Initiatives

Civica Rx, the nation’s first nonprofit generic drug company, was formed in 2018 to address high drug prices and chronic drug shortages. The Gary and Mary West Foundation was one of the philanthropic cofounders and continues to engage with the organization as it expands its footprint and disrupts the healthcare marketplace by increasing competition and putting patient needs over corporate profits.

Healthcare in America is stuck in a world dominated by traditional fee-for-service payment models, which drive up costs irrespective of outcomes. Transitioning to value-based payment models is critical to reducing, slowing, or reversing the high cost of healthcare and improving care for all Americans.

PACE is the gold standard when it comes to caring for older adults. These programs give seniors the opportunity to safely age in their own homes and communities rather than in a nursing home by providing comprehensive and coordinated medical and social services. Since 2019, Gary and Mary West PACE has been helping seniors in San Diego and has become a model program as we help lead a movement to increase the availability of PACE nationwide.

Emergency departments are seeing an increase in visits made by older adults, and with the unique needs and vulnerabilities of a growing 65+ population, hospitals must prepare to respond. Geriatric emergency departments (GED) are transforming the way older adults receive emergency care.

For decades, politicians and policymakers have vowed to rein in skyrocketing drug prices, but most efforts have failed or were blunted by Big Pharma. That’s about to change due to healthcare provisions that enable Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the first time, price drops in insulin after enormous public pressure, and disruptive new players like Civica, the nonprofit generic drug maker who has brought new competition and the promise of a new low-cost insulin to the marketplace.

Telehealth provides effective care when an office visit or trip to a clinic is not possible or necessary. This an attractive mode of care, particularly for people who live in rural communities or have difficulties with mobility or accessing transportation, but many challenges remain in tailoring these services for seniors.