Immigrants compose a large sector of the workforce in the United States, including a significant proportion of the healthcare industry. It’s a topic that can stir up strong feelings in support or opposition, whether due to misinformation, political opinion or tradition, and many organizations are working toward attaining a higher level of understanding among healthcare employers, local and state governments, and the general public. Many not-for-profit groups such as The Immigrant Learning Center are trying to inform the public that immigration should not be a divisive issue, but rather a supportive piece of a successful and thriving society in a global arena.
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From tiny ticks in tall grass to hidden
boulders in deep pools, summer is a
dangerous season. When the weather
heats up, hospitals experience an annual upsurge
in emergency room visits. Seasonal hazards
include sun exposure, heatstroke, insect
allergic reactions and tick bites, as well as lawn
mower lacerations, car crashes, head injuries,
and swimming and diving accidents. Spinal
cord injuries leave someone paralyzed every
week during the summer months.
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FAST FACTS
• The U.S. government launched a new five-star quality rating system for nursing homes in December 2008.
• 14% of Massachusetts nursing homes received a one-star rating and 16% earned a five-star rating.
• 10% of Connecticut nursing homes received a one-star rating and 18% earned a five-star rating.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers a comprehensive nursing home checklist and other resources at www.medicare.gov/NHCompare.
» Full Article
FAST FACTS
• The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the number of elderly Americans will double over the next 20 years from 35 million (12% of the U.S. population) to 70 million (20% of the U.S. population).
• Rates of mental illness related to illicit substance abuse, misuse of prescription pharmaceuticals and sedentary lifestyle are expected to be higher in future populations of elderly Americans than in previous generations.
• Academic societies and the clinical community at large have long been concerned about the lack of preparedness of the healthcare workforce when it comes to handling the complex medical and mental health care needs of the aging “baby boomer” generation.
• Select hospitals and long-term care facilities across New England are demonstrating their commitment to improving medical and mental health care for the elderly with psychiatric diagnoses.
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FAST FACTS
• Avian influenza, commonly referred to as “bird flu,” is a human respiratory illness caused by many different subtypes of Influenza A virus that have adapted to, and occur naturally in, birds.
• Recent outbreaks of avian influenza in domestic birds and humans have been attributed to highly pathogenic strains of the virus, including H5N1 and H9N2.
• A total of 409 cases of avian influenza and 256 deaths have been reported since emergence of the H5N1 virus in 2003.
• Global concern over the threat of an avian influenza pandemic has health officials on alert for epidemiological changes, as well as alterations in the virus that would confer efficient human-to-human transmission.
• Research is ongoing to develop effective antiviral drugs and vaccines against avian influenza, while pandemic response plans involve community mitigation effort such as social distancing and quarantine.
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FAST FACTS
• As many as 98,000 deaths a year are attributed to medical errors, according to a study conducted by the Quality of Health Care in America Committee of the Institute of Medicine.
• Hospitals across the United States are continually seeking to enhance quality improvement and patient safety as outlined in quality and safety initiatives established by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and core measures established by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
• Select hospitals across New England are demonstrating their commitment to quality health care improvement and patient safety through adherence to defined process of care measures and participation in national initiatives to promote quality assurance.
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FAST FACTS
• Multiple studies indicate that defensive medicine costs the American health care system from $80 billion to over $100 billion annually, accounting for about 8% to 15% of all health care expenditures.
• Patients subjected to unnecessary imaging tests are exposed to the risks of radiation and possible anaphylactic reactions to contrast dye.
• The current medical liability system has reduced patient access to specialists, especially in high-risk disciplines.
• Well over $1.4 billion was spent on defensive medical procedures and hospitalizations in Massachusetts in 2006.
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A consensus exists among health care providers today that there is a general need for improvement in the overall standard of care in hospitals, especially patient safety and the reduction of medication errors. This need is largely based on literature that has identified medication errors as a significant and under-recognized cause of adverse outcomes in hospital units, including the emergency department (ED).» Full Article
As if coping with physician shortages, rising operating costs, fluctuating public subsidies, and a large population of uninsured patients was not enough, Pioneer Valley hospitals are now slamming into the global financial crisis. Community and even large teaching hospitals are watching their operating margins shrink or go into the red, prompting reprioritization of spending, layoffs, and even the contemplation of hospital closures.» Full Article
Barack Obama and John McCain have made many campaign promises in the lead up to next month’s election, and both candidates’ health care reform proposals feature prominently in the debating arena. Both candidates say their plans will be fully portable, improve provider accountability, allow re-importation of cheaper medicines and increase the use of generic drugs, emphasize chronic disease prevention, reform the payment systems used by Medicare and Medicaid, and increase transparency in health care quality and costs» Full Article
Ever wish you had a close friend or family member who was also a physician or a nurse—some one who could help you deal with an anxiety-provoking diagnosis, make a treatment decision, or untangle an insurance mess? Private health care advocacy is a nascent profession whose services are becoming increasingly available to individuals directly as well as through employers and unions. And like all valuable services, this extremely personal one comes at a price.» Full Article
In the 33 years since Lyme disease
was first described in the medical
literature, this deer tick–borne
illness has been on the rise in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
According to William J. Swiggard, MD, an
infectious disease specialist at Cooley
Dickinson Hospital (CDH) and Holyoke
Health Center, “Lyme disease is the
most common vector-borne illness (i.e.,
resulting from an infection transmitted
to humans and other animals by bloodfeeding
arthropods, such as mosquitoes,
ticks, and fleas) in the United States. In
the Pioneer Valley, it is ‘hyperendemic,’
meaning that it is present at all times,
at high levels, in all age-groups among
all ethnic and racial groups. At CDH, we
have had the opportunity to see a large
number of cases, manifesting in all of
the different stages.”» Full Article
In the 33 years since Lyme disease
was first described in the medical
literature, this deer tick–borne
illness has been on the rise in
Massachusetts and Connecticut.
According to William J. Swiggard, MD, an
infectious disease specialist at Cooley
Dickinson Hospital (CDH) and Holyoke
Health Center, “Lyme disease is the
most common vector-borne illness (i.e.,
resulting from an infection transmitted
to humans and other animals by bloodfeeding
arthropods, such as mosquitoes,
ticks, and fleas) in the United States. In
the Pioneer Valley, it is ‘hyperendemic,’
meaning that it is present at all times,
at high levels, in all age-groups among
all ethnic and racial groups. At CDH, we
have had the opportunity to see a large
number of cases, manifesting in all of
the different stages.”» Full Article
Attention is often drawn to
issues when an untoward
event occurs. Foreclosures,
layoffs, and plant closings, for
example, draw attention to the problems
in the present economy. In health
care, untoward events, such as injury or
death, spark interest in medical errors. It
is not surprising, therefore, that the closing
of two health care facilities in Western
Massachusetts, Marathon Healthcare
and Anchorage Nursing Home, brings
into focus the tenuous foundation of
a vital component of our health care
system, extended care.» Full Article
Noble Hospital’s patient satisfaction
program has yielded
top marks, according to the
first publicly released national
standardized Hospital Consumer
Assessment of Healthcare Providers and
Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Located in
Westfield, MA, Noble came in first place
among participating Pioneer Valley
hospitals in nine out of ten categories
of the Patients’ Hospital Experiences
section of the survey, which addressed
communication, pain control, environmental
quality, responsiveness of staff
to patient needs, recovery instructions,
and overall satisfaction with the hospital
in question. The initial survey results
made public last month are based on
data collected from October 2006 to
June 2007.» Full Article
When most Americans think about poverty and hunger, visions of underfed children with swollen bellies in an arid, desolate landscape immediately come to mind. But one need not travel across continents to sub-Saharan Africa, for example, to confront hunger head on. In 2006, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a non-profit research organization, reported that nationwide 38.2 million people live in households where there is inadequate food; that is, people are either hungry or food insecure.» Full Article
In the past seven years since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), members of the United States military serving in multinational coalition forces have sustained and survived far greater numbers of wounds than observed in previous wars. As of August 22, 2007, the United States military reports 27,506 service members wounded while in combat.1 The survivorship of wounded servicemen is close to 90%, largely due to improvements in protective body armor, rapid evacuation, and advances in combat medicine.1 In many cases the types of wounds sustained by those who survive are severe, requiring extensive, comprehensive long-term, and perhaps lifelong medical care. Limb injury requiring amputation, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are three categories of injury commonly reported to occur in veterans of the war in Iraq.» Full Article
Since Hippocrates, the warning, Primum non nocere or “first do no harm,” (Epidemics, Book I, Section V) has been a basic tenet by which all physicians practice medicine. And yet, the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 1999 report (“To Err Is Human”) estimated that nearly 3%– 4% of hospitalizations in the United States result in adverse outcomes and perhaps 45,000–98,000 deaths.» Full Article
The disposal of toxic waste in Western Massachusetts has become an increasingly relevant issue and topic of debate over the past several years, especially proper methods for containment and disposal of industrial and nuclear toxic waste materials. Specifi cally, these discussions emphasize the potential health hazards of environmental exposure to toxic agents, including PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl), petroleum, various industrial wastes and solvents, and radioactive waste products such as tritium.» Full Article
