Viewpoints: Illinois Senate Bill Would Eradicate Cervical Cancer; Equity Needed For Pregnant Employees
Editorial writers examine these public health issues.
Chicago Tribune:
Illinois, Lead The Way To Eliminating Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is almost completely preventable. Yet in 2022, 4,280 women will die of this cancer in the United States. As clinicians and public health advocates, we see these deaths and losses as more than statistics. These are mothers, daughters, sisters, partners — centers of their families and social networks. (Madeline Perry, Danika Barry And Anne Marie Murphy, 4/27)
The Washington Post:
This Is No Way To Treat Pregnant Workers
The United States has no federal law providing workers with an affirmative, clear and effective right to reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth and related medical needs. This woman’s experience, and those of thousands like her, illustrates the urgent need for such a law — especially when the pandemic has exacerbated the unjust, discriminatory treatment of pregnant workers. (Dina Bakst, 4/25)
The New York Times:
How To Make Miscarriage More Traumatic
In December, I wrote a newsletter with the headline, “Overturning Roe Will Make Miscarriage Care Worse.” I pointed out that because the options that doctors have to end a miscarriage that doesn’t happen on its own — medication or surgery — are the same ones involved in an abortion, outlawing abortion would have a chilling effect on medical providers, as evidenced by cases in countries such as Malta and Poland where abortion is severely restricted. (Jessica Grose, 4/27)
New England Journal of Medicine:
Expanding Accountable Care’s Reach Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are a critical component of the goals of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to advance health equity; support high-quality, person-centered care; and promote affordability and sustainability in Medicare. ACOs bring together groups of doctors, hospitals, and other providers to deliver coordinated care to beneficiaries. They are also essential to achieving CMS’s goal of having all beneficiaries in the traditional Medicare program cared for by providers who are accountable for costs and quality of care by 2030. (Douglas Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., Purva Rawal, Ph.D., Liz Fowler, J.D., Ph.D., and Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., 4/27)
The Boston Globe:
Ageism In Health Care? Yep, It’s A Thing
They are the near-divine beings in white coats or scrubs — until that moment when they are revealed as subject to the same human flaws as the rest of us. So come June 1, all doctors in the state will be required to take two hours of training to “address implicit bias” because, as the Board of Registration in Medicine noted when it voted on the new requirement, “implicit bias among health care providers is one factor that perpetuates” racial and ethnic inequities that lead to health disparities. (Rachelle G. Cohen, 4/28)
New England Journal of Medicine:
Evaluating Stable Chest Pain — An Evolving Approach
Correctly interpreting the cause of chest pain is a crucial diagnostic skill that is essential for effective medical practice. Before the development of coronary angioplasty and stenting, the great majority of patients with stable angina (typical or atypical) were treated medically. Currently, patients with stable angina often undergo early invasive coronary angiography with an eye toward intervention for sufficiently stenotic lesions. The goal of this approach has been to eliminate angina rather than to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. (Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D., 4/28)
