North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems and its Visionary President and CEO

North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems is raising funds for construction of the new Katz Institute for Women's Health and Katz Women's Hospital. In support of that effort, a group of Long Island executives, called the Commerce and Industry Council, held an event at which Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of North Shore-LIJ Healthcare Systems, was the keynote speaker. Mr. Dowling is visionary.

Healthcare is a complex industry. It involves people of varying skill, real estate, construction, facility maintenance, supplies, equipment and security.* North Shore-LIJ hires approximately 80 to 90 people each week, and Mr. Dowling meets them all. Up-to-date facilities, however, are integral to provision of medical services. New York's medical facilities, in particular, are aging.

Fifty may be the new thirty for people, but not so for buildings. The expense of building hospitals is close to incomprehensible. Covering the costs for delivery of care by the medical professionals is another challenge in the face of cuts to medicare and medicaid. Mr. Dowling, however, seems one step ahead. He has anticipated and prepared for changes in the landscape of the healthcare industry. Facilities for professional and patient education, as well as facilities for treatment have been created throughout the metropolitan area, and expansion is envisioned.

Excellent medical education is a hallmark of America's medical care system, yet not one medical school has opened in the United States the past 30 years. Hofstra University and North Shore-LIJ will co-own and operate a new medical school and the first class is currently being selected. Mr. Dowling told the group that 4,000 applications are ultimately expected and that the first year class will be comprised of only 40 students. The class will expand to 100 over the course of a short, few years.

A multitude of jobs continues to be created by the healthcare system that Mr. Dowling has created. Mr. Dowling said, "no one is perfect, but we always try to close the gap between where we are and where we want to be." In a troubled economy, Mr. Dowling is spearheading a remarkable effort to create a network that will provide jobs and stimulate the local economy, while creating a premiere network for provision of medical care and professional training. These impressive efforts will have a positive impact on thousands of people in the New York metropolitan area for years to come.

*For an idea of how many people are involved in the daily operation of a hospital, I highly recommend the You Tube video entitled "Pink Glove Dance."

Triumph over Adversity, a Good Story

I just finished reading the "Modern Love Column" in the 'Styles' section of today's Sunday New York Times. It is my favorite column of the week. The stories range from ones where love conquers all to those where love doesn't succeed. In today's column, love permitted the writer to move on from tragic losses. It made me wonder whether sadness is the sole impetus for evocative prose? Jeanette Walls's "The Glass Castle," which recounts a most fantastic childhood with mentally ill parents is riveting. Frank McCourt's book, "Angela's Ashes" was a remarkable ouvre. These works grab your attention.

A former colleague was a student of Frank McCourt's at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He told me that McCourt had no patience for anyone who handed in a story that didn't include a healthy dose of suffering and deprivation. As far as McCourt was concerned, exposure to alchoholism was a necessary life experience. I suppose the man had a point; sad stories are compelling.

Tragic events provide dramatic action forcing change. To succeed, the change must be inspirational. Otherwise, the story wouldn't be worth telling. Certainly, had McCourt or Walls not overcome their pasts, they would not have been capable of writing their works. Perhaps someone else would have picked up the story of someone who survived a broken childhood only to continue a pattern of destitution. That story would just show how some people lack the ability to extract themselves from pathetic lives. A desperate situation is an attention grabber. The reader must find out what happens and how the protagonist emerges victorious. How did McCourt go from being an urchin to a distinguished educator? How did Walls end up living on Park Avenue while her mother scavenged in garbage cans? Somehow, they do move beyond their circumstances, and if they can do it, so, too, can the reader. The contrast is essential to the inspirational message. I suppose that we must accept that triumph over adversity is an essential ingredient to a story worth reading.

The Camel Knows the Way

 "The Camel Knows the Way" is an autobiography recounting Lorna Kelly's  successful career as the first woman auctioneer at Sotheby's, her battle with alchoholism, humbling experiences in Calcutta and  a remarkable relationship with Mother Theresa. Though it is a story of Ms. Kelly's particularly Christian spiritual awakening, "The Camel Knows the Way" nonetheless speaks to people of all religions. The author's artful use of language to portray vivid images and emotions, as well as her honesty, is remarkable.

Ms. Kelly's spiritual shift experienced through her work in Calcutta is beyond moving.   Ms. Kelly learns  to see each and every person as worthy of compassion, even the people covered in filth and feces.  She accomplishes this by envisioning each suffering person as Jesus, himself or, in one case, as her mother.  With that shift, Ms. Kelly is emboldened to help the people of Calcutta. Even though I am Jewish, I found this metaphor particularly transformational. It is a metaphor that frequently comes to mind, especially in the midst of some of the more exasperating moments in parenthood.

I have had the honor of meeting Ms. Kelly and speaking with her in person. We first met at a school fair, where I had purchased my copy of "The Camel Knows the Way, a Journey. " When I sought out Ms. Kelly for an inscription, I found her, gleefully getting her face painted.   It was not surprising to read that Ms. Kelly jumped into the Sea of Gallilee fully clothed.  I would expect no less of someone this brave, adventurous and alive. Ms. Kelly's full embrace of life is admirable.