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US economy gains 245,000 jobs; unemployment rate drops to 6.7%
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementU.S. employers added 245,000 nonfarm jobs in November after 638,000 new hires in October and 661,000 in September, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. November’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.7% from October’s 6.9% and September’s 7.9%. The November federal jobs report reflects an easing of COVID-19 restrictions to slow coronavirus transmission, which have been unsuccessful as local and state governments resume restraints on gatherings of businesses and public places. November’s national nonfarm jobless rate has decreased 8.0 percentage points from an April high. However, November’s rate is 3.2 percentage points higher than February’s figure.
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ABLE accounts for the disabled: FAQs
Grace Ferguson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementOne in 4 U.S. adults have some form of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Further, 1 in 3 disabled people aged 18-44 had an unmet healthcare need due to cost in the past year, and 1 in 4 aged 45-64 did not have a routine check-up. These are just a few of the many needs people with disabilities are unable to meet. To help disabled people save and pay for disability-related expenses, the U.S. Congress created the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act — which was signed into law on Dec. 19, 2014.
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Travel nurse demand skyrockets as COVID-19 persists
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareTraveling nurses continue to be in high demand as COVID-19 spikes during the last two months of 2020. According to the staffing firms that recruit them for hospitals, high demand and short supply nationwide seem to be the order of the day. The tight supply of nurses available drives prices higher, too, in a real lesson of supply and demand. For example, average pay packages for ICU travel nurses in November were about $2,250 per week. That's about a 28% increase from 2019's average rates, according to recruiting firm NurseFly.
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Where inequality goes, so goes health
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareA robust body of literature supports the thesis that inequality and health are inextricably entwined. The fight against deepening inequality in the United States and around the world is one which simply cannot be ignored in the 21st century. It is, in fact, our moral and ethical duty to address these issues and steel ourselves to resolve them, especially in this time of a historic and deadly pandemic.
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Coffee or no coffee? An exploration of America’s morning beverage
Victoria Fann Food & BeverageIn the United States, over 150 million people drink coffee every day with the average consumption being three cups per day. That’s approximately 450 million cups per day! We love our coffee. In fact, it is rare to go anywhere these days — even in the smallest towns — without running into some kind of coffee shop, many of them serving freshly ground coffee and espresso. With that level of popularity, it’s a given that coffee is embedded into our lives. But, is this a good thing?
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Study: Vitamin D low in 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied HealthcareThe body of research examining the relationship between vitamin D and COVID-19 is growing. Now, a study published recently confirms a correlation between low vitamin D levels and SARS-CoV-2 infection, and health professionals are theorizing whether vitamin D supplementation could increase the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine. "Vitamin D Status in Hospitalized Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection" appeared in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, confirming a relationship between low vitamin D and hospitalization due to COVID-19.
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In times of crisis: 5 strategies that lead to better decisions
Dr. Paul Napper and Dr. Anthony Rao Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our work, how we relate with our families, and our personal sense of safety, security, and health. This crisis, coupled with recent burgeoning social unrest, presents unique challenges to leaders. How can we make better decisions — ones that could make or break our business — when we’re consumed by what’s around us? One answer comes from leaders in the profession that’s at the very center of the COVID crisis: expert medical practitioners, who frequently make life-or-death decisions for the people in front of them. How do they stay focused and keep their decision-making sharp?
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Learning disabilities, ADHD, and the psychopharmacologist
Dr. Lance Steinberg EducationAbout one-third of individuals diagnosed with learning disabilities have also been diagnosed with ADHD. The treatment of ADHD, particularly with the use of medication, has proven to be extraordinarily successful and unbelievably beneficial to the quality of life for the great majority of people. This article will provide a substantial understanding to the psychopharmacology of ADHD. Although the FDA has designated very specific medications that have been indicated for ADHD, the use of these medicines off label may, in fact, be helpful to those individuals with and without ADHD. This was demonstrated as far back as the 1940s.
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Study: Hospital charges are spiking
Seth Sandronsky Medical & Allied HealthcareHospital charges were spiking before COVID-19 hit the U.S. A new study from National Nurses United/California Nurses Association (NNU/CNA) looks at Medicare cost reports for 4,203 hospitals in fiscal year 2018. These hospitals "are charging on average over $417 for every $100 in their total costs." The study was released on Nov. 17. "This is one of the most egregious examples of what you have with a system based on profit, not patient need," Chuck Idelson, spokesperson for the NNU/CNA, told MultiBriefs by phone. A case in point is patients who need healthcare but avoid it due to hospital costs. That is especially risky during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is exploding across the U.S.
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Video: The clinician’s 2-minute guide to serious illness conversations
Liz Eddy and Alyssa Ruderman Medical & Allied HealthcareSixty-eight percent of physicians have reported being unprepared to address end of life with patients. COVID-19 has led clinicians to face these conversations head on without the patients' loved ones in the room. Utilizing research from Dr. Atul Gwande and Dr. Richard Balaban as well as research and firsthand experience from Dr. Michael X. Jin, we have developed a digestible guide to addressing end of life with patients.
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