Purpose Prize

Marc Freedman Portrait

The Latest from CoGenerate

Lasting Impact

Lasting Impact

CoGenerate Co-CEO Marc Freedman’s most recent book, How to Live Forever, was published by Hachette/Public Affairs in 2018, generating a lot of great attention. And it’s not over yet! Every week, the New York Times Sunday Opinion section includes a print-only feature...

Check Out Our Signature Event On Cogenerational Activism!

Check Out Our Signature Event On Cogenerational Activism!

On May 22, more than 1,100 people registered to learn more about the important cogenerational work our 2023 Innovation Fellows are doing. These 15 leaders are bringing generations together to solve problems and bridge divides. And each one has a unique and inspiring...

Got a Digital Illustration that Shows Generations Working Together?

Got a Digital Illustration that Shows Generations Working Together?

CoGenerate recently teamed up with Fine Acts, a global creative studio for social impact, to launch an open call for illustrations showing generations working together for change.  We’re looking for illustrations that show older and younger people coming together to...

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Roger Sorg

Volunteers in Medicine Clinic
Purpose Prize Fellow 2008

Bringing comprehensive diabetes treatment to uninsured and low-income people

After nearly 35 years with a bustling pathology practice, Roger Sorg refocused his medical skills on primary care. Sorg’s new focus led him to develop one of the first Volunteers-in-Medicine (VIM) clinics on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. As an interest in primary care at the VIM, he noticed the high number of low-income patients diagnosed with diabetes. At age 60, Sorg motivated his colleagues to join in taking action. Broad agreement exists on how to manage diabetes, but fewer than 40 percent of those afflicted receive recommended levels of medical care. Dr. Sorg returned to school for Diabetic Educator certification to find a way to help. With his colleagues, they developed a disease management program at the VIM clinic designed after the Joslin Diabetes Clinic to ensure uniform, high-level care for diabetic patients. The clinic had 30,000 patient visits in 2007 with hundreds of new patients diagnosed with diabetes and receiving care for the first time. It achieved significant reductions in several important areas including, diabetic patients’ hemoglobin levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol, along with significantly more foot and eye exams. Sorg showed that quality disease management can occur in a free-clinic general-care environment, and his program structure can be easily replicated. “We are doing what we were trained to do – be physicians. We are making a tangible difference in the health of the entire community. I cannot imagine NOT using my talents to support our community.”