New Initiatives in Health Care

June 9, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC

Dear President Obama:

In response to your call for hosting a Health Care Roundtable as part of the “Organizing For America“ movement, Vivian Underwood-Shipe hosted a forum with 20 participants at 8723 Courtyard Way, Knoxville, TN 37931 on Saturday June 6, 2009 from 2 to 4 pm. She had asked me to draft this letter to you.

An initial group discussion on your three main issues was followed with 4 different workgroups that were assigned in coming up with specific recommendations. All the groups were reconvened to discuss our findings and came up with specific ideas for the National Health Care Day of Service on June 27, 2009.

Our discussion ranged from the issues of risk factors in diseases to how to reduce medical costs. The pros and cons of a single payer system vs. third party payment were thoroughly discussed. There is no lack of studies looking at the merits of these systems. It is beyond the scope of this letter to dissect this issue in detail. We thought it would be more cost effective to let you know what can be done at a grass-roots level to improve the health care system. We believe a sound health care system should be based on the following points:

1. Personal responsibility and accountability

Individuals should take control of their individual health care needs and monitor them closely. Wellness and a healthy lifestyle should be an integral part of an individual lifelong journey. Preventive health should be the modus operandi of an individual who implements healthier eating habits with regular physical activity. Medical research has shown that some 80% of cancer cases are caused by life style thus necessitating the need to make positive health behavioral changes.

2. Incentive-based approach

People should be awarded for taking steps to stay healthy. The City of Knoxville has a great program where its residents are given a cash award, for example, $100 per year to maintain a healthy lifestyle that could prevent debilitating diseases. The city of Knoxville had to pay for a lung transplant that had cost the town approximately half-a-million dollars.

3. Investment in early education

Good lifestyle habits can be obtained if they are forged early among young children at home as well as in school. An early investment on healthy lifestyle education throughout our educational system from kindergarten to high school would go a long way towards reducing disease incidence.

We recommend that the United States Department of Education require all schools that receive federal funding to establish a healthy lifestyle program stressing on the importance of nutrition, physical activity and making healthy lifestyle choices. Criteria should be developed to assess such programs and awards should be given to schools that reach targeted milestones. Training of teaching faculty and staff in implementing a comprehensive wellness program for the schools should also be mandated.

The United States Department of Human and Health Services should also collaborate with the United States Department of Education in providing students, parents, teachers, and health care providers with information and tools that they can incorporate into their daily lives to increase their personal well-being.

Our team also discussed the issue of environmental health by using the example of the Clinch River Corporation Brownfields Project (CRCB) site in Harriman, TN. This site was initially on the superfund list and then classified as a brownfield due to its potential for redevelopment. It is located at 728 Emory Drive in Harriman, Roane County, Tennessee and consists of 38 acres adjacent to the Emory River.

This site has not been cleaned up for over a decade. We urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to establish a deadline for the cleanup for all brownfields sites in the country to avoid the delay in redeveloping them. One of the impediments in such cleanups is the lack of resources at local government to undertake such costly projects. It is imperative then that a financing mechanism be established by a federal/state partnership or some other financing entity to move forward with the cleanup of brownfields sites. If CRCB were cleaned up and redeveloped, this would create jobs and tax revenues much needed by the town and residents in Hamilton. Not only potential health risks are involved but also important economic costs are incurred if different levels of government do not take expeditious actions with regards to the cleanup of this site.

In closing, we urge that you consider our recommendations favorably and we wish to thank for having given us the opportunity to shape a sound health care system. We find it crucial to inculcate the concept of making healthy lifestyle choices very early in life for all individuals in order to have a sustainable health care system. We are willing to continue to work with the White House in monitoring the progress of this Health Care roundtable.

Respectfully Yours,


Dr. Vinh Cam
P.O. Box 1484
Harriman, TN 37748

Email: vinh2006@gmail.com

And other team members:

Richard Bruno
Joella Bririle
Charles Dudney
Bob Easterly
Cheryl Graham
Paul Kleinsmith
Betty Kerig
Dorothy Tate
Sherry Lewis-Helgt
John Mahoney
Vivian Mahoney
Virginia Mann
Lee Mauney
Bob Murrian
Sue Murrian
David Neal
Vivian Shipe
Ancia Smith
Virginia Williams


cc: ED Secretary Arne Duncan
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Congressman Lincoln Davis

Nice letter, Vinh - I hope he reads it