TIME TO STAY WELL?

Wellness Model Superior to Medical Model

Recently, a report in USA Today stated that adults in Canada are healthier than adults in the US. The study was conducted by the Harvard Medical School. For example, US adults are 42 percent more likely than Canadian adults to have diabetes and 32 percent more likely to have high blood pressure.
American politicians and medical organizations insist that Canada’s medical system is inferior to the US and not a potential solution for universal health care in America. The reason why Canada’s system is working and the US is reeling with more debt and less coverage, is their commitment to a wellness model versus the US’s love affair with a medical model.
There’s not much glamour in educating people to take better care of themselves by eating less and by exercising more. Instead the US would rather boast about the frequency of expensive open heart surgeries and heart catherizations as “expected for someone in your age group.” The more elaborate the procedure the more glamorous. Have you heard how open heart patients brag about the “number” (bypass grafts) or how fast their healing time? It’s a badge of courage, even among women.
To scare the American public, medical and political leaders point to Canada’s wait list for open heart surgeries. Aren’t you glad you don’t live where you have to wait and possibly die before you get much needed surgery? There’s nothing scarier than telling people they could die before they get proper health care!
The US medical profession has an outstanding reputation for providing remarkable medical outcomes and breakthroughs. Somehow there must be a balance between encouraging excellence and still be able to provide healthcare to millions of uninsured and under-insured families. One approach to keep people healthier longer is teaching them to be responsible for their health. This doesn’t mean that they ignore good medical practices; if anything people embrace them. Limiting access to medical care encourages people to self-medicate and wait too long before seeking medical advice. Lack of access creates the vicious cycle of more expensive medical care to make up the deficit.
For example, regular check ups combined with known public health practices such as vaccinations and removing standing water from around their home will help ward off unnecessary illnesses. Wiser eating habits, proper exercise regimens and eliminating known risks such as alcohol abuse, smoking or drug abuse (even prescription drug abuse) will address a multitude of health concerns without spending a great deal of money. Let’s face it, obese kids will become obese adults and as they age their medical needs will increase.
Chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders that are environmentally linked are better treated on an on-going basis rather than through emergency room treatments. Emergency rooms are expensive options and the care offered may not add continuity to treating a chronic problem. It is a “single shot” approach and the goal is to get the person out of the ER not to teach them about better health. But for the under/uninsured, the ER may be the only medical service they can use as private practitioners rarely add uninsured patients and their families to their practice.
America needs a medical “Peace Corps” that will provide basic health care and education to millions of needy people. The graduates of this program will not be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt when they graduate (forcing them to seek partnerships in urban and higher paid practices). They will have their education financed by “goodwill” donations that will enable hundreds of people to enter the curriculum and later provide primary care in all neighborhoods.
Like most social issues and problems, we must get by the problem of “greed.” There are sufficient resources in the US to address health care (and education) needs. The real problem: who will make outlandish sums of money and who will get wealthy on the needs of others?

GROWTH <> LEADERSHIP <> EXCELLENCE