Almost 30 years ago I was working in the White House as part of a team working to win approval of President Bill Clinton’s proposal for universal health insurance. The effort was winding down. It was obvious it would fail. I was tired and depressed. One of my last appearances in support of the plan… Read More »
During its recent mid-year meeting, the American Public Health Association’s Medical Care Section was honored to hear from two physician leaders serving at the heart of the fight against COVID-19. Hailing from opposite ends of the country, Drs. Atul Nakhasi (California) and Ayne Amjad (West Virginia) shared their insight about teamwork in a public health… Read More »
COVID-19-related scams are spreading nearly as fast as COVID-19 and threatening the health and safety of our communities. Since January 2020, people across the country have filed over 426,000 COVID-19-related complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about fraud, identify theft, and other consumer protection. They have reported losses totaling over $397 million. As trusted… Read More »
During the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequality created by social determinants of health (SDoH) in the United States. SDoH include all aspects of the living environment, social support, safety, well-being, and resource availability, directly or indirectly influencing physical health outcomes. Consideration of SDoH is critical for successful comprehensive COVID-19 vaccine rollout.… Read More »
How could alternative pediatric payment models help to address children’s broad health, social, and developmental needs? This post delves into funding and financing challenges and potential solutions. I recently collaborated on a report on alternative payment models for child health with colleagues from the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy and Mental Health America. The… Read More »
Historically, public health has served the nation through sanitation, immunization, and other disease-prevention activities (e.g., disease tracking and quarantine). For example, public health developed wastewater treatment programs to help fight typhoid fever during the industrial revolution. It also helped educate the public (and the food industry) on safely preparing and preserving foods. As a result,… Read More »
Health care and public health loom large today, on the eve of the presidential election. From COVID-19 to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this is now clearly a public health election. Let’s review what’s on people’s minds and what’s at stake. Where are voters on health issues? In February of this year, health care was… Read More »
Are COVID-19 resources going to who needs them most? Targeting tests, treatments, supplies, and vaccines to those most at risk of COVID-19, such as communities of color, would go a long way toward preventing the spread of the virus and reducing the health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic. In the face of a dangerous pandemic,… Read More »
Note from the Editors: Last week capped two jam-packed weeks of political nominating convention activities. COVID-19 was discussed at both conventions. The Washington Post fact-checked some of the health care claims at the Democratic convention. Here, with the permission of Kaiser Health News and Politifact, we are republishing their recent fact-checking of the COVID-19 content from the Republican… Read More »
Current healthcare reimbursements may create incentives for excess use of ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients. Recent research has shown that healthcare providers, including hospitals, have experienced substantial financial losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternative, less-invasive treatments for critically ill COVID-19 patients could potentially improve patient outcomes. But these approaches expose hospitals to… Read More »
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the pandemic has spotlighted the heroic efforts of our nation’s healthcare workers. Healthcare workers are providing much needed front-line patient care. However, in doing so, they also place themselves at risk of exposure to infectious disease, psychological distress, and burnout. But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, another concern for… Read More »
For decades, peer-reviewed journals have been a critical pathway for disseminating and advancing scientific knowledge. However, curbing the spread of misinformation requires evidence translation by experts into plain English. The rapidly evolving knowledge base on COVID-19 shines a spotlight on the issue. For example, a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine offered… Read More »
There is a lot of attention being paid to the proportions of severe and fatal cases in discussions of COVID-19. Unless you’ve been living under a rock since January, you know that there are groups who are more likely to get very sick or die during this pandemic. In this post, we explore the evidence… Read More »
We have seen hospitals filled, high daily death tolls, and exhausted healthcare workers in large cities, like New York and Seattle. How will COVID-19 affect rural America? While initially many rural Americans felt protected by nature of their location, they are now feeling the effects of COVID-19 close to home. Small towns may serve as… Read More »
The first reports of COVID-19, the name now used to describe the disease caused by a novel coronavirus, first emerged around New Year’s day of 2020. Since then, the conversation has shifted from containment efforts in Wuhan, China to social distancing and mandatory closures across the U.S., including in New York, California, Illinois [pdf], Massachusetts,… Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic is placing healthcare professionals in the untenable position of rationing personal protective equipment (PPE) and working with suboptimal protection. This post explores which materials may be best suited for crafting homemade masks and considers how to use homemade masks productively. Personal protective equipment is critical when caring for patients with respiratory infection.… Read More »
The rapid emergence of COVID-19 reminds us of the importance of the public health system. Local health departments (LHDs) play a central role in emergency preparedness and response. Effective epidemic response rests on the performance of the essential public health activities— assessment, policy development, and assurance—by LHDs. Evidence suggests that LHDs can improve population health… Read More »
Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled new guidance about using telehealth during this public health emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. This guidance will help increase access to telehealth services. In addition, this will help people receive care who may not be able to visit their providers in person. While the… Read More »