Highlights of my experiences in the Health Care Systems Design Intensive at the Visionary Art Museum
I got a deeper understanding of Susan's idea of the bi-directionality of care from the stories Melissa and Tim told from their work: Melissa telling her staff that she's "bringing something today" but not saying what, creating a buzz of curiosity about what crazy thing she'll do, wig, costume, whatever ... Tim's story of meeting with the CEO to speak up for common sense ... and calling me on picking up the word "ownership" which he saw was becoming a cliché (!) ... and being prompted by Carl Hammerschlag to tell the story of the fishing trip for veterans Tim organized and his—Tim's—emotion on being called by one of the vets a hero. Giselle's emphasis on atmosphere—loving, friendly, colorful, creative atmosphere—as the missing component in Austria's health care system stood out for me as important. Just before everybody packed up and left the museum, who was it who insisted I hear Lourdes sing, since I wasn't in the Idea Jostle group on music as healing? —which led to song offerings from Bruno and Dr. Ana in Portuguese, me bringing Phil Ochs, Beth's Come Home ... ?
—Mark Enslin
Comments
Parts of a WHOLE in a journey of purpose!
my fellow parts..the energy experienced at the health care in the part of the earth called baltimore..was infinitely inspiring...it gave me HOPE!
that the parts are in the process of realizing their purpose..to work toward their union.
While being a part of the design group that was eager to find a small alternative to the chaos that is in the health care...i realized that nothing in this system stands independent and everything else is so interconnected and any fundamental change we are trying to make in one of these...will alter the rest...in a loving way...like one of the parts mentioned.. LEVERAGE...A SMALL PERTURBATION has a large consequence!!
NESTING is another accommodating gesture which could become the foundation for a lot of actions..with the intention of nesting as the primary and small perturbation in everything we want..i think we can get closer to the all-encompassing society.
being a supposed 'alien' in this part of the world (of course named by the system), i wonder where the redesign of health care comes into picture..i come across many humans who fall into a certain routine and monotonously accept the disease management system..and wonder where i can make the perturbations..either in a conversation or just thoughts painted out on a t-shirt or a red nose or a smile or music or a one on one conversation...or..or....and there are endless possibilities to approach this issue...
though we see humanity as one and also beyond political boundaries, the trick is to be-present to the world immediately around and help change something by creating some change within...
some of the thoughts that were floating in the air from each of the parts...
eliminate idea of 'DEBT' in any kind of care..
reward of life in human intimacy...
nesting care in community...
small change will have large consequences...
hug patrols..
love and care taught as subjects in schools...
turn the disease management system into a care-loving system...
connecting the innate intelligence of the body with purpose in life..
say you are 'doing' instead of saying you are 'trying'...
increase variety...
fill walls with desire statements and work towards it...
seeing to it that technology does not replace care and interaction between humans...
performance in everyday life...
treat an adult like a child...
make eye contact...
call everyone with the same name...hmm...that is something we can try immediately..hehe..
looking forward to reading more thoughts and realizations here...
The important thing about LOVE is that it can never become a CLICHE!!
Designing Our Present and Future. Pictures that I put online.
This is my first blog entry. Many firsts occurred at the Gesundheit! event. And thanks to Danielle's superb leadership in the design group I have gained new hope for some items that I felt hopeless about.
If you want to see some photos that I took you can visit the new page that I put onto my Internet site:
http://www.naturalworldhealing.com/gesundheit.htm . The photos include the civic action event on Wednesday evening where Patch, Susan and Danielle testified on behalf of restaurant workers whose union was being denied at a restaurant after new ownership took over. That is Love in action.
On my website -- linked from the Gesundheit! page -- you can also find teachings that I have put on my site about health care issues such as vaccines. You would like Flatland The Movie and the Fractal Science page, I am sure. The Invention of Air and Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" are also featured on this page: http://www.naturalworldhealing.com/science-and-spirituality.htm#air.
The new information about brain cell death that is triggered in susceptible children and adults is linked on the Pediatrics page; this points to the work of Andrew Moulden, M.D., Ph.D., whom I met and consider to be a hero of humanity; his site is www.BrainGuardMD.com. I hope you choose to listen to his 6-minute introduction to his new DVD, "Tolerance Lost" which explains why some people suffer brain cell death and others do not.
Well, that is a short hello from my fascinating life. I am really glad to be here. I send my deep appreciation and loving regards to all. We are making a difference.
Ralph Wilson -- Washington DC
What I learned
I had a fuzzy agenda as to why I was attending this conference. I do not work in health care- I hang out in health care a lot (as a patient) and am acutely aware of the system's many shortcomings. I think I came because I got tired of pointing out its flaws and I wanted to hear people talk about solutions. Here is what I learned:
- there is plenty of pain to go around. Not only are the patients suffering, the doctors, nurses, and administrators are all suffering from an abusive, oppressive system that sucks the meaning and joy out of their life's calling. The health care providers are just as frustrated as the patients are.
- there is also plenty of creativity to go around, and lots of ideas. there is more than one solution out there. Doctors can leave and start their own practice. We could have community hospitals. (Could my community hijack our nearby hospital and fix it the way the folks at Nettlehorst took over their public school? I wonder! Maybe there's an opportunity to grab one of those abandoned hospitals in New Orleans and build it in the image of a real community hospital.)
-There are things patients can do to improve their own health care experience and to reach through the cloud of insanity and build a relationship with the doctor: do something silly to grab their attention, hug them, ask them how they're doing, bring them cookies, compliment them, or do whatever you would do in order to get anyone to like you, white lab coat or not. Further, instead of assuming everyone is a jerk until proven otherwise, it is just as accurate but more constructive (and compassionate) to say everyone is lonely and hurting until proven otherwise.
-Single-payer health care (universal care provided by the government) would not only be more humane, it would actually be far less expensive than what we have now. It's not an option to just not pay for some people, because we're already paying- only it costs more because they wait until it's a crisis (therefore expensive) to seek treatment.
The humane thing is also the economical thing to do.
-there were so many amazing souls at this gathering that there wasn't time to hear from every one of them. People who care deeply and are passionate about making a difference. It's good to know you're not alone.
-If you're parking in Baltimore, bring lots of quarters. :)