President Barack Obama will address the nation tonight in a prime time news conference on health care reform. This is the latest event in what has been a full court press by the White House in recent days to try to build awareness and momentum around the debate. At a White House Rose Garden event on Tuesday, Obama said, “We've agreed that our health reform bill will emphasize prevention and wellness by investing in programs that help Americans live healthier lives. We will save money, prevent illness, and increase the competitiveness of our country. “
IHRSA and its partners continue to encourage legislators to use prevention to contain skyrocketing costs. In a statement released Monday, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) urged Congress to focus on the number one driver of health care costs- chronic disease. "We must focus on disease prevention and wellness in order to reduce unnecessary - and often preventable - costs and create a sustainable health care system," said Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., PFCD Executive Director. "We hope that as other Senate and House committees continue through mark ups, they will make certain that their bills contain adequate measures to address the economic burden of chronic disease and control costs in order to insure the passage of comprehensive, sustainable health care reform legislation in 2009."
While members of Congress and the Obama administration discuss health care reform, the President continues to call on Congress to move bills out of committee and to vote before the scheduled August recess. Though some in Washington are beginning to call the deadline impossible, committees are working very quickly to mark up the bills as soon as possible making this a crucial time for IHRSA’s Personal Health Investment Today Act and Workplace Health Improvement Program Act.
“Our DC team has been actively engaging with key legislators in both the House and the Senate on including the WHIP and PHIT Acts in health care reform,” said Helen Durkin, executive vice president IHRSA public policy. “But we do not have a million dollars a day to spend like the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies. Our strength is the number of fitness professionals across America that are passionate about creating a culture of wellness in our nation.”
Fitness professionals can do their part by writing an email to Congress asking for their support of exercise as part of prevention in health care reform. All of the details are provided online at http://ihrsa.org/campaign. Clubs will be speaking out for legislation that not only encourages Americans to lead healthy lives but also provides them tax incentives to do so while promoting health clubs and growing the number of Americans with gym memberships.
- Breanne McGahey
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Obama Nominates Surgeon General
Earlier today in a White House Rose Garden ceremony, President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Regina Benjamin to serve as the next Surgeon General of the United States. By all accounts, she is a qualified doctor who is exceptionally dedicated to her patients in Bayou La Batre, Ala. (yes, Forest Gump fans the same shrimping community Bubba was from). But what position will Dr. Benjamin take on exercise, prevention and wellness?
As the fitness industry, we hope that the Surgeon General will make use of the high profile of her office to shed light on the impact that a healthy lifestyle can have on the health of all Americans. Bush's Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona was a proponent of healthy lifestyles, he even spoke at an IHRSA Convention a few years back. Acting Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson, has also promoted exercise and been a friend to the issue, especially during the release of the Physical Activity Guidelines.
According to Obama's statement today, "[Dr. Benjamin]'s been a relentless promoter of prevention and wellness programs, having treated too many costly and -- diseases and complications that didn't have to happen." This is great, but given her focus on rural health care one has to wonder how will so many important areas of health care be handled by a small staff with a limited budget. Coming from Alabama, Dr. Benjamin must be keenly familiar with the impact of a sedentary lifestyle. The Trust for America's Health reported earlier this month that Alabama has the second highest adult obesity rate in the nation at over 31% of the adult population. That is a shocking statistic.
I am curious to learn if Dr. Benjamin led efforts in her community to increase physical activity and improve eating habits. If so, she could very well become a powerful role model for the changes that need to occur in our communities that are hardest hit by the obesity epidemic. Only time will tell.
Dr. Benjamin said during her statement that she wants to become America's family physician. I hope that she and all family physicians across America start to better advise their patients on the importance of regular exercise and healthy diets.
- Breanne McGahey
As the fitness industry, we hope that the Surgeon General will make use of the high profile of her office to shed light on the impact that a healthy lifestyle can have on the health of all Americans. Bush's Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona was a proponent of healthy lifestyles, he even spoke at an IHRSA Convention a few years back. Acting Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson, has also promoted exercise and been a friend to the issue, especially during the release of the Physical Activity Guidelines.
According to Obama's statement today, "[Dr. Benjamin]'s been a relentless promoter of prevention and wellness programs, having treated too many costly and -- diseases and complications that didn't have to happen." This is great, but given her focus on rural health care one has to wonder how will so many important areas of health care be handled by a small staff with a limited budget. Coming from Alabama, Dr. Benjamin must be keenly familiar with the impact of a sedentary lifestyle. The Trust for America's Health reported earlier this month that Alabama has the second highest adult obesity rate in the nation at over 31% of the adult population. That is a shocking statistic.
I am curious to learn if Dr. Benjamin led efforts in her community to increase physical activity and improve eating habits. If so, she could very well become a powerful role model for the changes that need to occur in our communities that are hardest hit by the obesity epidemic. Only time will tell.
Dr. Benjamin said during her statement that she wants to become America's family physician. I hope that she and all family physicians across America start to better advise their patients on the importance of regular exercise and healthy diets.
- Breanne McGahey
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