Viewpoints: Will DOGE Destroy Rural Health Care?; Eliminating Mental Health Programs May Prove Deadly
Opinion writers share their thoughts on these public health topics.
The Atlantic:
Can Rural Health Care Survive DOGE?
Traditionally, medical-school graduates complete their residencies at teaching hospitals in larger cities, places abounding with specialists, equipment, and nursing support. The idea behind the THCGME program was to establish residencies at health clinics in underserved areas where resources are scarce. The theory was that residents would not only gain confidence practicing medicine in a challenging context but develop a sense of mission about the work, and stay. (Stephanie McCrummen, 4/21)
Stat:
Trump Is Gutting More Than 40 Mental Health, Substance Use Programs
At the age of 23, after years of mental health problems, addictions, and trauma, I found myself on a Philadelphia subway platform ready to end my life. Thankfully, I found help and got better. But due to the actions of the Trump administration, many others face a bleak future in dealing with these potentially fatal conditions. (Paolo del Vecchio, 4/21)
The Boston Globe:
Public Health's Reckoning Started With COVID. It Was Too Late.
There is no shortage of critiques of how the US public health establishment handled the COVID-19 pandemic — including from within the field’s own ranks. (Christine Mehta, 4/20)
Chicago Tribune:
As The Deaths Of Gene Hackman And His Wife Demonstrate, We Need To Care For Our Caregivers
Why do caregivers sometimes trade their own well-being for that of the person with dementia? In a key way, the American health system encourages it. Each person has private relationships with their medical providers because the U.S. defines a “patient” as an individual. But dementia creates symptoms and problems that are shared between two people. So, when a caregiver needs treatment, it requires more doctor’s visits for that person while finding care coverage for the person with dementia. (Shana D. Stites and Rebecca T. Brown, 4/21)
The New York Times:
How To Live Healthier For Longer
Some researchers are attempting to reprogram cells to make them biologically younger, which has been shown to reverse features of aging in older animals. Unfortunately, this can also induce cancer. Other researchers are studying drugs called senolytics, which aim to clear aging cells out of the body. However, they can also destroy other cells humans need to survive. (Eric Topol, 4/21)
Stat:
Three Ways For Physicians To Become Better Advocates
Democrats recently unveiled a campaign to recruit and elect 100 doctors to public office. Democrats hope that by recruiting physicians to public office, they will be able to combat misinformation and restore trust in medicine and science. (Hala Durrah, 4/21)
