Becker's Hospital Review

89 89 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP get to a point of compromise if you understand the other side and their circumstances. If I'm dealing with people who have had a privileged life, I try to understand that background because quite frankly I'm in that situation today. It's about a balanced perspective and appreciating where you are today is not where you were, and where some people are today is not where everybody is. For almost everybody who finds themselves in a good situation today, at some point or another, their predecessors were not in that position. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before. Q: You describe your father, Jack Dowling, as having an unpredictable temper. As a result, you and your siblings walked on eggshells around him. He also kept his emo- tions, besides anger, to himself. Years later, you and your siblings have come to see he was likely experiencing de- pression, and you went through a difficult time yourself in the 1970s. We have learned a lot about depression, and at- titudes toward it have shifted a great deal, but only recent- ly. Do you think U.S. healthcare has fully embraced mental and behavioral health, or does work remain? MD: I think healthcare does a relatively poor job overall of embracing mental health. First of all, we silo it in its own separate, distinct category, and it has been stigmatized. ere is some positive improvement, however. I dream of being able to come up with a name other than mental health. Some people now are calling it "brain health," because "mental health" has this negative connotation. We don't educate people about it as much as we should. We don't have the proper facilities in most cases to treat mental illness. We don't inte- grate it with physical health services as much as we should. When I was having problems in the 1970s, I never got treatment or help. I was never diagnosed with a mental illness, but I know enough about it to know through that period I was in all likelihood suffering from depression. It needs to be accepted a lot more, and we need more education about it. Q: You mention in your book that some of the most import- ant and formative social gatherings growing up in Ireland were wakes and funerals. The Irish wake is such an inter- esting tradition and celebration of life. We have now gone a year as a society when wakes and funerals were very dif- ficult, if not impossible, to organize. Do you think social gatherings will have renewed importance to us when we are able to be together again? MD: I think they will have enhanced, renewed importance. People de- sire person-to-person socialization. We can do a lot with Zoom, but when families come back together, I think there will be increased ap- preciation of how important it is. If you're human at all, COVID has changed you and given you a different perspective on the importance of relationships. ings that you might have dismissed prior to COVID or were a little bit of an annoyance, now I think we will appreciate get- ting together more. n How to win in a competitive virtual care landscape What should I budget for the shift to digital, and who do I need on my team? The essentials for a long-term virtual care strategy that will add to the bottom line How home care and remote monitoring will revolutionize hospital strategy Best ideas to tackle broadband issues and bridge the digital divide Telehealth for rural and community hospitals — what works and what doesn't THE SHIFT TO DIGITAL: TELEHEALTH, HOME HEALTH & VIRTUAL CARE VIRTUAL EVENT | JULY 20 - 21, 2021 | 10 AM - 12 PM CT Go to events.beckershospitalreview.com/the-shift-to-digital-virtual-event to see the full agenda, speakers and RSVP.

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