Dear Friends,
On a recent bright Spring morning scores of people of all ages gathered outside the hospital’s main entrance … not because they were being admitted as patients, but because they wanted to learn how they could avoid becoming one. As more than 500 people filed into the hospital lobby, it must have looked to passers-by like a promotional give-away. In fact, it was. We were promoting healthy habits and giving away the means to ensure a longer and healthier life.
The event was Hunterdon Medical Center’s first Diabetes Community Fair. The entire first floor of the hospital, from lobby to conference rooms, from hallways and offices to the auditorium and the cafeteria, was transformed into a virtual healthcare exposition for the day.
The Diabetes Community Fair is just one example of what our community can receive from us as healthcare consumers begin to recognize their own responsibilities in the management of their health. The next generation of healthcare delivery will focus as much on preventing disease as curing it. And it comes at a much lower cost. By promoting a healthy lifestyle, a nutritious daily diet, weight management, regular exercise, and eight hours of sleep, hospitals will be able to stem the prohibitive cost of acute care by investing their shrinking margins in programs that prevent illness before it begins.
An investment in prevention
The Hunterdon Medical Center has long believed that by preventing disease,
we can prevent the higher cost of treating it. In fact, our very mission is based on
this belief. When a screening identifies just one patient who could benefit from
medication, we call that life-saving. Through events like the Diabetes Community
Fair and others to follow, the physicians, nurses, therapists, educators and
nutritionists of the Hunterdon Healthcare System are sending a message that we
are here to help you manage much more than the medical episodes of your life.
We can help you prevent many serious diseases, such as heart disease, stroke,
cancer and, of course, diabetes. Prevention is paramount. And we are inviting you
to be a partner in the prevention of disease-your own. The old adage, “An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is more true today than ever. Investing in
good health habits now will yield priceless dividends in the future. And besides,
aren’t you worth it?
To Your Good Health,
Robert P. Wise, President and CEO,
Hunterdon Healthcare System
