David Holmberg: Highmark Grows Commitment to Hire People with Disabilities in 2026

At Highmark Health, we believe what makes us unique makes us better. Our differences broaden our perspectives and foster a variety of skills to complement each other, creating a stronger and more vibrant workforce. It's this belief that earned us recognition as the Best Place to Work for the 10th year for individuals with disabilities in a survey by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN. We'll continue to celebrate and benefit from the inclusion of all people. To find out more, visit highmarkhealth.org. Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, happy new year! Happy new year! I hope you all had a great holiday, a safe holiday, and of course, I wish you a great 2026. And I have to tell you, believe it or not, we are on year 22, on the year, year 22. Last year I had my 1,000th episode. So who do I have to thank for that? You. You know, without listeners, where would I be? I wouldn't be here 22 years later. Your commitment, your dedication to disability and disability rights and civil rights and, you know, showcasing CEOs, celebrities, senators, disability rights leaders, people that really are making a difference. Because you know what I always say, People with disabilities have families, and those families buy from companies that support people with disabilities. Always remember that it isn't just that one person you meet in a wheelchair or who is deaf or blind. It's that person and mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, partner, husband, wife, It's a whole big group of spending dollars, like over a trillion spending dollars. So you made it happen. You have made it happen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And get ready. In a month, we're going to have Molly Burke co-host a show with me. And you all, if you don't know Molly, she's this beautiful model, author. In the news media, TV, and she is a dynamo. So I'm going to have her on a couple of shows with me. But thank you again. And now to those now 76 countries around the world with listeners. Ah, I love you all. Thank you. Remember what I say. One person can make a difference. There are people that need to hear that people with dignity, people with disabilities have dignity, have value, have worth, and you can help make that happen through telling other people about this radio show. And Yoshiko Dart, we're starting off the year. My shout out to you, Yoshiko, uh, widow. Of the late, great Justin Dart Jr. I love you. Thank you. And now my sponsor. The lead sponsor of this radio show for the past many years is Highmark. You're going to meet the CEO here in one minute, but I want to tell you about Highmark. Even before I knew David Holmberg, way back 30 years ago when I started the company, every time I go to Highmark to the CEO and say, hey, would you get involved with Disability Mentoring Day? Sure. Oh, would you support disability? And of course, it didn't matter what it was. Of course, the most important thing was, and still is, hiring. People. But tell everyone that lead sponsor of this show, so all those people around the world can hear us talk about, is the greatest company with the greatest CEO that I'll be having breakfast with this week. No, not at a luxurious private club, but at a diner. That says a lot about this man's humility. But I am honored to know him and call him my friend. He is the friend of all of you living with disabilities. David Holmberg, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Highmark Health, known nationally, a real powerhouse. What an honor to have some— someone at his level on this show today. So David, welcome to the show.

Well, thank you very much. It's really hard to live up to that, you know, that introduction, but it's an honor. And, you know, Joyce Bender, I'm always about the pancakes. So anytime you want to go to a diner and have some pancakes and bacon, I'm in, you know, maybe, maybe an omelet every once in a while. But, you know, I find it very important to, you know, to, to eat in places like that because that's our people, you know, that's the people we serve. It's a cross-section, you know, of America, frankly, a cross-section of the world. And so it makes it, you know, really easy to enjoy breakfast and also meet some very interesting people.

And so you all understand this to this point, you don't see CEOs at Kelly O's. Now, there isn't anything wrong with it, I mean, I love it. I love diners. I'm like David on that count. This place has the best breakfast, best food. However, you know, every year I go out with the CEO of Highmark for a holiday breakfast, such as what we're going to be doing this week. And the first time he chose this diner, Carol, my assistant, came back and said, "Oh, Mr. Holmberg, His assistant called and he said he will meet you at Kelly O's. And I said, Carol, I think you have that wrong. And we're talking about David Holmberg here. Please call back. She called back. She can't— no, no, he meant it. Kelly O's. And as I said, this tells you what he is like. If you meet him, I'm telling you, he's the same. I've been with him. He treats everyone the same. No matter what level, including my employees with disabilities. So let's talk here about Highmark, fourth largest insurer in the United States, and has supported me. Now it will be our 31st year, but you have carried Highmark forward. I mean, you now have over 44,000 employees, and I remember when there was no Fifth Avenue Place and there was this little building that Highmark was in when it was called Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania. And now look what has happened, which a lot of this growth— I know what you're going to say, but I attribute it to your leadership. And I know you're going to tell me it was everyone else, but I'm saying, look how much you've grown. I mean, it's unbelievable. And so you all know Highmark also owns AHM, which means they have 14 hospitals. Is that right? And we'll talk more about all the great things that Highmark has done. Well, but David, did you ever believe you would be in a powerful role like this?

Well, the truth is no. I mean, you know, I always thought that I had the ability to do something more, But, you know, I didn't necessarily think I would have the opportunity to do that. You know, my father worked for General Electric and, you know, worked in a factory, and my mother was a nurse who worked at night. And, you know, our family lived paycheck to paycheck. And so I consider myself very fortunate to be in this role. It's a privilege to have a job like I have today where you can impact so many people and maybe set a standard or make a difference for for others to, you know, to see and emulate. And so, so no, I never anticipated it. When the opportunity came, you know, I viewed it as a calling. You know, this was an opportunity to impact, you know, literally millions of people, you know, in terms of their health and also how they, you know, managed to deal with the bills associated with their health.

Well, so you all know, He started in retail. That's where he started, in retail. And I wanted to ask you, how much do you think that factors into your career?

It's huge. You know, I mean, I started in my career selling jewelry and, you know, I sold something people wanted but didn't necessarily need. Fast forward to today, I sell something that people need but don't necessarily want. Nobody wants to be sick. Nobody wants to have to pay for insurance to, you know, cover their healthcare costs or pay those bills. And, you know, and what I found was, you know, like if you apply some of the principles, you know, of, of retail to the healthcare space, you know, you can really have an impact and make a difference. When most people come into a clinical setting where they're seeing their doctor or they're going going to a hospital or whatever it might be, you know, they really are counting on and need someone to guide them, to help them sort out what will be the best course of action for them. They're looking for people that can help them in those moments that really matter, life-changing moments. But they're also hoping that people will be there to show up when you know, you're just trying to navigate the system and figure out how to get the right care in the right place at the right time. And so, you know, in retail, if you don't do a good job of taking care of your customers, they move on, they'll go somewhere else. If you don't have the color they want or the product they want, or you give them the experience they want, there's plenty of other people that will take care of them. And so, whereas in healthcare, most people go where they're told to go. And, you know, and for me, I looked at it and said, how do we flip the paradigm? How do we give people an experience that maybe while they don't necessarily want to be in a hospital, you know, or in a doctor's office, it becomes an experience that, you know, that makes them better and lets them have the best life they can possibly have.

Mm-hmm. Well, David, As I said, people with disabilities go to companies that support people with disabilities. So I know on different shows where we've asked people maybe to make calls to Congress or whatever it was, wow, we couldn't believe the impact we have. So now I'm telling you, you need to tell everyone you know to go send them this podcast. More people listen on demand than live, so they can either go to YouTube or big listeners on Amazon, Apple, and Spotify. Send them the podcast. I telling you, this isn't happening anywhere, which you'll hear about in a minute, all the great things that Highmark is doing for people with disabilities. But I thought that was really interesting about your retail background. Because talk about public-facing, I mean, that's it. You know, that is it, what you did. So, 10 years, you've been there over 10 years, and you, on your website, you have listed on your website as one of the values that people matter. And I feel this speaks of your leadership. I want to mention that several years ago, David said to me that he doesn't want managers or directors. He wants leaders. He wants leaders. That's what he wants. But he also told me— I'm thinking, I don't know if it was Braddock Hospital. Where was it? There was a hospital that was in dire straits. But to help them or support them, was not like a financially winning situation. And David said to me, do you know what I believe? I believe that you sometimes— boy, am I— don't let me talk about this. Maybe I shouldn't. But you need to make an investment even if it is not to the company's financial advancement. You have to sometimes just do the right thing. I'll never forget that. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, Braddock Hospital had closed here in Pittsburgh, and there was a community that was lacking care and underserved and in a desperate need. And, you know, we made an investment and created a clinic and, you know, provided access to care. That, you know, was not necessarily a good business decision, but it was the right thing to do if you're going to make a difference and have an impact. And, you know, our approach as an organization and, you know, at Highmark is to always do the right things even when nobody's looking. And by doing that, you don't have to worry about it when everybody's got their eye on you. And again, You know, I've talked about this before with you, Joyce Bender, but I consider myself very fortunate. Different points in my career, people gave me a hand up or gave me mentoring when I needed it or coaching or an opportunity or opened the door. And, you know, I believe as an organization, Highmark is very committed to opening doors and creating opportunities for people to go through. Whether it be in terms of hiring or in terms of how we serve the community. And we have over 7 million people that we serve every year. And yeah, I mean, and you know, you get a cross-section of humanity, you get, you know, every kind of issue you can think of. And our job, you know, is to make sure that, you know, that, that 7 million people have high-quality access to care. That healthcare is affordable and, you know, that it's delivered safely and allows people to live their best lives. And if that's your mission and that's your job, then sometimes along the way you have to make decisions that are not necessarily in the best interest of the organization financially, but are in the best interest of the long run and of fulfilling your mission.

Well, Highmark. Let's take a minute to talk about Highmark before we talk more about that people matter. Highmark, the size, you know, you're headquartered here in Pittsburgh, but you have all these hospitals. You have different, New York, West Virginia, other areas. Could you tell our listeners about Highmark so they realize the size and the offering?

Sure. I mean, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, I mean, is the fourth largest healthcare insurer in the country, in the US. And, you know, it's about a $32 billion organization. And so we operate in all 50 states, but we also operate, you know, in a number of other countries. You know, we're in India, we're in the Philippines, we're in South Africa, you know, we're in Central America, and we provide services and support around the world for a variety of different customers and clients. And so, So it gives us a pretty interesting perspective. In addition, you know, we have the Allegheny Health Network, or AHN, you referred to it as before, which is a $5 billion hospital system based in western Pennsylvania with literally thousands of clinicians and 22,000 to be exact. And, you know, on top of that, you know, I mean, you know, we see probably 2 million patients a year. And so it gives us another sort of angle or data point in how we think about healthcare and the health of the community and those kinds of things. And then, you know, we also have a dental company where, you know, we're in all 50 states here in the United States. We're one of the largest dental insurers in the country. And then we have several other entities as well, including a technology company where we've been able to hire and bring in a number of people who had disabilities and give them opportunities, you know, from a technology career standpoint. And so, so very, a lot of variety in the organization, you know, a lot of scale. And, you know, as I tell people, our day job keeps us pretty busy, but our night job keeps us worrying about our day job.

So yeah, yeah, that's a, that is a good thing. That is the way it is. Well, I am always amazed at how many people at the top level are just always so nice. You mentioned AHN, Mark Sevko, the CEO, so nice. Karen Hanlon, awesome. Your president, I mean, she is just awesome, but so is Deb Rice, so is, uh, uh, Larry, Larry Kleinman is like phenomenal. Uh, Mick Malick, who you already mentioned, Carolyn Daronio, Dan Honorato, uh, Carl Daly. I'm so nervous I'm going to forget one of them. That's why I'm going across the border. My, my Melissa Anderson, uh, Well, for your— they've all been on and they all are committed to people with disabilities.

Well, thank you very much. I mean, for, you know, for your listeners, it doesn't matter the names of any of us so much as the reality that, you know, as an organization, you know, we filter for and we attract people who really understand how to do their jobs well. Who are fiercely competitive, but who truly care. And they care about the communities, they care about the mission to, you know, to really help people live their best lives and give them the best opportunity that they can have. And they're very serious about it and they show up. And so, you know, what you see, you know, with the work that we do with you and other organizations around people with disabilities, that's not a that's not a project, you know what I mean? That's a style of doing business. It's part of our culture. And the people that you mentioned, all of which are fabulous, are 100% committed to this mission.

Mm-hmm, they are. And even helping in other areas. Richard Clark helping us with AI, like how can we help the Bender Leadership Academy? Oh, that's another thing. Highmark helped— what, Highmark is how I got started. You all know that, I talk about it all the time, but we wouldn't be here talking if it weren't for Highmark. Highmark is the company that got me started. Guess what? Highmark is the company that got the Bender Leadership Academy the first funds, $100,000. Deb Reich Johnson. So, you know, I'm telling you all this because I want you to tell everyone. I want my listeners to tell everyone. You know why? Why aren't other companies doing this? Why? I mean, do you know no one's doing what Highmark's doing? Just so you know, no one. No one. From top down for 30 years. I mean, all of it. Is unbelievable. And also remember, I'm a for-profit company. We're all about no pity, paychecks, not pity. And, and, and we just have had a tremendous partnership with Highmark. So David, when I was looking at your website, site, and I saw that people matter, my question is, how have you been able— we're talking about this right now— how have you been able to instill this in so many leaders. Alan Duffy, that's another one. I mean, they're all supportive, but that is very unusual. That's unusual.

I mean, I do agree with you, Joyce. I think it is unusual because, you know, it's tough enough in today's world to do good business and to make money and be sustainable with your business, whether you're an entrepreneur with, you know, 3 people or or an organization like Highmark with 44,000 people. You know, so it's, it, if you're going to, to, to be able to, to put a focus on people, you have to make sure that you're very clear about helping people be successful. If you help individuals be successful and they understand the mission of the organization and everybody is rowing together, if you want to kind of call it that, then you got a good shot that the organization is going to be successful and it'll be sustainable. And so a lot of the work that we do we do from a culture standpoint is around understanding the why. Understanding why we're asking people to do certain things, why it's important to respect people, both the people we work with, but also the people that we serve. And, you know, and understand that people matter. And if you really understand what your customers want, and this is a retail concept, and you get it in the right color and you get it in the right style and the right location at the right time, they'll generally buy. And in healthcare, the way that plays out, or in a corporation, the way that plays out is if you understand what your people need to be successful and what's important to them, and you understand what your customers or your patients or your clients need, and you focus on them and make the focus there, then you're going to do okay. Eventually it'll come back and it'll benefit you. So, so I'm fortunate that many years before I showed up, you know, the people before me, you know, set the foundation in the right direction and built a very solid foundation around people mattering and making sure that, you know, that as an organization that we valued the people we worked with or that we work with, we treat them with respect and we also hold each other accountable for performance.

Mm-hmm. Well, it is unbelievable that I have not yet met one leader that was condescending or, you know, rude or like not totally bought in. No, never. And that is what is so amazing.

You know what, Dave? Occasionally. But you know what I would say is I have rarely had to do anything about it. Typically the organization, the people in the organization, you know, they reject that behavior. And, you know, it may go on for a little bit, but, you know, the teams, you know, the people in our organization will police that and, you know, either turn that person around and get them to buy in and be on board or turn that person out.

Yeah. Yep. Well, David, I have told this story and I will always tell this story because still it is so amazing to me. Now let's start COVID. During COVID the 30th anniversary of the ADA, David had said before that year started, okay, I'm gonna hire 30 people with disabilities from you to honor the 30th anniversary of the ADA. Then along came COVID. I want everyone to know they still hired 30 people with disabilities. And when I was even talking to Senator Arkin the other day when I called him, he's still telling me he can't believe what Highmark has done. But so you know, everyone, the next year it was 31, the next year it was 32, the next year it was 33. The next year was 34. The next year was 35. Now we're on the 36, 36. And guess what? We got a ton of openings in healthcare, not just at Highmark, in healthcare. So if you're listening and you want to work for the greatest company, period, where you will not be discriminated against and you will not be treated as if you don't matter, Contact BenderConsult.com today because this company, this is a great company. And that's not all David said to me. This one blew my mind. Okay. He says to me one day, well, first of all, you all know, listeners, that if you go meet with someone at this level, you're always thinking, oh, I hope everything goes well. I hope everything goes well. In walks David. This is what he says to me. Wait, before you get started, Joyce, Is everything okay? Because I haven't seen very many wheelchairs in the lobby, you know, or service dogs. I mean, I just want to make sure everything's okay with you. I was so shocked and overwhelmed. I said to him, I wish I had this on a video. I could show this across the United States, but no one has ever, ever, ever, ever said that to me. And you know what, David? Every time I tell that to someone, including one of your employees, they say to me, wow, he said that. Wow, that's really something. And it is. It is really something. It's amazing. And so what I want to know is, Why? Why are you like this? I mean, there aren't other people like this. We need other people. It's at your level. Like, why are you like this?

Well, I mean, again, thank you for the kind words, Joyce Bender. I would say a couple of things. One is I truly believe I'm very fortunate. I've had the privilege of having opportunities and, you know, and I've had the opportunity to, you know, to do more than maybe I thought I would do when I was growing up. And so to be in a role like this is a— there's a responsibility and an accountability to not only get results, but also to, you know, make sure that the organization leads by example and that it does the right things. As we've said before, you know, we're in healthcare, you know, I mean, we deal with, you know, people at some of their happiest moments and some of the worst moments in their lives. And, you know, and we deal with a broad range of people. And so I think it's really important that our workforce emulate the people that we've served. And, you know, so for me, there was a real miss when I didn't see, you know, some of the, you know, some of the support dogs or animals, you know, some of the wheelchairs, those kinds of things. That I thought we should have around. And frankly, I think that— and we've seen proven that in our organization, when we have a broad range of people, we're better as an organization. And so, you know, it should be just normal for people to walk through a building or be in a part of an organization like ours and see people with disabilities and not think twice about it. So first step, it's good for business. Second step, personally, I think it's important. I have relatives and I've known people, you know, who have had disabilities. And, you know, I just think that, you know, there's an opportunity out there to make sure that everybody has a chance and everybody is included. And then it's up to them to, you know, show up and do the job and be successful. And that's what your program does. You know, the whole concept of, you know, a hand up, not handouts. And, you know, I believe very strongly in that. And as an organization, you know, it's made us better. It's helped us do more business, and it's made us a healthier organization. And you just see that in the cafeteria. You see it in the lobby. You see it when people are together, either online or in person.

Well, as I said, it is wonderful. I really want to get this out to, you know, chambers, more places so that other CEOs realize, as David said, this isn't a charity. If it would be a charity, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have succeeded. This is a business. Decision, not a charitable. This is all about business. And Highmark does do a lot of work, progressive work, in mental health. And we're going to know— you're going to know why I just said this, because happy New Year, Jennifer Mathis. Mathis on the mic. We have— I know she— I don't care. Jennifer is— I'm saying it— Jennifer is one of the most famous mental health disability rights leaders. New York Times, if they want to hear something, they call her. TV, if they want to hear something, they call her. So whenever she agreed that yes, she would be my news anchor, I was beside myself. So Jennifer, you came back. Good. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year. Happy to be on to give the news. And I also just want to thank David Homburg, actually, for his leadership in hiring people with disabilities, in maintaining that commitment over decades, and for really understanding and promoting that this is good business. That this is not charity, that this makes sense for everybody. So just appreciate that.

And so thank you, and thank you for the work that you do as well.

Yes, thank you.

Now, Jennifer, so everyone knows, remember, she's the senior— she's in DC— senior legal deputy for Bazelon Center on Mental Health Law, which is such a prestigious organization. I'm so honored to be on their board. It is You know, every year they're giving awards to senators, congressmen. I mean, they're just— but that's not what's so great about them. It's they have these brilliant attorneys working on briefs defending people with disabilities. And Jennifer is at the helm of all of that. And she loves that it's Mathis on the mic. So Jennifer, happy New Year. But what news do you have for us today?

So sometimes I mention court decisions. I'm gonna do that today because there was a significant court decision that I think is worth highlighting that does have national implications. This is a decision from the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals that came down at the end of December, December 23rd, I think. And it's about unhoused veterans with, mental illnesses who were denied supported housing by the VA. So these are veterans that live in Southern California and were served by the campus, the VA campus in West LA, which actually has an interesting history because it was a campus was deeded to the VA for the purpose of housing veterans with disabilities. And so there were several thousand homeless veterans with mental illnesses or traumatic brain injury who had brought this lawsuit saying the VA, by failing to provide supported housing, permanent supported housing, is putting us consistently at risk of unnecessary institutionalization, hospitalization, and we are cycling between essentially homelessness and the hospital over and over because of the lack of community services, the lack of permanent supported housing. And they had gone through an extensive trial and the trial judge had ruled for these veterans. There was sort of a long history to this case. It was a prior iteration of it, which resulted in a settlement. And basically these veterans sued saying whatever happened with that settlement, the VA did not do enough and did not do everything it said it was gonna do and it needed to do. And so this was significant. The Ninth Circuit upheld this decision that the VA violated Section 504 and violated the Olmstead decision, the integration mandate, by failing to provide services in the most integrated setting. And so the trial court had said the VA needs to build 1,800 units or develop 1,800 units of permanent supported housing for these veterans, plus another 750 units of temporary housing. Usually that's like what we call bridge housing, where somebody goes when they're getting out of the hospital and they need a place to be so that they can than find housing that they actually want and that works for them. And so this was a pretty significant thing. The VA argued that it was too much and that it was too expensive and that, you know, it would limit the options for veterans to build all this permanent supported housing because that's only quote unquote one type of housing. And the appeals court said, no, we don't think it limits their opportunities. It expands their opportunities. Right now, they don't have housing. And so we don't think that building all of this or developing all of this permanent supported housing limits their opportunities in any way. It expands it, and that's the most integrated setting, and that's what people want. And so it is not, it's not a limitation. It's not a fundamental change in how they do things. It just expands what they already do. And so it, upheld that order. And that's, I think, very significant news. I don't know if the VA will try to take this case to the full court or if it will try to go to the Supreme Court. I would hope they wouldn't do that. But for right now anyway, I think this is a pretty significant victory for those unhoused veterans with mental illnesses.

Well, thank God, because, you know, I tell people all the time, who do you know that would go fight in a war, put their life on the line for you that doesn't even know you? A veteran. So, and to see people come back with, as you know, with my head injury, I'm one of the very fortunate ones that did not have a problem after. But most people with traumatic brain injury do, and that is very sad. Well, Jennifer, you have to keep us— that's a great initial victory. Hopefully it will stay that way and you'll let us know.

I will.

I'll keep you updated. All right. All right. Thanks. Bye-bye. Take care. Bye-bye. HiMark is all about hiring veterans with disabilities. They have hired many people from me, veterans with disabilities. I'll never forget they hired Sheba works there right now. And she said to us, she knows we're all about be at work every day early with a smile on your face, but you don't have to tell veterans this. And she said to me, every day that I go to work, I wear my work uniform. And I said, well, that's good. Everyone should have that work uniform on because People don't realize when they have a job, it's such a treasure. They don't realize what they have unless they would be the least of these or a group of people that do not. Joyce Bender, MD, MPH, FACP: Yes, go ahead.

I was just going to say we're very fortunate at Highmark that we have a long history of working with veterans, and we're ranked as one of the best places in America. To work if you have a disability, one of the best places in America to work if you're a veteran, and, you know, one of the best places to work in America if you're from the LGBT community. And, you know, and all of that is about just doing the right things for your patients, your customers, your members, and making sure that your work teams emulate the people that you serve. And we've benefited highly from our veterans programs as well as, you know, the other two.

Yeah, and the people we have placed there have been so happy and very successful. So there you go, another thing to spread the news about. Uh, David, I wanted to ask you, you know, you met one of my employees, CJ. CJ, in a wheelchair, who got hit by a car, didn't call an ambulance, called Uber instead, uh, went to the hospital Thank God he didn't have any major— it's major to have your ribs cracked or to have lacerations. But him, he called us and said, "Good news, I'm okay. Better news, I only missed one day of work." So that is what amazed me, is when you met him and you were so great, you talked to him so long. But when he said to you, Mr. Holmberg, I just wish that I could work here in Pittsburgh. And you said, why? And he said, so that I could go to work every day. I thought, there you go. That's how it is if you've been left out. You know, for those— no offense to any of you, because I mean, we have, uh, hybrid work here, even though all my employees come in. But you know, if you've never had a job Boy, when you get it, you're going to hang on to it. And I wanted to ask you, David, do you believe that employees with disabilities with that attitude have an impact on your other employees?

Oh, 100%. I mean, you know, we absolutely believe that. I think that, you know, CJ's example was, you know, really about not only valuing the job and, you know, the importance to him personally, But also there's value in connecting with people. Sometimes you can do it by Zoom, but you build real connection by being together and you start to learn people's traits and you learn what their intentions are. And sometimes when people roll their eyes, they mean something that's not good. And sometimes they, you know, they— it's just how they react to things. And so, you know, when you're in person, it gives you an opportunity to have another set of data points that enable you to be more effective with the people that you work with. Plus, you know, humans are, you know, humans like other humans typically. And so, you know, we tend to be better off when we can be together. And so what I found is our team members who have disabilities, and not all of them can come to the office, and we're okay with that. You know, I mean, as an organization, We operate a hybrid organization and we work, you know, with people in the ways that, you know, we try to meet them where they're at. And, you know, and so we're pretty flexible from that standpoint. But, you know, what we found is that the people who have joined us through your program particularly, they are grateful for the opportunity. They work hard. They influence the rest of our people because, you know, the rest of our folks see them showing up, staying late, doing what's necessary, taking pride in the work they do, having a strong work ethic and discipline about, you know, what they're doing. And, you know, and we found that, you know, our other people, you know, they admire them. I mean, you know, they admire that, that behavior and they welcome it. And so, you know, my favorite story is One of our folks who had, you know, had disability, you know, didn't show up one day for work. And, you know, the rest of his coworkers, you know, were concerned. So they tracked him down, turned out and found out that, you know, he was being bullied at the bus stop and, you know, and was afraid to come in. So from that day forward, you know, their coworkers always met him at the bus stop and walked him into, you know, the building. And that to me said a lot about our organization, said a lot about the people, and it says a lot about how much the rest of our team members value people with disabilities.

Yeah, they're right there. That is such a great story. This is what I mean. If you— and you, if you want to know more about Highmark, it's highmark.com. But even if you go back, all of the radio shows are on Spotify. Voice America, Amazon, Apple, really most all social platforms because we've been on successfully for so long. And Voice America alone has, hmm, I don't know, 10 million, 20 million listeners. So I mean, we, we have a lot of listeners. So I'm saying to you, if you want to know more about Highmark, This is Highmark Month on my radio show. Yep, next week is Karen Hanlon. Then after Karen Hanlon, it's Larry Kliman, and after Larry, it's Mark Sevko. So why do I do that? I like to start out the year with Highmark because of everything they've done for people with disabilities. Um, David, you have done so much over the past 10 years, what do you think, what are, what do you believe are some of your greatest accomplishments?

Well, I think, Joyce, my greatest accomplishment has been to identify other people who, you know, have the talent and the capability to be able to make a difference and have an impact. And, you know, for me, my greatest accomplishment was giving them opportunities, coaching them when they needed it, giving them a hand up when they needed it, you know, or a stern talking to when that was necessary. And I think that the work that I've done with other people and give opening up doors so that they can show what they could do is probably my favorite accomplishment. And then I think the second thing was You know, we were very fortunate that we were in a position to be able to have an impact during the pandemic. And, you know, we were able to lead a pandemic response in terms of, of taking care of people that were sick, helping people avoid becoming sick, and, you know, and showing good leadership in a very difficult time so that other organizations would emulate that and not walk away from commitments they had made to the disability community or commitments they'd made to the community at large. But instead lean in and move forward.

Hmm. Well, you've done a lot more than that, but I know how you are and I know how modest you are. But of course, you did bring in great people. You did. You've brought in so many great people, great leaders. I love them all. They're dedicated to people with disabilities, which means they don't care what you look like, if you're blind or if you're deaf or if you're in a wheelchair. They just care about the talent. And what that story David told about the person being bullied, that says it all, that employees went out to help that person. Highmark is just— resonates with this, um, Hi-Mark's known everywhere. And I mean, Basilon, Basilon, Jennifer Mathis is at the White House all the time. She's the one doing testimony. And no matter who it is, it's what Ted Kennedy said. He said Hi-Mark doesn't know how well known they are for the work they do employing people with disabilities.

Thank you very much, Joyce Bender. I would just add one thing is, you know, one of the things that makes a difference here is all of our people recognize not all disabilities are visible. And, you know, and some, you know, everybody's got something going on, you know, and it's just to what degree. And so, you know, so there's a lot more empathy here among the team. And, you know, because they understand through our work that we do in mental health, the work that we do through the Allegheny Health Network and the hospitals that we have, The people we see in the emergency rooms on a daily basis, everybody's got a story. And so that's why we all need to be open to, you know, to listening and helping others, you know, who might need just a little bit more help than somebody else.

Even your doctors and nurses. For example, I am like the epitome. I could be on one of your commercials for best results from knee replacement. And that's because of the doctor I call Titanium Man, Tim Sauver. Sure. But you know what? They're all like that. I mean, even the doctors, Don Whiting and his family, and they all are supportive of the work that I'm doing. Just unbelievable. So, David, What message of hope do you have for young people with disabilities seeking employment that feel like there is no hope?

Well, I would say a couple of things. First of all, you know, the story of the day right now is artificial intelligence. I would encourage, you know, people to lean into it, think of it as a tool, something that they can master. That will give them, you know, additional skills and allow them to be more valuable in looking for a job. You know, there, you know, AI is— there's a lot of conversation in the media about AI taking away entry-level jobs, and that's true. But, you know, instead of being afraid of it, you need to lean into it, learn it, and figure out how to use it to your benefit. And what we're seeing, just like with previous generations of major technological shifts like the internet, like the early days when Microsoft came out with Microsoft Office and the software and the email, and suddenly it had a dramatic change on organizations. We're in a similar environment. And I would say, don't be discouraged, but instead, Learn everything you can on how to use it, take advantage of it, and add it to your tool chest so that you're more valuable to the organizations you're working with. Early days of AI, it's about saving costs. The real trick to artificial intelligence is how do we take advantage of taking all this data that we've collected and learned, you know, about over the last 30 years and turn it into insights that will make us all better. And that's going to be the opportunity for this young generation.

Well, and it is a great opportunity because I always tell people, if you don't have the— a degree or whatever it is in this, that's okay. There's classes in the community, there's classes you can get on the internet. You know, you need to know the basics the library. Go to the library, because if you can learn the basics, it still puts you ahead of so many people. It really does.

It's not about the degree you have. I mean, and, and this is, um, it's about being inquisitive and wanting to learn and wanting to make yourself better and not being afraid, you know, but instead, um, you know, embrace it and lean into it so that it's something you master and you find to use to your benefit versus be an inhibitor.

Yeah. And talk about the good part. I believe AI is going to help save lives. I really do. I believe AI is going to be able to predict, oh wait, you have a— you're more oriented with your DNA, possibly to cancer or whatever it is. So let's do this. I really believe that. I believe AI is going to save lives. What do you think?

There's no question it's already saving lives. I mean, you know, we're using AI in the healthcare space, you know, to read X-rays, imaging. And, you know, there are things that artificial intelligence can do more effectively than humans. It's not a replacement for humans. In fact, we use them, you know, together. But sometimes it can identify patterns that, you know, it's harder for the human eye to see. And so we're using that as another tool. And that's just one example. Ambient listening, which is being used in the doctor's offices, allows, you know, a doctor to face the patient and have a conversation. And then AI takes the information and turns it into actionable notes and recommendations. Those things are going to save lives in the long term. And I think there's a whole slew of other applications outside of healthcare that we're all going to benefit from.

Well, David, on behalf of all Americans and people around the world living with disabilities, thank you so much. I just wish I could clone you. But since I can't do that, I can tell you listeners to have other people listen to the show. And for those of you that get in touch with me that are business leaders that listen to this show, you need to have your executive management hear this show. You do. Because we need to work together to have more companies do what Highmark does. Remember, this is Highmark Month, January, where we have leaders on leadership highest level leadership on the radio show. And I want you to tell everyone you know, remember what we always say, if you don't care about me and I have a disability, I'm not going to spend my money with you. Here's the opposite. Tell everyone about these radio shows and about IMARC. David, I look forward to those pancakes.

Sounds good, Joyce. Thank you very much, and thank you for all the work that you do to support the community.

Well, we end every show with a quote, and it has to be, "Remember, when it comes to employing people with disabilities, you need to give a hand up, not a hand out," said David Holmberg, which is in an article that was printed. And in the words of Mary Brocker, When you go out tomorrow morning, remember, choose joy. It won't be a bad decision. Talk to you all next week with Karen Hanlon from Highmark. Talk to you then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.