Bill Frist: The Private Sector Must Join the Fight Against Obesity

Obesity is a drag on our health, economy, and education. We all have a role to play. Please take a look at my op-ed today on the role of the private sector below.

More than one-fifth of preschool children are overweight or obese. That's 20 percent of kids 5 years old and younger who are already on track for chronic health problems such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease before their first day of kindergarten.

That's more than 4 million toddlers already queued up for health issues that will last them a lifetime. And of the heaviest youngsters - those who are obese - more than 160,000 live in Tennessee.

Our state's and our nation's obesity epidemic is well-documented, and childhood obesity continues to be an appropriate focus. We are learning more and more how nutrition and exercise at the very earliest stages of life can have a dramatic impact on our bodies as we age.

If the body mass index (or BMI, the ratio of height to weight that is typically used to determine a healthy weight) increases too soon or too rapidly for a young child - as young as 3 years old - research shows that child has a much higher risk of obesity later in life.

In short, too much fat produced too early sets the stage for a battle against obesity that will last a lifetime. Before most kids can add 1 plus 1 and get 2, their bodies are learning that being overweight is a way of life.

To start our children in life along this path is simply unacceptable.

There are plenty of statistics to cite, from economic - nearly $150 billion per year is being spent nationally to treat obesity-related medical conditions - to national security - more than 25 percent of all Americans ages 17-24 are unqualified for military service because they are too heavy. But those statistics shouldn't be necessary.

Being overweight doesn't necessarily equate to low self-esteem or an inability to achieve, but we cannot intentionally start toddlers out with a predisposition to type 2 diabetes and cancer and heart disease and expect things to be easier for them.

The next 15 years are going to be hard enough; we don't need to make things any more difficult.

Solving the problem, however, is more complex; there is no silver bullet. Private- and public-sector leaders all have a critical role to play.

Several mayors from across the country recently pledged to do more for those in early child-care education settings in their cities. Many private-sector companies are helping to curb this epidemic, too. Specifically, a recent commitment from the planet's largest retailers and food and beverage manufacturers to reduce calories in their products by 1.5 trillion by 2015 is laudable.

Parents, get kids moving

Parents also play a role. That's why we're calling on everyone to get our youngest kids more physically active. Whether that's taking a walk or playing a game, it's just as important for the 3-year-old in your life as it is for the 33-year-old in your life (or, in my case, older still). Cut out the sugar-sweetened beverages for kids under 5 and look to low-fat or nonfat milk for kids over 2 years old.

Equally, the private sector needs to continue to step up. Parents don't need more complexity and more costs; they need more answers and easier ways to provide a healthy lifestyle for their kids. We need the private sector to make healthy choices as easy and as economical as possible.

We're asking private industry to better serve their customers and communities by helping them access healthier products. This allows kids to have healthy childhoods. We can do better.

For a nation that prides itself on opportunity, we owe our youngest and most vulnerable at least that: the pledge to ensure their future is as healthy as possible.

And that means starting right from the beginning.

Bill Frist, M.D.
http://BillFrist.com

The Honorable William H. Frist, M.D., is vice chairman of the Partnership for a Healthier America, an organization working with the private sector to solve the nation’s childhood obesity crisis.

Frist Portrait Unveiled At U.S. Capitol

Wednesday Karyn and I were honored to have my official portrait as Majority Leader unveiled at the U.S. Capitol. On a beautiful day in Washington, surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues in the historic Old Senate Chamber, we unveiled the portrait painted by our personal friend and nationally recognized artist Shane Neal.

We were all particularly honored to have President George W. Bush make remarks, and to have former Vice President Cheney and former Secretary Don Rumsfeld and his wife Joyce with us. Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell offered generous and kind words to top off the ceremony.

I also spoke briefly, thanking family and friends. My short message centered on the foundational philosophy of the citizen legislator, an idea my mentor and friend Majority Leader Howard Baker both embodied and promoted. Leaving the Senate and the Majority Leader position voluntarily, I do believe having fewer career politicians in Washington is the way to go and I know it would improve the worsening partisan rancor that sacrifices civility in our national discussions.

I pointed out that during the 50-year period between 1810 until 1859, during which the Old Senate Chamber was in use, 17 doctors were elected to the Senate. Contrast that to the half century of 1950 until 2000 there was only one doctor elected to the Senate, and that was me!

I was also proud to have a distinguished and sixth-generation Tennessean, Michael Shane Neal, paint the portrait that will now hang alongside so many historic figures in the Capitol. Shane has also painted portraits of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Senators Arthur Vandenburg and Robert Byrd (both in the Capitol) and most importantly our three sons Bryan, Jonathan and Harrison.

Finally, if you are reading this email, then I thank you for your generous support over all these years, without which we would never have made it to Washington. I hope you will continue to support me as together we strive together to heal disease, division, and difficulty in our world and improve K-12 education.

To read more about this proud day visit my website here and to see pictures of the event, visit me at "Senator Bill Frist" on Facebook.

Sincerely,

Senator Bill Frist, M.D.

BillFrist.com - Haiti Cholera Outbreak

As the cholera outbreak continues to ravage through Haiti, killing hundreds and inciting terror and riots throughout the country, I'm afraid I may have more bad news. It has come to my attention today that the cholera outbreak is being vastly underreported and underestimated. My sources on the ground in Haiti have estimated that the current epidemic is up to 400% worse than the official numbers reflect. Considering that the official numbers already state a toll of 1,110 dead and another 18,000 sick, the scope of this savage outbreak is shocking.

Furthermore, it seems that nearly all the organizations on the ground were caught by surprise by this sudden outbreak and are grossly undersupplied. Simply put, eradicating the cholera outbreak requires resources beyond Haiti's capacity.  Ringers Lactate fluid (required for intravenous rehydration) remains incredibly scarce within the country. The UN also refuses to provide any cholera treatment supplies to any NGO, instead dedicating all its supplies to the Haitian government. Medications from the Haitian Ministry of Health are also currently not forthcoming. Certain organizations are simply waiting for the disease to strike the capital, Port-au-Prince, before acting. A group I frequently work with, Samaritan's Purse, is receiving reports of high mortality in remote areas with no assistance reaching them. The U.S. government claims that materials are in place to respond to this developing disaster, but this does not seem to be the case and I worry that false confidence may cost lives.

The spread of cholera now seems past controlling, and using Pan American Health Organization calculations (in the MOST optimistic, with an attack rate of 2% scenario) around 200,000 people will require IV fluid. As around 75% of all cases require hospitalization, each patient uses 8 liters per day for three days, the conservative estimate for IV fluid needed stands at 3.6 million units. Unfortunately, some experts believe that the attack rate will rise above 2% due to lingering sanitation and hygiene conditions caused by the devastating earthquake combined with a Haitian population with no exposure to cholera and immature resistance.

With much of the country living in squalid post-earthquake conditions, we should expect an attack rate of up to 5-8%, according to the Refugee Health Manual. At this rate, we can expect as many as 500,000 to 800,000 cases of cholera.  Due to the intense overcrowding, these cases might not be spread out over six months, but rip through the population in six weeks. Roads in Haiti, already devastated by the earthquake and again recently by Hurricane Tomas, continue to keep sick people from seeking and receiving proper aid, meaning that more advanced treatments are needed to halt the disease.

Save the Children, which has been in Haiti for over 30 years and currently operates in 17 large urban camps, is desperately struggling to fight back the disease. They are scrambling to set up new treatment centers around the country as current ones, such as their facility in Port-au-Prince now operates 24 hours a day and still cannot do enough. On the preventive side, Save the Children has distributed 10,000 hygiene kits, 19,000 bars of soap, and chlorinated water to schools and camps. These actions are important and have saved thousands of lives, but in a country of 10 million people, they are simply not enough to hold back the tide.

Similarly my friends at Samaritan's Purse, who remain a major national player in Haiti, report that even with their huge public awareness WASH program, 400 treatment beds, and over 300 staff dedicated solely to cholera, they were completely unprepared for this outbreak. I find it hard to believe that many organizations were prepared for this and I simply cannot imagine that any hidden capacity exists.

This issue needs immediate global attention. Many organizations on the ground do not have the resources to quickly buy, deliver, and administer necessary cholera medications, like Ringers Lactate.  Even if they can afford these costs, it is only the beginning of the current logistical nightmare. The airport in Cap-Haitien has been shut down and there are roadblocks between Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince, effectively isolating the entire North of the country. If supplies do make it to Haiti, customs holds these shipments 3 to 10 days and the backlog of supplies, not just at Port-au-Prince but around the country is staggering and costing lives every day. NGO's are unable to receive and distribute supplies and are resorting to covert and illegal means in some cases to secure these life-saving medicines. Civil unrest around the country, caused by the belief that the UN Peacekeepers are connected to the outbreak, are further hampering the delivery of supplies that eventually do get through the ports.

These hindrances to saving lives must be eliminated. Haiti needs IV fluids sent in massive quantities. Life-saving supplies must be allowed to enter immediately into the country, not sit on pallets for 3 to 10 days out of bureaucratic formality. Organizations on the ground have sophisticated software that allows all the various partners to work together to comprehensively treat the population; we simply do not have enough supplies. The immense backlog of supplies at the ports has strained the entire response grid to the point of collapse and the internal rioting makes it difficult and dangerous to move supplies inside Haiti. The world must help, and must help now.

In addition, the United States needs to seriously and objectively consider a military airlift of supplies into Haiti. While this may appear a drastic measure to some, we cannot sit idle while our neighbor to the south suffers through this nightmare. Our military provided crucial support to those suffering after the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquake that ravaged Haiti in January, and can do so again in this dire time of need.

Cholera is a disease we can defeat if we work together. Up to 80% of cases can be successfully treated with relatively simple medicines, such as rehydration salts. So join me in telling your friends, writing your congressman, volunteering, or writing a check to one of the many worthy organizations on the ground. We need to spread the alarm, and quickly. This epidemic is larger than previously thought or reported, we are drastically underequipped to deal with it, and it's moving fast.

Very best,
Senator Bill Frist, M.D.



From Frist: A Holiday Message of Hope

The holiday season is upon us, and we want to offer you the opportunity to bring meaningful health and education to children around the world through one simple gift: shoes.

For just $20, we can provide a pair of athletic shoes for children either in Tennessee or in the developing world. This is possible through a partnership of my global health organization, Hope Through Healing Hands, and the fantastic cause Soles 4 Souls, which is a Nashville-based organization putting shoes on the feet of kids in over 125 countries.

Did you know that in Tennessee alone, over 100,000 kids are in need of something as simple as a pair of sneakers? Providing shoes for these children promotes wellness, physical education, and play for underprivileged children in Tennessee. If we can provide the means for just a small amount of exercise, we can join in the fight against childhood obesity, while encouraging a healthier and longer life.

The problem isn't just here at home, in Central and South America, shoes are integral to combating neglected tropical diseases, like hookworm and other soil-transmitted diseases, which disable, disfigure, and even cause death to over 1.4 billion people. When a child living in extreme poverty receives a pair of shoes, you are offering her the opportunity both for better health and better education, because shoes are an important part of many school uniforms.

I encourage you to help this holiday season and offer the gift of health and education to children in need.

How? Go to HOPESHOES.org and pledge to give a pair of shoes for the 2010-2011 school year. We have ambitious goals; help us meet them.

Happy Holidays to you and yours,



Bill Frist Update; Launching New Website

Friends,

For years we have been in touch in person and electronically, and I truly appreciate our ability to communicate on issues and events.

Today, I'm launching a brand new website to more easily communicate and share ideas: BillFrist.com.

I promise to keep the website current with the latest news on health care, global health, education, medicine, economics and other interesting issues.

I will include pictures, videos and blogs from travels and debates at home and around the world.

I love hearing from you and through this site you will be able to contact me, sign up for updates and share your voice in response to blogs. Together we will continue to do our best to make a difference in our community, state and the world.

Bill Frist, M.D.