What is the relationship between health and healthcare? In this series opener, host Dr. Elia Cole talks with Genya Shimkin, Associate Teaching Professor in Family Medicine at the University of Washington. Genya argues that health care is one piece of a much larger puzzle: roughly 80% of a person’s health comes from where they live, work, and learn. They cover the social determinants of health, the purpose of primary care, the case for universal coverage, and the trade-offs of a major system transition. Timestamps00:00 Intro 01:39 Health vs. health care 05:04 Social determinants of health 08:59 The purpose of primary care 12:29 What a well-functioning system looks like 17:55 The case for universal health care 24:04 Trade-offs of a major transition 29:20 Bringing skeptics into the conversation Correction Genya quotes an “old saying” about not being single-issue voters because “we don’t live single-issue lives,” and attributes it to Angela Davis (while noting the possibility for error in this attribution). The quote is correctly attributed to writer and activist Audre Lorde: “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Additional Resources:Universal health coverage could save one trillion dollars and 114,000 lives every year (Yale School of Public Health)The Spirit Level at 15 (The Equality Trust)Urban Institute - Dr. Camara Jones Explains the Cliff of Good HealthAbout the GuestGenya Shimkin (they/she) is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Washington, working in the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Health Systems and Population Health. For over 15 years, Genya has worked in LGBTQ+ health, from community-care networks and healthcare disparities to health system capacity building and LGBTQ+-centered curriculum. In 2012, they founded Q Card Project LLC to improve communication between LGBTQ+ youth and their care providers. The Q Card is now used in almost all 50 states, plus Canada, Jamaica, and the UK. Genya holds an MPH in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice from the University of Washington and a BA in Human Rights and Russian Studies from Bard College. Learn more: gnsmph.com | QCardProject.com Follow The Problem ListWebsite: theproblemlist.comApple Podcasts: Listen and subscribeSpotify: Listen and followYouTube: youtube.com/@theproblemlistX: @theproblemlistLinkedIn: The Problem ListKeywords: health vs. health care, social determinants of health, structural determinants of health, primary care, universal health care, health equity, health care reform, medical education costs, Medicare, VA, Affordable Care Act, family medicine, Genya Shimkin, Dr. Elia Cole, The Problem List
