National Spotlight

Celebrating Strategic Partnerships in the Advancement of Humankindness and Health Justice

Englewood, CO (August 22, 2022) – CommonSpirit Health Foundation is honored to celebrate its continued partnership with two leading firms, Optum and Polsinelli. Earlier this year, each organization generously contributed $1 million to support the newly established Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice. As inaugural stakeholders and sponsors of the 2022 Humankindness Gala, their support will help launch the institute’s work to transform how we care for those who are most vulnerable while remaining focused on ensuring that health justice and humankindness propel our care.

Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. At their core, Optum is working toward identifying and breaking down barriers that prevent people — all people — from living their healthiest lives. This focus is reflected in CommonSpirit’s mission and has resulted in a successful years-long partnership between the two organizations. The Optum corporate social responsibility platform mirrors CommonSpirit Health Foundation’s own priorities of achieving health equity and advancing maternal health.

Polsinelli is a different kind of law firm. One that loves a challenge. One that loves to collaborate. One that is strategically designed to be a teammate, which is why it was important for them to support the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice. CommonSpirit is a longstanding and important client, and aligning with them on this endeavor is the perfect juxtaposition for the two organizations to work together to make a positive and important impact in improving people’s lives.

“A financial commitment is only part of our relationship with the institute. We have much more to give in terms of time and talent in order to help the institute further its goals of health care equity and human compassion and kindness,” says Frank J. Ross, Jr., of Polsinelli.

The core values that drive CommonSpirit’s work are also evident in the social responsibility platforms of both Optum and Polsinelli. It is thanks in large part to the visionary investment by their leadership boards that the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice will succeed in accelerating the vision and advancing the legacy of CommonSpirit’s Chief Executive Emeritus and Founding Executive.

Doug Hires, Chief Operating Officer, OptumInsight’s Provider business, stated, “We are pleased to support the mission of the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice. At Optum we are committed to a vision of equal access to affordable, quality health care, and we strive every day to remove barriers and close gaps in care to make health equity a reality for all people. Our support and partnership with the institute is another opportunity to deliver on our commitment to those we serve."

“What began as a personal belief - that kindness is essential to basic human health for everyone“ says Dean, “has become the daily commitment of over 150,000 team members supporting one of our country’s largest health systems.”

The Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness and Health Justice will collaborate across the many divisions within CommonSpirit – all focused on ensuring a health justice lens propels our work. Recognizing that chronic health problems grow from the same roots that underlie poverty, hunger, substance abuse, violence and other social disparities, the institute will identify solutions that are implemented with humankindness to ensure our communities become healthier. These goals remain attainable thanks in part to visionary partners, like Optum and Polsinelli, who are committed to making them a reality for those we serve.

About CommonSpirit Health
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit is committed to creating healthier communities, delivering exceptional patient care and ensuring every person has access to quality health care. With its national office in Chicago and a team of approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 140 hospitals and more than 1,000 care sites across 21 states. Learn more at commonspirit.org.

About CommonSpirit Health Foundation
CommonSpirit Health Foundation is making the promise of health equity and health justice a reality across the country — through funding pioneering programs that ensure greater access, creating community partnerships and advocating for the underserved and most vulnerable. The foundation inspires investments and donations from individuals, private foundations, corporate foundations and other entities — to support programs and initiatives that enable all people to be healthy and safe. Learn more at commonspirithealthphilanthropy.org/foundation.

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