Archive
Perspectives in Primary Care features writing from practitioners, activists, and community members representing organizations, practices, and institutions across the United States and around the world.
Health Equity
Health Policy
Social Determinants of Health
COVID-19
Public Health
Environment / Climate
BIPOC
Addiction / Substance Use Disorder
The Original Pandemic: Commercial Tobacco
All mentions of tobacco in this article refer to commercial tobacco and nicotine products and not sacred and traditional use of tobacco by some Native American communities. This article is solely for informational educational purposes and is not meant to lobby and/or express, promote, or influence support or opposition on any ...
Winds of Change: Communicating the Biden Administration’s Immigration Policies Can Help Combat the Pandemic
With rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths falling dramatically from peaks in January, the United States may be turning the corner on the pandemic. At the same time, the Biden administration has signaled a U-turn from the Trump era on immigration. From Day One, the new administration has expressed support for proposals to legalize millions of unauthorized immigrants, advanced executive actions to restore acceptance of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, and embraced more welcoming ...
Fragmented Medical Advice & Misinformation Hurt Public Health
Driving through Southern California during the COVID-19 pandemic often feels like going from one California to another… you get in the car in one city, with everyone around you masked, including families walking together, keeping distance from others… then you get out of the car 30 minutes later in another city, with almost no one masked, and people packed inside restaurants or standing in lines close to each other. The difference is startling.
The Value of Primary Care Doctors in an Equitable Vaccine Rollout
Dr. Nguyen, a primary care physician in Orange County, California, received a phone call Wednesday morning from his medical group. “Would you be interested in giving out the COVID-19 vaccine?” The call was unexpected but welcomed. He hadn’t heard that primary care doctors were being enlisted to administer the vaccine. In fact, news across the country indicated unrest ...
The Unique Implications of Diversifying Dietetics
The first time I met a Black dietitian was the first day of my dietetics internship. After four years of undergraduate education, countless hours volunteering and shadowing dietitians from food banks, hospitals, community gardens, and schools, I was now in the presence of Dr. Sharon McWhinney. As a Black woman aspiring to become a dietitian, I was met with a lot of feelings during that internship orientation. Part of me was in awe, as I watched this woman command a room with her silver-grey hair, smooth brown skin, and Jamaican accent. Part of me was in shock, listening to the immense ...