HJNO Jan/Feb 2023

Last year at this time, I challenged us to embody wellness and health so we could be shining examples to patients. I wrote something, I am sure I thought pithy at the moment, about putting our oxygen masks on first — so we can be at our best to service others. It was January — always a good time to contemplate high ideals. A year later, I feel something has changed in the Bayou State. I am not talking about how we slipped into last place in health rankings. Last?! Yes, that is frustrating. So, when Secretary Phillips asked for more than column space in this issue to share the Louisiana Department of Health’s 2023 plan with us, we obliged. Last?! Yes, but the good Dr. Cole is continuing to proselytize value-based health as a solution to whoever will listen. (I hope we all are.) But no, this change is something else, something sinister, that feels like it does not belong. I hear fear creeping into conversations across the state. “Be careful,” or, “Be Safe,” are now ringing in my ears from the most well-intentioned people. Their admonitions put me into a “fight or flight”mode that raises my cortisol levels when I step outside, making me watchful of others, wondering if they are going to hurt me. It’s not a great feeling. I would prefer to smile at my fellow human beings. I have always thought a smile is contagious, and perhaps, selfishly, sharing one makes me feel better. But then again, I have not been shot at or beaten or carjacked, so I don’t carry an internal or external scar of human savagery. I am truly sorry for those who do. I have witnessed a lot of Fox News recently — my parents focused for weeks and spent countless hours on the investigationof fiveWhitekidsmurdered in Idaho. Itmakesmewonderwhere theoutrage is, both locallyandnationally, over Louisiana’s homicide rate hovering around 1000, themajority of the victims being young, Black people.Andwhere is theoutrage for all experiencing thisunnecessaryhorror?Weare the secondmost violent state, just behindMississippi, according to the CDC. Why? Why is violence higher in Louisiana than all other states (except Mississippi)? What makes our citizens more violent? Is it inherited or learned? If it is learned, can it be unlearned? What in the world is the answer? And I don’t mean to just beat Mississippi’s abysmal stat. Why can’t we be the safest state in the Union or the world for that matter? Why can’t we stroll the tree-lined streets at night, bask in the moonlight, enjoying the stars and each other? It feels like a birthright that has been stripped, perhaps so long ago it has been forgotten. Let the thought linger. Let’s revive our state. I don’t think this is unsolvable. I believe love and hope are stronger than hate and fear, but I do think it takes focus. I invite your comments as we look into violence as a public health issue this year. Please send your thoughts to editor@healthcarejournalno.com. With deep respect, EDITOR’S DESK 8 JAN / FEB 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Dianne Marie Normand Hartley Chief Editor editor@healthcarejournalno.com “Lions and Tigers and Bears! OH MY!” — Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow