Ike | Tell Hetrick

My wife Jill is a nursing student. She has endured, seen, heard, smelled and touched a side of life that many people simply would not want to experience. From sick children to mentally troubled adults, from those who are victims to those who don’t value the gift of life, her studies have been a crash course in something much bigger than healthcare.

Two weeks ago my wife was working with a patient who was 92 and close to the end of the road. Jill sat with her and held her hand. She asked her patient, “What is the best lesson you could teach a young person today?”

The old woman simply replied, “Tolerance” and closed her eyes.

When Jill told me the story later, that one word carried a powerful message, one that stopped me in my tracks at the time and continues to resonate with me. This woman, who lived through the past 92 years in American history, still believed that our biggest challenge is learning to accept our differences in ethnicity, religion, morals, values and cultures.

Yes, our society is more tolerant than it was 92 years ago. But we still have work to do. As a communications professional, I know that even with all our demographic research, focus groups, content development strategies and best attempts, we still fall short. We still develop messages that leave people out, that offend, that are ignorant.

Jill’s patient passed away before we got to say thank you for her timely and poignant thought. But it’s a wonderful lesson for us all.

What do you think? Are we making progress? Is there more negativity in the world? Or just more coverage worldwide for every intolerant statement?

A new report by The Conference Board, a business research group, says that obese employees cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss. Obesity is associated with a 36 percent increase in employer spending on healthcare services, more than smoking or problem drinking. And considering that two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese, a lot of your workforce is not ready to put down their lattes to work on their lats.

Are companies strong enough to run the moral marathon of dealing with the obesity epidemic in the workplace? Should businesses and organizations penalize or incentivize to cut back on the super-size lifestyle Americans love? Employees were outraged when Clarian, the Indianapolis health system, proposed charging its workers extra for insurance if they let health risks such as smoking, obesity or high cholesterol go unchecked. That was a pretty aggressive move for an organization Clarian’s size, let alone one in the overweight, tobacco-addicted, sedentary Midwest. For now anyway, the plan seems to be a no-go, because it raised concerns about whether employers can or should penalize someone who has a pre-existing or inherited condition.

To me, the real dilemma is the high percentage of Americans who won’t accept responsibility for their own actions. Those who say, “It’s just so convenient to pick up dinner for me and my kids at McDonald’s.” Why should I pay more for my family’s healthcare because I work alongside people who make bad choices? I shouldn’t. I would welcome a wellness plan that helps cut my healthcare costs and encourages people to make healthier choices.

Would you?