Community health is a challenge that needs to be faced together

I am delighted to have this opportunity to engage with readers of the Fort Worth Business Press. Please know that I welcome your thoughts and perspectives and hope to hear from you about the topics addressed in this monthly column. Let me make one point crystal-clear. I’ve had the privilege of living in many different cities around the country … Seattle, Quantico, Boston, Kansas City and Detroit … and while comparisons are always unfair, I can honestly say that Fort Worth is awesome. People here have a flair for accomplishing the exceptional and are open, welcoming and gracious, too. Our quality of life and vibrant lifestyle continue to attract some of the finest professionals in business, education, healthcare and other fields of endeavor. That’s not to say our community lacks challenges — far from it. But within these challenges are opportunities to excel. As our population and economy continue to grow, our responses today will determine the trajectory of our community’s health and well-being tomorrow. How we respond to these challenges is at the heart of each and every monthly column. Our goal is twofold: first, to raise the visibility of health care challenges in our community and second, to suggest realistic solutions that engage our city’s strength and commitment to excellence. Here are just a few of the issues that we’d like to discuss over the next few months:*The role of the business and academic community working in partnership to bring cutting-edge scientific research to the marketplace. *The shortage and growing demand for qualified physicians and other health care providers in Tarrant County.*The possible outcomes of research and clinical trials in the prevention and treatment of diseases including Alzheimer’s and cancer. *The advances in and misconceptions about women’s health care. *Individual and community benefits of whole person and coordinated health care services. *The roadblocks and solutions to improved healthcare access and quality in Tarrant County. *The latest advances in our community’s health care, science and medical education institutions. *The vital need to partner with neighboring institutions, businesses and other organizations to improve our regional quality of life. The last bullet should be of particular interest to all Texans, new as well as native Fort Worth residents. Why? Because the State of Texas ranks 49th in the United States for health outcomes and last in the country for health care access, according to a study by The Commonwealth Fund released in May. In fact, Texas has the greatest percentage of uninsured in the country at 24 percent when compared to the nation’s average of 15.percent. The high uninsured rate presents a crisis situation in providing access to primary care services for much of our population. This parallels the fact that Texas has 160 physicians per 100,000 population when compared to the national average of 230 physicians per 100,000 population. For a community as rich and innovative as ours, this is totally unacceptable. As an obstetrician, a long-time researcher, a father and a citizen of Fort Worth, I am passionate about creating solutions to improve our community’s health. And I am convinced that we can make an immediate impact by integrating countywide hospitals and health delivery systems with the great institutions of research, medical education and physician practice we have right here at home. I look forward to sharing thoughts and ideas with you on how we can continue to tackle the tough health care issues that face our community. Tarrant County has a sound tradition of taking care of its own, and we must continue to look at ourselves, identify the obstacles that could get in our way and turn these and other challenges into opportunities to become an even better place to work, live and grow. As an educator, I hope to help our community see the issues and problems, then collaborate to bring leaders together to fix them before they tarnish Fort Worth’s bright future. Together, we must transform what might be into what can, should and will be — a healthier, more productive and happier future for our parents, our children and our community. Ransom is president and professor in obstetrics, gynecology, health management and policy at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.