A recent (May 6) Op-Ed article in the Los Angeles Times entitled, “Diagnosis as disease” brings out some very interesting points about medical diagnosis and thinking of people as diseased. It tells us that “low diagnostic thresholds lead people who feel well to be labeled as unwell.” “Not surprisingly, some subsequently feel less well.” “In short, low diagnostic thresholds introduce more ‘dis’-ease into the population.”
Mother and child from "egg on stilts"
This isn’t the easiest subject to talk about, but here’s something that got my attention recently and I hope it gets yours: Michigan is ranked 37th in the U.S. in terms of its infant mortality rate. Then consider that the U.S. is ranked 33rd in the world. Ouch! In the 1960’s the U.S. was ranked 19th in the world in infant mortality and then-President Lyndon Johnson called this appalling.
Of course, this isn’t about performing better than other states or other countries. It’s about doing better and better until a rate of zero is achieved. It’s about saving lives.
Christian Science has taught me that God loves everyone, and His will for all children, for new and expectant mothers – indeed, for all of us – is always good, always health and life.
Look at this comforting Scripture from Isaiah that conveys God’s mothering love:
“Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord” (66:9)
“As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you” (66:13)
“…he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (40:11)
So, do you have an altimeter on the dashboard of your car to gauge your altitude?”
In my last blog post I discussed how metrics need to fit the thing being measured and how a one-metric-fits-all or one-metric-says-it-all approach can be misleading.
I attended the organizational meeting of the Health Policy Committee in the Michigan House of Representatives last Thursday and had the privilege of speaking with a number of committee members afterwards. Chairman Gail Haines of Waterford really has a good group on this committee. They bring together a very broad and diverse set of backgrounds in the area of health policy and they clearly have a passion for making improvements in our state in this area. I think that they will work well together and listen to a broad range of points of view as they do some good things in our state.
Do you have an altimeter on the dashboard of your car to gauge your altitude? Not likely. This metric doesn’t fit the application.
In his first State of the State address last Wednesday Governor Snyder announced that the Michigan government will have a dashboard to gauge progress in different areas that will be available online for all of us to view. In 
general, I like this idea. But it’s important not to fall into a “one-metric-fits-all” mentality.
A dashboard has gauges to show the status of something. The dashboard in a car has gauges to show speed, mileage, engine temperature, etc. Mine even shows tire pressure in each tire.
