February: A month of celebratory contradictions
As I said in my newsletter message, the month is filled with holidays, beginning with Ground Hog Day, (here) the Nevada State Caucus, then Super Tuesday, then Valentine’s Day, then President’s Day, then, all together, Black History Month. What I find to be difficult is that the healthcare issues so critical to each of us does not have a “day.” After all, for all of these days…three day weekends, dinners honoring someone who has contributed notably to the community, television monopolies of elections and debates…the fact that millions do not have insurance, are under-insured, or are otherwise unable to access the care they need, draws cursory dialogue when, if a whole day were devoted to health and wellness, it might bring more attention to what we don’t do the rest of the year.
I am admittedly being somewhat sarcastic. I realize that isolating one day among other “one days” is hardly enough to alter the collective consciousness needed to transform our relationship to health. However, it is no more or less feasible to impact decision making than any other proposal to date.
Lee Kaiser, in 1990, said that assumption that managed care could fix what was then a faltering system was like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The question now is if even knowing that we are sailing the healthcare ship called Titanic is having any impact at all.
There is hope, however. The hope does occur at the bedside, when a nurse’s hand holds the hand of a patient or family member; when a physician walks into a patient’s room and uses her skill and compassion to relentless persue life and living on behalf of her patient. We hear about it all the time…when noticing how reconnecting with our own humanity, sharing the fears and anxieties, the losses and gains in the human process becomes the currency exchanged from heart to heart.
I am hardly cynical as I know at this moment, more people in high places are well aware of the problems now and ahead. I also know that more hospitals are investing in wellness than ever before. So, let us continue to celebrate all the holidays in February, the flowers that blossom…and know that for each month, the opportunity for healing ever present.
February 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Susan, Your message of hope so fit’s with the longing of our people, our community, our nation. I was a delegate to the County Democratic Convention yesterday (BTW, it wasn’t the “State Convention” as you indicated in your blog. That doesn’t happen until May.) It was truly energizing to be in a room of 2000 people, all with the same mission. To change the status quo. The political conversations around my table were enthralling. I met some wonderful people who, if I had met on the street, I would never have suspected I shared such commonality.
Yet the “differences” were dramatic, too. The platform written by our County Democratic Platform reflected the difficulty of trying to come up with common solutions to the problems we face. A friend who was on the platform committee, called me last night, after it was all over, and described her frustration as the “floor” kept refusing to accept the platform the committee had crafted. The process itself had been very heated, according to her, and ultimately, the committee members were unable to come up with a strong statement on many topics, including a health care plan. (Only 2 of the 10 members on the committee supported a “single payer” plan, for example.) Hence the language to improve health care is very general and without significant substance. It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out on the national level.
So I guess ultimately we all have a personal vision of “change” and “hope” and what that means.
For me, the attempt itself of trying to craft a plan for the future that will best serve our people, as “messy” as it was, was an exercise in hope.