Sun Sentinel
January 31, 2008|By Michael A. Chizner
Health care is one of the most important issues every Floridian cares deeply about. We hear a great deal about the challenges facing health care, but we don't hear enough about remedies. Let's look at a few of the initiatives here in Florida aimed at improving health.
Gov. Charlie Crist's prescription to keep Florida healthy focuses on the individual and on improving the quality, affordability and accessibility of health care. As all Floridians know, Florida faces critical shortages of doctors and nurses. Gov. Crist's commitment to caring for the health and wellness of every Floridian is evident in his support for the education of the health care workforce and the creation of additional training positions in order to attract and retain more qualified health care practitioners. The governor and his administration, along with the Department of Health and the Florida Board of Medicine, the state agency that license, regulates, and oversees health care practitioners, are working hard to protect the public safety and ensure that the highest standards of practice and professionalism are being met.
Here in South Florida, an individual has a better chance for a longer and healthier life than ever before. A great deal of credit for this must go to our public health-care system. I have been a practicing cardiologist for the past 28 years at Broward Health, formerly the North Broward Hospital District, one of the largest public health-care systems in the nation. Through the vast array of health-care services available at its state-of-the-art hospitals and specialty care centers, along with its staff of highly talented and dedicated physicians, nurses, and allied health-care professionals, Broward Health is demonstrating its commitment to providing the highest level of care for all the residents of Broward County, regardless of their ability to pay.
During my career as a physician here in Broward County, I have witnessed enormous changes in health care. New technologies, new medications and new surgical and interventional treatment methods have prolonged and greatly improved our quality of life. In an age of unprecedented change in health care, the one thing that has remained constant, however, is the paramount importance of the caring practitioner--patient relationship.
To me, being a caring practitioner takes more than knowledge and skill. It requires honesty, integrity, a selfless concern for humanity, a deep sensitivity and compassion for the suffering, touched with a good dose of optimism, humor and wit. I have always felt it is as important to heal the mind as it is to heal the body, for when the body is ailing, the mind is ailing as well and needs comfort and attention, too. The caring practitioner practices by the credo, "cure if you can, alleviate if you cannot, but always comfort and support, and never take away hope." We in Florida are fortunate to have many compassionate and caring practitioners, but as the population increases and people live longer, we will need even more.
I believe that despite our growing fascination with modern technology, the main reason for becoming a health-care practitioner today remains as old as the art of healing itself - a burning desire to help those in need of care. The evolution of medicine has compelled those of us in health care to become more introspective about the profession, our community and our goals. Many of us have much reliance on science and technology. The role of technology, however, can be emphasized too much. For in spite of the dazzling advances that have come along in recent years, nothing is as wonderful as the human heart, mind and spirit when put to use in caring for others. After all, health care is a serving profession, one that exists not for its own sake, but for the benefit and care of others. For, as every caring practitioner has come to learn, no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.
Michael A. Chizner is chief medical director of The Heart Center of Excellence of Broward Health and serves as chairman of the Credentials Committee of the Florida Board of Medicine.
