Fighting Chronic Disease in Washington

Leading healthcare experts met last week at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington D.C., where they spoke about chronic disease and healthcare policy.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) and the Emory University Institute for Advanced Policy Solutions sponsored the conference, which addressed many issues surrounding healthcare reform.  Three panels debated about chronic disease prevention and management, health care in the 2008 Presidential Election, and what the next administration needs to do to move health reform around fighting chronic disease.    

Senator Tom Daschle set the tone for the morning in his keynote address, talking about the need to improve quality and access in healthcare while finding a way to lower costs.   In his speech, he emphasized the increasing gap of quality healthcare between the rich and the poor in the United States, stating that there are "islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity."
 
Although there were experts representing both sides of the healthcare debate, every speaker over the course of the conference stressed the importance of healthcare providers taking preventive measures, and educating the general population about chronic disease.
 
To learn more about chronic disease and its impact on healthcare, check out www.fightchronicdisease.org.