Viewpoints: US Unprepared For Next Pandemic; Nursing Shortage At Dangerous Levels

The New York Times: We May Have Only A Few Months To Prevent The Next Pandemic 
Even if the next pandemic is years off, it’s likely we have only a few months to lay the groundwork to prepare for it. So what should be done? (Craig Spencer, 10/24)

USA Today: US Nursing Strikes Mean Burnout, Shortage About To Get Worse
The Government Affairs Committee of the American Nurses Association predicts that the United States will need to produce more than 1 million additional nurses to fill both new nursing jobs and replace the ever-increasing wave of retiring nurses. (Dr. David Weill, 10/24)

USA Today: Should My Kid Get The Covid Booster Vaccine? As A Doctor, I Strongly Recommend It.
The politicization of the pandemic has eroded public confidence in vaccines, which are among our greatest public health tools. This tragic response pertains primarily to the COVID-19 vaccines, but could soon extend beyond it. (Dr. Marc Siegel, 10/24)

The Star Tribune: Why Must People With Disabilities Beg And Scratch For Basic Rights?
Help me understand why in this world we live in, we still have to fight for the right of people with disabilities to live in a world that is inclusive. (Gina Norris, 10/23)

Dallas Morning News: Alzheimer’s Research Remains Underfunded And Under-Prioritized
More than 6.5 million Americans 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s. Here in Texas, there are more than 400,000. Alzheimer’s is the seventh leading cause of death in Texas and across the nation, according to the State Department of Health and Human Services. (Eddie Bernice Johnson, 10/22)

Stat: Keeping Families Out Of ICUs No Longer Makes Sense
Like so many other people admitted to the ICU during the pandemic, my dad was left to endure critical illness without those he loved the most. As I look back on two-plus years of flawed Covid-19 policies, the willful decision to separate families from their dying loved ones was the most inhumane. (Neel Vahil, 10/24)