Viewpoints: Lessons On Mistreating Dementia, Overturning Roe, And Getting Back-To-School Vaccinations
Opinion writers express views on these health topics and others.
The Washington Post:
Why Are Nursing Homes Drugging Dementia Patients Without Their Consent?
A year and a half ago in a Texas nursing home, I met an 84-year-old resident with dementia named Felipa Natividad. Her sister, Aurora Suarez, told me that the staff dosed Natividad with Haldol, an antipsychotic drug, to ease the burden of bathing her. “They give my sister medication to sedate her on the days of her shower: Monday, Wednesday, Friday,” Suarez said. “They give her so much she sleeps through the lunch hour and supper.” A review of Natividad’s medical chart confirmed the schedule. Suarez said she had given her consent to use the drugs because she feared that the staff would not bathe her sister enough if she refused. But when Suarez saw the effect they had, she had second thoughts. She expressed them to the nursing home, but Natividad was taken off the antipsychotics only after she was placed in hospice care. (Hannah Flamm, 8/10)
Boston Globe:
Brett Kavanaugh’s Record Makes His Antiabortion Stance Clear
It would be easy for Massachusetts citizens to feel complacent about the security of their reproductive rights. A 1980 decision by the Supreme Judicial Court guarantees reproductive rights under the Massachusetts Constitution, and recently passed legislation (dubbed the NASTY Women Act) repealed several decades-old Massachusetts antiabortion laws. But Massachusetts should still care about what would happen if the Supreme Court — with a new Justice Kavanaugh — overturns Roe v. Wade. For women across the country, it would mean a return to the days when wealthy women in states that prohibit abortion could travel to a state where it was legal — an option not available for poor women. Massachusetts could become a destination state for women seeking abortions. (Nancy Gertner, 8/13)
Dallas Morning News:
Do Your Kids — And The Ones They're Around Every Day — A Favor: Don't Skip Vaccinations
In the coming weeks, Texas children will head back to school, but many will return without the protections of vaccinations. Their parents are playing with the health of their children and that of classmates. Texas law requires children to receive vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A and B, varicella and meningococcal disease. But since 2003, Texas law also allows families to opt out of vaccines for personal reasons. Plano, Fort Worth, Austin and Houston are among the areas with the most "conscientious exemptions" for kindergartners, each with over 400. (8/13)
Stat:
Congress Must Listen To Addiction Patients On Health Record Privacy
America has an addiction problem: 28 million Americans use illicit drugs and 65 million are considered binge or heavy drinkers, which can lead to numerous health problems. More than 115 Americans die every day from opioid overdoses. Add in those who die as a result of other drugs or alcohol and the number skyrockets to more than 400 a day.Yet less than 10 percent of people with addiction will receive treatment for it. This constitutes a public health crisis of epic proportions — and one that has been present for decades. If policymakers want to address this crisis, they must focus on a basic but essential question: How do we encourage people with addictions to discuss their problematic substance use with the medical community? (H. Westley Clark, 8/13)
Stat:
Using CRISPR For The 'Smaller Wins,' Like Making Chemotherapy Less Toxic
Although the phrase “war on cancer” was first uttered in 1971, the breakthroughs in biomedical research that have emerged during this decade have supercharged the fight. The introduction of CRISPR-Cas9 — the molecular scissors that can edit DNA — makes the idea of powerful new tools to treat and prevent cancer feel tantalizingly close. Ambitious efforts to prevent or beat cancer are important, but we can’t overlook or undervalue the incremental breakthroughs that could quickly reach patients and improve lives. What if, for example, we used CRISPR to make chemotherapy a bit less terrible for patients suffering with cancer now? That’s something my colleagues and I are trying to find out. (Eric B. Kmiec, 8/13
Columbus Dispatch:
It's Time For Ohio To Update Care For Dementia Patients
The graying of America has been anticipated for decades, but Ohio is alone among the 50 states in having no comprehensive plan to address its inevitable consequence: growing numbers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. We hope for that to change soon; a task force convened a year ago by the Ohio House of Representatives to study the issue has some proposals that deserve consideration. (8/11)
The Oregonian:
Closing The Rural Health Gap In Oregon
As our nation continues to wrestle with how to provide high-quality, affordable health care to everyone, many Oregonians face additional obstacles when accessing care that have nothing to do with income and everything to do with their home address.According to statistics published by the Oregon Office of Rural Health, more than one-third of Oregonians live in rural communities, many of which do not have any primary care providers. Those that do require residents to travel a greater distance to attend an appointment on average than residents living in urban spaces. Just as concerning, data shows that the availability and quality of care provided in these regions can be lower than in urban areas. (Marv Nelson, Paul Stewart and Joyce Hollander-Rodriguez, 8/10)
The Washington Post:
George Washington University Hospital Will Bring A Health System To Wards 7 And 8
Here in the District, where we boast one of the highest rates of insured residents in the nation, report after report tells us that our low-income residents and our communities of color have, among other disparities, disproportionately high HIV rates, infant and maternal mortality rates, and cancer death rates. These disparities are unacceptable. We cannot see them as inevitable or intractable. To give all Washingtonians a fair shot, we can and must do better. ...I am proud to announce that we have signed a letter of intent with George Washington University Hospital to make it our partner in operating, maintaining and governing the new hospital in Ward 8. (Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, 8/10)
San Jose Mercury News:
California Should Require Warning Labels On Soda
Despite sugar-industry-funded research that deliberately minimized the health risks of sugar consumption, a clear and compelling body of evidence now shows a strong relationship between consumption of sugary drinks and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart, liver, and dental diseases. ...A bill now pending in the state legislature (AB 1335) – based on ChangeLab Solutions’ model legislation – would require a safety warning on sugary-drink containers and at certain points of sale. (Benjamin Wining, 8/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Los Angeles, Stop Doing Cocaine
In Los Angeles, conscious consumerism is in vogue. We vote with our dollars, leveraging purchasing power to effect change in a world that often defends the profitable status quo. Evidence of our ethical consumption is everywhere — in local markets stocked with fair-trade coffee and vegan items; on the radio in advertisements for conflict-free diamonds; on the road, where energy-efficient hybrids have become the norm rather than the exception. Yet the landscape of conscious consumption is marred by a conspicuous contradiction: If we truly care about our world, why do so many of us still view recreational cocaine use as permissible, harmless or even romantic? (Dan Johnson, 8/13)
