Creating a Shared Values Agenda to Advance Child Health

The factors that affect the health of children cross all sectors of society, as do the resources, skills, and talents needed to improve child health.^1–3 Health care providers and organizations are challenged in addressing these health conditions within the bounds of the health care system and are increasing their involvement in community-based efforts to improve health by working together in collaborative efforts that involve multiple sectors and stakeholders, including the corporate sector.⁴

It is important for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to interact with the corporate sector in a way that emphasizes its mission, vision, and values, in addition to the traditional guidelines that focused on financial transparency and the management of conflict of interest.⁵ For example, the AAP has endorsed the Council on Medical Subspecialty Societies guidelines,⁶ which provide guidance to member societies in the development of policies and procedures that safeguard the independence of their programs, policies, and advocacy positions. In addition to these guidelines, the AAP has developed a robust mechanism for identifying and resolving conflicts of interest. However, there has been recognition by leadership that although crucial, these safeguards did not provide a mechanism for explicitly identifying and discussing mission alignment that would allow increased collaboration and collective impact. As a consequence, the AAP developed a tool to move the conversation toward one that is values based and mission oriented, borrowing from the concept of “shared values.” This concept has been in circulation in the corporate world since 2006, when it was advanced by Porter and Kramer to describe ways in which corporations could meet their mission of sustainability and profitability while also achieving positive social aims.⁷ The Academy’s use of the term “shared values” is derived from …

Address correspondence to Sandra Hassink, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Pt Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019. E-mail: shassink{at}aap.net