Our first Health Care Meeting went very well

We met with three professionals very engaged in improving Health Care access in Martin County. Dave Heaton, Executive Director, Children's Services Council of Martin County, Cheryl Bass, Director of the Martin County Community Services Department, and Lisa Olds Executive Director Martin County Healthy Start Coalition.

Executive Director Heaton, our host. was very interested in our mission, (to raise public awareness of Health Care access issues in Martin County). He was a careful listener and when he spoke, always offered a suggestion or a contact that could be helpful. Often his suggestion would elicit even more information from Cheryl & Lisa. He also broached the subject of a study currently underway which had not yet completed it's public input component. We may very well be able to assist in generating additional public interest in the subject. This could provide a perfect opportunity for us to fulfill the need for a fuller public discussion of health care resource availability. If we can help support public input to an ongoing research project, our timing couldn't be better. This could provide a perfect avenue for our participation and would be helpful to the community at large.

They expressed an interest in our Diagram of the Public/Health Care matrix. It seems they'd recently created a very similar diagram. Ms. Bass Director of the Martin County Community Services Department brought a wonderful selection of documents for our review (They will become part of our Final Report) including a recent document (October '08) prepared for the Martin County Commission called Martin County Health Issues. Headings like 1. Access to Health Care, with sub headings (a) Health Insurance Coverage (b) Cultural Barriers to Health Care and Health Disparities, (c) Transportation, (d) Lack of Access to Health Care Providers, (e) Insufficient Capacity in the Health Care System, 2. Maternal and Child Health, 3. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, 4. Substance Abuse, 5. Oral Health Care, 6. School Health, 7. Environmental Health.

The document summary included this powerful statement:

"... Government at all levels has a significant role in providing for and protecting the health of it's citizens. County government is no exception. Florida Statutes cite as the purpose and intent of county administration "... an adequate and efficient provision of services to the citizens in this state, that provides for coordinated administration of county departments to better protect the health, welfare, and safety, and quality of life of the residents..." The health, welfare, and safety, and quality of life of our residents are challenged on many levels. Without a sound economy, without decent jobs, families find themselves everyday unable to access medical care, unable to pay their rent or mortgage, unable to access dental care, eyeglasses, medications, mental health counseling and other "non-essential services". The increase in needs has hit every health and human service agency in the county. One need only look at the number of restaurants that have closed recently to know that the financial underpinnings of our county are crumbling. And with it, is a major threat to a diminishing of the health, safety, welfare and quality of life of our residents. ... [ed Emphasis Added]

The answers to complex issues such as housing and economic development, the environment and sustainability, are complex in and of themselves, by necessity. Health care approaches are also complex. But they cannot be ignored, if we are to protect the health of our citizens and the health of our community as a whole."

Director Bass also provided a report entitled 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Another report she's offered was titled Problems in Paradise "The Peoples of Palm Beach & Martin County Speak Up" dated 2006. She also provided our commission the 2003 District 9 Health plan, which although somewhat dated does provide insight into not just the situation as understood in 2003, but also provides an opportunity to track the progress from the tactics developed for the issues of 2003 but how those approaches have fared half a decade later. We were also provided a copy of the 2004 Community Health Planning Initiative (subtitled a Report to the Community). And finally the 2002, Communities for a Lifetime, Elder Ready Initiative. The Commission will find these reports and studies a crucial resource as we prepare our analysis of the challenges facing the citizens of Martin County in the decade ahead.

We discussed our plan to create public forums for medical professionals to discuss the Health Care challenges from their perspective as well as the possibility for the public to discuss their perspectives on services and access issues they face. Director Heaton, suggested that the Futures Group might be interested in partnering with us to facilitate the public meetings. They are very active in creating public forums to improve the county. Executive Director Olds offered to put me in touch with the Futures Group. She also suggested that we participate in the "provider training" which could give us an idea of the data collection process that is currently underway to provide "REAL-TIME" Health Care utilization data in our county.

We talked about several of the widely recognized pinch points, in the Health Care system just a few of which are Mental Health, Elder care, Substance abuse, and of course the Gorilla in the room, the impact of the strains in the economy, which can only exacerbate access to already limited resources. This was an auspicious beginning to what should prove to be a good working relationship with just a few of the people who work every day to make Health Care accessible to the citizens of Martin County.

We left a few questions on the table, we hope to determine, the "standard" approximate fees for broken limbs, X-rays, MRIs and standard fees for childbirth (as an information resource). We want to raise these Health Care access issues so that as the budget discussions arise in Tallahassee, and Washington DC, there will be an informed debate which addresses current budgetary constraints and the real-impact of potential additional budgetary shortfalls.

RW Spisak Jr.
CoChair The Citizens Commission on the Future of Health Care in Martin County