Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

Recently, much national attention has been directed to the recent health care reform. However, there are still many things we can do on a state level involving healthcare. Currently, the focus is on "access" to healthcare. While access is certainly an area important to every citizen, that is not where effective healthcare stops.

Many people have focused on access while ignoring the reasons that people are sick to begin with. As a result, we have a system that could appropriately be called "disease care" as opposed to healthcare since those seeking treatment do so only after becoming ill. In West Virginia, we consistently rank near the bottom of many important health categories. It doesn't matter how many bills are passed, a healthy society starts at home and in school.

A way to address this issue is by starting with those who will have the biggest impact for years to come … our youth. For example, by having certified specialists available outside of the regular school curriculum in the area of physical education, we will be able to emphasize this important issue without sacrificing regular classroom time and further burdening teachers. Therefore, by strengthening our focus on health and physical education in schools, we are not only supporting our education system, but also our healthcare system.

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