No, it wasn’t a political one or the ridiculous “if you just give up carbs, you’ll lose weight” topic.
It was acknowledgement about how a local hospital has greatly expanded their nearby campus and their plans to expand further. There was mention of how this particular hospital system is expanding their emergency room and how they are adding additional hospital beds. The remark was how they are starting to look like their main campus in another town.
Some may view this as a necessary move on behalf of that healthcare system to serve the community, but are they really helping the community be healthier?
While some may see this as a positive sign for the region, and in a few small ways it can be viewed as that, I on the other hand grow increasingly disappointed.
Few people pause to question that with such growth, have people of the area also become healthier? Has the construction of larger hospital buildings and improved office environments really helped improved the health of the community?
The answer is no. Chronic disease continues to grow rampant, obesity rates continue to climb, and good mental health is still a challenge for many. Do we perhaps need a larger emergency room (ER) to serve a growing population? Possibly. However, there are not as many “true emergencies” that show up in the emergency room as one would think. Working 10 years in the hospital as a Registered Nurse, ER visits are largely people presenting for complications related to their mismanaged chronic disease. Another complicating factor is that many may not have a primary care provider (PCP) and are using the ER to get their basic healthcare needs. Even if they are following through with their PCP, the solution they have likely been handed is a pill or some other medication.
The cold, hard truth: many of these chronic diseases could be prevented or better managed through exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle modifications. However, those “prescriptions” don’t fund fancy new offices or expansion of hospital buildings.
Many PCPs seem to have lost the ability to think freely and are trapped in the mindset of a pill or an injection or some other pharmaceutical being the go-to solution. Is it because that is how they were educated? Or, is it because the healthcare system has conditioned or trained them how to treat patients?
As we approach another round of holiday dinners in the upcoming weeks, perhaps a new topic of conversation should be not one where we praise the growth of a hospital system, but more like how we plan to reduce our dependence on them. It should be evident that they are not “profiting” from your wellness and instead are profiting from your continued illness.
Ultimately, the solution is, you need to take ownership for your health. No one will ever care more about you than you.
Every small action you take that positively contributes to your health is saving you some small bit from dependence on the “healthcare” system later on.
I have a dream healthcare facility in mind, one devoted to true health. The providers (physician, dietitian, physical therapist, chiropractor, mental health counselor, etc) all lift weights and prioritize better nutrition, strength training, and lifestyle modification as the first line of treatment against chronic disease for their patients. It starts as a dream, then it’s sharing that dream with others, then it’s connecting with the people who can help you make that dream happen.
Presently, we are making a difference one person at a time. We have multiple stories of people reducing their need for chronic pain medications, decrease in chronic pain overall, blood pressure medication reductions, improved blood glucose readings, and improved mobility.
Within the next few years, I look forward to my healthcare facility being the topic of conversation at Thanksgiving dinner not because we grew so much, but because of how we actually help people live a greater quality of life for longer. We would want to see our patients be less dependent on us for repetitive prescriptions, office visits, blood work, etc and primarily see them for their workouts, nutrition education, and lifestyle coaching. Our people would be out living life to the fullest and living independently longer.
We are what healthcare should be, but won’t be.
Interested in truly improving your health? Book your free consultation today, our No Sweat Intro, today.