An Introduction to FixingUSHealthCare.com

“In order to have good health you need a patient and you need a concerned health care provider.”  Benjamin Carson

Dear Mr. President, Honorable Members of Congress and Distinguished Staff,

I want to thank you and your predecessors for the opportunity you provided me in 1978 to attend medical school through the Public Health Services Grant. I worked in an underserved area for four years after completing medical school and residency in Internal Medicine.  This opportunity to practice in one small, rural town in America was an amazing eye opener to the struggles and efforts needed to maintain good health in the thousands of rural communities throughout our nation.

Most of the patients I encountered over the four years in the remote New Mexico community of Truth or Consequences (T or C ) were geriatric patients and the concepts of prevention were not as prominent then as they are now.  My community had a small 20 bed hospital.  The nearest major hospital was 80 miles south.  We relied a lot on communication with the University of New Mexico Medical School and their trauma unit for our emergencies and on backup helicopter transportation for critical accidents or illness.

Small communities like T or C are often close knit and thus more likely to spread disease quickly.  Acute injuries also are challenging as the resources for stabilization may not be available and transportation, even by helicopter, can take too long.  Infectious disease within the schools is always a concern, as essentially all students are within the same building.  Obtaining appropriate immunizations for the students and our adults was always a burden for the small hospital.  Prophylaxis testing (for example, colonoscopy) for preventative health, which has significantly expanded, is also challenging from equipment and expertise perspectives.   

Efforts to address these issues for the betterment of health care in our rural areas are essential. It is estimated that 60 million people, many in their geriatric years, live in designated rural areas.  My experience is they are not looking for a hand-out.  They are looking for a hand-up to help provide them with the opportunity to stay in their community and to stay healthy.  I strongly concur with their goals and I will be providing you information, through letters like this,  about how and what may provide our best opportunities to fulfill those goals as we move forward.

Sincerely,

Stephen F Hightower MD FACP    

Dr. Hightower will be pleased to hear from you.

Copy to: We The People (at fixingushealthcare.com)