The National Women's Law Center in conjunction with Oregon Health and Science University published the "2010 health report card for women" today. This report card looks at all factors important to women's healthcare: access, family planning, abortion, wellness & prevention, policy, etc.
The first thing I did was to look up the state I currently live in: F. Then I looked up the states that surround me: F, F, F, F... The south (TN, KY, LA, AB, MS) = fail. While not at all surprising, it is beyond frustrating. We theoretically live in a rich country with access to some of the best healthcare in the world; except clearly not. Women should not be receiving inferior care based on their gender. Southern's should be at a disadvantage based on their geographic location. Aren't we all US citizens?
My very liberal view is that we need some serious healthcare care reform NOW. Bring on the universal care with a single payer plan! Bring on preventative medicine. Bring on health education. Better incorporate other professionals into a person's care plan: social workers, nutritionists, and the such. Integrate more reproductive health care into primary care. OR, I should just move to Canada, or England...
What is my role in all of this? How can I help to improve healthcare as a medical student? Should I be getting more involved in health policy? How can I better prepare myself to provider comprehensive healthcare in such a broken system?
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