The Healthiest Nation Pledge
- By Susan L. Polan PhD
- [Associate Executive Director]
- Public Affairs and Advocacy
Dear Dr. David E. Marcinko,
Study after study consistently confirms an unpleasant fact: Americans live shorter lives and suffer more health issues than people in other high-income countries.
- We live up to four years less than our peers.
- We suffer more chronic disease, such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
- We have higher infant mortality rates.
- Within the U.S., there is as much as a 15-year difference in life expectancy depending on where you live, your race, your income and how educated you are.
In truth, the U.S. trails other high-income countries in these and most other measures of health.
Hope and Change
How do we change this? We need to make healthy lifestyle choices both as individuals and as a society. Our health is affected by a complex web of social and environmental factors that are often outside of our individual control. The homes we live in, our access to healthy food, the quality of our schools, clean air and water – these and other factors directly affect our health. And for many people, they limit their ability to make healthy choices.
Together We Can
Together we can change this. If we join together, we can demand that our leaders consider health in all their decisions. We can create communities that have a positive influence on our health – communities where it is easy for us all to make healthy choices.
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Assessment
Take the first step. Sign the pledge to create the healthiest nation in one generation. Ask your colleagues, friends and family to sign also. The more people who sign, the more influence we can wield. And the more momentum we can build for change.
Sincerely,
Susan Polan
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Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
- PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
- HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
- CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
- ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
- FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
- INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
- Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
- Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
- Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care
Filed under: Ethics, Health Economics | Tagged: American Public Health Association, APHA, Healthiest Nation Pledge, NPHW.org;, Susan L. Polan PhD | 2 Comments »