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The COVID-19 pandemic: A reverse Wizard of Oz?
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareAt the end of the classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy, the naïve yet savvy heroine played by a young Judy Garland, wakes up in her bed on a bright morning following a frightening tornado and a grand, slightly nightmarish adventure of epic proportions. The sleepy Dorothy quickly realizes that it has all indeed been a dream, and she’s safe and sound at home. If only the COVID-19 pandemic was the same: a global nightmare from which we will all awake on a sunny Midwestern morning, surrounded by the people we love most.
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Social media posts offer clues to ED utilization
Chelsea Adams Healthcare AdministrationSocial media often serves as a signal of medical distress that could be utilized to help hospitals determine when a patient might seek emergency care. Previous research has analyzed clinical information to forecast readmissions but looking at digital signatures on social media could predict individuals’ behaviors, thoughts and motivations prior to a healthcare visit. A study published in the March 12 edition of Nature Scientific Reports found that patients made Facebook posts that discussed family and health more than usual. They also included language that was more anxious, worrisome and depressed.
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Army Corps of Engineers identifies more than 100 facilities to serve as…
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsDuring the month of March, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued over 120 press releases. Compared to the same time a year ago, USACE published just one press release. Most of the Corps of Engineers’ releases announce its involvement in procuring facilities appropriate for providing alternate care for the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, this process involves turning non-healthcare buildings and facilities into hospitals. Such facilities can be used for stable, non-COVID-19 patients to reduce the potential burden on hospitals.
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Send me flowers now — don’t wait for my funeral
Lisa Cole Mental HealthcareWho among us hasn't followed our intuition or waited too late to take action and, ultimately, dearly regretted it? Maybe that voice inside kept niggling you to contact someone; yet, you kept telling yourself you'd get to it later. Perhaps you fully intended to make amends with an estranged relative or friend yet never quite found the right time to do so. My elderly mother gave me the title for this article. If your family is anything like mine, there's always one of us who seems to be out of sorts with the other.
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Researchers ‘trick’ body into accepting organ transplant using…
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareResearchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed technology designed to "trick" the body into accepting a transplanted organ. "It's like hacking into the immune system, borrowing a strategy used by one of humanity's worst enemies to trick the body into accepting a transplant," said senior author Steven Little of the Swanson School of Engineering at Pitt. "And we do it synthetically." The enemy Little is referring to is cancer, which tricks the body's immune system into thinking the tumor is a part of the body.
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Feeling restless? Follow these tips.
Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied HealthcareMore than 50% of adults experience insomnia. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep isn't just annoying; it's deadly. Sleep deprivation increases your risk for accidents, heart attack, diabetes, and other scary maladies. If you're not getting at least seven hours of sleep each night, you may want to invest in this sleep trick.
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COVID-19 and the grief process
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareThe COVID-19 pandemic is encircling our planet and the entire human family is facing great distress. The deadly impact of the coronavirus can be felt throughout every economy in the world, as well as in villages, rural communities, cities, and suburbs the world over. From shortages of essential supplies to the demise of thousands of small businesses, the ripple effects of this pandemic are beyond imagination. Amidst the social isolation and the wide array of emotions elicited in most every individual, one concept stands out: the grieving process.
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COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress has implications for dentists
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareIn a month otherwise filled with tough news, Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package that is designed to help people, states and businesses all across the country that are devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — or CARES Act — passed the Senate on March 25 and the House on March 27. Following the Senate vote, the American Dental Association reached out to member dentists.
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A healthier environment is an unintended consequence of the coronavirus
Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & EnvironmentalOne significant positive from the COVID-19 pandemic? As economies are crashing, industries shuttered, and people mandated to shelter in place, the beneficiary of this is the natural environment. The coronavirus is cutting global emissions faster than any previous climate legislation or negotiations. In fact, according to numbers researched by Lauri Myllyvirta at the University of Helsinki's Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, this is all because of the pandemic.
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Podcast: How to save your practice from the coronavirus with telehealth…
Jarod Carter Healthcare AdministrationThere isn't a single private practice that won't be affected by the coronavirus pandemic in some way…some may fail, but others will flourish. This episode is all about providing you with the information I feel will most help practices survive and thrive through all this. This podcast is from a Facebook Live interview I recently did with Rob Vining, a leading expert on telehealth. In this interview, he explains options for getting your practice ready to conduct telehealth visits, including details about specific platforms, pricing plans, legal considerations, and resources.
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