Back Tracking

So much for my daily logs. Wow, is life busy... one thing after another, isn't it? It is so frustrating that great blogging entries come to me when I am driving or doing other things that are not conducive to computer use!

Anyway, I'm going to "pick up the pieces" and make some accounts of the previous week or so...

Tuesday, August 11th: Memorable for Many Reasons. Driving to Canton, SD, to visit with their Rotary club to hopefully persuade them to host an Italian exchange student, I tried to think of something profound to say to the Student Council members later that afternoon. Since I was offering an "eleventh hour" Rotary Youth Exchange student that needed placement to the Canton club, I thought, "Why not tell them about this experience?". The student and his family eagerly awaited word whether he was to be placed here or not... and I knew how it would feel if our counterparts in Norway has said, "well, we tried, but no one would host him..." It reminded me of the magnet I have on my fridge by Sir Winston Churchill: "Never, never, never give up." It is almost the only quote one needs, because even if you have to adjust your methods, and accept a different strategy, this mindset works well. It is as if throwing up your hands and saying, "this is just too difficult for us to deal with"... is not an option. I'm happy to tell you that I went into the Rotary meeting feeling positive, gave a good presentation, and they literally said, 'YES, where do we sign!?" Taking this victory back home to the high school, and sharing with the some positive words of "go beyond yourself", and "never, never, never give up" was a moment I will cherish. Thank you for inviting me, Helen!
Wed, August 12: Arrival of our "Norwegian Son". Last evening my two younger kids, Justin Carson (one of Lucas' friends) and I went to Sioux Falls to pick up Even Kildal, our Norwegian exchange student. Even was a little tired, but we had a good conversation and he speaks great English. When we got home, another friend of Lucas', Matt Perry, came over and they all went out to coffee or something for awhile. My son's influence continues here, through his remarkable friends, who have befriended Even without batting an eye.

Friday, August 14: Making Great Advances! This morning I spent a couple of hours with Larry Franklin at ADVANCE. ADVANCE is a Community Support Provider, previously known as an adjustment training center. We changed the name of these in Health and Human Service Committee this past session. It is somewhat bizarre as I go about my life to see policy changes around me that I had something to do with, for instance, voted for (or sometimes against!). Larry and his personnel director, Maureen, gave me an update, and what they accomplish there never ceases to amaze me. This is their short and sweet Mission Statement: We offer opportunities for people to live life to the fullest. Wow. Makes me stop and reflect that this could be a mantra for all of us. What they do there, offering a place to live, eat, sleep, work and play, to disabled members of our communty, and doing it with respect...what an example. They face many challenges that we all need to be aware of: they are dependent upon state funds for much of their budget, the lack of funds make it difficult for them to compete in the job market, they have a LOT of training for new employees, and they face staff turnover. One thing that hit home in this discussion is that many of their staff members want to stay here, but are drawn to jobs that pay better. Seems kind of simple to me: better pay would result in less turnover, more happiness for the employees and the people supported at ADVANCE.

Satuday, August 15th: Puttig Long Term Health in Healthcare: The United Retirement Center finished up their week-long 50th Anniversary celebration this afternoon by hosting a 12-panel member public discussion. The one and only no nonsense and quite amazing Sally Damm gave us the opportunity, and to our relief (maybe a little disappointment) there were no hecklers or picketers. I'm certain that I will have many thoughts on health care reform in the future, but will reiterate some of the points I shared today. Of course this topic seems to never be far from my waking thoughts, and verges on becoming obsessive, because I see so many problems that need to be fixed. I know so many people that are personally having such a hard time with paying for acces and that have trailing bills that never stop following them, and they really can never hope to pay. They simply hope they never get sick. Three things are certain, no matter who you are: you will get sick, or old, and you will die... makes me think we ARE in this together!

Concerning the question of the day, posed by moderator Ginger Thomson, "Where is Long-Term Health Care Headed?" My answer, in a nutshell, is that Long Term Care BELONGS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK of a revised, simplified and ACCESSIBLE system. It should not be separated. This system has to include a POOLING of funds, and I suggested this is handled by a sliding scale based on what a person makes each year. Within this system, there would be levels of oversight, with members of what I called the "three legged stool" of healthcare: government, private, and non-profit. They all have individual roles to play, limited overlap, but a checks and balance of one another. Healthcare providers would remain in the private sector; government would pool the funds, and the social network would keep an eye on what people need. By actually creating a system, and it could be done within each state, all would have access, allowing people to come into the system before it became critical. Prevention and other areas of healthcare could blossom, creating more health-related jobs, resulting in a more healthy and productive population. We do have to look at other countries for ideas, but come up with our own working hybrid. I gave an example of what the Rotary International Youth Exchange Committee is doing by fall of 2010: We have POOLED the 10,000 Rotary exchange students together, and come up with a policy that covers them 100%, full dental, mental, vision, with no deductible, including a life insurance benefit of $10,000 and repatriation if the worst happened. Keep in mind that these students are aged 15-19, and are generally in good health. As bids have been coming in on this policy, it looks like we can have full coverage, accepted teh world over, for $200-$300 A YEAR! THE POWER OF POOLING. Before I went to this forum, I promised myself that I would try to be solution-based in my comments, and will continue to do so a I struggle to come up with more simplification to this very complex delivery "system" we currently have in this country!

A Norwegian Sendoff

This past weekend was different for us than any other, as we sent our 17-year-old son Lucas to Norway on a Rotary Youth Exchange for the better part of a year. It is bittersweet, as I know this is his chance of a lifetime, and he is ready, but also we will miss him very much.
We have had many changes and opportunities this past year, and I know this is part of a bigger plan for our lives that will enrich us and allow for much personal growth... but, sometimes it is all very difficult. When I think of the societal challenges we face, such as growing a new economy, establishing healthcare coverage for all, and keeping our highways in better condition; we have a lot of work to do, and we must support one another in our endeavors. We must realize and pursue challenges, pushing ourselves beyond our individual limitations, into much needed collaborative solutions.
Just as we have prepared our son these many years to take flight, it is my hope that we will nurture our people, industry, and government to create better balance, and soar past partisanship barriers.