CDC – Page 11 – watercress words by Dr Aletha

National Doctors’ Day

Did you know there is a national day to honor physicians? In 1990, the U.S. Congress established a National Doctors’ Day, first celebrated on March 30, 1991.

The first Doctors’ Day observance was March 30, 1933, in Winder, Georgia. The idea came from a doctor’s wife, Eudora Brown Almond, and the date was the anniversary of the first use of general anesthetic in surgery.

an electron microscope image of the coronavirus — used with permission, CDC.GOV

Doctors’ Day 2020

But Doctors’ Day 2020 will be somber for not only U.S. doctors, but for physicians all over the world. This year we are all working together against the toughest medical foe any of us have ever faced- the novel coronavirus pandemic.

You may not have a chance to honor your doctor in person, but you can commit to doing your part to establish a trusting, respectful relationship with your doctors. It will be good for both of you.

how to improve communication with your doctors-

Be open and honest about your medical history,lifestyle, and concerns.

Sometimes patients leave out important information due to forgetting, thinking it’s not important, embarrassment, or fear. But that may be the very piece of data I need to pinpoint what’s wrong.

So tell the doctor

If you can’t do something you’re asked to do
If you can’t afford medication, tests, or treatment
If you are afraid of a test or treatment
If other doctors are caring for you
Your social habits-alcohol use, smoking, sexual behavior

Learn more tips on talking with your doctor here-

How to talk to your doctor to improve your medical care

Give details about your problem, explain what you feel

I find that patients often have difficulty describing how they feel. They may say they hurt, cough, itch or get short of breath, but give few details. Maybe because we use text messaging with its brevity, abbreviations and emoticons. We have forgotten how to use descriptive words.

I don’t think we doctors expect our patients to always recite a rehearsed narrative about “why I came to the doctor today.” But it does help if you come prepared to answer questions as specifically as possible.

You might try thinking about your problem using the PQRST mnemonic. It will help your doctor identify possible causes for your symptoms, and may also help you understand your problem and even suggest ways you can help yourself.

Find out what PQRST means at this post-

How to tell your doctor what’s wrong with you.

Recognize your doctors are people first

As physicians, our patients’ “social histories” help us understand factors in your life that impact your health -where you live, your job, your family, your hobbies . Besides that, we enjoy getting to know you, especially the things that make you and your life unique and interesting. That feeling can go both ways.

a woman in white coat with mask over mouth

Exchanging a few social words can make the encounter more satisfying for you and your doctor. Some of us will be more open about sharing our personal lives, and some subjects may be off limits. But I don’t think any of us will object to polite, caring interest in our lives outside of medicine.

You may cry when you read about a unique doctor-patient relationship in this post-

A simple way to help your doctor beat burnout

Finally, in honor of Doctors’ Day, meet some physicians with unique experiences to share, just a few of the many doctors who work tirelessly to share the HEART of health.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE

Dr. Kent Brantly awoke feeling ill- muscle aches, fever, sore throat, headache and nausea. As his condition progressively worsened to include difficulty breathing, he learned the cause of his illness- the Ebola virus. Having spent the past few weeks caring for patients caught up in the Ebola epidemic that swept Liberia in the spring of 2014, Dr. Brantly had contracted the disease himself, and would likely die, as almost all victims do.

Continue this story at-

Surviving Ebola, “Called for Life”- Dr. Kent Brantly

DISASTER HEALTHCARE

When she applied for a position in New York City at the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Dr. Judy Melinek never imagined that decision would plunge her into the nightmare of September 11, 2001. She was at the ME office that day when the Twin Towers were attacked and fell, killing thousands of people.

She and the other staff collaborated with the team of investigators who worked night and day identifying remains of the victims, a task she vividly describes in the book. This was basically their only job, since the cause of death was for the most part irrelevant, and impossible to determine. Sometimes they had only a small body part, as little as a finger, to extract DNA to identity a victim. Such identification was critical to bring closure to the families who lost loved ones, people who left for work that day, and never came home.

Read more about Dr. Melinek at this review of her book-

Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and The Making of a Medical Examiner- a review of words worth sharing

Meet the 91 year old still practicing physician, whose grandfather was a slave- Melissa Freeman, M.D.

Photos in this post are from the LIGHTSTOCK.COM collection, an affiliate link. Consider Lightstock for your photo and graphic needs. You will get quality media and help support the mission of this blog-to inform and inspire us all to discover the HEART of health.

exploring the HEART of dedicated physicians

Join me on Facebook March 30 through April 3 where I share stories about physicians past and present who share the HEART of health every day.

Dr. Aletha

Recently I attended a Naturalization Ceremony, my first ever. Forty people from 15 different countries met all the requirements to become citizens of the United States.

The ceremony was solemn but joyful with a local high school choir singing “Music to My Soul” as the whole audience clapped along. The Oath of Allegiance that I’m sharing with you here is sobering . Judge Michael said that we natural born citizens should take it to heart also.

Oath of Allegiance — the oath of allegiance

In honor of my new fellow citizens, I’m sharing a post I wrote about the American healthcare system-not perfect, but one we can “support and defend” with pride.

They subsequently established a government, military, educational system, highway system, public works, and a healthcare system.

We Americans may pride ourselves on not having “socialized” medicine or “national healthcare”, but we do have a health care system that is a combination of public and private funding and administration. And even private healthcare must comply with a myriad of local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

I believe we have one of the best healthcare systems in the world because of the people who work in healthcare- the people who devote years to education and training and who work tirelessly 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to make and keep us well. Their commitment, compassion, dedication and competence benefits all of us and deserves our gratitude.

Statue of Liberty — Lady Liberty lifting her torch in New York harbor, from my vacation there

According to recent statistics, the United States government accounts for-

40% of healthcare spending

$1.3 trillion /year

Covering 100 million individuals

Through 4 federal agencies

Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Defense
Veterans Administration
Department of Homeland Security

(JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), June 21, 2016)

Healthcare for active duty military and veterans

During the American Revolution the fledgling government extended health care benefits to the soldiers and veterans of that war; that system evolved into the current military health care system which covers service members and the Veterans’ Administration system for veterans.

American soldiers serving in Afghanistan

Healthcare for civilians

Under President Barack Obama, Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 to guarantee basic health insurance to all citizens. Newly elected President Donald Trump vowed to “repeal and replace” this law while some changes have been made, it is still in force.

Two other government healthcare programs- Medicare and Medicaid are over 50 years old.

Medicaid provides insurance coverage for adults and children who are unemployed or low income.

Medicare covers disabled children and adults and persons 65 years and older.

The numbers are rather staggering.

Together these programs cover at least 30% of Americans.
Together they comprise 25% of all federal spending.
Together they pay 40% of total U.S. health care spending.

An infographic from the Kaiser Family Foundation and JAMA explains this further.

(Cubanski J, Lyons B, Neuman T, et al. Medicaid and Medicare at 50. JAMA. 2015;314(4):328. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.8129)

a man in a wheelchair — Disabled children and adults may qualify for Medicare.

a nurse with a child in a hospital — Disabled children and adults may qualify for Medicare.

You may not be eligible for either of these programs now, but chances are eventually you or someone close to you will.

Anyone can become disabled from a serious illness or freak accident.
You or your spouse may lose your job and your employer sponsored health insurance.
Your child may have a disability that will prevent them from working when they grow up.
We may all live long enough to qualify for Medicare on the basis of age alone. Your parents or grandparents are near or already at Medicare age.

ELDERLY COUPLE -189282_1280 — Senior adults age 65 and older use Medicare.

It’s important to understand how Medicare works, since it’s not automatic; even if you qualify, you need to sign up to be covered (with a few exceptions). The rules are summarized here. Or consider an easy to understand book.

Government healthcare mostly falls under the direction of –

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

whose Secretary serves in the Presidents’s Cabinet, thus making it part of the Executive branch of the government.

Several government agencies regulate, monitor, promote and/or support both public and private healthcare (most but not all of these are under HHS.)

Food and Drug Administration- FDA

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- CDC

National Institutes of Health- NIH

Occupational Safety and Health administration-OSHA

Drug Enforcement Agency-DEA

medication capsules — The FDA regulates the development and sale of medications and medical devices and the DEA regulates dangerous and controlled drugs.

Important Federal Healthcare Laws

The Affordable Care Act- ACA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-HIPPA

Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act- EMTALA

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health- HITECH

Americans with Disabilities Act-ADA

Family Medical Leave Act-FMLA

Liberty Bell -replica — replica of the Liberty Bell at Disney World, Florida, photographed when I visited with my grandchildren

The origin of United States healthcare

In the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States created a nation based on the “self-evident truths” of “Life ,Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and to promote “Safety and Happiness” .

In the Constitution they vowed to “promote the general Welfare” .