Viewpoints: Turning The Tide On Narcotics Starts With A New Model That Doesn’t Include Jail; Border Conditions Without Vaccines Are Ripe For Breeding Vicious Flu
Opinion writers weigh in on these public health issues and others.
The New York Times:
Ending The War On Drugs
On gritty streets where heroin, fentanyl and meth stride like Death Eaters, where for decades both drugs and the war on drugs have wrecked lives, the city of Seattle is pioneering a bold approach to narcotics that should be a model for America.Anyone caught here with a small amount of drugs — even heroin — isn’t typically prosecuted. Instead, that person is steered toward social services to get help. This model is becoming the consensus preference among public health experts in the U.S. and abroad. (Nicholas Kristof, 8/23)
The Hill:
Border Patrol Vaccine Policy Is Seemingly Crafted To Spread The Flu
The migrants in the detention centers may be dehydrated or malnourished and therefore more susceptible to influenza and its complications. The affinity for influenza to these centers is already in evidence as there have already been deaths reported at these centers as well as outbreaks of influenza that have interfered with daily operations. Without vaccination and compromised ability to practice hygiene, an influenza tinderbox is being created. The CBP policy is baffling as it seems almost crafted to spread influenza. (Amesh A. Adalja, 8/22)
Stat:
Clinical Trial Recruitment, Diversity Depend On Community Engagement
Clinical trials in the United States have been plagued for years by two well-known problems: They don’t recruit enough people and they fail to reflect the diversity of our nation. The good news is that solving the diversity problem can resolve both issues. Two birds, one stone. Researchers whose job it is to fill clinical trials with participants have begun teaming up with tech companies to find modern solutions to this long-standing problem. This approach, however, is just a temporary patch to a problem that requires a longer, more sustained remedy. (Bobby Clark and Ronnie Tep, 8/23)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Democrats Should Devote A Full Presidential Debate To Climate Change
Thanks to greenhouse gases already emitted into the atmosphere, droughts, fires, heat waves, and cyclones have gotten worse, sea levels have risen, and the oceans have acidified, and worsening conditions are unavoidable. Every additional delay makes the situation much worse. Anthropogenic global warming is not a, but the defining issue of the 21st century. The DNC should act accordingly and dedicate a debate. (Jack Turner, 8/22)
Bloomberg:
U.S. Genetic Data Collection By NIH Is Cause Worth Supporting
One of the U.S. government’s most intriguing health programs is going to start bearing fruit soon. And the more people who join, the better. The National Institutes of Health’s “All of Us” project, launched last year, aims to collect genetic information from at least 1 million Americans and make it broadly available to researchers looking for medical breakthroughs. At least 230,000 people have enrolled in the free program, and 175,000 have contributed biologic samples. (Max Nisen, 10/22)
Axios:
Health Care Costs As Much As A New Car
Buying a new car every year would be a very impractical expense. It would also be cheaper than a year’s worth of health care for a family. Why it matters: The cost-shifting and complexity of health insurance can hide its high cost, which crowds out families’ other needs and depresses workers’ wages. (Drew Altman, 8/23)
The Hill:
Seniors Deserve Access To Health Savings Accounts
Health care is still the top priority for voters in America, according to a recent poll by Luntz Global. Of all the issues facing America today, 45 percent of those polled said they are most concerned about health care, with immigration a distant second (25 percent). An overwhelming number of those polled (82 percent) believed that seniors on Medicare should be able to keep contributing to their Health Savings Account if they already have one. In addition, 82 percent say seniors on Medicare should have the option to purchase a Health Savings Account if they want one. (Kevin McKechnie, 8/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Anti-Vaxxers Can't Traffic In Violent Language Then Claim Ignorance When Someone Gets Hurt
Perhaps the assault on state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) Wednesday by a professed anti-vaccination advocate was inevitable.In the four years that the pediatrician-turned-politician has been working to raise the state’s flagging vaccination rates, he’s been the target of such fierce anger from anti-vaccination advocates that their rhetoric at times crossed the line from harsh into violent. (8/23)
The New York Times:
Stop Posting Your Child’s Tantrum On Instagram
What should a parent do when a 2-year-old shrieks inconsolably because her string cheese wrapper tore “the wrong way”? Increasingly, the answer is “snap a photo, add a snarky caption and upload it to Instagram. ”Publicly laughing at your toddler’s distress has somehow become not only acceptable but encouraged. Websites offer “best of” compilations, or canned quips readers can use when posting tantrum photos and videos (“Metallica has a new lead singer.”). (Rebecca Schrag Hershberg and Daniel T. Willingham, 8/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
You’ve Gotta Walk The Walk
I walked 114 miles the other week, according to my tracker. It would have been more but there were downpours, and I forgot the handy device on one of my outings. Oh, and I put in a full week at the office. Still, 114 isn’t shabby. That’s 16.3 miles a day—here, there and everywhere in between. Not my best weekly total, but considering I had a stress fracture on my right foot a few months ago, it will do. (Allan Ripp, 8/22)
