INTRODUCTION

We want to be healthy and when we are not we want access to the right care for us. A universal desire, realized in as many different ways as there arepeople. Thus, we have the conundrum of “health care reform”. What is it? What should it be? Who deserves it? Who pays for it? Who oversees it? Thinkingabout it is daunting. Many are choosing to wait and see what “others” think it should be.We think it’s personal. We think it’s approachable. We think there are no one-size fits all solutions. We think there are many brilliant, simple, complex,tailored and basic solutions being implemented everyday and everywhere–

ordinary miracles

. We think awareness and dialogue are the starting points torealizing the manifestation of everyone having the opportunity to be healthy, and when they are not, to have access to the right care.We know awareness is growing, and despite the sometimes angry rhetoric reported in the media, true dialogue is happening among institutions, companies,health professionals, and individuals. The Mayo Clinic held

Transform: A collaborative symposium on innovations in health care experience and delivery

inSeptember (2009). The purpose and the message were

“…the next great leaps in health care will result from collaborative discussions and the sharing of insights from across disciplines

.”Inspired by that symposium, its speakers and attendees, we invited others to share what they believe will make American health care the best experiencefor consumers and the model for the rest of the world. Our contributors are first and foremost people–mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives–individuals who want healthy families and access to good health care. They have unique experiences, both personal and professional. What we all share is adesire to participate in the dialogue and a belief that transformation, not just reform, is possible.Our hope is that

Ordinary Miracles: Health Care, Wellness and the Next American Dream

, encourages you to participate in the dialogue, too. Alan Parr and Karen AnsbaughOpenSky Consortium

OpenSky Consortium does not take responsibility for the opinions expressed. Each contributor’s thoughts, ideas and opinions are their own and are understood to be original or appropriately attributed to their original source.