You might think that your doctor has more important things to do than encouraging you to vote. Yes, we are exhausted. But many of us have you- and your trip to the polls- at the forefront of our minds right now. That’s why an internist and a cardiologist are spending a Sunday afternoon working on this Op-ED.
In 2019, Dr. Alister Martin, an emergency room physician founded a program called Vot-ER at the Massachusetts General Hospital, after being overwhelmed by patients coming in with health issues related to the social determinants of health. “Research shows that communities are healthier when more voters participate in the democratic process.” states the Vot-ER website, and now many physicians across the nation wear a badge with a QR code that takes you to a voter registration and information site. The AMA, or American Medical Association, has identified voting as a determinant of health, according to policy H-440.805.
What’s the big deal?
The New England Journal of Medicine, considered one of the gold standard periodicals in medicine, is making sure we know what is at stake. On Oct 2, a special report covered the impacts of this election, with authors Sherry Glied PhD, and Benjamin D. Sommers MD, PhD highlighting health insurance gains in recent year: “Despite the absence of broadly disseminated policy proposals, the track records of the candidates and their parties offer strong signals that they would take very different approaches to highly consequential issues related to the marketplaces, Medicaid and Medicare.”
Many Americans struggle to afford healthcare, but as urgent as this issue is, it is not even the only critical health issue on the ballot. 56% of Americans believe the government should do more to reduce the effects of global climate change, according to a Pew Research Center article by Alec Tyson, Cary Funk, and Brian Kennedy. Physicians see the strong link between climate, environment and health first hand every day.
Climate change is a significant threat to maternal health, and is associated with increased risk of maternal mortality. Extreme heat has been shown to increase the risk of preterm births and low birth weight. Climate hazards and their aftermath can affect the mental health of pregnant women and contribute to PTSD and depression after extreme events. We are seeing children in our emergency rooms with asthma due to wildfire smoke. Elders endure the trauma of losing their homes to extreme weather events. Climate change can affect floods and hurricanes that can lead to millions of deaths. In effect, climate change affects the health of all Americans.
We feel responsible to advocate for a liveable climate for the patients that we care for. Here in New Jersey, we are living this today. The time to act is now. This is why The Medical Consortium for Climate and Health, with its mission to “make health and equity central to how we think, talk and act on climate change” has been sharing as many resources with physicians as possible to help us, help our patients to be able to get to the polls.
We know that for many Americans, the struggle to just get by is exhausting. And every day, the newscycle may feel discouraging, and many just want a break from all of it. So we ask with humility, but still we ask. Please vote. Vote for your health and the health of those you love.
Inga Robbins MD,
Clinicians for Climate Action NJ
Dr Robbins is a cardiologist at a Federally Qualified Health Center serving an urban population, a member of Clinicians for Climate Action NJ, and a member of the Medical Society of New Jersey Climate Task Force.
Camille Green, MD
Medical Society of NJ Member
Dr. Green is a Flemington NJ internist at a rural hospital system and serves an urban, suburban and rural population. She is Co-Chair of the Medical Society of New Jersey (JEDI) Justice Equity and Diversity and Inclusion Task force.
The views expressed in this column are our personal views and do not reflect those of our employers.
Submitted by
Inga Robbins