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

20 Years of Mifepristone: Medication Abortion in the Time of COVID

Despite 20 years of safety data, mifepristone—the first of two medications used in medication abortion—remains subject to ...

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, ...

A Health Equitable COVID-19 Response Starts with Housing Justice

It’s the middle of the month, and rent is almost due again. An estimated 30-40 million people are at risk of eviction in the next several months—and

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