Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

It’s time we start voting at our local hospitals

Stephen Haff and Hussain Lalani, MD
Policy
November 2, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

Early voting began recently in Texas with unprecedented excitement, as a record 15 million registered voters made their way to the polls. Reports say polls are looking more like Black Friday shopping lines than early voting locations. Although we cannot predict the results of the election, one thing is clear: healthcare is the top issue. This is hardly surprising given the impact rising healthcare costs have on families nationwide. Yet, it is surprising and somewhat disingenuous that few, if any, hospitals are designated early voting locations.

As healthcare providers in Dallas, we care for patients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. We’re fortunate to have a front-line view of our healthcare system providing us with valuable insight into how we can improve the system. However, doctors are notorious for not showing up to the polls. Research shows physicians are 18% less likely to vote than the general public. And while 90% of physicians believe political involvement is important, less than one third participate in political advocacy.

The reasons doctors vote less frequently are numerous: long work hours, stressful lives, and the desire to remain apolitical in a selfless profession where patients’ come first.

However, politics and medicine are not isolated entities. They are intertwined at a systems levels and policy decisions directly impact the way we practice medicine. Hospitals are places where patients go when in dire need of medical attention, and they also can be places for civic engagement.

Parkland Hospital serves as a safety net for over 2.6 million residents in Dallas County and recently hosted a week-long non-partisan voter registration drive to help health care providers, staff, and community members easily register for the upcoming election. In collaboration with the Dallas County Clerk’s Office and medical students at UT Southwestern, more than 400 voters were registered across the medical campus and hundreds more had their questions answered.

The event was a success. It was easily accessible and in a safe space away from patient care. Hospitals employees were notified in advance and they were grateful and appreciative. Many employees shared that registering to vote was on their to-do list, and they were struggling to find the time to do so. The drive also sparked conversations about the upcoming election, increasing the likelihood people will vote this upcoming week.

Hospitals across the country should learn from Parkland’s success and implement similar initiatives in their communities.

The concept of health care entities engaging voters in the political process goes back decades. For example, the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) provided medical care for civil rights activists during the 1964 Freedom Summer project, which aimed to register African Americans voters in Mississippi. More recently, community clinics in New York have shown they can be effective vessels for engaging politically disenfranchised patients by helping them register to vote. Finally, at least thirteen different states allow hospitalized patients to submit emergency absentee ballots to cast their vote.

During the voter registration drive, we were struck by one frequently asked question – “Can I vote here?” While, at the time, we politely explained this was a voter registration drive, we later wondered: well, why not?

Most polling locations are in schools, community centers, churches, and universities. These institutions prioritize giving their community a voice by providing time and space for voting. Many of them also receive federal, state, or county funding in the form of grants or tax breaks. That makes them similar to many hospitals around the country that are tax-exempt. These hospitals have an obligation to give back to their communities, and research shows that many nonprofit hospitals are disproportionately benefiting while providing little in return to their communities. Offering early voting is one way hospitals can give back and earn their tax-exempt status.

Critics will say that hospitals should be exclusively reserved for patient care and that having early voting distracts from a hospital’s mission. We agree that patient care is the primary focus; however, it does not have to come at the expense of civic engagement. The two can coexist. At a time when politics influence the cost of health insurance and dictate certain ways medicine is practiced, it seems fitting that we should have the opportunity to vote at a local hospital.

Hospitals, like schools, are an integral part of the community. And the sign of a health community is one that advocates for itself.  While schools prioritize teaching students in their community, they also recognize the importance of civic engagement. Hospitals of all types, public, private and non-profit, should do the same.

Stephen Haff is a second-year medical student and Hussain Lalani is an internal medicine resident. Dr. Lalani can be reached on Twitter @DrHussainL.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Stop blaming senior moments

November 2, 2018 Kevin 5
…
Next

MKSAP: 79-year-old man with a sacral ulcer

November 3, 2018 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Public Health & Policy, Washington Watch

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Stop blaming senior moments
Next Post >
MKSAP: 79-year-old man with a sacral ulcer

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD
  • It’s time to ban productivity from medicine

    Robert Centor, MD
  • It is time to make the unvaccinated pay their fair share

    Hayward Zwerling, MD
  • If you build a budget, hospitals will adapt

    Peter Ubel, MD
  • Voting and vaccination are 2 sides of the same coin

    Nicole Blum
  • Doctors: You can increase voting in the U.S.

    Rio Barrere-Cain

More in Policy

  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

    Trevor Lyford, MPH
  • The CDC’s restructuring: Where is the voice of health care in the room?

    Tarek Khrisat, MD
  • Choosing between care and country: a dual citizen’s Independence Day reflection

    Kathleen Muldoon, PhD
  • How fragmented records and poor tracking degrade patient outcomes

    Michael R. McGuire
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • Why public health must be included in AI development

      Laura E. Scudiere, RN, MPH | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • Residency match tips: Building mentorship, research, and community

      Simran Kaur, MD and Eva Shelton, MD | Education
    • From Founding Fathers to modern battles: physician activism in a politicized era [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...