Happy 2022--let it be filled with good things. And on that note, I wrote a poem. (After reading Manifesto of Encouragement by Danielle LaPorte) Even now All is not lost-- even now your frozen pipes are melting. Cells in your body are repairing what is broken and injured. T cells and B cells are working together to keep the bacteria and viruses in balance with the cells that make up what you think of as you. Macrophages are cleaning up the mess. Thanks for your service. That cancer cell? Nope. Sorry buster, not today. Natural killer cells. You don’t even pay them. Certain very bad jokes aren’t being told. The last person to tell them has just died. He didn’t use the internet so the ripples of their passage only exist in the vibrations of rocks. That thing you did that still makes you cringe? Even now the last person, other than you, who knew about it has just forgotten. Just yesterday you learned a new thing and at this very moment you remembered what it was....
The cost of health care in the US is higher than anywhere else in the world, and yet we are not healthier than our peer nations. In fact, in terms of such measures as infant mortality and life span, we don't measure up. Why is this? Many people involved in providing or receiving care have some pretty good ideas about what costs so much, and what we can do to reduce costs and improve quality. Sharing these stories is an important step in creating affordable universal health care.