Having just returned from an eleven-day road trip to visit
my family in Oklahoma, I am very glad to be home. I love living in a in the quiet serenity of Garrett County
Maryland and miss the green peacefulness when I am away. While in Oklahoma, I enjoyed
spending time with loved ones and visiting old haunts. The boys and I went to the many museums
and parks in Enid, Oklahoma. We
also went frequently to my favorite fast food place of all time: Braum’s.
If you have not been blessed to live within a 300-mile
radius of Tuttle, Oklahoma you might not be aware of the epic coolness of
Braum’s. Braum’s Ice Cream
and Dairy Stores is a family run business and a really neat example of vertical
integration. The business controls
virtually every element of the supply chain. They own the cows, the farms, the trucks and manufacturing
facilities; because of this level of control they have amazing food at very
affordable prices. They even have
small grocery stores called “Fresh Markets” with fresh produce folded into many
of their locations. As an activist
focused on health, this gladdens my heart. Many of these “Fresh Markets” are the only grocery stores in
easy walking distance within a community.
Five years ago when I was looking for a new health insurance
policy for my family, I made my choice, in part, because of my knowledge of
Braum’s. I knew how amazing a
burger could taste with a vertical integration model; imagine what that model
could do to one’s health care. So
I chose Mid Atlantic Kaiser Permanente.
I rejoiced in one stop health care with a lab on site and an electronic
health record portal that is open to patients and family caregivers.
I personally have enjoyed being a KP member these past few
years. In addition, I have been very grateful to The Kaiser Permanente Center
for Total Health for their hosting of the annual gathering of The Walking
Gallery in 2011 and 2012. I love
their appreciation of the place of art within wellness. Also, my son Isaac and I marched with other KP members last summer in the DC pride parade and had the best time. (Isaac danced for about a mile of the route)
Most recently KP asked me if I would be
willing to represent The Walking Gallery at Artscape Baltimore in their tent on
July 18-20, 2014. I happily said
yes! Artist Courtney Mazza and I will be painting onsite Friday
through Sunday. KP also agreed to host an official gathering of The Walking
Gallery in the tent from 4-6 on July 19th. We ask all Walking Gallery members in the area to gather
with us. In addition, each evening
we will guide 5 artists/future gallery members through the process of painting
their own jacket. So if you know
anyone who wants to join the gallery onsite in Baltimore, please encourage him
or her to come. I find children
are especially eager to join onsite or paint a jacket for a parent. (for more information on The Walking Gallery of Healthcare movement see video below)
We will be tweeting on site with the hashtags
#TheWalkingGallery and #artscape2014. You can find us at the Kaiser Permanente
tent at Artscape about 2 blocks from the North stage on Charles street. I look
forward to seeing you there!
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