Bridging the Gap Between Profit and Higher Purpose with Rx4HIM

By Shane Reeves, CEO of TwelveStone Health Partners

It is amazing to me the number of business owners that I meet who are serious about generating profits and delivering value to stakeholders (in other words, to customers, staff, vendors, and investors) while simultaneously trying to balance the pursuit of a higher calling in an effort to leave the world better than they found it.

In large organizations such as Whole Foods, Starbucks, Waste Management, and UPS, generating a profit is a strategy for supporting both the company and a significant social cause.

A Foundation of Purpose

When TwelveStone Health Partners was launched in February 2016, we decided from the very beginning that our purpose statement was going to be about more than just making money, taking care of patients, and developing a tremendous team. We also wanted to be a company that honored God in how we invest our time, influence, and financial resources.

So how do we do that?

The Four Pillars of Impact

We have decided to take a percentage of our profits and invest in a newly formed nonprofit organization called Rx4HIM. This organization will fund the following four initiatives:

1. Internally: Caring for Our Own

We believed that charity began at home. The modern workplace could be a source of stress, and our employees faced the same life challenges as anyone else—grief, family struggles, and personal crises. Through Rx4HIM, we offered pastoral services for our employees. We wanted to ensure that our team members had access to spiritual and emotional support, treating them as whole people rather than just workers.

2. Community: Strengthening the Local Ecosystem

No organization existed in a vacuum. We were part of a broader healthcare ecosystem that included many faith-based, nonprofit organizations working on the front lines. Rx4HIM is committed to financially supporting these local entities, ensuring they have the resources needed to continue their vital work in our immediate community.

3. Benevolence: Filling the Gaps in Care

As healthcare providers, we saw the cracks in the system every day. There were patients who fell through the safety net—those who were uninsured, underinsured, or facing treatments that were simply out of financial reach. Our benevolence initiative allowed us to fund the care for truly marginalized patients in our service area, ensuring that dignity and health were available to those who needed it most, regardless of their ability to pay.

4. Mission: A Global Perspective

Finally, we recognized that our responsibility extended beyond our borders. Access to basic healthcare was a luxury in many parts of the world. Our mission initiative provided funds for medical missions to developing nations (“Third World countries”), exporting our resources and expertise to help vulnerable populations abroad.

Rx4HIM in Action

Although we have just gotten Rx4HIM off the ground, we recently were able to support a patient through our mission initiative.

A five-year-old child recently placed at the City of Children orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico, is unable to walk due to severe health issues and neglect experienced early in life. Diagnosed with hypoglycemia and a seizure disorder, this child also has mental disabilities. This young man requires a specialized diet and has visited several local physicians who eventually prescribed diazoxide to address and stabilize his condition.

This expensive medication is not available in Mexico, but through a communication by a recent TwelveStone intern, Rx4HIM was able to provide assistance. Through Rx4HIM, a shipment of diazoxide was immediately shipped to Ensenada. The orphanage’s director, Tom Begin, shared a praise report for the Rx4HIM response and has high hopes that the new medication will improve this boy’s life.

A Challenge to Leaders

I encourage business owners and executives to vigorously pursue their companies’ missions and to generate unprecedented profits and then use some of those profits to serve, lead, and help leave our world better than you found it.