Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
Some officials have even been threatened. Feeling their bosses don’t have their backs, a higher proportion of officials are quitting than normal, and these essential jobs will be hard to fill with qualified health experts.
Researchers have been looking for an already existing drug to quickly take on Covid-19, and apparently, now they’ve found one. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has closed the door on using the malaria treatment Hydroxychloroquine (hy-drox-ee-klor-oh-quin) to treat Covid-19. Then, social isolation has been a lifesaver the last few months, but if it …
People who recover from a coronavirus infection often still have a long way to go to recover their mental health. Then, a study that shows sick leave is a good way to slow the spread of diseases like Covid-19. Plus, doing good for other people is contagious. And finally, if you’re feeling stressed and anxious about the pandemic, you can bet your dog or cat …
It’s illegal for health insurers to use genetic testing to discriminate against policyholders. However, life insurers can and do discriminate on that basis if the test is in your medical file.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a quicker economic crash than we’ve ever seen. Opening the nation too fast will likely trigger a “W” shaped recovery with wide swings of growth then decline. Either way, the effects will last for years. Experts discuss likely scenarios.
Many Americans are impatient with social distancing as a result of Covid-19 despite the success of the tactic. However, reopening the country too quickly could allow the virus to come roaring back, resulting in thousands more deaths and even more economic damage. Two experts explain how the rollout should happen to get us back to work safely.
A lack of ventilators potentially puts doctors in the position of deciding which of their Covid-19 patients get a ventilator and live, and which ones don’t get one and die. New rules for making such decisions have been released which are designed to be fair and independent. The designer of the rules explains.
Hospitals are scrambling to get extra equipment and outfit more beds and ICU units for Covid-19 patients. Their treatment is time-consuming and expensive. At the same time, hospitals’ lucrative elective procedure business has largely been eliminated. Will the combination bankrupt hospitals? Two experts who have studied the crisis discuss.
If you’ve been taking the drug Ranitidine for reflux or ulcer prevention, the FDA says stop. Then, a new study shows that parents are yelling at their children more since most of us have been ordered to stay home. And finally, with Covid-19 testing in such short supply… why not let a dog do it?
The effectiveness of efforts to contain coronavirus often depend on governmental policies determined years or even decades ago that, at the time, had nothing to do with public health. A health policy expert discusses some of these policies and what they mean for coronavirus testing and treatment.
Public policy is built on the food desert theory: the lack of neighborhood supermarkets drives people to eat less fresh food and more junk food. New research is challenging that theory, but finding values of grocery stores in other, unexpected places. Experts discuss how nearby supermarkets change people and the neighborhoods where they live.
Some hospital units have set up handshake bans because too few healthcare workers wash hands well enough to keep from spreading germs. The general public is even worse at washing hands, which has caused spread of serious disease. Some experts say handshakes foster important human connections and oppose bans. Experts discuss and describe what it takes to wash …
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