It’s worse than it appears. The folks leaving in droves tend to be primary care docs, like OB/GYNs, Peds, Family Practice, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine. The ones you actually need to make the system work. Also the ones who tend to be lowest in pay and highest in patient load and stress. I know that a number of my colleagues are counting the days to retirement, knowing that there are not enough in the pipeline to replace us. But TPTB don’t seem to care about that, so why should we?
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Hmmm, not certain how I feel about this one…
Supporters say the legislation is necessary to protect Americans’ health care data, reduce reliance on China in the medical supply chain and ensure the U.S. gains an edge in the biotech field, which both countries call crucial to their economy and security.
Opponents say the bill, which would ban China-linked companies from working with firms that receive U.S. government money, would delay clinical trials and hinder development of new drugs, raise costs for medications and hurt innovation.
As usual, for every complex problem, there is a simple, obvious solution. And it is totally and completely wrong. And there is no doubt this is a complex issue.
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Follow-up on this one:
While the star witness was AWOL, the hearing moved on, offering stunning and horrifying testimony from two Massachusetts nurses and Louisiana state leaders who experienced the conditions at Steward’s hospitals, which number over 30 across eight states. The most heart-wrenching testimony came from Ellen MacInnis, a nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, which was taken over by Steward.
Gonna guess he is checking deportation treaties currently?
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Not loving this timeline.
Capitalism is a death cult and this is Exhibit A.
May every kind of justice attend Ralph de la Torre–whom I refuse to dignify with the honorific “Dr.”–and swiftly.
Ye gods.
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Sure, why not if that would help…
Reminds me that I need to schedule mine and Kiddo’s soonest.
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https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07789-z
Immune system adaptation during gender-affirming testosterone treatment
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Understanding the mechanisms by which gonadal steroids modulate immunity in individuals undergoing masculinizing GAHT are important to ensure the health and wellbeing of trans men and avoid long-term adverse outcomes such as severe infection and inflammatory disorders. These mechanisms can also help explain the divergent immune responses in cis men and women that are regulated dynamically by sex hormones in relation to ever changing needs during the human life course.
Not all that surprising, but reassuring. It would shock certain assholes that trans men act, immunologically, like men and trans women act like women. It should not. It is what it is.
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"It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I feel really fortunate to be able to be there, and appreciate and respect that land,” one hiker who fell ill in late August told The Washington Post. “My guts exploding all over that land was not what I wanted to do at all.”
I think we can all agree with this sentiment.
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When I hiked the AT there was a norovirus outbreak. Pretty awful when multiple people at a campsite are sick and there’s only 1 outhouse (followed by a hostel full of noro victims). I didn’t get it as bad as others, but I have a vivid memory of vomiting ramen so hard some of it came out my nose (burned like heck!). Makes sense now that we know hand sanitizer doesn’t kill it 
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https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4887752-us-healthcare-system-worst-survey/
The United States health care system was deemed the worst overall compared to 10 similar nations, according to analysis from a leading health research nonprofit.
“Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Healthy System,” published Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund, looked at 70 health care systems in 10 wealthy nations, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the U.S., and compared them to one another.
The nonprofit has conducted and released an international health policy survey since 2004.
In the survey, the U.S. system came in last place overall, in part because it earned 10th place in both accessibility and health care outcomes, as well as low rankings in administrative efficiency and equity.
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And it is going to get worse, as those of us who have carried the load for the last 20 years can finally retire. Docs, nurses, therapists, we are all burned out and exhausted, and no one seems to care. Growing up in WV I am very familiar with how the miners were treated. Use them up, throw them out, bring in some new ones. Except there are no new ones, or not nearly enough to make up the losses. And the insurance companies and healthcare consortiums are trying to wring the last dollar out of a dying industry, with no thought at all to the future. I do not know what happens next, but I am very glad to be in the twilight of my career and not just starting. I foresee scary times ahead.
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The study looked at “70 health system performance measures in five areas”; The Hill cited that incorrectly. They studied 11 nations.
I’ve used 4 of those systems as an adult, and can’t argue with the rankings from personal experience.
Both times I ended up in the 
system they covered it, too.
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SnoreStop is said to contain dilutions of: nux vomica (a natural source of strychnine), belladonna (deadly nightshade), Ephedra vulgaris (a source of the drug ephedrine), hydrastis canadensis (a toxic herb), Kali Bichromicum (potassium dichromate, which is considered toxic and carcinogenic), Teucrium marum (similar to catnip), and Histaminum hydrochloricum (Histamine dihydrochloride).
But that is not the dangerous part, of course, because it’s been diluted to infinity and beyond.
In a warning Thursday, the FDA advised consumers to immediately stop using SnoreStop nasal spray—made by Green Pharmaceuticals—because it may contain microbes that, when sprayed directly into nasal cavities, can cause life-threatening infections. The FDA highlighted the risk to people with compromised immune systems and also children, since SnoreStop is marketed to kids as young as age 5.
Just don’t, OK?
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This is more of a personal rant. We were just informed that our local hospital is closing it’s pediatric service and transferring any pediatric care over an hour away to UVA, or farther if necessary, as UVA is frequently on divert. This led me to wonder how common this is. Answer: Way too common. Inpatient peds is always a money loser, always. Taking that physical plant and committing it to more profitable adult care is an easy decision under a profit motivated system. So i found this article from 2022, with the understanding that it has gotten worse since.
This is very personal. The work we do is not considered important enough to support. Kids will suffer because of it. And it doesn’t matter, because the bottom line is everything. Fuck…
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I think that’s how it is here. The children’s hospital is an hour away and that’s where all the local pediatricians send kiddos if they’re likely to need to be committed, despite there being a brand-new hospital in town (from what I heard, they also almost didn’t put a maternity ward in the new hospital despite shuttering the ones in the 3 smaller hospitals it replaced). I always thought it was weird but after reading this I suspect this is why, or at least part of it… This sucks.
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