A few weeks ago, I saw a small ad in our local paper asking for volunteers to work the polls for the upcoming presidential primary. I called the number and was asked a series of questions and told that if I was chosen, I would receive a letter. This week I received a letter from the Broward Supervisor of Elections informing me that I was accepted to work the polling booth for the Presidential Primary which will take place in Florida on January 28, 2008. (Click here to see when your State’s primary or caucus will be held.) I was excited that I was accepted to work at my local polling station as I had always wanted to be more involved in local, state and national elections, but it was also a wake up call because I have only been partially paying attention to the news stories about the candidates who are running for the presidential election. So I decided to do some research to get up to date. As I scanned several websites, I found a great deal of information on the major issues as well as where the presidential candidates stand on these issues facing our country. I was pleased to see that some of the sites even housed archived versions of the past debates that have taken place over the past few months that allowed me to watch the candidates in action.

As there are a number of primaries coming up in early January, I thought that readers of Across My Desk might want to take some time to study the issues as well, so you too will be ready to cast your vote. In this week’s News You Can Use, you will find several sites listed that I found informative. If you have other sites that you would like to share that provide information on the various candidates, please feel free to email me at allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com. I have asked our Webmaster to start a page on www.caseinpointmagazine.com where I will add new sites as I find them or as I hear from readers so that we can be as informed as possible.

Health care will be an important issue that each of the candidates will need to address in the upcoming primaries as well as the Presidential election. As integral members of the care coordination team as well as consumers of healthcare services, we are viewed as experts and advocates for our patients, friends and families. As such, each of us has a responsibility to be informed so we can share our thoughts and views on where health care is today and where it is going in the future, and so we can critically evaluate the solutions the various candidates offer as they travel across the country on the campaign trail.

Take some time over the next few weeks to study the issues and where each candidate stands so that you can make an informed decision.

Have a good week!

Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor-in-Chief of Across My Desk, Case in Point magazine, and the Case Management Resource Guide
allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com