FUTURE PHYSICIAN LEADERS

By Justice Spriggs, MS4

From the Bedside to the Ballot Box

Mental health. Physical health. Social determinants of health. All things we learn about in medical school and residency. But what about Civic Health? During my medical school journey, I have had an increasing interest in public policy. Partially this comes from a place of curiosity and genuine interest in how our government and laws work, but also part of necessity. Throughout my clinical experiences, I have helped care for many patients who come in with health concerns but also have a multitude of societal factors that are also negatively impacting their health. We may be able to start a treatment plan for them, but in the larger context of their situation, it is only scraping the surface of what they need. Many of our patients do not know that several hardships in their lives are due to intentionally created exclusionary policies that make the lives of members of our communities harder. It is easy for providers and patients to see national policies and decisions such as the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade or the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 as how our government has directly played a role in our health. But what many do not realize is that other issues such as school funding, transportation, affordable housing, and public safety are not just problems for Congress to solve, but for local officials at all levels. Physicians need to actively engage in the political process as we have the unique perspective and training to know how policies impact the health of our communities. I often refer back to the quote of the late German physician and anthropologist Rudolph Virchow, “Medicine is a social science, and politics is nothing else but medicine on a larger scale…the physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and social problems fall to a large extent within their jurisdiction.” We need to use tools such as Vot-ER to both educate our patients on how to vote and why their vote impacts the health of their community, but we should not stop there. As our society stands today, medicine and politics are deeply intertwined, and we must embrace this relationship. We need physicians to be loud, bold, and brave for the good of our patients. From emailing officials, testifying at hearings, and holding rallies, this is our lane. But sometimes this is not enough. In the words of President Barack Obama, “If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Persevere.” Yes, you should consider running—I am. As a fourth-year medical student, I am taking a leap of faith to unconventionally run for my local city council. “Why?” you may ask. When I saw my City Council fail to provide protections for our community during the pandemic, not support a levy for our schools, have a harsh tone towards affordable housing projects, attempt to cap the number of rentals in our community, thwart opportunities to increase diversity and inclusion in our leadership, and not be transparent and responsive to constituents, I knew we needed a change. Looking at the field of candidates and seeing an opportunity to be part of change in Columbia Heights, I jumped in. To me, it is that important that we tackle these social issues that our patients face. It is great to be able to manage or solve a medical problem in the hospital or clinic, but if we are sending them home to situations where they do not have adequate support and opportunities to be successful, we are putting temporary pressure on a wound that will continue to bleed. As physicians, we must embrace the unique training in medicine, science, and public health and how we can use that to make legislative change in our communities. We know the importance of advocating for policy change as we know how social determinants have long-lasting effects. We, as a profession, must also continue to show up in our communities, at the voting booth, and even on the ballot—our patients depend on it.

Innovation in chest wall injury repair

Thanks to innovations in the treatment of flail chest and fractured sternums, we’re able to improve outcomes for patients, helping them recover faster and with less pain.

Bridging the gap in chest wall injury repair

We take a departmental approach to treating chest wall trauma. By having an advanced team of six surgeons who treat chest wall injury, we’re available to provide optimal treatment every day of the year.

This approach is working and we’re seeing promising trends:

• More success stories – 10 years ago, our team did 5-10 operations per year.

Now we treat a new patient almost every week.

• New tools – Thanks to instrumentation and implants specifically designed for different anatomical locations, chest wall repair is now an option for more patients.

• Expanded training – More doctors are gaining expertise in SSRF, including several fellows trained at Regions Hospital.

For more information, visit healthpartners.com/orthotrauma or call 651-254-8300.

640 Jackson St. St. Paul, MN 55101