Interdisciplinary Carative Care Curriculum Offers Robust Foundation for New Health Care Workforce and Improved Health Care Outcomes

In today's medical environment, we witness a shift from acute care to chronic care in the United States and surrounding countries. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and in spite of GOP efforts to repeal, it is apparent that a paradigm shift is occurring in the American health care system. Public health practitioners and advocates are embracing the Obama plan as one step closer to a true public health model because: 1) 32 million formerly uninsured Americans are being provided coverage; 2) the system is finally focusing on prevention, through economic incentives and continuity of care and; 3) models to treat chronic illness are being implemented. By 2020, we anticipate that 1/2 of the US population will suffer from a chronic health condition with 80% of health care costs required to manage these conditions. This transition, acute to chronic, is known as the A2C shift (Singh, 2008). With the A2C shift, a new medical workforce will be necessary to transition from a “curative” education to a “carative” education (patient living and coping with the disease). St. Joseph's University (SJU) Philadelphia PA has developed a unique curriculum focusing on the carative model of health care with emphasis on public health disease prevention. Instituted within the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Services (IHS) this curriculum includes an interdisciplinary education to include study abroad and service learning in the field. SJU has been on the forefront in preparation of workforce development embracing A2C long before the concept was instituted.

Singh, M. Chronic Care Driving a Fundamental Shift in Health Care Supply Chains. In: A Research Paper from the Center for Transportation & Logistics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. October 2008:1-4.