By Dennis Powell, e-Management
Convincing people that government is actually good may be tough considering: “People distrust government.” Fifty years ago that might have been a controversial assertion. But in our current economic and political climate, it seems to be a fairly obvious statement. According to a 2010 Pew Research (The People and Their Government: Distrust, Discontent, Anger, and Partisanship (April 18, 2010)), between 1998 and 2010 Americans’ perceptions of government agencies decrease with few exceptions. Only one in five of us say we trust government most of the time or always.
Government looking out for its people: Did you know that last year SAMHSA awarded millions of dollars in grants to dozens of colleges and universities to help prevent suicide, and support mental health services and students in crisis?
Like It or Not, Some Government May Be Good for “U.S.”
For instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a federal organization that is arguably good for us because it seeks to protect “the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.” In addition to the HHS Office of the Secretary, the Department is comprised of 11 operating divisions (OPDIVs) including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). HHS is responsible for programs that affect us all, including food and drug safety, medical research, and health insurance to name a few.
A Few Things That HHS is Good For…
Getting the Word Out About Health Issues and Emergencies: As mentioned in our last blog posting, HHS, specifically Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is leading the Million Hearts™ initiative, to save lives over 5 years. As one of the most well-known OPDIVs within HHS, the CDC is a leader in getting useful information about your health and wellness. It has adopted social media and mobile technology to reach broad audiences about threats to the public such as natural disasters, influenza, food borne disease outbreaks, and the recent Haiti Cholera outbreak. The agency even has an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to report public health disaster, crises, and threats in the United States and around the globe.
Providing Healthcare Benefits: Did you know that HHS also provides healthcare benefits to millions of Americans including the elderly, disabled, and American Indians/Native Americans? Three OPDIVs are responsible for ensuring the well-being of these communities. First, the Indian Health Service (IHS) is an agency within HHS that provides healthcare benefits. IHS serves 1.9 million American Indians/Native Americans and Alaska Natives of 564 federally recognized tribes. Likewise, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) runs the controversial and highly politicized Medicare program, offers health insurance for seniors 65 and older as well as persons living with disabilities. Not surprisingly, CMS also provides health insurance for low income citizens and permanent residents through its Medicaid program. According to The New York Times the two programs serve more than 100 million people. Both Medicare and Medicaid have come under fire in recent years. But some sources have noted the Medicare costs have been less than those of private sector insurance.
Helping Us to Better Understand Mental Health and Substance Abuse: Mental health and substance dependencies may be two of the most misunderstood issues in healthcare. Perhaps some of the confusion has to do with the popular notion among the general public that each can be cured by becoming more disciplined. But like physical illnesses, substance abuse and mental illness are conditions that require professional attention and support. Fortunately, one agency understands and has a mission to help us get better clarity around the issues. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a HHS OPDIV that exists “to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities” according to the agency website. The website also confirms that about 20 million people who are dealing with substance abuse issues went without treatment last year. And would you believe that more than 10.5 million adults could not get access to mental health treatment that they needed during the same time? SAMHSA, through eight initiatives, helps to keep people out of prison systems and reduce the overall economic and social costs that untreated people may have on their families and communities.
Not Enough Space
There’s so much more to HHS and we certainly cannot fit everything into one blog posting. For instance, the Department is leading the way in the country’s biomedical research through NIH, which includes important cancer research from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). But enough from us, how has HHS helped you or a loved one through Medicare, Medicaid, Indian Health Services, or some other program? Do you think SAMHSA has helped us better understand mental health and substance abuse? Do you think CDC is proactive in its reporting of potential outbreaks to the general public? We look forward to hearing from you.
