Whether he’s mapping global growth strategies for companies like Centene Corporation, or speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Arvan Chan brings a rare mix of strategic rigor and social commitment to the healthcare-and-impact sector. Arvan is not just an executive; he is a global thinker, a healthcare strategist, and an advocate for inclusive innovation.
In the decade that Arvan has served on the board of Vivent Health, the organization, previously known as St. Louis Effort for AIDS, has grown from a small, local HIV prevention and education organization into a comprehensive HIV medical home in 17 cities across six states. By treating the whole person, Vivent Health provides an inclusive environment in which people living with and at risk for HIV truly thrive.
Arvan Chan at the World Economic Forum HQ in Geneva, Switzerland
What has been your most rewarding experience serving on the Vivent Health board?
My most rewarding experience on the Vivent Health Board has been the unique opportunity to work with a group of talented and passionate individuals, including the management team and my fellow board members, who are relentless in the mission to eradicate HIV for all humankind. I also enjoyed spending time with local team members across our operations in all six states. The commitments and dedications of my fellow board members are profound, including all the late-night and weekend meetings, whenever we were trying to resolve a crisis. There were no egos, but only different perspectives, working together to make Vivent Health better. Vivent Health also has a can-do, entrepreneurial spirit, which I hope will continue.
How have you seen the organization grow or change during your time as a board member?
When I first joined Vivent Health (formerly known as St. Louis Effort for AIDS in this market), we were a small $5M ASO serving only the St. Louis community. Little did we know, our encounter with AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin transformed the St. Louis operations into a state-of-the-art integrated care medical home for HIV and AIDS patients. In addition, expansions into new markets not only brought our innovative model to new service areas in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, and Wisconsin, but it also helped our legacy organizations become more sustainable. Now, we are a nearly $350M organization serving 17 communities across six states to advance health equity and justice, so everyone impacted by HIV can live their best and healthiest life. Vivent Health’s care model has helped 95% of our patients achieve viral suppression. This exceeds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2030 “Ending the HIV Epidemic” goal of 90%, and national rate of 66% viral suppression. Furthermore, 93% of Vivent Health’s African American patients have achieved viral suppression, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 62% – underscoring the continued need to address racial and ethnic disparities in HIV care and prevention.
Arvan Chan
What impact do you hope you’ve made during your time?
I subscribe to the philosophy that healthcare is best delivered locally in order to capture the unique culture and social challenges for each location. The success of this local approach includes the ability to also embrace the standardization of systems and processes to leverage operational scale. This is the philosophy with which I challenged myself and others when looking to the future for Vivent Health. Furthermore, my prior M&A and operational experiences at Centene helped Vivent Health’s board provide investment and growth discipline as we explored potential expansion opportunities over the years. I am proud of what the team has achieved in bringing a more local, higher quality of care at lower costs across the US.
Where do you see the future of Vivent Health going?
Vivent Health has undergone a major transformation to realigning systems, processes, and internal culture. This not only addressed the misalignment from our historical growth journey but also repositioned us better for the post-COVID era. I think there are ample opportunities to form strategic partnerships to expand and tailor our service offerings in our existing markets, new states, and even abroad in the foreseeable future. Our board recently spent a few days in Milwaukee to connect, explore, and reimagine Vivent Health’s local, whole-person approach to delivering higher quality of care at lower costs across our communities. Our renewed focus and commitments include: (i) providing a differentiated delivery model by adapting to what, how, and where services are provided to patients as a responsive, patient-centered way; (ii) deploying status-neutral methods to enhance health and social care delivery, reduce stigma, and improve health equality; and (iii) re-investing in local ownership and community belonging, while deepening collaboration with local partners and peer organizations.
