The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly - 6/12/19

The ongoing saga…

 The Great – A research study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology notes that mustaches reduce the risk of lip cancer in men with a “16X lower risk for developing actinic keratosis” compared to men without the bushy stuff on their lips.  Whoa – not only does it make me look a bit more distinguished but, it’s healthier too! I guess I’ll keep mine for another year or so although it’s starting to look a bit grayer than in years past.

The Good – The Carol Emmott Fellowship Program has embarked on a new “Equity Collaborative” program.  The purpose is to have health care systems come together and measure themselves against pre-defined criteria on the number of women health care leaders they have in place.  It’s about time.  The time has come, and an equity collaborative will stimulate the system…  We’ll keep tabs on the results…

 The Bad – The continuing ethic, racial and geographic disparities (See notes above) that exist across the nation which have not been resolved.  We need to fight for those who have no voice. We need health care for all but, in addition to equity, we need efficiency and effectiveness.  It’s up to those of us in health care to set the bar then, set it higher when we reach that goal.  Let’s not be passive bystanders to others who may not know health care. 

The Ugly – The growing divide in the USA with everyone seemingly going to their respective corners.  Such ongoing divisiveness can only hurt us over the longer term and the sowing of such divisiveness by all parties needs to stop.  It’s time for the silent, centrist types to speak up…