Reimagining Healthcare: A System Focused on Wellness

What if our healthcare system prioritized keeping us healthy instead of just treating us when we're sick? This is the question Rebecca Onie poses, challenging us to rethink the very foundation of healthcare. She envisions a system where healthcare extends beyond the clinic, addressing the social determinants of health and empowering individuals to take control of their well-being.

The Current State: A System of 'Sick Care'

Currently, our healthcare system often operates as a 'sick care' system. Patients seek medical attention when they are already ill, and doctors are often limited to addressing the immediate medical issue without considering the underlying factors contributing to the illness. As Onie points out, doctors often know that issues like food insecurity or inadequate housing are impacting their patients' health, but they lack the resources or time to address these issues.

The Vicious Cycle

This creates a vicious cycle where:

Underlying social issues contribute to poor health.
Patients seek treatment for the resulting illnesses.
Doctors treat the symptoms without addressing the root causes.
Patients return with the same or new health problems.

Health Leads: A Model for Change

Health Leads, the organization Onie describes, offers a different approach. It's a model where doctors can 'prescribe' essential resources like food, heat, and housing, alongside medication. College student advocates then work with patients to connect them with existing community resources.

Key Components of the Health Leads Model:

Prescription for Resources: Doctors identify and prescribe resources to address social determinants of health.
College Student Advocates: Trained volunteers connect patients with community resources.
Community Partnerships: Collaboration with local organizations to provide essential services.

Reclaiming Healthcare Resources

Onie emphasizes that the resources needed to transform healthcare are often already available; they simply need to be reclaimed and redeployed. She highlights several examples:

The Prescription Pad

Instead of solely prescribing medication, doctors can use prescription pads to connect patients with resources that promote health and prevent illness.

The Electronic Medical Record

The electronic medical record can be transformed from a static repository of diagnostic information into a health promotion tool, automatically generating prescriptions for resources based on patient needs.

The Clinic Waiting Room

Waiting rooms can be transformed from places of boredom and anxiety into gateways for connecting patients with resources and information to improve their health.

College Students

Engaging college students as community health workers can provide a much-needed workforce to connect patients with resources and advocate for their needs.

A Vision for the Future

Onie challenges us to envision a healthcare system where:

Prevention is prioritized over treatment.
Social determinants of health are addressed alongside medical issues.
Community resources are integrated into the healthcare system.
Patients are empowered to take control of their health.

This vision requires a fundamental shift in our thinking about healthcare, from a system focused on managing disease to one focused on promoting wellness. It requires us to be honest about our aspirations for healthcare and to take action to realize those aspirations.

By reclaiming and redeploying existing resources, engaging new workforces, and prioritizing prevention, we can create a healthcare system that truly keeps us healthy.