health care
Home health care workers ask federal senators for better pay, benefits
Home health care workers say their pay and a lack of benefits is unsustainable and in need of change on the federal level. Toledo resident Amina Nash was one of several home health care workers that spoke to Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey in a recent roundtable on the needs […]
‘Their tank is empty’: Local public health officials combat staff burnout, low pay, harassment
WASHINGTON — Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local public health departments that were already struggling with too few workers and too little money have been pushed to the brink — and for some, beyond the brink. “My staff is burnt out, overworked and underpaid,” Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner with the Columbus Public Health […]
How Congress will attempt the biggest expansion of U.S. social programs since FDR
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate this week passed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill and an even larger budget blueprint that would pave the way for historic changes in U.S. health, education, climate and tax policies. The two measures are roped to each other, reflecting Democrats’ strategy to pass what could be bipartisan with Republicans — […]
2+2=? Senate uses murky math as it shelves drug pricing rule to fund infrastructure
By Michael McAuliff, Kaiser Health News The Senate’s release of its bipartisan infrastructure plan signals that lawmakers are poised to throw former President Donald Trump’s belated bid to lower Medicare drug prices under the bus — not to mention trains, bridges, tunnels and broadband connections. That’s because the massive spending bill is the first of […]
HIV/AIDS vaccine: Why don’t we have one after 37 years, when we have several for COVID-19 after a few months?
By Ronald C. Desrosiers, University of Miami Smallpox has been eradicated from the face of the Earth following a highly effective, worldwide vaccination campaign. Paralytic poliomyelitis is no longer a problem in the U.S. because of development and use of effective vaccines against the poliovirus. In current times, millions of lives have been saved because […]
Young farmers struggle with child care and health insurance
By Shoshanah Inwood, Andrea Rissing, and Florence Becot, of Ohio State University Kat Becker feeds hundreds of people with the vegetables she grows on her Wisconsin farm, and she wants to expand. But her ability to grow her business collides with her need for affordable health insurance and child care. She has had to make […]
Dental care remains neglected in state, nation
One of the leading health care needs in the state of Ohio is one that’s most neglected, especially when it comes to low-income communities. As dental director at the Cincinnati Health Department and as part of the CincySmiles dental clinic program, Dr. Larry Hill’s major task was making sure low-income and high risk populations had […]
Biden pitches big boosts in education and health spending in budget request
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration released a key portion of its budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year Friday, calling for increasing money for schools, public health programs, cancer research and other discretionary programs that it says have been underfunded for too long. The president’s $1.5 trillion request seeks to spend $769 billion on discretionary programs […]
My wife and I are doctors. We have an opportunity to lead by example by getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Officials recently confirmed the alarming news that the virulent UK strain of COVID-19 has been found in various counties in Ohio. New strains of the virus also are spreading in New York and California and will no doubt make their way to our state before long. The emergence of these variants underscore how crucial it is that […]
COVID-19 revealed how sick the US health care delivery system really is
If you got the COVID-19 shot, you likely received a little paper card that shows you’ve been vaccinated. Make sure you keep that card in a safe place. There is no coordinated way to share information about who has been vaccinated and who has not. That is just one of the glaring flaws that COVID-19 […]
How Ohio should value Black lives in health care
As a country, we are waking up daily to the unacceptable and completely avoidable loss of Black life. We know some of their names, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. But many more we sadly only know as numbers and statistics, reported as part of the daily coronavirus public health updates. What they have in […]
Don’t let COVID-19 prevent your child’s annual doctor visit
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the way of life in Ohio, our country and across the world. In recent months, stay-at-home orders, mask wearing and social distancing measures have created a “new normal,” and all of us have put activities on hold to reduce the spread of the virus. But one activity that you should […]