EDITOR'S NOTE

To our health

If you're going to get sick, the Seacoast is a pretty good place to do it. The area has four respected hospitals and scores of private medical practices. The medical centers are expanding and more services are being offered.

A patient, or customer, can also find array of specialists who offer elective surgery and other options.

All of this is a good thing, considering that the baby boomers are not only aging, but their numbers are increasing faster than in other parts of the country because they are choosing New Hampshire, and particularly the Seacoast, as the place to retire.

According to demographer Peter Francese (See story.), that's good news for people seeking jobs in the health-care industry, but it will also bring problems by decreasing support for work-force housing, increasing the cost of employee health insurance, and increasing voter support for property tax rebates to older residents.

But health care is not restricted to the elderly. We need it literally from cradle to the grave.

As a result, hospitals are often the largest employers in their communities, resulting in thousands of jobs "" jobs that are often difficult to fill.

There has been a nursing shortage since the 1970s, and it is predicted that it will peak around 2020. (See story.)

This has led in some instances to hospitals delaying elective surgeries or closing beds to admission.

The problem is that nurses are in such demand that the pay for an experienced nurse is higher than what is being offered at nursing schools. The result: Not enough trainers to teach people who want to become nurses. Thousands are being turned away.

But that doesn't mean hospitals are not expanding or offering new services. (See story.)

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is planning an $8.8 million expansion of its birthing center.

And Portsmouth Regional has launched a $63 million project that will include medical and patient comfort features, including expanding surgery, all rooms being private, and wireless Internet access.

The Seacoast is also home to an array of medical specialists who are meeting the needs of consumers.

Take, for instance, Dr. Sarah W. Holland, a York plastic surgeon who is seeing patients who are becoming more aware of personal health and preventative medicine. (See story.)

And with fitness being one of the best courses of preventative medicine, health clubs continue to prosper in the Seacoast. (See story.) at Synergy Health & Fitness Center in Exeter, executive director Richard Evans has seen an expanding array of services, including more one-on-one training and non-traditional exercises.

The center also offers massage and facial and skin services to meet the demands of the consumer.

Here, again, is where the "aging baby boomer" crops up. At Synergy, more than half of the more than 4,000 members are older than 50.

But, while preventative medicine is a good thing, there will always be times when someone does get sick or has an accident that requires medical attention.

And that is when the question of health insurance cannot be avoided.

In this issue of Ventures, two Seacoast business owners talk about health care costs and Health Savings Accounts.

Mark Galvin of Whaleback Systems is an advocate, but William Hurley of Infinite Imaging is not so sure. (See story.)

Some of the other interesting people featured in this month's Ventures include: