Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony

David J. Kears, M.S.W., for his decades of leadership in finding ways to expand access and improve quality for those most in need of mental health, alcohol, drug, public health, environmental health, and medical services.

Anne Bakar, president and CEO of Telecare Corporation, will present the award.

As director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, David Kears's tenure has been marked by a rare blend of compassion, creativity, and fiscal responsibility. He has employed creative approaches—such as public/private partnerships, performance-based contracting, and independent funding for medical emergency services—that have made Alameda County Health Care Services Agency a nationwide model. Kears’s creativity as an administrator is also evident in his leadership of the Alameda Alliance for Health, the first locally-run MediCal insurance plan in California.

Kears is responsible for many aspects of health care in Alameda County, including the County’s Indigent Medical Care System, and overseeing contracts with the Alameda County Medical Center and a large network of community-based primary care providers. Kears chairs Alameda County’s Interagency Children’s Policy Council, which serves to improve communication, coordination, and integration of county-operated and funded children, youth, and family services. He also chairs Safe Passages, a decade-long Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to improve outcomes for children and youth. The Oakland-based initiative brings together leaders in the City of Oakland, county agencies, and Oakland schools to put in place strategies proven to keep kids in school and engaged in positive activities.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Berkeley, Kears went on to earn a master’s degree in social welfare with a psychiatric casework specialty. He obtained a license in clinical social work, and worked as a psychiatric social worker, and later assistant clinical director, for Napa State hospital. In 1974 he began work as a psychiatric social worker for Alameda County, and went on to hold a range of leadership positions in the Health Care Services Agency, including heading Mental Health Services, Community Health Services, and Alcohol and Drug Services. He was appointed agency director in 1986.

AWARD PRESENTERAnne Bakar

Anne Bakar is president and CEO of Telecare Corporation, a company that helps people with serious mental illness realize their full potential. She spent seven years in the investment banking field before assuming leadership of Telecare in 1987, following the death of her father, Telecare founder Morton Bakar. The success of the company has largely been attributed to her initiatives to forge partnerships with her workforce, as well as other constituencies involved in client care, consumers’ families, community providers, and county agencies. Bakar served on the School of Public Health’s Policy Advisory Council from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, the San Francisco Business Times named her as one of the Bay Area’s 100 most influential women in business.

THE CHALLENGEConfronting Health Disparities in Our Community

Everyone deserves access to high quality health care. This idea is simple, and yet the reality is that many communities and individuals receive little or no treatment for health conditions that threaten their health and their lives.

Racial, ethnic, and economic disparities exist, and some groups have the highest rates of certain chronic diseases, yet the bleakest outcomes for recovery. HIV has hit the African American community hard, and diabetes continues to be increasingly prevalent among Hispanic groups. Rates of certain respiratory illnesses have skyrocketed for many Asian Americans. In some cases, medical conditions continue to plague many sufferers, and yet stigmas about these conditions lead to an unwillingness to seek help and a prejudice against those affected. Mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction cause many to suffer and even die, while the sufferers face multiple barriers to treatment.

Even care for the most easily manageable conditions remains out of reach for many Americans. Without health insurance, routine medical problems, left unchecked, can destroy the lives of those who cannot afford to seek assistance. Many of our nation’s citizens are forced to choose between adequate food and a month’s supply of a necessary prescription medication.

THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONDS

The School has been at the forefront of the struggle to close the gaps in disparate medical care for underserved communities. For example:

Researchers at the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare evaluate the effect of health care policies. One study provided new data on the number of people who lack insurance and access to affordable prescription drugs.

Another study looked at the disparate rates of medication for children with ADHD.

The California Health Benefits Review Program enlists researchers at the School in advising policymakers on the possible impacts of legislation.

The School’s faculty has been involved in the challenge of improving the quality of health care, including measuring medical group performance; identifying factors in quality care; and creating incentive programs for providers who create and maintain high standards of care.

Researchers at the School look at the factors that contribute to health disparities, including racism, access to healthy food, ability to participate in physical activity, and environmental threats such as toxins in the air.


2007 Regional Hero - David J. Kears		Related Links Kears profile: California Children & Families Commission Kears: Outstanding Public Administrator Alameda Alliance for Health
David J. Kears, M.S.W., for his decades of leadership in finding ways to expand access and improve quality for those most in need of mental health, alcohol, drug, public health, environmental health, and medical services. Anne Bakar, president and CEO of Telecare Corporation, will present the award. As director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, David Kears's tenure has been marked by a rare blend of compassion, creativity, and fiscal responsibility. He has employed creative approaches—such as public/private partnerships, performance-based contracting, and independent funding for medical emergency services—that have made Alameda County Health Care Services Agency a nationwide model. Kears’s creativity as an administrator is also evident in his leadership of the Alameda Alliance for Health, the first locally-run MediCal insurance plan in California. Kears is responsible for many aspects of health care in Alameda County, including the County’s Indigent Medical Care System, and overseeing contracts with the Alameda County Medical Center and a large network of community-based primary care providers. Kears chairs Alameda County’s Interagency Children’s Policy Council, which serves to improve communication, coordination, and integration of county-operated and funded children, youth, and family services. He also chairs Safe Passages, a decade-long Robert Wood Johnson Foundation initiative to improve outcomes for children and youth. The Oakland-based initiative brings together leaders in the City of Oakland, county agencies, and Oakland schools to put in place strategies proven to keep kids in school and engaged in positive activities. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Berkeley, Kears went on to earn a master’s degree in social welfare with a psychiatric casework specialty. He obtained a license in clinical social work, and worked as a psychiatric social worker, and later assistant clinical director, for Napa State hospital. In 1974 he began work as a psychiatric social worker for Alameda County, and went on to hold a range of leadership positions in the Health Care Services Agency, including heading Mental Health Services, Community Health Services, and Alcohol and Drug Services. He was appointed agency director in 1986. AWARD PRESENTERAnne Bakar Anne Bakar is president and CEO of Telecare Corporation, a company that helps people with serious mental illness realize their full potential. She spent seven years in the investment banking field before assuming leadership of Telecare in 1987, following the death of her father, Telecare founder Morton Bakar. The success of the company has largely been attributed to her initiatives to forge partnerships with her workforce, as well as other constituencies involved in client care, consumers’ families, community providers, and county agencies. Bakar served on the School of Public Health’s Policy Advisory Council from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, the San Francisco Business Times named her as one of the Bay Area’s 100 most influential women in business. THE CHALLENGEConfronting Health Disparities in Our Community Everyone deserves access to high quality health care. This idea is simple, and yet the reality is that many communities and individuals receive little or no treatment for health conditions that threaten their health and their lives. Racial, ethnic, and economic disparities exist, and some groups have the highest rates of certain chronic diseases, yet the bleakest outcomes for recovery. HIV has hit the African American community hard, and diabetes continues to be increasingly prevalent among Hispanic groups. Rates of certain respiratory illnesses have skyrocketed for many Asian Americans. In some cases, medical conditions continue to plague many sufferers, and yet stigmas about these conditions lead to an unwillingness to seek help and a prejudice against those affected. Mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction cause many to suffer and even die, while the sufferers face multiple barriers to treatment. Even care for the most easily manageable conditions remains out of reach for many Americans. Without health insurance, routine medical problems, left unchecked, can destroy the lives of those who cannot afford to seek assistance. Many of our nation’s citizens are forced to choose between adequate food and a month’s supply of a necessary prescription medication. THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONDS The School has been at the forefront of the struggle to close the gaps in disparate medical care for underserved communities. For example: Researchers at the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare evaluate the effect of health care policies. One study provided new data on the number of people who lack insurance and access to affordable prescription drugs. Another study looked at the disparate rates of medication for children with ADHD. The California Health Benefits Review Program enlists researchers at the School in advising policymakers on the possible impacts of legislation. The School’s faculty has been involved in the challenge of improving the quality of health care, including measuring medical group performance; identifying factors in quality care; and creating incentive programs for providers who create and maintain high standards of care. Researchers at the School look at the factors that contribute to health disparities, including racism, access to healthy food, ability to participate in physical activity, and environmental threats such as toxins in the air.