California Law Aims to Strengthen Access to Mental Health Services The number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has nearly quadrupled during the covid pandemic, which has made it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental health care, even if you have good insurance. A California law signed Oct. 8 by Gov. Gavin Newsom could help. It requires that mental health and substance abuse patients be offered return appointments no more than 10 days after a previous session, unless their provider OKs less frequent visits. Current insurance regulations already require giving patients an initial mental health visit no more than 10 ... October 29, 2021 COVID19, Healthcare, Mental Health, Patient Care Healthcare, Mental Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
COVID-19 Vaccine and Booster Questions & Answers Who is eligible for booster vaccinations? On September 24, 2021, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup recommended the following people should receive booster doses at least six months after completing their initial series: Got a Pfizer vaccination at least six months ago, and Are 65 or older, or Are a long-term care resident that is 18 or older, or Are 50-64 and have an underlying medical condition, or Are 50-64 and at increased risk due to social inequity (including that of communities of color) You may also consider getting ... October 18, 2021 COVID19, Patient Care, Public Health Boosters, COVID-19, Pubic Health, Santa Clara County, Vaccine 0 0 Comment Read More »
AMA, APHA, ASHP, Call for Immediate End to Prescribing, Dispensing, and Use of Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19 Outside Clinical Trials Following the FDA/CDC warning against the use of Ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19, the American Medical Association and other health care organizations issued a joint statement calling for an immediate end to the ordering, prescribing or dispensing of ivermectin for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. WASHINGTON, DC - The American Medical Association (AMA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) strongly oppose the ordering, prescribing, or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. Ivermectin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ... September 2, 2021 AMA, COVID19, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, Patient Care, Public Health AMA, APHA, ASHP, COVID-19, Ivermectin, Prescription 0 0 Comment Read More »
August Webinar Series: AMA Steps Forward This AMA STEPS Forward™ webinar will outline best practices for implementing new health care technologies—including telehealth—in practice in an equitable, inclusive way focusing on both the impact to marginalized and minoritized patients and the clinicians and systems that care for them. The AMA STEPS Forward™ webinar series has one event coming up in August that we wanted to make you aware of and encourage you to share: Implementing innovative solutions with an equity lens Registration link: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/health-equity/ama-steps-forward-webinar-series-innovative-solutions-equity-lens August 10, 2021, noon – 1 p.m. CT The AMA STEPS Forward™ webinar series provides interactive instruction from ... July 19, 2021 Healthcare, Patient Care, Physician Workforce Equity, Health Care Technologies, Telehealth 0 0 Comment Read More »
Effect of Physician-Delivered COVID-19 Public Health Messages and Messages Acknowledging Racial Inequity on Black and White Adults’ Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices Related to COVID-19 Abstract IMPORTANCE Social distancing is critical to the control of COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected the Black community. Physician-delivered messages may increase adherence to these behaviors. OBJECTIVES To determine whether messages delivered by physicians improve COVID-19 knowledge and preventive behaviors and to assess the differential effectiveness of messages tailored to the Black community. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical trial of self-identified White and Black adults with less than a college education was conducted from August 7 to September 6, 2020. Of 44 743 volunteers screened, 30 174 ... July 19, 2021 COVID19, Patient Care, Public Health Clinical Trial, COVID-19, Inequity, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
