By Caryn Sever

Class Photo on Capitol Hill © Laura Sikes Photography

The halls of the Senate and House buildings rang with even more heal clacks on June 7, 2012, when students attending the 20^th Washington Health Policy Institute hosted through George Mason by the College of Health and Human Service and the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, visited their representatives during their annual Capitol Hill Day. In addition to their visits, the students were treated to high level speakers including: Patience Wiggins, Health LA for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Dominic Storelli, Professional Oversight Staffer at the US House of Representatives, David Hallock, Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Monica Popp, Professional Staff at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Purvee Kempf, Council to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Dan Elling, Majority Staff Director, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, Erin Richardson, House Ways and Means, and Katie Boyd, Communications Staffer for Speaker Boehner.

WHPI students began their day with Capitol Hill Day coordinator Sharon Brigner, who briefed the group on what lay ahead for them. After a light breakfast, students met with their various representatives from several states. The Massachusetts group was able to meet with Senator Scott Brown, who spoke with them about their Health Care concerns and autographed pictures and

Students Meeting Senator Scott Brown © Laura Sikes Photography

books as souvenirs of their experience. One student remarked: “[I enjoyed] the variety of opportunities to observe firsthand how things operate in our government. All government employees were approachable and enjoyable to talk with. I feel I better understand how to communicate with congressmen [and] legislators and am more confident about this. It was an incredible experience.”

The students enjoyed sandwiches at lunch while listening and interacting with speakers who held various positions on Capitol Hill. Patience Wiggins, Health LA, encouraged students to read up on their particular issues, find out who co-sponsors the bills, and follow up with potential ways to pay for the initiatives.

Dominic Storelli of the Committee on House Administration outlined 7 key tips for speaking with your representative.

1. Make sure that your issue is grounded in sound public policy
2. Make sure that your issue meets a sense of urgency, timing is key
3. Your issue should be an engagement of proper policy, personal causes are important but if is not relevant at the time or to the representative, then it may not go far. You are looking for someone to champion your issue and representatives who are actively working on the initiative or are openly interested, are the best choice for advocates.
4. Stay on target with the issues
5. Make sure that your research is focused and that you have information to back up exactly what you are lobbying for.
6. Be prepared to ask and answer questions when you meet your representative, it is difficult to make any headway if you do not know your issue well.
7. Do something about the issue itself. Engage your community and explain what efforts you have personally taken to your representative when you meet with them.

Storelli also explained that the best way to find out if a particular representative is interested or working on an issue, was to call the office directly and ask to speak with their Communications Coordinator or Director of Communications for more information in addition to checking the regular websites and search engines.

One of the highlights of the day was the speech and Q & A with Senator Warner’s Deputy Chief of Staff, David Hallock. Hallock remarked “technology has a role to play in accessible information over a multitude of formats” however, he explained that though this may be true, the bombardment of technology and information is not always helpful and may hinder the populous at times. He went on to outline the current delivery system in the United States, submitting that it is not really hospital centric and that there has been an increase in specialty care while primary care continues to decrease. Furthermore, he reminded the students that there was a shortage in the Health Care workforce which may be exacerbated by state budget cuts which limit choices.

Both Monica Popp and Purvee Kempf of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce provided a clear picture of the legal matters associated with Health Care Reform and Medicaid and Medicare in America. Students received well thought out, plain English examples and explanations from these speakers. Their presentations were followed by a panel debate from Dan Elling and Erin Richardson of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittees, allowing students to witness, in a micro sense, what types of dialogue takes place in the Subcommittees. Since these two presenters represented both sides of the aisle, students received a holistic view of the debate and information.

The day finished up with Katie Boyd of Speaker Boehner’s office. Ms. Boyd outlined the importance of communication in Government and the mobile and dynamic forms that the Speakers office implements. Their outreach includes a dynamic website with a blog, consistent and constant tweeting, Facebook posts, flicker picture posts, and YouTube videos. This type of outreach allows a feeling of direct access to the Speaker and the ability to keep up to date with the office and its projects.

While the students headed to the steps of the Capitol to take their group picture, they reflected upon what they learned that day. Tired but well informed they all felt that their time on the Hill was one of the most valuable experiences that they learned throughout the conference.

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Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown

 Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown

 This post was taken from the College of Health and Human Resources.

August 10, 2011

The CHHS is saddened to report the passing of Brigadier General Hazel Johnson-Brown on August 5, 2011. Her distinguished career with the Army included appointment as Director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing program and Chief of the Army Nurse Corps. General Johnson-Brown taught in the graduate nursing program at George Mason University, established the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics and was named Professor Emerita upon her retirement from George Mason. Learn more about General Johnson-Brown’s extraordinary life.

APHA Logo for 137th Annual Public Meeting

The APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition is the oldest and largest gathering of public health professionals in the world, attracting more than 13,000 national and international physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, researchers, epidemiologists, and related health specialists. APHA’s meeting program addresses current and emerging health science, policy, and practice issues in an effort to prevent disease and promote health. APHA has a world of public health in store for you.

Click this link for more information about the APHA 139th Annual Meeting & Exposition

Academy Health Logo

For 28 years, AcademyHealth’s ARM has been the premier forum for health services research, where more than 2,400 attendees gather to discuss health policy implications, sharpen research methods, and network with colleagues from around the world.

Click this link for more information about this conference.

The 19th Washington Health Policy Institute was a success!  Now it is time to plan for the 20th Washington Health Policy Institute

For 20 years, the Institute has been committed to informing students and interested attendees about Health Policy in America.

Visit this link for information about the upcoming 20th WHPI on June 4th through 8th, 2012

For additional questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Each Fall season brings excitement and new energy. CHPRE hosted another successful Washington Health Policy Institute this June and now heads into its 20th year. We’ve also added new talent in recent months, including Caryn Sever, our Office Manager.

You’ve probably noticed that the CHPRE website has a fresh look, and we’ve introduced lots of new features and functionality. Our thanks to CHPRE GRAs Ekom Etuk and Suchi Madan for all their help on this project last year.

In the coming weeks, we plan to create two new features of health policy at Mason and CHPRE. One, a “Question of the Week” will seek to engage students in debating and researching topical issues in health policy research and ethics on-line. The second, a monthly policy discussion, will provide an informal forum for new ideas and old questions to be discussed among faculty and students and occasional guests. Stay tuned for details!

Climate Change, Health, and Ethics
CHPRE Earth Week Event
Presentation by Thomas E. Lovejoy

Slides from the Event

Event Flyer

Thomas E. Lovejoy:

April 9, 2009
Lessons from State Health Reform and the Role of States under National Health Reform
presented by W. David Helms, PhD
President and CEO, AcademyHealth

Slides from the Event
Event Flyer

W. David Helms:

March 19, 2009
Medicare and the New Congress and Administration
presented by Jack C. Ebeler, MPA
Consultant and Vice Chairman, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)

Slides from the Event
Event Flyer

Jack C. Ebeler:

February 19, 2009
Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense
presented by Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D.
David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania

Slides from the Event
Event Flyer

Jonathan D. Moreno:

November 13, 2008
Ethical Issues in Science Policy 
presented by Virginia Ashby Sharpe, Ph.D.
Visiting Scholar, Georgetown University
Medical Ethicist, National Center for Ethics in Healthcare, US Veterans Health Administration

Event Flyer
Streaming video of the event is forthcoming.

Virginia Ashby Sharpe:

October 27, 2008
Obama vs. McCain: Health Care Issues and the Election
Dr. Linda J. Blumberg and Dr. John F. Holahan from The Urban Institute discussed the Presidential Candidates’ health care programs.

Slides from the presentation
Event Flyer
Streaming video of the event is forthcoming.

Linda Blumberg:

John Holahan:

October 1, 2008
Candidates Forum on the Future of Health Care Reform
CHPRE and the Department of Health Administration and Policy co-sponsored this event. Invited guests included Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Mark Ellmore (R-VA), Judy Feder (D-VA), Keith Fimian (R-VA), Jim Gilmore (R-VA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Frank Wolf (R-VA). See Pictures.

Attendees of the Candidates Forum. These are first-year students and faculty from the physician assistant program at Shenandoah University.

September 18, 2008 
Uninsured in America: Costs, Consequences and Possible Solutions
Presented by Jack Hadley, Ph.D.
Professor and Senior Health Services Researcher, George Mason University
Dr. Hadley’s Slides
Streaming video of the event is forthcoming.

Jack Hadley:

“Those who suffer need you to be something more than a doctor; they need you to be a healer. And, to become a healer, you must do something even more difficult than putting your white coat on. You must take your white coat off. You must recover, embrace, and treasure the memory of your shared, frail humanity-of the dignity in each and every soul…join those you serve, become a healer in the world of fear and fragmentation”. These are the words of Dr. Donald Berwick at his daughter’s Medical School Graduation at Yale University and I think it serves as a reminder to not only physicians, but all health professions, why they chose to go into medicine/health care.

Dr. Berwick provided the recent medical school graduates with his personal experience of becoming a doctor. He talked about how he read and memorized Harvard’s “Red Book”, which was about the history and physical exam-what to ask the patient/symptoms, the set of rules to abide by. There is always the technical stuff to follow, but Dr. Berwick talked about his tutor, who was a vascular surgeon, Dr. Frank. During Dr. Berwick’s first history and physical, he asked the patient, “when did your pain begin”? Dr. Frank told Berwick he did not ask the right question. Instead, Dr. Frank asked Berwick, did you know this patient has a new grandson? Dr. Berwick learned from Dr. Frank that sometimes you have to break the rules and assure the patient you are there to help, not to make their already frightening surgery or treatment more uncomfortable.

From reading Berwick’s speech, I could tell how he is dedicated to patient care, despite what the critics say about his nomination and not being the right person for the job, he is kind hearted and in medicine for the sake of healing people. Berwick talks about how doctors say things because it may seem rational or make sense, “It’s our policy… It’s against the rule… that you cannot be here to hold your husband’s hand…It’s not in your best interest”. Dr. Berwick received an e-mail from a woman only last December, whose husband was a psychiatrist and was hospitalized with cerebral bleeding. She was denied access to visit her husband at times because it was against the rules and visiting hours were over, she described to Dr. Berwick how there were a lot of missed opportunities to spend the last few days with your husband. She missed out on talking about the good times, feeling frustrated about the restraints that the hospital gave her, she is “advocating to the hospital administration that visiting hours have to be open especially for spouses”. This is just one story where a family has felt that their needs were not met.

The important thing is that it makes one realize that whoever was responsible for regulating “visitors”, did not understand the necessity of having a loved one there to be there every minute during the last few moments, hours, or days. When a medical professional is doing their job, they may forget the patient really may only need their loved ones around to go peacefully. Berwick described this as the “voice of power; and power does not always think the whole thing through”.

The way Berwick tied his stories together sent a strong message about power and privilege of becoming a doctor. It will provide you with choice, of how you understand the patient and their family’s needs. Whether you decide what is right for the patient’s well being or what is right according to the rule book.

Reading the speech by Dr. Berwick reinforced why he was nominated by President Obama, one can tell his main concern is patient centered care, which is what it should be. Helping a patient on an emotional level in addition to ameliorating their physical pain can help their overall healing or peaceful passing, making it a more comfortable and bearable experience for all of those involved.

Picture obtained from PBS