Health Care 2.0
June 17, 2008
You may have heard the phrase “Web 2.0.” It refers to how we are now in the second phase of the role that the Internet plays in our lives.
Originally the Web was a source of information and entertainment, written and produced by “professionals.”
In recent years, Internet users have themselves moved onto the Web - actively creating content, blogs, and new software and tools. You could say that the Internet has exploded, and is continuing to explode.
So Health 2.0, then, involves these new ways of using the Web in order to share and make use of health care information. As with Web 2.0, oftentimes this means promoting a very individualized and personal online experience.
Country Living
June 13, 2008
Most Americans live in cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas and suburbs. Around 1 in 5 Americans live in the “country” – farms as well as small towns.
When country folks get really sick or injured, they typically have to make the long trip to a city medical center to get expert help. Though 20% of America’s population is rural, only 9% of its doctors are.
A recent study suggests that special programs in medical school to train students for country caregiving could boost the numbers of doctors available.
Charity Fills the Gap in Health Care
March 3, 2008
Helicopters hover over the remote area. Impoverished locals who have gone months without access to much-needed health care look up and know help has arrived. Soon, the American doctors and their medicines and supplies will be dropped into these people’s midst and will set-up impromptu clinics where, after traveling up to 200 miles and waiting in line for hours, those who arrive first may finally get the health treatment for which they are desperate.
Where is this happening? The United States of America.
Remote Area Medical is a charity that was created to provide health care in Third World countries. Now 60% of its work is done in urban and rural America.
Faith-Based Health Care?
February 15, 2008
With the portion of non-elderly uninsured in this country at nearly 18%, one in five Americans must be wondering how they’ll get health care if they need it. ER rooms and walk-in clinics are a typical resource for folks who can’t rely on health insurance to cover their health care tabs. Churches, an age-old institution and social service provider, may now be ministering to the public in a new way: health care. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Council of Churches, about 70% of U.S. churches provide direct health care services via medical professionals to either their members or the community, with half offering such services to both. Services include counseling, medical tests, health education and vaccinations. These churches also help fund local clinics and provide financial aid for those with large medical bills.
My Doctor, the Boss
October 22, 2007
As employer health costs rise, large employers (as many as 30% of them by next year) are building on-site health clinics for their employees - and saving millions. Companies like Perdue, Toyota, Pepsi and Sprint Nextel are returning to the days, not so long ago, when workers’ health care was a company affair. These employees now get access to cheaper doctor visits while on the clock. But current loopholes in HIPAA (the health care privacy law) beg the question: will an employee with a drug problem feel safe getting treatment at work?
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