Matt Ready

Hello Jefferson County! It is truly an honor to represent the healthcare interests of all the people that Jefferson Healthcare serves. Over the last 10 years, we have seen our world dramatically evolve and we continue to see Jefferson Healthcare grow and evolve. I’ve learned a lot and I thought I would share some reflections today.

Inequities in Healthcare and Wealth are my two fundamental priorities. As a public hospital commissioner, I will always fight to push our institution and elected leaders to do everything we can to ensure everyone in our community has access to the healthcare they need. Yet, the inequities in healthcare access are highly controlled by the broader gross inequities in the distribution of income and wealth in our country and world. This chart shows where the money is held.

The distribution of wealth and income in our nation and world will always mirror the distribution of power and access to resources needed to live and thrive. So in addition to my work as an elected hospital commissioner, I will always continue to work as an independent activist to find creative breakthrough solutions to change how power and wealth work in our world. You can learn about my other activities on my Twitter profile or other websites linked from this page.

Our institutions, both local and beyond, are incredibly powerful and important. They are the means through which we can combine our collective power to do amazing huge things – like the new hospital building project. Sometimes, I feel disheartened and frustrated with the inner workings of these institutions, yet they are the tools we have at our disposal. It is hard work making these institutions function effectively. Jefferson Healthcare is full of dedicated hard working people who work everyday to provide our community the best healthcare possible.

We absolutely need truth and transparency in our institutions. If you peruse the posts on this website over the last 10 years, you may notice I’ve had some issues with the transparency of our public hospital district board. It has been an exhausting and educational struggle to come to an acceptable resolution to the conflict I had with the board members over the recording of our open public board meetings, yet I do not regret the effort. If we are to have a functional democracy, we need leaders who believe in fighting for transparency and accountability. The only way to have truth and transparency in our institutions is to elect good trustworthy and brave leaders. I hope you will seek to do so in every election. I also encourage you to step forward to run for office or assist with the campaigns of others who do so.

The United States healthcare payment system is a complex monstrosity – and public hospital districts such as Jefferson Healthcare are faced with an incredible challenge trying to navigate, survive, and thrive within this system. I now believe more than ever in the need for a far simpler and more equitable universal healthcare system, such as the concept of Medicare for All. That said, there is a definite tension between the need to advocate for specific relatively minor tweaks and changes to our healthcare system- that help an institution such as Jefferson Healthcare in the short term provide better healthcare and services – and the need for a dramatic overhaul to the system. As one of your elected healthcare advocates, I strive to strike a balance between these two needs.

I don’t have all the answers and I want to hear more from you. When I first ran for public hospital commissioner, I was coming out of a few years of intense grass roots organizing as part of the Occupy movement. During that time I helped facilitate hundreds of different groups of people both locally and distant- to try to help us put our minds together to identify actions and solutions to real problems. I proudly consider myself an activist and I will never stop seeking the best path forward so that we can all share our resources and wield our collective power in the best way possible- so that everyone can thrive. Over the coming months, I intend to hold several in person public spaces where we can get together and share ideas and experiences in a safe community building environment. I hope I’ll see you there.