this is the second notice that the factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire

Prevention Detention: The Poem

Rolling down the street in my new car

I dont want it to break down, I want to go far

So I feed it good fluids, and get it checked up

By a professional who knows, everything what's up

Make sure it runs well, I dont want to get stuck

In the middle of nowhere, to get towed by a truck

Wouldn't you rather pay now, get all that stuff done

Instead of at the end, when your car might not run

You'll end up paying more when the problems arise

When you could've paid less, for the price of french fries

Maintenance is key, you better believe

Your car will live longer, that should help you relieve

Yes, that poem is talking about car maintenance.  But who says, that maintaining a car is not pretty similar to health care?  We already talked about how health insurance is quite similar to car insurance, right?  All this money that is being spent on direct medical services, but only a small, tiny portion is being directed towards preventive measures.  Now I'm not saying that we should split it 50/50, because direct health care is still an important part of this entire system.  However, we must think that more there should be more emphasis on the prevention portion.  Prevention is definitely not going to be the cure-all for our society, but it can certainly help the overall goal.  

When we talk about prevention, there are many things we can assess as being "prevention."  Are we talking about providing the public with the knowledge to reduce their risk of preventable death, such as from smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, std's, and car accidents?  Or are we talking about prevention in the form of blood pressure and cholesterol screening?  When we're talking about the latter, keep in mind that we're only detecting diseases earlier, not actually keeping them from happening.  For example, finding cancer in its early stages is much easier to deal with, as opposed to a cancer that has already spread through much of the body.  Screening for diabetes can be helpful if found early on, so that the patient may still have ample time to take lifestyle changing action.  When addressing the former, the United States ranks at the bottom of the league in preventable deaths.  Focusing on teaching the population a lifestyle change will help in that category.  Our government does not need to dive into the deep end of this prevention topic, but it needs to implement uniform preventive practices throughout the country, and it will definitely pay dividends down the road.

Give a man bread, and he can eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish, he can eat for the rest of his life.  Give a patient treatment for a disease, they will feel better for a while.  Teach a patient to take care of themselves and indulge in a healthier lifestyle change, they will feel better for life.  That's whats up.