Stan

As you think about it going forward, it seems to me that what COVID provided us, maybe there's a silver lining in it, is a quick opportunity for lessons learned. But we have to act on those lessons learned. We have to somehow or other coalesce those lessons so that, frankly, quickly, so that we can take advantage of them before we forget what they are.

And then another thing happens, and then, oh, my God, then we're in the same ballpark again.

And then another thing happens, and then, oh, my God, then we're in the same ballpark again.

Right, yeah.

Right, yeah.

Yeah. Clarence, and then I want to talk about chronic disease. Go ahead.

Yeah. Clarence, and then I want to talk about chronic disease. Go ahead.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know, it's interesting. I remember, you know, one that inspired me was C. Everett Koop. He was another, you know, a Surgeon General. And I remember distinctly, I was at a presentation that he gave and somebody asked him, and we were dealing with smoking and all that kind of stuff. And somebody asked him straight out, what should we be doing? And his answer was,

You know, it's interesting. I remember, you know, one that inspired me was C. Everett Koop. He was another, you know, a Surgeon General. And I remember distinctly, I was at a presentation that he gave and somebody asked him, and we were dealing with smoking and all that kind of stuff. And somebody asked him straight out, what should we be doing? And his answer was,

I thought really just, I don't know. That's up for you guys to decide now. Take this torch and run with it. So, you know, it was really inspirational, you know, from somebody who had that much clout to be able to kind of give the work off to you and be, you know, be creative and be good risk takers. So these were good people. Okay, so I want to talk a little bit about chronic disease.

I thought really just, I don't know. That's up for you guys to decide now. Take this torch and run with it. So, you know, it was really inspirational, you know, from somebody who had that much clout to be able to kind of give the work off to you and be, you know, be creative and be good risk takers. So these were good people. Okay, so I want to talk a little bit about chronic disease.

Let's get away from COVID because, you know, while all of this COVID stuff was going on, the pandemic, guess what? We were being affected by the stuff that affects us every day, okay? You know, we still had people, you know, having strokes and people having heart attacks and people suffering from diabetes, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, cancer, et cetera, asthma,

Let's get away from COVID because, you know, while all of this COVID stuff was going on, the pandemic, guess what? We were being affected by the stuff that affects us every day, okay? You know, we still had people, you know, having strokes and people having heart attacks and people suffering from diabetes, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, cancer, et cetera, asthma,

Yet it appeared to me that certainly at that time, everything was kind of put into a holding pattern for everything else. I mean, we even saw indications of that in the hospitals where people were presenting themselves who were apparently having a stroke or a heart attack. And how did we find out about them?

Yet it appeared to me that certainly at that time, everything was kind of put into a holding pattern for everything else. I mean, we even saw indications of that in the hospitals where people were presenting themselves who were apparently having a stroke or a heart attack. And how did we find out about them?

From the funeral homes because they didn't get the care they needed and they eventually died. So this is what's always struck me. And this is maybe a question that you can address for us. It's what should a state health department really be responsible for?

From the funeral homes because they didn't get the care they needed and they eventually died. So this is what's always struck me. And this is maybe a question that you can address for us. It's what should a state health department really be responsible for?

So in the scheme of things here, it's just like, you know, much of the funding for many of the chronic diseases, frankly, doesn't come from the state. It comes from the federal level through grants that we receive there.