Literature Review

Report: Healthcare needs to diversify workforce to get rid of racial inequalities MedPage Today - Public Health & Policy - Equity in Medicine; by Associated Press; 6/26/24 "Inequities are baked into our healthcare system," says one expert. Racial and ethnic inequities in healthcare are found in every state in the U.S. despite the passage of legislation intended to improve health outcomes for minorities and increased awareness of healthcare disparities over the past two decades, according to a new national report released Wednesday. The 300-plus-page document from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine detailed how structural racism and people's surroundings have contributed to worse health outcomes for minorities. It also offers recommendations and solutions to healthcare organizations and the federal government, like a more diverse workforce and adjusting payment systems to make healthcare more affordable.

KCAD grad Brianna L. Hernández explores intersection of art, death, and grief through prestigious Hyperallergic curatorial fellowship Ferris State University, Grand Rapids, MI; 6/25/24 As Brianna L. Hernández grieved the loss of her mother, she understood she was not alone in the experience and her thoughts turned to helping others. Her work to share the experience has earned recognition. Hernández, a 2016 graduate of the Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, was one of five people selected for the prestigious 2024 Emily H. Tremaine Journalism Fellowship for Curators ...  Every year, the fellowship offers five curators $5,000 to support their research while developing their journalistic skills. ... [Experiencing her mother's death] profoundly shifted her work toward a focus on death, and the living who are left behind to cope with loss. “As she was dying and right after she died, I knew I needed to make work about it for my own healing, but I also knew that my situation was not unique,” Hernández said. “I felt like it was of both artistic and social importance to put that out there in a way that hasn't been addressed.”

Summer COVID wave emerges: 5 notes Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Paige Twenter; 6/24/24 As "FLiRT" coronavirus variants account for about 77% of infections, COVID-19 cases are ticking upward this summer, according to CDC data.  Here are five things to know from the CDC's June 21 update:

Photojournalist blinded by MPD projectile during 2020 unrest enters hospice care  Star Tribune Minneapolis, MN); by Zoë Jackson; 6/21/24 Photojournalist Linda Tirado, who was partially blinded by a foam projectile fired by Minneapolis Police during unrest in June 2020 has entered hospice care. The photographer was covering riots outside the Third Precinct in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd when she was injured four years ago. Minneapolis police "ignored the press credential she wore around her neck" and marked her with a "ballistic tracking round" and then "shot her in her face with foam bullets," according to her federal lawsuit, for which she was awarded $600,000 from the city of Minneapolis. ...

It’s your funeral! How to plan ahead for the best party you’ll never attend The Guardian; by Doosie Morris; 6/14/24 Years before the indomitable Joan Rivers died in 2014 she immortalised hopes for her own farewell in her memoir. ... The rise in so-called “death positivity”, along with the mortal reality check wreaked on us by the pandemic, has helped to reframe death as a part of life for many of us. Taboos around discussing death are breaking down and planning your own funeral is increasingly considered as responsible as writing a will. ... While the latest Australian Funeral Industry report found less than one in five Australians have actually planned their own funeral, a definite vibe shift is occurring and 90% of people say they want to. ... “When people say ‘I don’t want a funeral’ I remind them it’s not actually for them,” Griffith says. “You might think you’re doing your loved ones a favour, but you are actually denying everyone who needs somewhere to put their grief.” ...

Nurse’s union reacts to order that medical company pay $17M in bills Rhode Island News - Providence Now ABC 6; by Gino DeAngelis; 6/13/24 The United Nurses and Allied Professionals said it has been “sounding the alarm for years” about Prospect Medical Holdings’ lack of investment in both Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center. The company was ordered to pay $17 million in overdue bills to vendors of both hospitals. UNAP said it represents 1,200 employees at both hospitals as well as at Prospect Home Health and Hospice. ... "This decision by Judge Stern further highlights the need for the next owner – whether it is Centurion Foundation or someone else – to invest their own capital into these important hospitals and healthcare facilities. We simply can not rely on saddling these hospitals with more and more debt as is being currently proposed." 

A dream comes true: Hospice patient rides in hot air balloonSedalia Democrat; by Faith Bemiss-McKinney; 6/10/24A long-time dream came true for an area woman with a long-term illness on Friday, June 7, with a tethered hot air balloon ride [courtesy of Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care].Publisher's Note: Subscription may be required to read full article.

Building bridges before loved ones pass - personal perspective: The loss of a loved one Psychology Today; by Sarah Rayner; 6/10/24 ... Last year I lost my mother ...  The only parent I have left is my stepmother. We have had our rows over the years, as she would leap to defend my father so swiftly. Now I appreciate that this was because she loved him deeply and committedly. ... From what I can see, she is going to be with us for a few years. She is an intellectual force of nature and at 88 was granted an honorary doctorate. ... “Wow,” I said, impressed. “You are an inspiration.” She brushed off the compliment. “I’m nothing. You should see my friend, Pam, she is 100! We all have to die sometime," she said. "We have to make way for the next generation." ... t's worth building bridges before loved ones pass. But whether you love or hate your parents, I believe it is often worth building bridges before they pass away, for the sake of both parties. Few people want to look back on the final encounter they had with a loved one regretting all the words left unsaid.

‘The last option’: Why doctor, resident unions continue to growModern Healthcare; by Mari Devereaux; 6/6/24A wave of labor organization continues among doctors, residents and fellows as more than 3,000 have joined unions so far this year, driven by worries about burnout, administrative burden and inadequate patient care. Doctors and support staff are seeking contracts across organizations that ensure reduced workloads and more one-on-one patient care time. However, where doctors want more decision-making power, residents are pushing for better benefits and higher pay.

The Aging Revolution: Growing old in America becoming more dignified, but with senior population booming, is nation’s health system prepared?BusinesssWire; 6/4/24A half-century after renowned gerontologist, psychiatrist and author Dr. Robert Butler ridiculed the nation’s medical establishment for ignoring the suffering of older Americans, Northwell Health today announced the publication of The Aging Revolution: The History of Geriatric Health Care and What Really Matters to Older Adults, which chronicles the significant advancements made in improving the physical and emotional health of the nation’s rapidly aging population. 

EPCSO, Hospice of El Paso make dream come true for teen facing terminal illnessABC KVIA; by Tyaun Marshburn; 5/29/24Evan Molina was sworn in Wednesday by El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles to be honorary Sheriff of El Paso for the day. Molina is a pediatric patient at Hospice of El Paso. He said he has always wanted to be a sheriff, and today the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and Hospice of El Paso made that wish come true.

Over 400 physicians from Delaware’s ChristianaCare move to unionize Portside; by Jennifer Henderson / MedPageToday; 5/28/24 More than 400 physicians from Delaware's Christiana Hospital, Wilmington Hospital, and Middletown Free-standing Emergency Department -- all part of the ChristianaCare health system -- filed to unionize with Doctors Council SEIU Local 10MD. "If successful, this will be the first physician union in Delaware and the first union of any kind at ChristianaCare," Doctors Council SEIU said in an announcement of the filing, which pointed to the ongoing corporatization of medicine as driving the physicians' efforts. Some of the specific concerns that physicians detailed in regard to their filing included understaffing and inadequate resources, corporate influence on medical decision making, limited input in matters affecting patient care and physician safety and autonomy, and moral injury caused by pressure to place profit over patients. Editor's Note: These "specific concerns" reflect consistent themes with other, recent healthcare unionization and strikes throughout the nation, within the scope of one's practice (e.g., physicians vs. nurses). 

22 top hospitals and systems, 15K+ open jobs Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/24/24 Hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with workforce challenges, including recruiting top talent in a competitive environment. Below are the number of job openings at hospitals and health systems that are among those named to the U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals Honor Roll.  ... The numbers are from job boards as of May 24. [Click on the title's link for this list.]