PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE, NURSE SHORTAGE
Can somebody out there help me understand why health care centers spend millions constructing new buildings when the statistics suggest there will not be enough professionals to staff them?
Can somebody out there help me understand why health care centers spend millions constructing new buildings when the statistics suggest there will not be enough professionals to staff them?
Abandoning the series again today because the news is hot! Thank you Brian, Katie and Charlie and all the folks behind the scene working to achieve collaboration between the dominant television networks to raise funds for cancer research. Thank you for giving the American people something to celebrate, a cause to unite around and for demonstrating that collaboration is the method to achieve success. Americans need something to lift their spirits and through your efforts, you've given the American people a reason to believe good can happen.
Suppose you were given the choice between watching a local musician wrap up the American Idol challenge or having dinner with three accomplished mystery writers, which option would you choose?
I chose option two and spent a delightful couple of hours with three great ladies of mystery fiction. The event organized by Nancy Pickard, included two Chicago area writers...Libby Fischer Hellmann and Michael Dymmoch. Libby and Michael were in town to share the news of their latest publications. You can read about their work and link to their websites from their mystery writer's blog The Outfit. Check out the outfit at www.theoutfitcollective.com.
I've read most every book Nancy has written. Perhaps one day I'll be able to pen that statement about Libby and Michael's work. I'm starting with a couple of their short stories.
I don't usually interrupt my series postings, but these ladies deserved special praise. The challenges posed by Gen Xer's are with us daily, but seldom do I have the opportunity to spend such an enjoyable evening. Thanks Nancy, Libby and Michael.
If a social worker has assisted you and your patients during the past year, March is the month to say thank you. Social work has a proud tradition of serving the friendless, the homeless, the mentally ill, children and elderly in need...when human beings are encountering their most difficult moments, a professional social worker is standing by with a compassionate heart, ready to lend a helping hand. How can you honor the social workers in your organization this month? Make a contribution in their name to a social program they rely to serve clients/patients. Social programs have experienced massive budget cuts that have left them struggling to continue their mission. Then, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and thank those social workers publicly for their efforts to serve the greater good.
I so enjoyed seeing Michael J. Fox on the Today Show yesterday. In our society, people with illness and/or disabilities are often hidden from public view. I'm so glad Michael has used his celebrity to demonstrate life goes on...perhaps not in the form of our original dreams, but perhaps our original dreams weren't large enough. Michael has shown the world he's not only a great actor, he's also a spectacular human being. Does it get any better than that?
I approach this subject with compassion for all concerned. Still, there are facts that cannot be ignored. The obesity crisis in this country is endangering lives...not only the lives of the obese, but of their family members and society. If you read this and you are among the obese, please, please contact your doctor, a nutritionist, a counselor...whomever you feel comfortable with, but please get help in solving your problem. This subject is on my mind because I saw a morbidly obese individual in an airport waiting to board a plane. I couldn't help but wonder how that 300+ pound person would fare if there were an emergency onboard the flight. Would passengers be able to move the individual if he/she experienced a medical emergency? Would passengers be able to escape to an emergency exit if the obese individual were in an aisle seat or blocking the aisle?
Wouldn't it be great if the media pundits and presidential candidates accepted accountability for the damage they are inflicting on our society by slinging negative barbs instead of focusing conversation on solutions for our problems? I suppose that's the kind of wisdom reserved for us "ordinary Americans."
Kudos to the American Medical Association for their recommendation that foods receive a warning label when the sodium count is astronomical. Of course those representing the food manufacturers rushed out to suggest that sodium counts are already listed on food labeling. True, but have you ever watched elderly folks in the supermarket struggling to read the tiny labels? Have you tried reading the labels on every product you purchase in the supermarket? I've done both. And frankly, many elderly folks have vision problems and if they don't, there aren't enough hours in the day to study the miniscule labeling on every product. It is a travesty that America cannot do a better job with an issue so vital to public health.
While we are celebrating nurse week, here's an example of excellence that could make a huge difference in the recruitment and retention of great nurses. One nurse manager with whom I worked scheduled herself once on all three shifts every quarter. She felt it was unfair to call herself a leader if she didn't establish a relationship with those she was to lead. She managed to rearrange her personal and professional life so she could have meaningful conversations with everyone she supervised. That's excellence and everyone in the organization noticed.
