Prevention Matters

The President's Council of Economic Advisers has issued a new jobs report, and it should provide something to think about for those who questioned why funding for health care was included in this year's economic stimulus package.

The report projects the growth of health-related jobs versus all other occupations between 2000 and 2016 . It predicts 12% growth for “other occupations”; 35% growth for “health practitioners”; and 48% growth for “health care support.”

The biggest job growth of any category in the economy will come "not for doctors, nurses, or nursing home workers, but for a broadly defined group called 'other medical services and dentists.'” The report projects that this group, defined as “a broad category including the ever-expanding home health care, outpatient care, and medical and diagnostic laboratories subsectors,” will produce more than 2 million new jobs per year for the group, on average, between 2008 and 2016.

As Congress deliberated on an economic stimulus plan, an AIDS worker on the other side of the country eloquently voiced the questions that are on the minds of public health officials everywhere.

"Are positions building highways of more importance than positions promoting good health?" Michael Kaplan, executive director at Cascade AIDS Project in Oregon, asked in a guest column that appeared in today's edition of "The Stump," a blog produced by The (Portland) Oregonian's Editorial Board. "Does a salaried construction worker spend less in our communities than a salaried public health specialist? Are positions focused on green energy -- efforts that save on fuel costs in the long run -- of more value than positions focused on health promotion that save on health care costs in the long run?

"The reality is that some members of Congress have decided which sectors of society they care for more, and it seems those who serve private interests over the public good are winning," Kaplan said. "At a time when the economy will only further decimate the public health system -- a system already ailing -- how is it we can say there is no need to support the return of jobs to help with this important work for our community?"