Who is Don Berwick?

In a WBUR poll conducted on 1/22/14, it was found that 81% of Massachusetts voters had never heard of Dr. Don Berwick. That is surprising; one would think that more people would know about “the second most dangerous man in America” according to Glenn Beck. So just who is Don Berwick?

Don Berwick is one of five Democrats running to be the next Governor of Massachusetts, but he is much more than just a politician. First, Don is a pediatrician. He earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and cared for children for over 20 years at Boston Children’s Hospital. Second, Don is a co-founder and former CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. For 20 years, he led the organization in projects aimed at reducing errors and improving the quality of care in America’s hospitals. Today, the organization is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of patients’ lives. Finally, Don is a national leader. In 2010, President Obama appointed Don as the head of Medicare and Medicaid. Before being forced out by Republicans after just seventeen months in office, Don was responsible for a budget larger than the Pentagon’s and led a staff of over 5,000 in implementing some of the most important provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Now, Don is running for Governor to make Massachusetts a beacon for the rest of the nation. He promises to govern by what Vice President Hubert Humphrey once called “the moral test of government- how it treats people in the dawn of life, the children, people in the twilight of life, the elderly, and people in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” This moral test informs where Don stands on every political issue. He is the only Democratic candidate who supports a single payer healthcare system for Massachusetts. He is the only Democratic candidate with a plan to end homelessness in our state. Finally, Don is the only Democratic candidate against having casinos in the Bay State. In a recent statement, he said, “I don’t believe that we should be teaching our children that economic development is best achieved through gambling institutions.” I would encourage you to check out Don’s campaign website to learn where he stands on the many other important issues facing our commonwealth today.

For more information about Don Berwick, please visit his campaign website. I would also recommend this 2004 Boston Globe article and his 2012 commencement address at Harvard Medical School.