Editorials and Commentaries

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   EDITORIAL ON BLACK HEALTH STATUS REPORT

The front page story on the status of Black Health in San Diego County should be read by everyone. Most interesting is the fact that many of the problems identified could be control by us if we made personal decisions and commitments to our health. Such decisions would reduce our personal health cost and add years to our lives. Its hard to understand how we could do so much for ourselves in terms of saving and prolonging our own lives while at the same time we are complaining about what others are either doing to us or not allowing us to do for ourselves.

We ca control what we eat, drink and do or fail to do in terms of exercise; we can eliminate alcohol, tobacco  fast foods,  and much of our stress  by just making a few simple decisions about how we live; Likewise the making of some moral decisions could eliminate Sexually Transmitted Diseases which take a heavy toll on not only our lives, but the lives of our children.

Much of what needs to be done to address many of these problems do not cause money or require insurance, even though both are necessary in  this day and age, but we must stop allowing the lack of either to become an excuse for not making the changes we each are capable to to improve our lives. We salute the Black Health Association for its work in bringing these facts to our attention and we hope that what follows is the continuation of a discussion to address these issues and not just another report to be filed until the next time.