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U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu with children of BWH staff last week.
Children have a way of making their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles do what’s good for them. That’s why U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH, last week enlisted the sons and daughters of BWH staff to encourage their families to participate in the Surgeon General’s Family Health Initiative.
“In delving into your own genealogy, you have to be creative and proactive,” Moritsugu said. “I encourage each of you to go home tonight, and just start asking questions at the dinner table.”
Moritsugu’s address came at a special presentation during BWH’s Take Our Children To Work Day. He encouraged the children to take the lead and learn about how genes and the environment—be it exercise habits, diet, and natural surroundings—have affected their family’s health history.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Family Health Initiative is a nationwide effort to encourage Americans to record their family health history and share that information with their primary care physicians. BWH was selected as the nation’s first large employer to participate in the initiative, as the BWH Family History Project was launched here to assess the accessibility and usefulness of the online tool.
In the past few weeks, the BWH Family History Project collected hundreds of family photos, put them on display in the 75 Francis St. lobby and opened an interactive computer kiosk with project staff available to assist employees in filling out their family’s health history.
“Because the online tool ensures the information entered remains confidential, we can’t determine exactly how many people have completed their family’s health history,” Karen Holbrook, genetic counselor and Family History Project Coordinator, said. “However, the survey helped us estimate involvement, as well as evaluate areas for improvement.”
Thanks to the efforts of BWH FHP leaders and staff, including Holbrook, Michael Murray, MD, and Cynthia Morton, PhD, half of the 400 BWHers who filled out the survey confirmed having completed their family health history. Nearly one in six survey respondents already has shared the information with their primary care physician, and the rest are waiting to do so at their next appointment.
In addition to protecting their own health by arming their primary care physicians with valuable health information, BWHers are helping the Surgeon General improve the online tool for future users, Moritsugu said. “An individual’s health is extremely dynamic, and the Family History Initiative, therefore, cannot remain static. Our goal is to constantly modify the initiative and improve the health of families nationwide.”
U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu visisted BWH last week to discuss the Surgeon General’s Family History Initiatve with hospital staff and their families. Following his presentation, he spent a few moments discussing the importance of family health history with, from left, Shamaine Darden, 10, and brothers Danny Rose, 9, and Joey Rose, 11.