Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Drug Use Is A Community Health Issue; Keeping Integrity In Health Care Leadership
The Baltimore Sun: Treat Drug Use As A Health Issue, Not A Criminal One: Decriminalize Paraphernalia
As the COVID-19 pandemic devastates our communities, the country continues to grapple with another urgent epidemic that is killing people every day from coast to coast. Over the past decade, nearly half a million people in the United States have died from a preventable drug overdose. The pandemic has increased risk of overdose, as millions of people struggle with loneliness, isolation, anxiety, stress and loss of income. One key evidence-based strategy is to support our loved ones with using drugs more safely. When people use new needles every time they inject and test their supply to understand potency, the rate of overdose and diseases such as HIV and hepatitis drop significantly. Our community-based organizations operate syringe service programs in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Every day we see the good our programs, and our supplies, accomplish. By meeting people where they are, we build trust; often this relationship can be lifesaving. ( Rajani Gudlavalleti and Shane Sullivan, 3/23)
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Leaders Must Keep Patient At Center Of Decisions
As I begin my term as chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives, I’ve been thinking a great deal about integrity, the fundamental value that is one of our profession’s most essential attributes. Indeed, it has been critical in our ability to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. I witness it daily in the superhero-like resilience and excellence—and the vulnerability and emotional exhaustion—of our front-line clinicians. Just recently I spoke to one of my organization’s own intensive-care unit nurses, who was beaming with pride from the progress of a COVID-19 patient who had come off his ventilator and was sitting up in a chair. His recovery was headed in the right direction, and the tenacity and joy she exhibited made clear to me her rock-solid dedication to patient care. What an inspiration! (Carrie Owen Plietz, 3/20)
Kansas City Star: Kansas Senator Pushes Junk Health Insurance She Consulted On
Kansans who care about open government, and quality health care, should pay close attention to an argument going on in Topeka. For years, Americans have been allowed to buy “short-term, limited duration” health insurance policies. The policies are cheaper than regular insurance, for a good reason — they provide far less coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, these short-term policies lasted for just 90 days. The idea was to provide the option of low-quality insurance for people between jobs, or nearing retirement, but only as a stopgap solution. (3/24)
CNN: My Covid Life As A Single Mom: Like Juggling Bowling Pins And Chainsaws (Opinion)
The life of a single parent is challenging to begin with, but when you add in a pandemic, it's like someone dropping a chainsaw into the mix when you're already trying to juggle bowling pins. 2019 was a hard year for my family, but 2020 would be better for me and my son — and for my second one who was on the way. Or so I thought. (Kaylah Dessausure, 3/23)
