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An Underrated Barrier to Healthcare: It's Not Just About Cost
“Thank you for calling our free clinic. How can I help you?” I have spent countless hours listening to the pleas of people in desperate need of... -
A Guide to Geriatric Psychiatry Referral for Health Care Professionals and Caregivers
Our aging global population has the potential to enrich our communities, strengthen intergenerational relationships, and help preserve our cultural... -
Room to Breathe: Making the Health Case for Green Spaces
The intentional implementation of green spaces originated in elite classes of society when intricate gardens used for strolling and hunting exhibited...
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.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Mortality Among Children and Teens
Due to early misconceptions that COVID-19 didn’t lead to severe disease or death in children, US state surveillance dashboards were not set up to track the course of the pandemic among age-specific groups. Over time, state reporting for children has gradually improved, and The COVKID Project has been synthesizing and sharing data for children and teens since late April 2020. Although 49 of 50 states now report COVID-19 case counts by age (with New York being the exception), only 2 ...
The Inner Bully and the Burden of Charting: A Dose of Self-Compassion May Be the Best Medicine
If you are a physician, this may sound familiar: I can feel that old resentment bubbling up as I sit down to chart on a beautiful summer Saturday afternoon. Seventy-two hours and I have to get all the charts done or they will close themselves automatically, and my name is added to the departmental “late charts” email list. My daughter is waiting for me to take her to her mall. It’s always hanging over me, and I can’t stand the stress. The minute I login, I hear the familiar self-critical voice and internal task master who whips me to get the job ...
Eye Care Globally Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc—infecting more than 33 million people globally—it has also caused significant disruptions in eye health services, with a particular emphasis on ophthalmologic care for cataracts. This disruption is alarming, especially since untreated cataracts are the
Ensure Access to Care & Protect Patients from Immigration Enforcement at Medical Facilities
There are numerous barriers immigrants face when trying to access medical care in the United States. Unfortunately, the threat and presence of immigration and law enforcement at healthcare facilities is one of them. Immigrants, communities of color, and border residents often fear being questioned, ...
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Now is the Time for Primary Care to Address Loneliness
With more than 6 million diagnosed cases and nearly 200,000 deaths in the United States, the novel coronavirus is our nation’s most pressing public health crisis. And further, physical distancing measures have resulted in significant
Moving Beyond Empty Promises on Making #BlackLivesMatter (Part 2): How can our cities, companies, and other institutions dismantle structural racism?
Part 1 of this blog post discussed some of the empty promises in the United States to make #BlackLivesMatter, as well as the types of policy changes needed to move beyond surface-level action. Today, we’ll focus on what specifically cities, companies, and other institutions can do. What can our cities do to dismantle structural racism? There has been a fair amount of coverage ...
Impacts of COVID-19 on Relief-Seeking Immigrant Children
In times of crisis, the most vulnerable populations are often the ones most affected. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant children arriving to the United States already faced difficulties navigating a complex and intimidating system to seek refuge. However, in the six months since the COVID pandemic fundamentally altered our way of life, the