By Lesley Ranft

Working together, individuals, professional associations, medical and dental technology and drug companies, state associations, nonprofit organizations, universities, government agencies and medical and dental providers are making great strides towards improving the access to healthcare. Large corporations also have helped to bolster the movement by taking a vested interest, and investing money, to better serve the needs of the public. Through collaboration and cooperation, our future and the future of our children may indeed be healthier and bright.

There are a number of ways that individuals may influence positive change as well. You don’t have to be an employee of a medical company or practice to be an active participant to help fill the gaps, including:

• Need for Support Programs focused on Prevention
• Lack of Consumer Awareness
• Need for Greater Education of Children and Enhanced Access to Care for Children
• Closings of Medical or Dental Schools in Select areas, Limited Access to Select Areas of Curriculum Plays a Role in Quality Care.
• Closing of Select Facilities and Special Considerations for Office Based Surgical Centers
• Shortage of Workforce Personnel
• High Number of Possible Medical Conditions with Similar Signs and Symptoms for Select Medical Conditions
• Growing Number of People who Need Care
• Economic Conditions
• Cultural Issues
• Demographic Challenges
• The Affordability Predicament

The access to health care issues are complex, and this list is by no means fully comprehensive.

– If you are a healthcare consumer, please find below some ways you might be able to help.

The demonstration of your goodwill toward the well-being of your community may go a long way in both improving healthcare and containing costs.  You may want to volunteer at a senior citizens center, in local schools or for a non-profit group. Whether you decide to implement a broad volunteer campaign or focus your efforts on a particular area, such as, new mother/infant issues, minority group considerations, caring for the elderly or disabled, or addressing the needs of children, your contribution to your community may be surmountable and rewarding.

You may want to inform the legislators what actions you want them to support, such as, more comprehensive consumer awareness initiatives, outreach programs for the under served, funding support for medical schools, continuing care agreements to assist with the funding necessary to serve extremely poor; orfunding to assist with the operational costs for new medical practices and programs to meet better demands of the community.

One of the most vital ways to support any cause is to support it financially. For a cause such as access to care, strong funding is a key element to facilitating a true and dramatic shift to ensuring the nation's positive health reform. Any provision of healthcare is expensive in the United States. Ultimately, your contributions may make quite a difference in your health, those you love, your community or even in the world.

If you decide to become a Sponsor for Your Health Access,  your funds will be used to support the following goals:

• Continue to attend medical meetings to bring up-to-date content to Your Health Access and to surgeons in various medical specialties.

• Create and Hold Health Fairs to assist in providing  a Safety Net for Life Quality and Those in Need.

• Assist in the Education of Consumers and Medical Students.