Diane Heldt, CR Gazette –
Health care practitioners play a critical role through education and contact with patients in Iowa’s effort to become the healthiest state in the nation by 2016, Gov. Terry Branstad told nurse practitioners in Coralville Thursday.
The push to make Iowa the healthiest state — up from 16th place now, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index — hinges on community-wide efforts such as the Blue Zones initiative, but also on one-to-one contact between health care providers and their patients, Branstad said.
“Obviously we need to get people to take ownership of their own health,” he said. “Where you can be involved is, as health care professionals, the impact you can have and the influence you can have with your patients” to make healthy choices.
Branstad spoke to the annual spring Nurse Practitioner Conference of the University of Iowa College of Nursing and the Iowa Association of Nurse Practitioners. Cedar Rapids is a Blue Zone site finalist, and the first round of chosen communities will be announced Friday.
Some of the nurse practitioners noted that financial resources or health insurance constraints are often a hindrance to them helping patients, especially elementary-age students, get affordable access to the resources or education they need, such as dieticians. One nurse practitioner noted that helping low-income families find ways to afford healthy food is a big frustration for her.
Food stamps can be used a farmers’ markets around the state, Branstad noted, and it also helps to educate people about buying healthy food in bulk so it’s more affordable. He said state mandates on insurance companies regarding coverage can be a tricky process if it drives up insurance costs at first.
Another nurse practitioner said she refers many families with young children to the free access of the dietician in each Hy-Vee grocery store, because she knows that many insurance companies won’t cover such services. Branstad that’s an example of the public-private partnership needed to tackle such a challenging issue.
Getting people to take ownership of their own health also could come in the form of financial incentives from their employers for making health choices, Branstad said. He also noted that 96 percent of state employees pay nothing for their health insurance coverage. He wants to see state employees — including the governor and elected officials — pay at least 20 percent of their health insurance premiums. It’s a budget-saving measure for the state, but also encourages healthy choices, he said.
“Frankly, it will also help people to really feel they have some ownership and some skin in the game as we work to make Iowa the healthiest state,” he said.
Branstad said he believes in leading by example, noting he has lost 12 pounds since Jan. 1 and has a goal of wearing his Army uniform this Memorial Day, 41 years after he served in the Army.
