You've heard a lot about public health lately. During the recent focus on the new influenza virus (H1N1, or "swine flu"), you were told to, "wash your hands," "cover your coughs and sneezes," and "keep your children home from school if they are sick."
That information was provided by the King County Public Health Department. As a member of the Board of Health, I am one of the individuals who oversee the Department. But, protecting you from new and existing diseases is just one of the things we do. And despite all you've heard about "swine flu," the work of the Health Department often goes unnoticed.
It's the department that ensures that the water from our faucets is safe to drink, the food at the grocery store is safe to eat, and that the air in our community is safe to breathe. The department also provides health care through community clinics, which serve as an important "safety net" for many in our community.
There's yet another service the board and department now provide: We're working to promote your health through the board's health reform project. Initially, the board adopted health principles that we believe should be at the foundation of any state or national health-care reform plan. Under our principles, a plan should provide:
• Affordable, conveniently located services, which are not limited by the ability to pay, pre-existing conditions, gender, or other factors
• Equal access, so that every person receives appropriate care in a timely manner
• High quality care that is safe, and doctors who are rewarded for better health outcomes for patients, not for the number of tests they conduct or deny
• An emphasis on preventive care and the promotion of healthy habits
• Sufficient funding to cover health services for everyone over the long term
• Effective cost controls and efficient payment and billing systems
To see the full text of the principles, click on Resolution #08-10 at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/BOH/resolutions.aspx.
Board members and department representatives are using these principles in several ways: First, we are engaged in community outreach. We are discussing these principles with community groups and professional organizations to make everyone aware of the elements that public health professionals believe should be part of reform plans. Armed with this information, citizens and service providers can better determine if current systems or proposed changes give them the care they need.
Second, we are advocating for appropriate reform at the state and federal levels. As you know, health-care reform is coming. The Obama Administration wants reform legislation on the president's desk before the end of the year. And here in the state of Washington, legislators are considering five different health plans - ranging from a completely unregulated option to a single-payer plan. The federal plan will likely allow for some local flexibility. So what happens in Washington state matters. And King County can have a substantial influence on what takes place at the state level.
We have analyzed the Obama Administration's health reform principles and the state plans. Based upon our principles, there is room for improvement in both the federal and state options. So, our analyses are being used in meetings with lawmakers to indicate how federal and state plans could better serve King County residents. We will soon launch a Web site and our analyses will be posted there for your review.
In the long run, our goal is for health care to become like the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat - something that is always there when needed. An optimal health-care reform plan should provide better service for all of us and our families, bring down costs, make changes sustainable, and allow everyone affordable access. We encourage you to become familiar with the board's principles, and to support our health-reform project by promoting them with your state and federal legislators.
George Counts is a member of the board of the King County Department of Health and a member of the Queen Anne Community Council. Counts was a professor of medicine at the University of Washington and served at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He also was a senior adviser on special populations in the HIV Vaccine Trials Network at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.[[In-content Ad]]
