Ounce of Prevention

One of the most exciting components of the new national healthcare reform law is the special focus on preventing many of the conditions that are so costly for individual American families and our healthcare system. 

The National Prevention Council released the “National Prevention Strategy:  America’s Plan for Better Health and Wellness” in June 2011.  This new nation-wide prevention strategy contains dozens of recommendations that business, government, local communities, organizations and individuals can take to increase focus on proven strategies that prevent some of the most debilitating and chronic medical conditions.  The new Marin County, Department of Health and Human Services: Prevention Hub, has been using the National Prevention Strategy as a template for supporting local effective prevention efforts to transform the places where we live, learn, work and play at every stage of life.

The report provides a number of examples of actions that we can all take such as:

• Building Healthy and Safe Community Environments:  Prevention of disease starts in our communities and at home; not just in the doctor’s office.  For example, businesses and employers can adopt practices to encourage their workforce to increase physical activity and reduce pollution (e.g., workplace flexibility, rideshare and vanpool programs, park-and-ride incentives, travel demand management initiatives, and telecommuting options).
• Expanding Quality Preventive Services in Both Clinical and Community Settings:  When people receive preventive care, such as immunizations and cancer screenings, they have better health and lower health care costs.  For example, expanding the linkages between clinical and community prevention efforts, such as diabetes prevention programs that support preventive efforts among underserved groups and can improve access to preventive services.
• Empowering People to Make Healthy Choices:  Policies and programs can make healthy options the easy and affordable choice, and when people have access to actionable and easy-to-understand information and resources, they are empowered to make healthier choices.  For example, health care professionals can use multiple communication tools (e.g., mobile phone applications, personal health records, and credible health websites) and culturally competent methods to support more traditional written and oral communication.
• Eliminating Health Disparities:  By eliminating disparities in achieving and maintaining health, we can help improve quality of life for all Americans.  For example, health care providers can train and hire more qualified staff from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities.

Source: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/prevention06162011a.html

To learn more about prevention efforts in Marin County, contact Gary Najarian at gnajarian@co.marin.ca.us.