Because I said so

The health care debate has sparked more than discussion it has devolved into a full fledge battle between what is seen as a stepping stone toward socialism and a step away from free enterprise.

Research confirms children with full insurance coverage whether private or public have lower rates of unmet healthcare needs than children with no insurance or intermitted insurance coverage (Olson, Tang, & Newacheck, 2005). Most often the health care debate centers around the 40 million people who are counted as uninsured. However, there are possibly millions more that are just as stringently affected by a lack of healthcare characterized as underinsured and intermittently insured individuals.

I am not sure where the visceral reaction emanates. People seem unaware that they pay for a government run option already, County hospitals are supported by taxpayers as well as Medicaid and Medicare. The current public option is crippling healthcare systems across the nation and reform is needed. Emergency rooms are used as primary health care facilities. People flood the ER with non-emergent care issues causing tremendous wait times leading to deaths in some cases. It appears that with the growing concern of a government run public option the White House seems to back peddling on its drive to push a public option.


The public option originally proposed by the White House appears to be undergoing a compromise in which the public option will become a consumer-owned nonprofit coop, in keeping with free enterprise. The government funded option has been touted as a step towards socialism however, providing an option to the current monopoly private insurances hold on health care is the essence of free enterprise. If companies choose to embrace a public option it makes the market more competitive. I don’t believe it will cheapen health care or inhibit technological progress.

The progressively worsening health of Americans can be directly attributed to a lack of preventative care associated with preventable deaths (McGlynn et al., 2003). The loudest protestation for the public option is the quality of health care would suffer. According to a study conducted by McGlynn et al. between 1998 and 2000 on average Americans receive only half of the recommended medical processes they are in need of currently. What many people do not dispute in health care administration is the need for an overhaul in establishing a national baseline for performance making it possible to assess policy changes and evaluate efforts to improve the quality of care (McGlynn et al., 2003).

Our current state of health care is unconscionable and is far from representative of an international power in my opinion. if we are the best we should be able to provide the best to all of Americans and develop a health care system that is enviable to other nations. As a nation we provide some of the best quality once provided it is however, the obtainment of said care that needs addressing and the delivery of payment for the procurement of services.

References:

McGlynn, E. A., Asch, S.M., Steven, M., Adams, J., Kessey, J., Hicks, J., et al. (2003). The quality of health care delivered to adults in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(26), 2635-2645.

Olson, L.M., Tang, S.S.,& Newacheck, P. W. (2005). Children in the United States with discontinuous health insurance coverage. New England Journal of Medicine 00284793, 353(4).

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JPS Health Network recognizes World AIDS Day

BY ELIZABETH BASSETT
December 01, 2008

JPS Health Network will be hosting a memorial service on Dec. 1 to recognize World AIDS Day.

The hour-long service, which will start at 10:30 a.m., will be in the third-floor auditoriums of the John Peter Smith Hospital. Those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS will be remembered, and a list of names of those who died this year will be read. It’s estimated that about 100,000 within Tarrant County have HIV, which causes AIDS, and up to one-third of the infected may not know they have the disease. For more information on the event, contact Nicci Willey at 817-927-1025.

The following are events in Dallas in Observance of World AIDS Day
DALLAS


The North Texas HIV Service Providers Council will host its 2008 World AIDS Day event Friday, Dec. 5 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Fwy. An information fair and AIDS Memorial Quilt viewing will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of Ryan White, will be the keynote speaker. Reservations are required. Call 214-521-5191 to make a reservation.

The DFW Stomp Out Syphilis Campaign is hosting a World AIDS Day balloon launch and educational presentation at noon on Monday, Dec. 1 at the MLK Family Clinic at 2922-B MLK Blvd. Keynote speakers for the event are Barbara S. Cambridge, Ph.D., professor at UT-Southwestern Medical School, and Fernie Sanchez, M.A., of AIDS Arms, Inc. For more information, contact Diedre Spears, or call her at 214-528-0144.

AIDS Interfaith Network/Manos Unidas , in conjunction with Dallas County Health and Human Services, will provide HIV testing at the Mexican Consulate, 8855 N. Stemmons Fwy., on Monday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact Edgar Carmona at 214-943-4444.

For additional post regarding HIV/AIDS you can read here and here.

• Labels:
• Global health
• health
• Hiv/Aids
• responsibility


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I was unable to sleep last night which is unusual for me. I am the type of person that generally never has a problem going to sleep. Anyway I found myself still awake at 11pm so I began channel surfacing in order to induce a state of severe boredom that would enable me to catch some zzzzz. I landed on MSNBC which was showing an expose on Sex Slaves in America. I have to say I was shocked I don’t know why I knew this kind of thing existed especially living in Texas and being raised a couple of hours ride from the border.

I found myself watching the whole hour show and tearing up over the desperation and hopelessness these women found themselves in. The expose focused mainly on Houston and San Francisco many of these women were kept under constant surveillance and threatened, beat and raped repeatedly. This is a modern day slavery and bondage that affects women and children disproportionately due to a number of reasons.

(The video below is not the same one that I viewed the previous night but it represents the horrors and desperation that cloak human trafficking.)



Violence is perpetrated overwhelmingly against women many of which have been marginalized in society in large numbers, especially women in developing countries. For example, in South African they boast the highest incidence of femicide, where a woman dies every 12 hours, this is 6 times higher than in the United States or Canada (Wasserman, 2006). The effects of a patriarchal society where sentiments of male superiority and women inferiority operates as a prime catalyst for the continued acceptance of violence against women.

The act of violence is a major public health concern and a threat to social and economic development worldwide (Ellsberg, 2006). Violence, intimidation and superiority complexes have laid the ground work for the global atrocity named human trafficking.

"Traffickers often target children and young women. They routinely trick victims with promises of employment, educational opportunities, marriage, and a better life. (U.S. Department of State. 2004. Trafficking in Persons Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State.)"

If you would like to become involved or learn more about human trafficking please log onto these websites:


www.notforsalecampaign.org

www.polarisproject.org

www.cargoinnocencelost.com

www.stophumantrafficking.com


or call Human Trafficking Referral hotline from The Department of Health and Human Services: 1-888-373-7888

If anyone would like the full citation to the above articles contact me and I will provide them for you.

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• Hiv/Aids
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I have been posting for a little over a month and I don’t think I have posted anything regarding my field of occupation. There are two main reasons for this one whenever I do talk to my husband about my job his eyes tend to glaze over and I get the occasional grunt that signifies he is following me (no matter, I feel the same way about his job I think it has something to do with finance, shows how much I pay attention). Anyway the other reason simply is I have become bored it’s nowhere as exciting as it was five years ago partly because when we do find something interesting the state gets to take all the friggin credit for it. I have you all know that salmonella outbreak a year ago we found evidence of it months before the state even announced its findings but were we mentioned noooooooo. Whatever.

So as I was browsing through my promed mail I found this case regarding measles nothing new and inteseting to most of us; the majority of us have been afflicted with or vaccinated aganist measles at some point in our lives. However, what I found interesting was the way these new 8 cases evolved. The initial case (or point of reference) was from a man visiting from Switzerland.

This is just another example of how global the world is becoming and how diseases like SARS and bird flu are no longer bound by trivial obstacles such as oceans. Global health is an increasing interest of mine which is why this case struck me as interesting; I think I will begin to make a concerted effort to contribute more post on global health issues and how they affect America.

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• health


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The disease and consequence of mental health never struck me as an issue of paramount concern. I always assumed that everyone had a crazy uncle Pete, right, or was that just my family. Mental illnesses are often diseases sheltered and closeted away from public view. Historical attitudes towards mental health have fluctuated greatly among different societies and cultures. Mental health is a disease felt strongly across economic boundaries, it affects the rich and the poor alike. However, mental health treatments, diagnoses, and care often differ between these groups.

Depression and other clinical mental disorders are rapidly affecting the lives of millions across the globe. Mental health threatens the core and foundations of every society, because it jeopardizes family stability and the ability of people to make sound cognitive judgments.

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I should have known better, working in the hospital atmosphere I see it too many times, but what did I do, I fell for the OKIE DOKE! Damn do I feel stupid. Quick run down last year around this same time my husband had to rush me to the ER in a wrapped sheet because I was in too much pain to get dressed, we get there and we are told that I’m dehydrated and that is causing my UNBEARABLE pain, they give me an IV some muscle relaxers and sent me on my merry way.

First of all I drink nothing but water (and the occasionally alcoholic beverage) to ever be dehydrated. I never thought this was my problem but hey after the muscle relaxer everything is all good (right). The problem is I KNEW something was wrong I KNEW it, I could FEEL it.

People you have to be your own advocate Doctors don’t know everything. And no, I’m not slamming doctors because even in my field if I’m not used to seeing a particular bug it may take me a couple of days, weeks to ID it. Your doctor just may not be familiar with your particular aliment or it may not be common for people in your age range, race, etc.

So I let a year go by not listening to my body, not slowing down, but taking on extra upon extra upon extra then bam the pain is back WTF. This time I did a little researching of my own it turns out I may have gall stones, I am heading to a specialist today but I think it’s going to turn out that gall stones are my problem. My mother said that both of my cousins had to have their gall bladders removed around my same age. Ok so what I want people to know is this:

1. Dr.’s may misdiagnose because you don’t fit the typical picture (which was the case with my cousins and probably will be with me)
2. Don’t be afraid to question your doctor this is your body you know it better than they do
3. Be assertive and persistent when you believe there is a problem
4. Be PATIENT and WILLING to listen
5. Don’t fall for the OKIE DOKE! Listen to yourself

For more information please visit the link attached to the title, this website has a great section in regards to African American health disparities and advocacy

• Labels:
• advocacy
• health


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