Eagle Man Creating a Sense

Eagle Man

Creating a sense of purpose and place in the world today can seem difficult, especially considering that current expansion of world views that are expressed by globalization and civic responsibility. The modern person must navigate through the mountains of information created by the information age, brought on by computer technology. For some people the ability to marry their employment with philosophies of ecology and stewardship is increasingly difficult. Though as a health care provider, working in administration in a health clinic the task is not so difficult. In my work environment I lead a team that is aware of their place in the ecology and nature of America. We have made significant strides to fulfill a more holistic view of health and wellness that can be seen in nearly every aspect of our clinic, from using reusable or reused products to recognizing individuality and preventative health care needs.

Reflecting on a recent reading associated with the signature series course I have concluded that the foundation of my ability to marry my vocation with my ecology and citizenship in American society, can be best presented through the work We Are All Related: Eagle Man. The work represents a culmination of the Native American principles of stewardship and connectedness to all living things, displaying a simpler understanding of the place of progress and eco/civil-responsibility in the world. (Eagle Man, 1992) My work in healthcare has been guided by a theoretical approach that supersedes all other philosophies, including the business aspects of my job and that is the emphasis on the holistic approach to health.

This theory is well preserved in the Native American adage, Mitauye oyasin: We are all related. A manner that better describes my outlook on health care as an essential part of this ideal is expressed in the following passage from a work on the ecology of health care.

A holistic approach has become the requirement of our time which enables us to find the roots and dimensions of the issues of human health, culture and environment. There is a growing understanding and acceptance at the personal and the intellectual level that everything is linked to everything else. (Honari & Boleyn, 1999, p. 1)

The establishment of myself within an industry, that on a basic level, is seeking more and more to live within the confines of this holistic view is no mistake. I contend that within the confines of my work there are countless examples of the foundation of the holistic expression of health, from the environment of the workplace to the way that patient care is conducted.

One of the most important adages of my work in health care is my overriding sense of connectedness I have with the patients who are cared for in the clinic. Many years ago a school councilor gave me a bit of advice about how to approach the world, the message was that if you seek understanding from others you must also understand them, even to the point that you imagine yourself in their position. The concept of empathy, up to this point was simply a word, but forever after this point I tried to live by this message, with a clear sense of the connectedness of the people around me. It is for this reason that now when I interact with the diverse patients being cared for in my workplace I recognize that they could be my mother, my father or my child and I try to care for them with that view and I expect my other coworkers to as well. I make an effort to go to the clinic waiting room or front desk every day for the express purpose of interacting with patients, as working in a back office could potentially leave me feeling disconnected from the people I help serve and this is counterintuitive. In an article I recently read, regarding the social work field and the idea that on either side of the treatment couch are potential future collogues and that the filed must recognize that to be inclusive in treatment they must also be inclusive in opportunity for employment, stepping away from the standard practice of barring those who have a history of mental illness or social problems from service. (Stromwall, 2002, p.75)

This is in as sense the message I take from daily interactions with patients. These people will likely never actually be related to me, but next week my sister, brother, mother or father could be diagnosed with or be dealing with the same health issues as the people I serve, and therefore I must keep my mind, heart and door open to them at all times, so I may better understand their needs and my own. Regardless of their diagnosis, ability to pay for care or social situation, they all deserve and receive my respect. Reversing the social stigma associated with illness is essential to creating a holistically healthy nation. (Stromwall, 2002, p.75)

The responsibility of my clinic to be stewards of the community is apparent as we serve people of all ages and all social stratus, with equal dignity and respect. (Eagle Man p.1-5) the clinic offers sliding scale fees and will often provide care to people when we are aware of their inability to pay, something I deal with frequently. Additionally, we serve as a community health resource in providing patients with information about programs or opportunities for health care that we do not provide, or services they could receive at a lower cost elsewhere.

Not until the past decade did most Americans associate health care with markets; indeed, the financing and delivery systems for health care were separate and distinct. The delivery system developed goals and procedures in easily rationalized isolation from the marketplace. Physicians, other health professionals, and managers based these goals and procedures on concepts of sickness, health, suffering, and science. Physicians usually defined their assets as scientific and medical knowledge, intellectual understanding, and effective empathy. They understood that these assets were limited in amount and uncertain in effect. But only recently has their awareness of limited resources come to include limited financial resources. (Fox & Ludden, 1998, p. 137)

As a result of this our physicians are acutely aware of the cost of treatments they perform or refer patients to and it is my responsibility at times to ask other physicians and clinics hard questions about the costs of the services they provide.

Another aspect of my work that is associated with the value of the traditional aspects of the reading includes the growing emphasis on alternative medicine and the manner in which it is applied in the industry. As a part of a health care delivery team I have been a part of a revolution in care that includes communicating with alternative health care providers and patients, receiving such care. We consult with non-traditional healers to keep patient care fluid and to make sure that patients are not doing anything with other medical care practitioners that could interfere with treatment they receive here. Patient health history reports ask patients to designate all the supplements, naturopathic remedies as well as medications they are taking for other disorders. (Rayner & Easthope, 2001, p.157) Alternative medicine is growing exponentially and in an attempt to improve patient advocacy and develop knowledge on how alternative and modern medicine work together there must be a grass roots effort among physicians and clinics to make themselves aware of the treatments available and the efficacy of such treatments. This is reflected in the reading of Eagle Man by the emphasis on taking form the white culture those things which are positive progress, including modern medical care and leaving those things which are not positive. (p.4)

In an extension of this idea one of the issues we stress most is prevention, rather than the historical emphasis on cure. We stress to patients the need to make preventative medicine their goal through various offerings of services that are informative and productive. This includes nutrition health clinics, diabetes awareness clinics, home health and hygiene clinics, smoking secession seminars and several other preventative medicine focused offerings. (Heirich, 1998, p. 66) in patient consultations physicians and other practitioners often find themselves counseling patients about preventative issues with regard to their current state of health and wellness and stress the importance of reducing overall stress in one's life, eating healthy and getting the appropriate amount of rest, if they are healthy or otherwise.

The environment of our clinical also reflects the emphasis on returning to nurturing environments, as special care is given to provide comfortable seating for waiting patients as well as creative attractions for children who are seen at the clinic. The area is very homey and is decorated not with high art but with art that you might find on any living room wall and a set of staff pictures that reflect the name and position of each of the members of the family of care.

A the prescription of color cannot lean too heavily on the artistic. Here too color has often failed. When its use is overdone, when the colors chosen are too bright, the combinations too "dramatic," the effect may be wholly out of place, and the observer may actually be distracted from his tasks or made uncomfortable in his environment. (Birren, 1961, p. 256)

The also staff decorates for every holiday, as part of our expression of the clinic as a place not unlike home. (Perkins & Giese, 1994, p.60)

As a health care provider, the clinic must also make special concessions to biomedical hazards. We are currently very vigilant in the manner of cleanliness of our facility as well as the special care given to make sure that any biohazard material is dealt with in such a manner that no one can be further affected by it. We also do these things in a consciously environmentally friendly way, utilizing a cleaning service that uses only ecologically friendly cleaners and the simplest forms of tried and true methods that has as little effect on the environment as possible.