News
June 2010—JFK project leads to humanitarian aid from Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston
Read the press release (PDF)
May 2010—The Society for the Arts in Healthcare appoints Ellen Offner to its Board of Directors
Read the press release (PDF)
November 2009—Dance for Parkinsons DiseaseSM Develops Business Plan
The Brooklyn Parkinsons Group (BPg) and Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) initiated a Dance for Parkinsons DiseaseSM program in 2001, which has won wide acclaim in the United States and abroad. The program has proven popular with Parkinson's patients, their spouses, partners, and other family members, and the medical community. As its reputation has spread, demand for Dance for PD training workshops and classes has grown rapidly and far exceeds the resources of MMDG to provide them. In order to meet the demand and ensure that the program is self-sustaining over the long term, MMDG has appointed David Leventhal, one of the founding teachers, Program Manager and undertaken development of a business plan, with support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Ellen is working with the BPg/MMDG Planning Group, including Nancy Umanoff, Executive Director of MMDG; Olie Westheimer, Executive Director of BPg; Eva Nichols, Education Director of MMDG; Carroll Neesemann, Vice President, BPg; and David Leventhal to develop the business plan.
- Watch the MMDG film about Dance for PDSM classes
- Special NPR Report, All Things Considered, NPR
- New Zealand News Report
- Watch the ABC News Report
- Read Dance for Parkinson's Disease Teacher Training Workshop (PDF), Dance Teacher Magazine
July 2009—JFK Medical Center, Monrovia, Liberia, Completes Strategic Plan
Under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, an effort has been undertaken to restore JFK Medical Center, Liberia's referral hospital, to its pre-conflict stature. Health Systems 20/20 engaged Offner Consulting to work with the leadership of JFK Medical Center, USAID, and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to develop a strategic plan. Judi Donnelly, Consultant, and Ellen Offner, Principal, visited Liberia in February and June 2009. They worked with the JFK Planning Group and the JFK Managers Group to develop the Strategic Plan, including review of the external and internal environment, a SWOT analysis, and generation and prioritization of strategic initiatives. On their second trip, they worked with the Planning Group to refine the Strategic Plan, determine next steps, and develop an implementation plan for the two highest-priority initiatives. The Planning Group has appointed a Steering Committee to oversee and guide the process and task forces to implement the initiatives.
Health Systems 20/20, a five-year (2006-2011) cooperative agreement, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), offers USAID supported countries help in solving problems in health governance, finance, operations, and capacity building.
www.healthsystems2020.org/section/where_we_work/liberia/jfk
