The cruelest cut: Public health
When I moved to Asheville, NC, 10 years ago, it had one of the best public health departments in the state, if not the nation. Its clinic saw everyone who had fallen through the cracks and its Project Access, operated through the Medical Society, helped uninsured, low-income people get free care from specialists and hospitals.
The Health Department had a program that offered free birth coaches to families in need.
Then, a few years ago, the county health department began to downsize. Today, the clinic is closed and a free clinic sees its patients — at least those who know to go there. Project Access accepts only the neediest because the number of uninsured has risen to such heights. The birth coach program is gone, although Life o’ Mike has developed its own program, using the doula who ran the original program as an advisor.
But the same thing has happened across the country. One of the first places governments make cuts is in public health. Across the country, Buncombe County’s experience is mirrored — or worse. Smoking cessation and prevention programs have been cut.
As the amount of money spent on anti-smoking programs decreases, the number of smokers is bound to increase again.
Public health is where we turn when diseases threaten — such as antibiotic-resistant forms of tuberculosis or hepatitis outbreaks. Spending on public health protects us from these and other threats. It helps assure us that restaurants are safe to eat in. It helps pay for flu shots and other immunizations that keep epidemics at bay.
Funding for public health efforts had been falling steadily since the 1980s until the terrorist attacks and then the anthrax scare. Money poured into shoring up our crumbling public health system.
But we as a nation have a very short memory, and instead of raising taxes to pay to protect us all, governments have slashed public health funding once again.
Public health departments and personnel are paid for with tax money because they protect all of us. Without that money, epidemics and food-borne illnesses become more likely, and they will be a lot more expensive than paying for an adequate public health system.
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Life o’ Mike honors Joe Eblen
Life o' Mike presented its first Michael T. Danforth Community Service Award to Joe Eblen at a luncheon on June 8, in the Friendship Hall of First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St., Asheville.
Joe, seen here with Leslie Boyd, left, and his wife, Bobbie, has spent his life helping children and families, both as a coach and game official for more than 60 years, and as founder of Eblen Charities.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.