Healthy Role Model Initiative
Leonard Mees
Portland Oregon
United States
Dr. Mees' favorite topic, "This is huge!" Dr. Mees proposes that we seek prominent people to be role models for health as well as spokespersons for health. He encourages us to, "Approach them and coach them for this specific purpose. Charge them to exhibit how they lead their healthy lives. Ask them to teach us good behavior by example. Show us the successes that good healthy behaviors produce. Target prominent people with high visibility profiles, people we know and think we can trust."
January 1998 witnessed the inauguration of Surgeon General David Satcher, MD. When questioned about his vision for the future of the health of the United States, he thought for a moment and calmly responded, "I'm well known for my dedication to education about nutrition and exercise. That will be a priority. And I want all members of the public health corps to serve as role models for healthy living."
Dr. Mees has taken this message to heart and offers you the Healthy Role Model Initiative. Try it.
Meet Winston Churchill's "Black Dog"
Winston Churchill couldn't bring himself to utter the word, depression. Instead he gave it a metaphorical name, my "Black Dog." In this presentation about depression Dr. Mees reveals a well-kept secret - that depression affects one in five of us, yet we steadfastly deny its existence. Depression, still viewed as a personal weakness by many, denied by most, ruins lives and kills. You'll learn to bring this sinister visitor out from the darkness into the light of day. You'll learn that much like the night-stalking vampire, depression shrinks from the light of day, the dawning of awareness and acknowledgment of its presence. You'll learn how to recognize it, how to prevent it, and how to combat it. If nothing else, this presentation will free you from the shackles of shame for your depression.
Preserve Your Organization's "Human Capital" (the economy of health promotion)
John Henshaw, Director of OSHA, addressed the 2003 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health Conference and shared that the "Preservation of Human Capital" was a major initiative of OSHA nationwide. Peter DeLuca, Director of Oregon OSHA followed suit as he warned, "The majority of deaths in the workplace are heart attacks, and most of the heart attacks are preventable! We're losing people and money, unnecessarily."
James Allen, MD, Ph.D., former Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, noted, "Of all the cost for health care, only 2% goes to prevention. Yet, 60% of the gains come from that 2%. Wouldn't you think someone would take notice?"
Dr. Mees comments, "Coors Brewing Company documented a 9:1 return on investment in their wellness program. Wouldn't you think someone would take notice?"
He asserts, "Unfortunately, most people involved in the health promotion industry think that they should be invited into the mainstream of business on faith alone. That's not the real world."
Summarizing, he says, "A fledgling industry, health promotion needs to take some lessons from the big boys and girls. If we are to make an impact on skyrocketing health care premiums, disability and death, we must join the fray and use time honored business practices like marketing, promotion, and sales. Only then will we begin to make an impact on health behaviors and preserve our precious Human Capital."
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Stress