Sometimes it may feel like there are very few things everyone can agree on – but one universal truth is that healthcare in the United States is unique and constantly evolving. The system has a dynamic history of morphing delivery mechanisms to fit the capabilities and needs of a changing population, from the emergence of … Continue reading
Tag Archives: public health
Smoking and Binge-drinking: only one of those can kill you, think Millennials
Kids these days — in particular 18-24 year-olds — are giving up cigarettes in favor of more refined ways of upsetting their parents. Although rates of young adult cigarette use have dropped significantly in recent years to just 10%, marijuana use has crept up to about 20% (p. 23). Meanwhile, e-cigarettes have exploded in popularity … Continue reading
A Case for the Public Health Emergency Fund
In August 2015, a physician in Brazil noticed that a patient’s microcephaly did not display the characteristics associated with normal causes of the disease. As additional cases were presented to the physician, the Zika virus was eventually identified as the cause. Today, this disease is dangerously close to becoming an epidemic in the United States. … Continue reading
Little Innovation with Sequestration
“It hangs over us like a dark cloud,” noted National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins Tuesday, March 10 at a Senate Committee meeting on “Continuing America’s Leadership in Medical Innovation for Patients,” in reply to a question regarding the impact of sequestration on the NIH. The sequestration was a serious blow to the NIH, … Continue reading
Going Viral: The Re-Emergence of Preventable Diseases
John Snow is viewed by many as a pioneer in disease mapping. He was a founding member of the London Epidemiological Society, one of the first professional organizations devoted to the field of epidemiology. For the 1854 cholera outbreak in London’s Broad Street region, he presented a map of disease outbreaks around the Broad Street Pump to … Continue reading
Delayed Aging: A New Concept for Living a Longer, Healthier Life
Slowing the biological aging process (senescence) is now a realistic goal. According to a new research study published in Health Affairs, the elimination of diseases such as cancer and heart disease would have less effect on longevity and quality of life than delaying aging itself. Although most medical research remains focused on combating individual diseases, … Continue reading
“Clean air is not a partisan issue, it is a public health issue,” Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.)
Based on the World Resources Institute roundtable discussion (Monday, January 23, 2012) Before being signed into a federal law in 1970 by President Nixon, the Clean Air Act was an urgent issue neither in his campaign campaign, nor on his agenda in the beginning of his presidential term. However, it quickly became a priority and was passed … Continue reading
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