2 Steps Forward: Expose Grover and Listen To Nurses

Posted on | November 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Mike Magee

This has undeniably been a year of challenges. Since when did cooperation and compromise become dirty words? We’re all tied up in knots coming to grips with the fact that the world has changed quicker then our ability to accomodate those changes. It’s catch-up time. But first we have to break free. Here’s my two step process to get our nation moving again.

I. Expose Grover Norquist: Listen to Steve Croft’s interview on 60 Minutes of this guy who has 270 + elected officials tied up in knots as he hides behind a forced insipid smile. Who gave him this power? To answer that question you’d have to know where his money comes from. (Oppotunity Notice: Reporters interested in earning a Pulitzer Prize – focus on the intermediaries for corporations, large institutions and associations.) Once the secret funding sources are made public, Grover will shrivel up and fold like bullies do and 270+ elected officials will have enough political cover to break the “pledge” to Grover and do what they were elected to do – govern and use their God given intelligence and range of skills to govern.

II. Listen to Nurses: They are both providers and consumers of health and understand human potential. Their opinions reflect what is possible right now or in the near future. Here are the opinions of over 200 nursing students from a Midwest Nursing School surveyed last month as part of a Beta-test for the Lifespan Planning Record (LPR) Simulator.

Health Visions Survey Results:

1. The future epicenter of our preventive health care system should be:

Hospital 6%

Doctor’s Office 15%

Home 79%

2. Members of the family who serve as family caregivers for parents/grandparents or children/grandchildren should receive support from the health care system as:

Health Providers 4%

Health Consumers 5%

Both 91%

3. Family caregivers caring for aging parents/grandparents should be fully integrated into and supported by the health care team.

Strongly Agree 70%

Agree 27%

Not Sure 2%

Disagree 0%

Strongly Disagree 1%

4. Networking family members of different generations together, and linking them to physicians, nurses and care teams through new video links and social network sites could save money and positively impact the health of young and old.

Strongly Agree 40%

Agree 39%

Not Sure 18%

Disagree 2%

Strongly Disagree 1%

5. Electronic health records should reside with the:

Doctor 26%

Hospital 31%

Individual 39%

Employer 0%

Government 3%

6. If the next generation of electronic health records allows for forward planning, (reminders, customization, decision making and personalized research search tools) this computerized application (activated at birth) should look forward how many years?

20 Years 34%

35 Years 13%

75 Years 17%

100 Years 26%

120 Years 10%

7. All results of medical research studies, positive or negative, should be posted on the Internet at the completion or termination of the study.

Strongly Agree 29%

Agree 37%

Not Sure 22%

Disagree 9%

Strongly Disagree 3%

8. With appropriate privacy protections, I would be willing to share my complete Personal Health Record including Family History, Past Medical History, and future DNA testing results with: (check all that apply)

My Employer 9%

My Insurer 19%

The Government 9%

My Doctor, Nurse and Care Team 99%

My Pharmacy 50%

My Hospital 69%

9. I believe strict enforcement of environmental standards for clean air and water, and management of global warming, is essential to assure optimal health of all Americans.

Strongly Agree 53%

Agree 35%

Not Sure 7%

Disagree 4%

Strongly Disagree 2%

10. I believe health care is a human right and should be universally available to all Americans.

Strongly Agree 49%

Agree 34%

Not Sure 11%

Disagree 5%

Strongly Disagree 1%