Friday, September 17, 2010

Pass It On

I usually do not pass along, let alone even read, chain letters, however this one caught my eye and I certainly do agree with the need to change our culture...



Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:


Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.


While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Anybody home?

If you are still following this blog, bless you... and my apologies!
I am finally settling down from some whirlwind changes.
Finished my 18 month orthopaedic outpatient mentorship.
Took a position at Lenox Hill Hospital working Acute Inpatient Ortho (mostly).
Been busy with seeing a few private clients, working at the hospital and working out.
Started CrossFit (got certified as a trainer)... it is not as crazy as it may seem to some, we will discuss now that I am back.
Signed up for the OCS exam which will get its own post just to mentally prepare for preparing. Trying to do as much as I can. Took a few courses, about to take some more. Exciting times and time management is now the biggest challenge. Bottom line is I love the possibilities and there is a lot going on. I feel like this blogging, despite taking up time will help keep me somewhat grounded to move forward.

It helps that I finally got a brand new laptop... even the HTC EVO could not get me blogging consistently. here we go now...