Scott Hall became the site of a medical summit of sorts on March 27, as Dean John Crissman, MD, welcomed two of the biggest players in Michigan health care to the Wayne State University School of Medicine. A standing-room-only crowd of nearly 300 listened to calls for increased cooperation between government and the medical profession from James Haveman, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health, and Arthur Porter, MD, president and CEO of the Detroit Medical Center.

Dr. Porter, whose stewardship has seen the DMC go from a nine-figure budget deficit to the brink of profitability in just three years, paid homage to America’s medical research capabilities and challenged our healthcare delivery system to keep pace.

“While institutions such as the Wayne State School of Medicine make us a world leader in medical research and innovation, more than 40 million Americans lack adequate insurance to allow them to benefit from the breakthroughs all around us,” Dr. Porter said.

In his subsequent presentation, Haveman seconded Dr. Porter’s call for cooperation between government and medicine. He went even further, describing the holistic view of health care he feels is necessary to ensure a healthy population for the state of Michigan.

“People who think about health care tend to think in silos now: ‘What’s best for me as a provider or as a consumer?’” Mr. Haveman said. To get beyond this paradigm, he called for the participation of not only medical professionals, but of schools and community and faith-based organizations in fostering an environment of increased preventative care and “customer satisfaction.”

Dean Crissman, who served as moderator for the event, thanked both presenters for sharing their visions for the future with the WSU School of Medicine community and stressed the school’s role in that future.

“WSU will play an increasingly critical role in the type of future Dr. Porter and Mr. Haveman spoke of,” Dr. Crissman said. “Not only will we continue to provide top-quality patient care, we are continuing to build relationships with government, community- and faith-based organizations, and biotech firms to address all aspects of a healthy community.”