Header logo
  • About
  • News
  • Data
  • Get Involved
  • Social Icons
  • Social Icons
  • Social Icons
« back to all media
Media - November 20, 2014

The Most Important Thing We Can Do in the Next Ten Years

By Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

Nov. 20, 2014 | Morning Consult

Public health rhetoric has changed in the last ten years. We now know that health care does not equal health and 80 percent of how healthy we are depends on social determinants like local environment, education, diet, and culture. This knowledge has led to a shift in focus for population health from access and insurance to health disparities and their root causes.

At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) board meeting last spring I reviewed the County Health Rankings. These rankings look at 34 indicators based on the most comparable, reliable, reproducible, and accessible data. The data is well-vetted, applicable and usable for all communities.

To my dismay, my home city of Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County was ranked 13th out of Tennessee’s 95 counties, and the state overall is one of the unhealthiest states in the union: 42nd of 50.

I was immediately struck by the irony.

The Nashville health care industry contributes $30 billion locally and $70 billion globally produced by more than 250 health care companies operating in Nashville and working on a multistate, national, and international basis. Nashville is also home to more than 300 professional service firms working in the “peri-healthcare” space. Of these corporations, over 260 of them are members of the Nashville Health Care Council, a unique non-profit organization holding together a coalition of the most powerful names in healthcare.

We consider Nashville one of the healthcare capitols of the world, an up-and-coming “it” city. But unfortunately it is also an example of how health care does not equal health.

The TIME Magazine article that appeared in March 2014 alluded to the problem. The author extolled the success of our higher education, music, and health industries while also noting that 72% of metro public school children suffer from economic disadvantage. We have very successful large businesses—specifically large healthcare providers—but these healthcare dollars do not always translate to health.

The truth is that choosing to “live well” is often a function of your social determinants. Making good choices like getting exercise, eating healthful food, using preventative care, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking is difficult if more immediate problems threaten your livelihood, such as economic instability, unclean or unsafe housing, unreliable transportation, and social isolation. We are blessed with much affluence in Nashville, but a significant percentage of our population struggles with these issues daily.

Our zip codes are more powerful predictors of life expectancy than our genetics not because of the availability of walking trails, but because of the income level, job security, education, and support structure of the community. Only a secure and safe community can then turn its attention to offering healthy choices. However, for much of our country and for Nashville, making the healthy choice the easy choice means first addressing these underlying insecurities.

Fixing these basic problems is not inexpensive, but the price of inaction is absolutely unaffordable. Without change we will lose billions of dollars over the next decade in deteriorating health and a less productive work force, making it more expensive to live, raise families, and for employers to build or even continue to operate in some markets. Inaction will result in economic stagnation, rising unemployment and a rising cost of healthcare.

While I am personally concerned about my home city, this issue is a national one. The success and health of our country—made up of all of our cities and counties—depends on the health of our workforce and citizenry. We cannot continue to ignore that heart disease is the number one killer in this country and for most people it will be caused by environmental factors, not genetics.

The cost of healthcare will never decrease if we maintain our current health habits. For the first time in history the life expectancy of our children is potentially lower than our own. This is simply unacceptable.

Around the country public health champions do incredible work every day. But this isn’t a problem for only a few. In my home city I am calling for a collaborative to attack the large problems from multiple angles and focus resources on the neediest areas.

We can make changes that will save the city millions of dollars over the next decade and ensure our children do not face a societal structure that threatens their health. Frankly, given the state of our healthcare system and economy, we have no choice.

Join me. Look up your County Health Ranking. Ask what your community is doing, and consider how you can contribute. The secret to this type of change is that it can happen on the individual and local level, and it is the most impactful thing we can do to ensure the future success of our country.

Doctor and Senator Bill Frist is both a nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader.

This article originally appeared on the Morning Consult.

Share:

RECENT POSTS

Partner Spotlight: Q & A with The Belmont Data Collaborative

2022 Year in Review + Looking Ahead to 2023

Mark Yancy, NashvilleHealth CEO, on Building a Value Proposition for Health Equity

Partner Spotlight: Q & A with The Nashville Food Project

NashvilleHealth to Tackle Health Challenges Impacting Black Families

ARCHIVES

January 2023

December 2022

October 2022

August 2022

July 2022

May 2022

April 2022

February 2022

November 2021

June 2021

April 2021

February 2021

January 2021

December 2020

September 2020

July 2020

June 2020

May 2020

April 2020

March 2020

February 2020

January 2020

December 2019

October 2019

September 2019

August 2019

July 2019

June 2019

May 2019

April 2019

March 2019

February 2019

January 2019

December 2018

November 2018

October 2018

September 2018

August 2018

July 2018

June 2018

May 2018

April 2018

March 2018

February 2018

December 2017

November 2017

October 2017

September 2017

August 2017

July 2017

June 2017

May 2017

April 2017

March 2017

February 2017

January 2017

December 2016

November 2016

October 2016

September 2016

August 2016

July 2016

June 2016

May 2016

April 2016

March 2016

February 2016

January 2016

December 2015

November 2015

October 2015

December 2014

November 2014

Sign up below to receive our newsletter:

Overview

NashvilleHealth creates a culture of health and wellbeing by serving as a convener to open dialogue, align resources and build smart strategic partnerships to create a bold plan for health and wellbeing in Nashville.

Check out our latest newsletter

Latest News

Partner Spotlight: Q & A with The Belmont Data Collaborative

Jan 9, 2023

Mark Yancy, NashvilleHealth CEO, on Building a Value Proposition for Health Equity

Dec 12, 2022

Partner Spotlight: Q & A with The Nashville Food Project

Dec 12, 2022

Connect

Contact

40 Burton Hills Blvd., Suite 370

Nashville, TN 37215

probinette@nashvillehealth.org

© Copyright 2019 NashvilleHealth