Viewpoints: We Need A Humane Immigration Policy, But In The Meantime Border Agents Aren’t To Blame For Children’s Deaths

The Washington Post: Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez Died In CBP Custody. Blame Immigration Policy.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday the death of a 16-year-old boy from Guatemala who had just days earlier crossed the southern border illegally as a so-designated “unaccompanied minor.” While only minimal details were released, the young man was likely headed to relatives waiting for him somewhere in the United States. CBP oversees the Border Patrol which, as required, had custody of the boy when he was noticed to be sick with respiratory symptoms and fever. He was seen by a nurse practitioner who diagnosed him with the flu and prescribed an anti-viral medication and fever control. (Irwin Redlener, 5/23)

USA Today: Guatemalan Teen Refugee Who Died In US Custody Could Have Been Me
A Guatemalan teen-ager died this week while in the care of the United States government — the sixth time this has happened since September. Once again, the government did not do its job. This matters to me because that child could have been me. My birth family is still in Guatemala. My birth mom cannot read, and with three children to care for, she has trouble finding and keeping a job. (Meir Stein, 5/24)

The Washington Post: Tech Platforms Must Move Against The Anti-Vaxxers Now
Vaccines don’t kill, but insisting otherwise can. Facebook, Google and Twitter know that — which is why, as measles outbreaks send children to intensive-care units across the country, they have all decided to do something about it. “Do something!” is exactly what people around the world have been saying to social media sites that, until recently, refused to accept responsibility for what happened on their platforms. That attitude is changing, but what “something” means is still up in the air. Do what, exactly, to whom? And will it help? (Molly Roberts, 5/23)

USA Today: Active Shooter Drills Don't Protect Students Or Help Stressed Teachers
I sat silently in a school staff meeting recently while our faculty debriefed after last month’s active shooter training. All kinds of thoughts and emotions ran through me as I listened to colleagues brainstorming possible ways to prepare for an armed intruder roaming our building. Should we stash a hammer in our desk drawer for use as an improvised weapon? Keep a supply of feminine hygiene products on hand to stop the bleeding if someone is shot? Have students ready to throw books at the attacker? But the absurdity of the entire conversation really hit home for me when a well-meaning staff member suggested teachers be given bags of marbles to throw down in the hallway in the event of an armed prowler. Have we completely lost our marbles? (Justin Parmenter, 5/23)

Los Angeles Times: Heart Disease Is The No. 1 Killer Of Women, But The Research Has Long Favored Men
During a recent and engaging presentation for patients on Medicare, I received a pamphlet listing crucial tests for people of a certain age. One recommendation rattled me: Men from age 65 to 75 who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes should have an ultrasound to rule out an abdominal aortic aneurysm. As a teenager, I did my share of stupid things, including smoking. Shouldn’t women be screened too? This felt like one more sign that medical bias is still seeping into women’s healthcare. (Emily Dwass, 5/23)

Stat: Snakebites Are On The Rise As Snakes Migrate With Climate Change
Mwende, a smart 13-year-old girl who dreams of being an engineer, was picking tomatoes in her backyard in the outskirts of Nairobi when a venomous puff adder bit her on the right arm. Although her father rushed her to the hospital, it lacked antivenom medication and the only way to save her life was to amputate her arm. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Mwende (not her real name) became part of an exploding global problem of snakebites. (Walter Ochieng, 5/24)

Modern Healthcare: Volunteerism Is Not Enough
New York Times columnist David Brooks’ book, The Second Mountain, documents how he moved from midlife despair to personal fulfillment by seeking out individuals and groups who are rebuilding their communities through empathy-driven community action. ... Decades ago, prominent sociologists like Christopher Lasch (The Culture of Narcissism) and Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone) sounded alarm bells about the long-term consequences of rampant individualism. They feared the evisceration of the institutions that brought people together would undermine democracy. Those seeking to build a better healthcare system need to internalize that message. Our healthcare institutions routinely perform miracles for individuals who are sick. But it will remain a Sisyphean task as long as the patient pipeline is constantly refilled by social conditions that breed chronic disease, and providers’ sole strategy is to cure those ills one patient at a time. (Merrill Goozner, 5/23)

Arizona Republic: I Was Sexually Abused As A Child. Arizona Law Fails Kids Like Me
Senate Bill 1255, which was blocked in the Arizona Senate, would create a civil window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators within the latter of 7 years from either turning 18, or from first reporting the abuse to licensed medical or mental health professionals.The current law provides that survivors have until age 20 to seek civil justice. That's not enough. (Gregory Kelly, 5/22)