When Dr. Thomas Dennison of Syracuse University spoke to an audience of more than three dozen from the Central New York Region at the Annual Meeting of the Cayuga Community Health Network last week at the Sunset Restaurant, he ended his discussion on how local hospitals, such as Auburn Memorial, can survive in a world of changing demographics and how they can become stronger.

According to Dr. Dennison, “form follows financing in health care.” That is something that is vital for local leaders who are concerned about the financial viability of AMH to remember, especially when looking at demographic trends that face our community. Cayuga County's population is bubbling upwards in age. The end result will be a change in the types of health care problems the community will see and the need to shift resources. There will be a lot of work for health care providers that Dr. Dennison jokingly referred to as part of “Aging Inc.”

For example, according to Dr. Dennison, we will see a major shift in health care problems, especially with increases in cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, mobility impairments, muscular and skeletal problems and obesity. The end result will be not only a higher need for services and specialties to deal with these chronic (and often preventable) diseases, but a dramatic rise in costs. The bad news, according to Dr. Dennison, is that we will see “more public payers.” For those who need a translation - that is taxpayer funded programs such as Medicare.

Dr. Dennison also spoke of the holistic approach that local providers need to take when it comes to their services and reducing costs for long term stability. For example he stressed that health care providers need to look at “patients as partners,” in how care is provided. Just as importantly, health care providers need to show community leadership, as partners not independent of the bigger community.

There must be an emphasis on prevention, something that many local governments and health insurers shy away from financing. While it is hard to measure long term savings, local efforts at public health education programs that deal with oral health, diabetes, teen pregnancy and tobacco use are important to the total health of a community.

While the audience included former Cayuga County Legislative Chairman Herbert D. Marshall, who sits on a state board looking at health care issues and Cayuga County Health and Human Services Director Elane Daly, what was most noticeable to some in attendance was who was not there.

No one from AMH's management team seemed to be in attendance (word was that they may have been at the Hospital's annual golf tournament), no member of the Cayuga County Legislature, that has a major financial stake in the viability of the hospital, nor anyone from the top management of City Hall, including members of city council, were present.

Mr. Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be e-mailed at cozguytho@aol.com.