Sidney R. Garfield was born on April 17, 1906 in Elizabeth, New Jersey and had childhood dreams of becoming an engineer. But at the resistance of his parents he became a physician and, in the words of one historian, "created a whole new system for the delivery of health care."

In 1938, the young physician agreed to create a medical care program for Edgar F. Kaiser, head of the daring construction team that was building the Grand Coulee Dam in eastern Washington. There he met young Edgar's father, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, where an enduring partnership was born—and the commitment to quality was established.

In 1970, Dr. Garfield's vision expanded to a medical care delivery system built around a central computing system. In Scientific American, he described a system which included health testing, health education, prevention services, and sick care—striving both to keep people well and care for them when they are sick. He pioneered a shift of consciousness to encourage healthy members to maintain a healthy lifestyle—the roots of Thrive!
 

 

 

 

 

 

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