Author's note: This column is intended for educational purposes only. It aims to highlight gaps in health knowledge, provide support and empower organizations to guide their members in creating effective health and wellness programs.

Across Baldwin County — and quietly across the country — a growing number of people are opting to step outside the traditional health care system. They are not always uninsured. They are not always uninformed. And they are not simply, as often labeled, “non-compliant or difficult.”

This op-ed is not meant to disparage competent and caring health care professionals. It does not challenge clinical competence or imply medical failure. Its purpose is to identify a growing perception of disconnect that worsens when gaps in community health and wellness go unaddressed. Trust and connection were once primary components of health care. Now, there is more sharing of symptoms and treatments between friends, neighbors, family, social media, alternative therapies and artificial intelligence, or AI. Why is that?!

Trust and connection are established when people feel seen, heard and understood. This looks like time spent with someone, answering questions and showing respect. Civility in health care is not just courtesy — it is an invaluable tool. When civility breaks down — whether through rushed conversations, dismissive tones or ineffective communication, patients notice. And they remember. Over time, these small moments accumulate, shaping a perception that the health care system no longer cares. They lose trust and connection.

Here is what some people are saying:

• They are not walking away because clinicians lack knowledge or skill but because they feel unheard, dismissed and rushed rather than cared for.
• They delay medical care until symptoms become an emergency.
• Some turn to holistic or natural therapies.
• Others are turning back to old-fashioned home remedies.
• Providers no longer perform full assessments, spending only a few minutes with each patient and then only prescribe medications, order tests or make referrals.

• Medications, once prescribed, continue indefinitely, causing side effects, never actually healing (except for antibiotics).
• Rising health care costs despite having insurance.
• Complaint of fragmented services, long wait times and difficulty navigating the health care system bureaucracy.

What does “opting out” look like?

• Skipping routine checkups or health screenings.

• Receiving all their health care from the ER or urgent care center.
• Online non-clinical, unscientific health advice.
• Avoiding preventive care leads to higher costs for urgent care.
• Discontinuing prescription medications without professional guidance.
• Chronic conditions go unmanaged.
• Important data is missing from Community Health Assessments for future health care planning purposes.
• Poor health outcomes hinder economic development by reducing workforce productivity, increasing health care costs and limiting educational attainment, leading to lower GDP growth.

The result is a dangerous paradox: people are taking more responsibility for their health while simultaneously disconnecting from the system designed to treat them.

Inequities in health create a bidirectional negative loop in which poverty worsens health and poor health causes economic downturns for families and the community. High mortality and morbidity rates decrease the size and capability of the labor force. Governments face higher health expenditures, reducing the funds available for developmental projects, such as infrastructure, education and social services.

Faith and community leaders can encourage health and wellness in their members and within the community by creating a place where health conversations are welcomed, resources are offered and a safety net is restored. Genuine care is the priority — not silence.

If we are serious about understanding why people are opting out of professional health care services, we must look beyond metrics and into moments — the brief interactions where trust and connection are either built or broken. Rebuilding the connection does not require modern technology or sweeping reform. It requires a return to something far more fundamental — civility as a standard of care, not an exception. Because in the end, people do not stay connected to systems — they connect with people.

This is important because when people begin to opt out of the health care system, parish, church or civic organization, the “system” does not just lose people — it loses its purpose.

Dr. Cheryl Christy is a Baldwin County resident and registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and nursing practice and a doctorate in nursing practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Pi Chapter, a certified lay counselor and the author of "Voices for Healthcare," a health care blog.

Read her previous column titled "The role of leaders in your health" on www.GulfCoastMedia.com.