Director's Message

March 30, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., Director

"The needs of society determine its ethics."
~Maya Angelou

The first week of April is Public Health Week. On Monday we are hosting a display at the State Capitol Building and we will be offering an apple to each person who visits the booth. The choice of an apple serves as a reminder to people that one of the most important roles of public health is prevention.

More importantly, we all need to assume greater responsibility for prevention. Prevention needs to be at core of what we do in health and human services. Preventing problems before they emerge and take root needs to be the foundation upon which we base all of the work we do throughout DHS.

This preventive role is particularly important in an era when our population is aging, our lifestyles are more sedentary, drug and alcohol abuse rates remain high, and more children and adults are obese and face the resulting long-term health problems that poor nutrition and obesity create.

Historically as a society we are more comfortable investing in treatments for problems once they occur, probably because it's easier to identify an existing situation than a potential one. But the result is that we focus too much on reacting to problems and not enough on preventing the problems in the first place.

We need to change our priorities. We need to focus on prevention, intervention and early treatment. And that means following the "Prevent, Promote and Protect" theme of this year's Public Health Week.

We must fund and implement programs that prevent problems from occurring, whether in the area of food safety, environmental health, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, or other issues with which we work. We must promote safe behaviors and healthy lifestyles in our children that stay with them throughout their lives. And we must be available to protect people from problems that do arise, such as disease outbreaks.

When we get parents with drug and alcohol addiction the treatment they need, we prevent their children from living a life in foster homes and we help ensure their success later in life.

Reducing the amount of sugared drinks and foods our children consume at home and in school reduces future dental problems, obesity and related health care costs. And more importantly, seeing to it that our children eat healthful and nutritious foods is one of best ways to prevent them from becoming obese and developing health problems.

When we fluoridate water and provide dental sealants for children, we help prevent oral disease, reduce suffering and decrease dental and other health care costs.

By developing more front-end community mental health services we can intervene and treat mental illnesses in the early stages before individuals require expensive and possibly long-term hospitalization. And by doing so, we can better help people with mental illness live fulfilling and successful lives.

We can do all of these things and more, if we as a society change our priorities, focus on prevention and invest the type of resources in prevention that we currently do in treating problems after they emerge.

We need to develop the political will and the vision to do just that. Today's generation of children is the first in history to have a shorter expected lifespan than their parents. If that doesn't alarm you, it should. Our children are developing serious health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, at a far earlier age than any previous generation. And we are the generation who is letting that happen.

As a physician I know that lifestyle issues and access to preventive care affect wellness and health care costs more than anything else. We need to step up as parents, concerned adults and community leaders, and direct the necessary resources toward preventing these problems rather than just treating them.

It's time for that apple.

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.