Division of FaithHealth Grand Rounds
Dr. Don Jonas: “Strengthening the Social Safety Net”
PowerPoint Below
April 28, 2021
Dr. Don Jonas, Asst. Vice President, Social Strategy & Impact at Atrium Health, based in Charlotte, is a native North Carolinian, and has served in his current role at Atrium since November 2020. Prior to joining Atrium, Don was executive director for more than 8 years at Care Ring, an agency providing a variety 
of health and wellness services for uninsured individuals in the Charlotte region. Don also has overseen charitable giving in the Greater Charlotte region as executive director of the Novant Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation. He has also served as Senior Vice President for Community Philanthropy with Foundation For The Carolinas.
Dr. Jonas has decades of experience, working to blend collaborative efforts of NC safety nets, health systems and others. As such, he truly understands the inner workings of many diverse and, sometimes, competitive stakeholders and systems, which makes him ideal for his current role. His undergraduate degree is from UNC-Chapel Hill. He also holds an MA in political science from Appalachian State University and a PhD in political science from the University of Kentucky.
Don shared on the topic of “Strengthening the Social Safety Net.” Direct access to affordable, excellent clinical care is an important but limited way to make long-term, sustainable improvements in the health and wellness needs of individuals with limited resources. In this talk, Don will share some of what he has learned about how to make system changes through investments and promotion of programs and policies addressing root causes of poverty.
