision, that match up perfectly with Mark's.
Host (06:13):
So awesome.
We're talking about a prime example of philanthropy opening doors for
research focused on historically underserved and under treated
populations.
This question for Brian and Emmett (06:21):
what lessons have you learned about
how to make an impact through investment?
Mr. Lally (06:28):
Well I'll take the lead on this; I'm sure Emmett will reflect on this as well.
But certainly from my experience it's a continuation of lessons
learned, which is as I said earlier without the without the funding
that we can't get from the health system, philanthropy has
to fill in.
And the a lesson learned is when you find something along the lines of
(06:49):
Mark's project, you actually can create a bright future so without the
funding, no research. When the research happens,
assuming this does prove to be effective
It becomes practice then, and then it does get funded and then it turns
out that lots and lots of people's lives get saved.
That is an impact of philanthropy.
And I think that, you know, the call it a lesson learned.
(07:12):
But for people who want to make a difference, investing in
organization like Northwell has a huge impact that goes beyond just a
dollar in.
It's a much bigger opportunity than that.
Host (07:22):
It's a ripple effect.
Mr. Lally (07:23):
It is a ripple effect.
Mr. Conlon (07:24):
What I would add is well, I think I work with my
colleagues
I've definitely learned that
it's all about the approach and what makes TD really unique is how the
bank approaches Community
giving, you know, the focus of our corporate citizenship program is to
be intimately connected to the communities we serve.
and we do that by working with organizations, like Northwell and
(07:46):
people like Mark who are on the ground and deeply rooted in those
communities.
And those strong relationships really helped the bank identify the
most pressing issues, and best ways we can help Drive positive change.
With reference to this grant specifically we know cardiovascular disease to a
does not impact on communities equally as mentioned
earlier, you know.
(08:06):
And we hope that through this investment, we can really help identify
ways to support Mark in his efforts to break down barriers to care,
address, inequities and improve overall health care outcomes for
vulnerable populations.
Host (08:20):
Yeah, Mark, how does identifying a funding source factor into
designing a trial like this?
Dr. Butler (08:25):
I think greatly I think that every funding source has their particular
goals and priorities.
So whether it be NIH or TD Bank, I think it's about finding that, you
know, nice overlap, in the Venn diagram between their research
interests and your research interests.
And I think when people are when both groups are really well aligned,
it allows things to flow more smoothly.
(08:46):
And I think, you know, in terms of design
for philanthropy, as opposed to design for say government
funding, at least in my limited experience
it seems that we're working with the philanthropy sources
allow the design to
be a little more agile, a little more Nimble.
So for the process of this particular project, I you know, the Northwell
(09:07):
and TD representatives communicated over a period of several
weeks.
And at the end of that period we had identified a study that we were
both aligned with and both were willing to move forward with.
I think if you have other sources of funding, there can be a longer a
bit more rigorous
but also slow process and there are trade-offs and benefits.
But what I've really enjoyed in this process is you're able to move
(09:28):
ahead quickly, identify something that we
both found interesting and then just engage in it.
Mr. Lally (09:33):
Yeah, I think just to leverage on that and also what Emmett said,
philanthropy a piece of this is about relationship.
So you know, TD Bank has been a great partner over the years and has
become a better partner and I think that's also on our end.
So we're delivering for them or to them what they want to accomplish
in the community.
And I think that's it.
That's the important thing is a relationship and then
(09:55):
specific to what Emmett said, and I can tell you this from long experience
that the Federal
Government which is primary source of revenue for research doesn't
like to fund brand-new things.
They really like the fund things that they know is going to work, which
is a little bit of a conundrum, right?
So how do you actually prove it and you prove it with philanthropy.
So you know, when we talked about that opportunity to the ripple
(10:16):
effect, it's not just the impact on the community its impact on
research itself so that we actually can get more funding to do more
research
once we prove principle.
Host (10:24):
Yeah.
And what would you be our advice to other healthcare
systems who are trying to address these racial
disparities?
Mr. Lally (10:30):
Well, first off, don't talk to TD Bank.
I look, I think it's the same thing, right?
It's relationships.
The fact that there are underserved communities is not news, right?
These communities have been underserved forever.
And what happened in the in the context of covid is all of a sudden
(10:52):
there's just been huge, huge Awakening and Northwell has
been been doing this and been dealing with this for a very very long
time.
We are actually coalescing now in the context of covid and really
putting a lot more energy into that space and I think it's a good idea
for others to do the same thing.
This is not this is not a simple problem that will get solved in New
York or the New York metro area.
(11:12):
This is a national problem, which by the way is is an interesting
thing to from TD's perspective.
I think.
And certainly ours, which is this is a; in the scale of this scheme of
big things
it's modest project, that actually can have impact across the United
States of America, which is kind of
A big deal when you think about it and it's kind of cool. For $150,000
(11:34):
you can change lives in California.
So I'd encourage folks to push into the same space we are
Host (11:39):
Yeah, I think Dr. Butler
What is interesting, too
Is that when you do a research project like this, whatever the outcome
is, it raises awareness.
I don't think a lot of people knew how bad
following medication how much of a problem that could be and how what
an impact it could be on people's health and communities.
Dr. Butler (11:57):
And I think, you know, so both piggybacking
Off of that and Brian's point in terms of new
and Innovative strategies.
and the federal government not liking to fund new entirely Innovative
things.
I think TD's been very generous because we're doing a bunch of
different things here.
And I think that regardless of the outcome of the trial, the
information we collect will be very important because we have a
(12:18):
virtual behavioral intervention for individuals on medications.
We have a smart pill bottle and then we have a focus group testing
before and satisfaction surveys afterwards
to incorporate basically the idea of how people feel about the trial
before it occurs and then how to feel about it afterwards.
And oh, yes, the smart pill bottle
Host (12:38):
I would love to hear about that.
Dr. Butler (12:40):
So we in this current trial, we have a very cool thing where
traditionally medication adherence is measured in a bunch of different
ways.
Self-report, is one where if I ask you, did you take your medication
odds are
If I'm your doctor, you're going to lie to me because I told you to
take it, and you didn't.
So that is not the best way to do it.
Pharmacy refills or another way where you track whether
the prescription was filled and taken out, but what we're doing is
(13:03):
tracking medication.
adherence, in real time using a smart pill bottle, where you dump all
the medication in, there is a weight sensor at the bottom of the pill
bottle which registers individual pills being removed and taken.
So not only that happens but when the weight sensor measures the
change, it transmits information via a cell signal to an online portal.
(13:23):
So, we essentially have real-time medication adherence data, which we
are then using to inform our
intervention.
So I am telling people, well, not me.
But also the team are telling people
'You took your medication as prescribed yesterday.'
'You do not take your medications prescribed yesterday.' So we can
titrate our intervention based on actual performance and I think
(13:45):
that's pretty cool.
We're incorporating a lot of very theory-based things from the human
behavior change project which is a group that breaks down behavioral
interventions to its component parts.
So we actually have in our intervention components that relate to all
those kinds of behaviors
you just talked.
It's a multi-component intervention that addresses
those different causes of medication non-adherence and provides
(14:08):
feedback on real-time.
So the goal is to hopefully really if your, if your frazzled and
you're forgetting or you know, to help build a system where you do
take your meds,
Host (14:19):
This is exciting.
I mean, it's amazing.
Brian, what you're doing and north wall, and what the foundation is
doing, tell us a little bit more about the Outpacing Impossible
campaign.
Mr. Lally (14:29):
So that's a system wide initiatives to generate philanthropic or
higher level
We hope philanthropic support across the Enterprise.
You know, the word that Emma has used in the context of TD
Bank that I've heard him say
and I know this for a fact time and time again is community.
They are
based, they are of and they are thoughtful about the community and
(14:52):
this campaign and our organization.
At the end of the day, is a community organization.
We are the components of so many different parts.
Yes, we're the largest health system in the region, but we touch
millions and millions of lives.
And so, what Outpacing the Impossible is about is about generating
support for the communities from the communities, across the
Enterprise, and in the context of this campaign, not only are you
(15:14):
seeing new buildings go up, which is of course important you're
seeing projects, like this come to life. Our research initiatives,
which have been a little bit under the radar as has frankly, the
entire organization, despite our size is being elevated and people are
coming to understand
from a research perspective, just use this one example.
And this is really ultimately what this campaign is going to be about
(15:35):
when you think about Community what other organization can engage
with.
so many people from so many disparate organizations in an Enterprise
and effort in order to deal with things like health disparity?
The answer is simple.
There is no other organization in America that can do what Northwell
can do.
And at the end of the day, I think this Outpacing The Impossible
campaign is about that about what we can do with those in for those
(15:57):
communities.
Host (15:58):
Emmett, when you hear
this talk and you had mentioned before about communities
why is it so important for an organization like TD Bank to have
healthy communities?
Mr. Conlon (16:09):
So look, we're your neighbors, we operate in the same
community in which Nortwell operates in which all these
institutions, which we support are in.
You know.
And I do think companies across, you know all Industries are
increasingly understanding the importance of giving back to the
communities in which they do business.
We look to see if our support will help create meaningful impact and
(16:31):
greater equity and you can have a better example than, you know, what
Mark is working on here.
Finally what I'll say it's so important
organizations like TD and Northwell to come together.
You know, I think because together, you know, we have the resources
and the expertise to really address these inequities, to improve
(16:51):
Healthcare outcomes and to ultimately create a more sustainable
inclusive future for everyone in that community.
And that's why it's so important.
Host (16:59):
And I want to ask you a question, it is the same question
I asked Brian. I asked Brian before about is important for other
Healthcare organizations to get involved with philanthropy.
What about you?
You know, is it you talk to other Banks or businesses about the
importance of doing what you're doing?
Mr. Conlon (17:15):
You know, I think the importance is, you know, at its core, you know,
this corporate citizenship that's thrown around, you know, it's really
about customers, colleagues and communities, you know, and as I've
mentioned time again, you know, I think we have a responsibility to
show up in the communities in which we operate to be a driver for
positive change.
And I think we have that unique culture, TD where our colleagues
(17:36):
across the entire footprint are
really passionate and want to get involved you know in supporting
their local communities and you know and whatever changes they can
bring. We have a lot of people who show up to the
Northwell annual walk, and we have just people that
really just want to get engaged and institutions like Nortwell give
(17:57):
us a lot of opportunity for that so
I think being a really good corporate citizen is more than just
supporting causes, you know, and organizations financially, it can
really mean, you know, being inclusive and sustainable policies, and
practices that you can embed into your business and creating
opportunities for your employees to give back individually.
(18:18):
I think you see a lot of organizations you know, realizing that, you
It's not just good for business,
you know, it's good for our customers.
It's good for our colleagues and it's
Really just great for the community and there's that word again right?
Host (18:34):
With 165K donors
tell us about the various types of donors we have. We have a
Emmett here today from TD Bank and they're also individuals like Leonard
and Susan Feinstein who donate because of first-hand experience.
Mr. Lally (18:46):
Yeah, so I think about this 165,000 organizations and people have made
a gift to Northwell Health in the last few years.
That's a lot of people, right?
Which is a great.
It's a great corollary to what we've been talking about.
Is a community that's reaching out to us.
They're connecting to us.
And people who have supported this campaign thus far include people
(19:08):
who have given us literally tens of millions of dollars of their own
wealth, which is extraordinary and other people who have given
$10, or $25, and organizations, like TD Bank who are partnering
with us. Emmett mentioned the health walk, this
grant is significant but not the only thing that TD Bank does and
(19:28):
yeah, I'll take it a step further.
There are there are people who work for TD Bank who are participating
in this walk and and they're writing personal checks to Northwell
Health.
So they're committed to the organization to understand what we're
doing.
And they're trying to make a difference. For a lot
of people it has something to do with their own personal experience.
So they've had a health situation and it's prompted them to want to
(19:50):
give back. But for other people.
And this is, this grant is a perfect example that they are looking at
this, from a much bigger perspective.
They're looking at this from the societal perspective from the
civic duty.
And what can we do to make society better?
And there's a lot of people who are committed to us in that space
165,000 and more.
(20:10):
We're not done yet.
Host (20:11):
It's awesome.
Brian, Lally
Dr. Butler. Emmett Conlon
Thank you so much for joining us here on 20-Minute Health Talk.
And for you, the listener, thank you so much for tuning in.
I'm Rob Hoell. Have a great day and stay safe.
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