Public Health: Why should we care? How should we make others care?
By:
NWHF Staff
| Posted on: September 30th, 2008
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Policies & Laws •
Public Health
If you’re reading this, it’s probably safe to say that you’re a supporter of government and community interventions aimed to improving the public’s health. But how do we convince the rest of society?
How should we frame the message?
Is it a moral imperative that we seek to ensure the good health of everyone in our society? Is it an issue of global competitiveness (a healthy workforce is a strong workforce)? Is it a fairness issue? Is it a social justice issue?
Oregon currently ranks 43rd in state public health spending per capita.
Assuming that you feel that a robust public health system is important, how do we get the rest in the state to agree?
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In 2007 American’s spent 2.3 trillion dollars on healthcare which is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense (National Coalition on Healthcare website). Our healthcare system is expensive and relatively inefficient. Given our current national stress levels about the economy, individuals are looking for ways to save money. Now is the perfect time for public health members to start selling prevention as a long term safe financial investment.
I think most people believe quality health should be obtainable by everyone. Unfortunately this belief does not intrinsically cause action. The key to getting people involved is very similar to President-Elect Barack Obama’s campaign strategy by using small, grassroot groups of people to instigate change. By showing how large, systemic problems such as climate change can have a direct impact on individual health and wallets, I believe it is possible to form a national culture dedicated to prevention. Integral to the sales pitch of prevention will have to be the health and economic affects of education, poverty, and pollution on our society.