Experience and Philosophy as a Provider of Health CareI have provided primary care services for many in the rural setting of Vermont since 1992. I work at the Concord Health Center in the village of Concord, very close to Saint Johnsbury, where I call home. The Concord Health Center is a nonprofit federally qualified health center (FQHC) and is part of a larger organization, Northern Counties Health Care, Inc. I believe that all health care in the United States should be delivered as not for profit. I am of the opinion that if the profit mongering was taken out of health care, not only would the financial health of our so called health care system be in much better shape but so would the overall health of the people of this country. Primary care means caring for the whole person, someone who is part of a family and community. In rural primary care that community is small, close knit, and can allow for a deeper personal connection and understanding that is more difficult to establish and maintain in many of the very fast paced, densely populated venues in health care today. I feel very fortunate that I can be part of my community as a health care provider. In many ways, with all of its challenges, it is truly a privilege. Some say that traditional primary care is in jeopardy. There is some questioning if the end is near at hand. I can attest to the fact that it is becoming more difficult to provide the services of primary care with all of the barriers put up by third party payers, mostly the insurance industry, but I just can't see the people of this country caving in and allowing this to happen. Dr. Allan Goroll, the author of one of the most widely used reference books for primary care providers, says, "If we didn't already have primary care medicine, we'd have to invent it. It's the way we want to be cared for." I also manage the Comprehensive Care Clinic of St. Johnsbury that is a satellite of the University of Vermont's Fletcher Allen Health Care Department of Infectious Disease. I provide care Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and once a month, an Infectious Disease Specialist MD comes the two hours over from Burlington, Vermont where the University's health system is located. This provides highly specialized care, particularly for those with HIV/AIDS. Anyone living with HIV/AIDS in the Northeastern part of Vermont or the Northwestern part of New Hampshire and is not getting specialized care is welcome to call me @ (802) 751-7603 to set up an appointment to meet and learn more about the services we provide. Prior to moving to Vermont I worked in a variety of health care settings. Between 1980 and 1992 I worked in the middle of Philadelphia in the Emergency Department of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. It was the time of the inner city crack cocaine epidemic, the emergence of the HIV pandemic, as well as rapid changes in how emergency care, particularly trauma care, was being delivered. This chapter in my life provides me with invaluable knowledge and insight. There is no school able to teach as can such raw, direct experience. I also am an authorized meditation instructor in the Tibetan Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of mindfulness awareness meditation. I have been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1979. I graduated from Buddhist Seminary in 1984 under the guidance of meditation master Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. I teach these meditation practices individually and in group sessions. Many have found mindfulness meditation to be helpful in relieving stress, anxiety and pain and to help with focusing by synchronizing body and mind. My family and I are fortunate to live in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont. Our town of Saint Johnsbury is located in the upper eastern part of the state called the Northeast Kingdom. The people are respectful and trustworthy. The air and the water are clean and fresh. The land is nurturing and energizing. There is the opportunity for the best of just about any out door activity. And there is very rarely ever a traffic jam!
|