Happier Days with Certainty May 21, 2009

This op ed piece about America’s reaction to uncertainty is interesting. It’s fairly short, read it.

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/what-you-dont-know-makes-you-nervous/

 

Your In Good Health

The Passing of Pioneer Roger McFarlane May 18, 2009

It’s with surprise and sadness that I announce the passing of Roger McFarlane.  I first met Roger thru a dear friend. He was tall, charismatic, and confident.  He loved to talk to me about his experience as an HIV/AIDS care giver, organizer and executive.  Roger was there at the beginning of the HIV epidemic and bore witness to the devastating effects of HIV on friends and loved ones.  He, as many will attest to, dared to do something about the HIV epidemic. Roger started an HIV hotline, became  Gay Men’s Health Crisis’s first paid executive director and was executive director for Broadway Cares.  Most recently he was the executive director for the Gill Foundation.

Roger often gave career advise and was a great strategist. Lots will be said about Roger in the upcoming days, weeks and months but I will remember Roger for his strange humor, advise and laugh. We all carry a different piece of the man that had a profound impact on so many lives. God speed to his family and friends.

Yours in Good Health

Potential New NYC Health Commissioner May 17, 2009

 

 

 

 

Mayor Bloomberg is wasting no time selecting a new health comissioner for the city. It is rumored that Dr. Thomas Farley, currently a division head at Tulane University will become NYC’s Health Commissioner replacing Dr. Frieden.  The formal announcement will come tomorrow, May 18th. I have little personal knowledge about Dr. Farley outside of what is written in the NYTimes article (link below). He is said to be a staunch public health advocate and he has worked as an adviser to Dr. Frieden in the past. New York has a tendency to test the best of us. We will wait for the official announcement and wish who ever takes the position God speed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/nyregion/17health.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Yours in Good Health

CDC’s New Director Dr. Thomas Frieden May 16, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President Obama selected Dr. Thomas Frieden as CDCs new director. Dr. Frieden served as New York City Department of Health’s Health Commissioner for 7 years. He has spearheaded several (then controversial) initiatives such as no smoking in offices, restaurants/bars, condom distribution, posting food calorie counts on menus in restaurants chains and most recently decreasing the salt content in meals. He is often mocked and ridiculed in the halls and offices of various New York City advocates due to his style but love him or hate him you must respect him. He has made a tremendous impact on the health of all New Yorkers. In response to his appointment a recent New York magazine online post read, “Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden to Take Fun-Hating National.” America get ready to get healthier. Here comes a little guy with a giant health push.

Below are some recent articles and posts regarding Dr. Frieden and his Bio:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/commish/combio.shtml

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/15/thomas-frieden-cdc-direct_n_203828.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/19/nyregion/19lives.html 

Yours In Good Health

National Women’s Health Week May 13, 2009

 

 

 

This is the 10th Annual National Women’s Week, May 10-16, 2009. I can’t keep track of all the months dedicated to worthy causes; February is Black History Month, March is Women’s History Month and so on. May is Bike Month in New York City so I have been focused on the Harlem community discussion regarding bike lanes on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard so this snuck up on me.

The purpose of National Women’s Health Week is to encourage women to prioritize their health. Women are the first to care for others, scheduling health appointments for their children, husbands, parents and friends.  They often neglect their own health. Research studies have shown that when women prioritize their own health the health of their family also improves.

Here are some useful actions that women can take to improve their health:

-  Eating a nutritious diet

-  Participate in at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity

- Visit your health care provider (nurse practitioner or physician) and get a routine medical appointment with prevention screening. If you don’t have a provider then promise yourself that you will find one this week.

- Avoid risky behaviors; we often think of risky behaviors as using illicit drugs, but often overlook the things that we do everyday such as smoke, use of seatbelts, stress management, exercise, use of a helmet while riding a bike, etc.

If you are a woman take care of yourself; if you are a man take care of the woman in your life.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/

Yours In Good Health

Swine Flu’s First Fatal Victim in US April 29, 2009

The first fatally from swine flu occurred in a 23 months old Texas toddler.   The details of the story are in the NYTimes article below.  My prayers go out to the family in their time of need.

Please remember to over your mouth when you cough not with your hands but with a napkin or in you elbow. Wash your hands frequently. If you have flu like symtoms (fever and upper respiratory symtoms, etc) please get evaluated by a health care provider and stay home. Keep your children home if they are not well and get them evaluated. Do not take Tamiflu unless under the supervision of a physician.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/health/30flu.html?_r=1&hp

Yours In Good Health

Swine Flu – State of Emergency April 26, 2009

 

Please take a look at the recent NY Times article on the US declaration of a state of emergency due to approximately 20 cases of swine flu in 5 states. Health officials fear the the number of cases will rise quickly over the next several days due to health care providers and the public becoming more aware of the disease.

The NYC DOH confirmed 8 cases of swine flu at St. Frances High School in  Queens, New York. Several of the students have reported gone to Mexico recently.  Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Health Commissioner stated in a news conference that this is not an epidemic and that New Yorkers should not panic.

All NYC physicians should be on high alert for patients with fever and upper respiratory systoms. The NYC Department of Health has sent out eblast to all listed health care providers making them aware of the swine flu symtoms, diagnostics and treatment.

 If you are having flu like systoms please see your health care provider.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Yours In Good Health

President Obama’s Science Ambassadors February 24, 2009

Interesting article about President Obama’s science advisors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/science/24tier.html?_r=1&8dpc

Downpayment on Healthcare February 20, 2009

The American College of Physicians recently published an article about the impact of the recent economic stimulus package on our current health care system. It’s short, take a read.

http://www.healthbanks.com/PatientPortal/MyPractice.aspx?UAID={A830907D-8345-4AA5-A0D5-F8776BBC08BB}&TabID={X}&ArticleID=624310

Yours In Good Health

African Americans and Increase Death Rate After Surgery February 18, 2009

The researchers at Center for Outcomes Research, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conducted a study to review the reasons for improved survival after surgery in teaching hospitals had unexpected results. It is generally acknowledged that survival after surgery is higher at teaching hospitals (hospitals with medical students and physicians in training).  Teaching hospitals are generally felt to provide better care because they are larger, generally have advance technology, greater volume and better nursing staff.  Using medicare claims data the researchers were able to show that improved survival is because of lower mortality after complications (better failure to rescue) and generally not because of fewer complications. However, the high survival and failure to rescue results seen in white patients were not seen in black patients. It appears that black patients fare about equally well in teaching and nonteaching hospitals, whereas white patients have significantly better risk-adjusted mortality and failure to rescue at teaching hospitals than at nonteaching hospitals. The explaination for these findings are unclear.

In an earlier study by the same researchers found racial differences in the length of surgery for comparable procedures and income. Black medicare patients had surgery that took 29 minutes longer than whites. The authors suggested that Blacks tended to receive their surgeries from hospitals with longer procedure times.

http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/144/2/113

Yours In Good Health