Chief Health Equity Officer

My dear friend, Dr. Jim Walton recently received a notable promotion. Actually, it is an amazing development.

Dr. Walton has served as the director of community health improvement for the Baylor Health Care System. His position has been "nested" for several years inside Health Texas Provider Network, the physicians group that serves the entire Baylor system.

We've known each other since 1997. My life and our community have been made richer and healthier because of this friendship. All of our community health services improvements have come as a direct result of Jim's hard work, leadership, vision and willingness to spend his own social and professional capital on behalf of our community.

Jim is the resident expert inside Baylor for community health concerns, improvements and issues. He has literally traveled all over the world working, consulting and healing.

But, back to his promotion.

Recently, as a result of major internal study and realignment of resources, the Baylor Health Care System named Jim their Chief Health Equity Officer.

Making an institutional commitment to equity inside a health care system like Baylor is major news.

By taking this step, the Baylor Health Care System is saying it will commit time, vision and resources--basically, whatever it takes--to increase access, attack health outcome disparities and level the health care playing field for low-income persons and for ethnic minorities who suffer for a lack of equity in health care practice and delivery.

Dr. Jim is already off and running!

I know he is excited.

I know he is proud of the Board of Directors at Baylor.

I know I am proud of him and of everyone over there. We have no better community partners.

We look forward to expanding our role with Dr. Jim, with Baylor and with anyone else concerned about fairness and justice in health care.

Congratulations, Doc! We love you!