• U.S. health care spending is approximately $2 trillion
• One percent of Americans account for 22 percent of health care spending
• A staggering 18,000 people in the U.S. die each year because they do not have health coverage

 

These are the facts, and they are undisputed.

 

What was once on the back-burner for discussion has now been moved forward to the driver’s seat, sparking rigorous debates from such presidential candidates as Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

 

The need for health care reform has never been stronger – nor this urgent. With approximately 47 million Americans uninsured, it is important that voters – both young and old – pay special attention to each candidate’s proposal for change come this election.

 

As an institution of higher learning, the College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) is dedicated to the commitment of developing women as strong leaders and change agents in their communities and the larger world.

 

With that concept being the main objective, the College held its second Campus-Wide Study Day, “Health: who Cares?” on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. Held in Dolan Performance Hall in Annunciation Center on campus, CSE students, faculty and staff members gathered together to learn and discuss the issues of health care coverage as it relates to them and to society. 

 

Sponsored by the College’s Presidential Committee on Mission and Values, the day’s presentation welcomed Sr. Barbara Conroy as keynote speaker. Her address, “U.S. Health Care – How Healthy is It?,” delved into the current predicament of the country’s “broken” health care system and the six value-based factors needed for health care reform.

 

Sr. Barbara is the director of Sponsorship Services for the Sisters of Charity. She has had extensive, hands-on experience with the nation’s health care system. She served and chaired on the Board of Trustees of several hospitals, and currently is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bon Secours Health System in Marriottsville, Md., and St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic, N.J. She served as manager of St. Joseph’s Hospital Family Health Center in Paterson, N.J. and later as vice president for Mission Services.

 

In addition to Sr. Barbara’s presentation, the day also featured commentary by: 

 

• Isabel Machuca, ’10, Psychology and Business Management major, who presented her campus survey results on how much CSE students know about their health care plans.

 

• Dr. Sheila Dynan, associate professor and chair of the CSE Physical Education Department, who spoke about the access to health care.

 

• Dr. Linda Hunter, director of the CSE Graduate Program in Health Care Management, who addressed the issues of cost to health care.

 

• Dr. Eileen Specchio, associate professor and director of CSE Undergraduate Program in Nursing, who delved into health care advocacy.

 

The event closed with a question and answer session between speakers and audience members.

 

Additional information regarding health care in America can be found on the following web sites:

 

For Presidential Candidates’ Positions on Reform:
Hillary Clinton: www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/summary
John McCain: www.johnmccain.com/informing/issues
Barack Obama: www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare

 

Information from Other Governmental Agencies & Professional Organizations:
American Medical Association: www.ama.org
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality: www.ahrq.gov
American Public Health Organization: www.apha.org
White House: www.whitehouse.gov
Physicians for National Health Program: www.pnhp.org
Healthy People 2010: www.phpartners.org/hp
America’s Health Together: www.healthtogether.org/healthtogether
The Center for Ethics & Advocacy in Health Care: www.healthcare-ethics.org
American Academy of Family Physicians: http://aafp.or/online/en/home.html
The National Women’s Health Information Center: www.4women.gov
The National Women’s Health Network: www.nwhn.org
Kaiser Family Foundation: www.kff.org
The Commonwealth Fund: www.commonwealthfund.org