Babies often died shortly after birth, and even if they survived, many Finns were so poor that they could not afford good clothes or shoes to protect against the bitter subarctic cold. To help these families, a few people got together and made little buckets with home-sewed clothes that parents could rent and return for free. They offered healthcare for the babies, too, for free. Because of this, the idea of the famous Finnish "Baby Box" was born and now Finland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, which I came to study here.
This is just one example of how Finns are resourceful and innovative people. In fact, many of the great healthcare laws, practices and ideas in Finland today come from necessity, born out of hard times when people were trying to survive. Although the healthcare system in Finland is expensive and may not be able to last a long time, Finland spends much less on its healthcare per person than the United States, and yet has better health in many areas.
Health is not just a necessity in Finland - it is a bigger concept. For example, my boss is worried when I'm slouched at work and offers me a better chair. If my teacher sees that I am stressed, she will recommend a fun weekend sports game or a relaxing event. The pharmacies here mark their medication boxes in braille for those who are blind. Accessible bathrooms, transportation and workplaces are little ways that Finns emphasize that a healthy society is a society where all are healthy. Few people work weekends or after 5:00 PM (imagine that!), and in the summer, almost every Finn, no matter how rich or poor, takes one to two months off to vacation to little family lake cottages. Work, life and recreation are all centered around one idea: health.
