Dr. Barnett also promoted the effort in Texas to establish school-based primary health care programs. In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Barnett also holds a Masters Degree in Comprehensive Health Planning and Health Administration. With the federal government spending less on primary health care programs, Dr. Barnett knows achieving his mission of greater access to sensitive, quality care will be an important challenge. Developing new solutions to medical problems will require the patients' input as much as the medical staff, said Dr. Barnett. For this reason, he favors educating the patient.
Some people say health education is a frill, an extra benefit.
I say the opposite. It's really the core of what we need to do to keep people healthy. Improving the quality of health care in the 90s relies on building a good relationship between the doctor and patient. If I teach moms what to do when their children are running fevers, there will be fewer people waiting for medical attention in hospital emergency rooms. Educating patients is only part of the answer, explained Dr. Barnett.