In October, NashvilleHealth hosted a collaborative day of discussions at Soho House, bringing together the city’s leaders across the healthcare, government, and business sectors to tackle Nashville’s most pressing health, economic, and environmental challenges. The Synergizing Wellness + Prosperity event fostered conversations aimed at building a more resilient community that better understands the critical intersection of health, healthcare, and business.
“The whole idea is to bring together not only Healthcare but non-healthcare folks to share the messaging and get it out to your centers of influence,” said Raj Patanik, Founder and Managing Partner of The Patnaik Group at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, as he kicked off the event. “Nashville should be an example for the country as it stands for its population.”
The opening panel, moderated by NashvilleHealth CEO, Mark H. Yancy, featured David Dill, Chairman and CEO of LifePoint Health, Max Goldberg, Co-founder of Strategic Hospitality, Dr. Kim Henderson, Managing Director, Head of Wealth Management Health & Wellness Education of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, and Dee Patel, Managing Director of The Hermitage Hotel. The panel explored how healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, and leisure are all interconnected by their shared commitment to the well-being of Nashville’s workforce.
Panelists discussed the challenges faced by workers in key sectors like healthcare, hospitality, and entertainment, noting that shift-based workers in all of these spaces form the backbone of the city’s service industry.
“If we take care of the people that take care of us. Things will take care of themselves,” said Yancy.
The second panel, moderated by NashvilleHealth CEO, Mark H. Yancy, brought together key leaders–Katina Beard, CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Pastor John Faison, Co-chair of Imagine Nashville, Dr. Shubhada Jagasia, President and CEO, of Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital (Midtown and West), and Erin Hafkenschiel, President of ThinkTennessee–to discuss strategies for anchoring Nashville’s residents and communities to promote a thriving future.
A report by ThinkTennessee highlights that while Tennessee ranks among the top states for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, individual-level metrics such as median household income and cost-burden for households have worsened.
“Across all of the debt indicators, student debt, medical debt, auto loan delinquency debt, we are in the bottom five states in the country,” Hafkenschiel shared. “The four most expensive expenses for households in all 95 counties in Tennessee are housing, transportation, child care, and healthcare.”
Panelists agreed that achieving competitive wages, affordable housing, and accessible transit will be crucial to Nashville’s continued growth and prosperity.
The final event panel, moderated by NashvilleHealth Founder, Senator Bill Frist, M.D., explored Hotter Days and Changing Climates, broadening the discussion to examine how climate change can impact Nashville’s health. Panelists included Dr. Kendra Abkowitz of Metro Nashville, Ben Ryan of Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University, and Ted Smith of the University of Louisville. The conversation delved into the effects of climate change on our city’s future and the proactive steps we can take to ensure Nashville continues to thrive.
“The diverse ideas are coming together to paint a portrait of where we are today in terms of a community that isn’t where it needs to be,” Senator Bill Frist noted during the panel. “We know we can be in a better place by working together.”
The annual Synergizing Wellness + Prosperity event would not have been possible without the support of our incredible sponsors. Special thanks to Raj Patanik, Founder and Managing Partner of The Patnaik Group at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, whose dedication to improving Nashville’s community wellness was instrumental in bringing this event to life.
We also extend our gratitude to Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, Wellpoint Community, the Dettwiller Foundation, Cressey & Company, and Frist Cressey Ventures for their steadfast support. These partnerships exemplify the power of community collaboration in advancing NashvilleHealth’s mission to improve health and prosperity for all residents.
