Bush Rolls Back Rules on Privacy of Medical Data. The Bush administration on Friday formally rolled back some major protections for the privacy of medical records adopted by President Clinton. By Robert Pear. [New York Times: Health]

Our local dialogue group has been learning together for almost three years. Dialogue may be essential for our Whatcom County Pursing Perfection in Health Care work is to grow and benefit the entire community.

I wonder if one or two folks (Cindie Manning and Lori Nichols?) shouldn't look into this conference for its networking potential.

"Dialogue is a process which enables people from all walks of life to talk deeply and personally about some of the major issues and realities that divide them."

It is interesting to note that the crisis of American health care is generally not addressed like other systemic community problems. It is framed like an industrial or business problem. I contend that it is one of the most important and largest systemic community problems facing the United States. Other such problems are perceived to need the ultimate approaches to cooperation and communication, rather than looking only to increases in regulation and competition for solutions. It is as much about communities as business if the Institute of Medicine's Chasm Report has it right. That report points out that the real paradigm shift for improved health care is about systems and patient centeredness. Both of these are beyond the boundaries of current health care organizations. That is close enough to community for me. Let's begin to work and think like a community.