The Reading Eagle’s story about Berks Countians' generally fine health – collectively ranked 20th of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties -- is good news for most of us.
However, though the story appears to examine how to have even better health care in Berks County, it never tells the truth – that the surest way would be to help poor people get better health care.
As you’d guess, the health measures in Reading, which is the hole in the Berks County doughnut, are significantly worse than for Berks County overall, according to a 2013 health assessment about Berks County.
But the 847-word Reading Eagle story mentions “Reading” only once, in the term “Reading Health System,” which is in West Reading.
It’s clear that the list of how better health care for the poorest of us would benefit all of us is long – everything from shinier economic-development appeal to smarter kids, fewer missed work days, lower insurance costs, all the way to spotting scary diseases like measles, or worse, as early as possible.
The 2013 health assessment says that city residents, blacks and Latinos are in poorer overall health, are more likely to be obese and are more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a mental health condition than other residents. It also says many low-income residents also suffer poor health in many smaller suburban and rural areas.
The assessment also recommends a health department. Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach, a conservative who I imagine wants a small government, voted in January to make Berks the first county in the state to have its own department of agriculture.
But I can’t remember a health department being debated.
The assessment said: “It is also notable that Berks County lacks a public health department.” In many communities, a health department “addresses gaps in the health safety net for at‐risk populations in addition to risks affecting the overall health of the larger population.”
The Reading Eagle notes that Berks' neighbors Lebanon, Lancaster, Chester and Montgomery counties all come in the top 11 health rankings.
Montgomery and Chester have health departments.
I’m not saying we need a health department. But how about a public discussion? The Reading Eagle could ask the commissioners their opinions.
The Reading Eagle story quotes Dr. Gregory K. Sorensen, the Reading Health System's chief medical officer: “We'd like to be among the (healthiest) in Pennsylvania and moving toward a top performer in the U.S."
"It's access to the preventive pieces of routine health care, with more dental care, mental health providers," he said. "All of these areas are opportunities as a health system to begin to say, 'What are our specific needs?'"
Good question! But you’d think Chief Medical Officer Sorenson would have some answers!
I don’t know anything about public health, but better coverage in local media could help me better understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment