James A. Block, MD—“Jim” to his friends and colleagues—personified ethical, transformative health care leadership. Dr. Block was an expert pediatrician and former president of health care organizations that include Johns Hopkins Health System, Case Western Reserve University, and the Rochester Area Hospital Corporation. Early in his career, he was instrumental to the establishment of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which became a backbone of the nation’s health care safety net. Dr. Block was a consultant to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) since its founding, and he was a key architect of the field strategy that resulted in a tripling of the number of hospital palliative care programs in under a dozen years.
Dr. Block focused on the most vulnerable in our society—children, immigrants, people with serious illnesses—and relentlessly asked how our health care system can better serve them. He led with humility, curiosity, and optimism. While he expertly navigated complex systems his guiding principle was simple: every patient deserves dignity, respect, and the best care that we know how to give.
As a strategist Dr. Block was formidable. He emphasized the need for palliative care to be integrated into the fabric of U.S. health care—in accreditation programs, through formal clinical specialization, through quality measures and representation in the committees and associations that influence health care systems design. Dr. Block was a champion for palliative care who leveraged his relationships with health care executives to advance the field and ensure access for patients.
The Jim Block Award for Ethical Leadership in Health Care recognizes a health professional who has demonstrated the values and the vision that Dr. Block embodied. The award will be bestowed biennially on the main stage at CAPC’s National Seminar, and the awardee will be selected by the Seminar planning committee and by CAPC leadership who loved and learned from Jim.
“Any time spent with Jim left one feeling positive about the possibilities, yourself, and the world.”