Charles Donahue
Health Care VALUE Management / Former Chair of Westwood School Committee
407 Gay St, Westwood, MA 02090
What I Do
Health Care Management
- Job Title: Executive
- Years in Profession: 50+ Years
- Job and Daily Responsibilities:
HealthCare VALUE Management was founded in 1990 and became New England’s largest network of hospitals, physicians, and other providers used by self-funded PPO health plans. HealthCare VALUE Management had more than 163 acute care hospitals and 35,000 physicians in the network.
Education
I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics from Brown University and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Cornell University.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree from Brown, I began my interest in Public Health as a Peace Corps volunteer, where I administered a Tuberculosis Control Program in Kuala Trengganu, Malaysia. When my stint in the Peace Corps was complete, I continued my education at Cornell, where I specifically focused on Sociology, City and Regional Planning and Hospital Administration.
From 1975-76, I was Co-Director of the Massachusetts Maternity and Newborn Regionalization Project of the Massachusetts Health Research Institute and from 1976-80, the Director of Health Plan Development at the Boston University Center for Health Planning, a part of the BU Medical School, and a public health advisor for the Federal US Department of Health and Human Services.
After a successful eight-year span as Executive Director of the Health Planning Council of Greater Boston, I founded HealthCare VALUE Management, in 1990, and was President and CEO of the company through 2004. HealthCare VALUE Management is New England’s largest network of self-insured companies and unions.
I have been published in eight medical journals and presented over 50 papers at professional conferences about Health Care and Health Costs.
Over the course of my long career, I’ve been fortunate to be recognized many times for various achievements, including 11 Who’s Who Citations:
- Who’s Who In Lifetime Achievement – 2 times
- Who’s Who in America – 3 times
- Who’s Who in The World – 2 times
- Who’s Who in Medicine & Health – 2 times
- Who’s Who in Business – 1 time
- Who’s Who in the East – 1 time
I am currently working at Boston University School of Public Health in the “activist lab” on lectures: Tuberculosis Control in Malaysia, Reducing Infant Mortality in Massachusetts, Publishing Medical Journal articles with Massachusetts surgeons, obstetricians, and pediatricians, Cutting Health Costs to Self-Insured Unions and Businesses, Setting up New England’s Largest PPO Network for Self-Insured.
I also served on the Westwood School Committee, retiring in 2023 as Chairman. The Superintendent’s office has worked together with Westwood High School to create the Charles L. Donahue Scholarship, which is presented each year to a resident of Boston who has attended Westwood High School through the METCO program.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities available for high school and/or college students to learn:
I am always available to speak with students to share any advice or counsel I might be able to provide. Feel free to contact me by email.
I would be glad to speak on these subjects:
International Relations
Students should take advantage of the Great Decisions program offered at the Westwood Library every month for 1.5 hours. Every month, they review a 10-page foreign policy article written by the Foreign Policy Association.
College Courses on DVD at Westwood Library
There are 130 college courses in 9 subject areas on DVD at the Westwood Library. The usual course is 24 half-hour lectures.
Dale Carnegie Courses at Westwood High
For three years, Dale Carnegie courses have been offered at Westwood High. The course is based on the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” the second most popular book in the world. Warren Buffet said it was the best education that he ever received. Major corporations put their new recruits through the program.