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Protecting Foster Care-Involved Youth with Asthma in the District of Columbia
In the 17th annual Child Fatality Review Report, the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) disclosed the death of a 9-year-old female involved... -
Integrating Weight Management in Primary Care
The obesity prevalence among U.S. adults has increased at an alarming rate in the past several decades, reaching 42 percent in 2018 or about 110... -
Reflections on Differences in Health Care Between a Kingdom and a Democracy
A hospital is often seen as a sanctuary—a bubble of refuge for local and migrant populations alike. However, in order for a hospital to provide care,...
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.
COVID-19 and Homelessness in Boston: Thoughts from the Initial Surge
The COVID-19 pandemic has cast health inequities into stark relief, though this hasn’t surprised those of us already immersed in the care of homeless persons. Barbara McInnis, a beloved nurse at the Pine Street Inn in 1985 (for whom the Barbara McInnis House for medical respite was named ...
Running, Community, and Accountability to Get Back on My Feet
It’s 5:30 am, and while most of the world may still be sleeping, our community comes together, greeting each other with hugs and high fives. We come from all walks of life, running together to get in our morning miles. Our community shows up rain or shine, on the darkest of winter mornings and the brightest of summer days, knowing that by just showing up, we are helping each other put one foot in front of the other, pushing toward a brighter future.
The Road to Recovery: Women’s Health and Substance Use Disorder
The residents of Charlestown, Massachusetts have been sharply impacted by the devastating opioid crisis. According to the Boston Globe, Charlestown has seen annual rates of drug-related deaths reach a high of 22% more than Boston. Intravenous drug-related infections in Charlestown reached six times higher than the city average, the greatest impact out of any other Boston neighborhood (MacQuarrie 2015). Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) is a treatment model for patients suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD). To assist community health centers in communities like Charlestown with ...
An Unexpected Privilege: Caring for Those with Substance Use Disorder
Seated in a state of the art, royal blue auditorium, Jimmy Kamel folds his hands and softly conveys, “my ultimate goal is to continue giving quality care to a population that some people felt weren’t particularly welcome at Fenway Health.” After seven years of clinical training as a Nurse Practitioner (NP), the foundation of Kamel’s work is driven by the need to support a widely underserved population. Kamel’s work is made possible by Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT), a program designed to strengthen clinician support of patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Kamel and his ...
Treating Pain During an Opioid Epidemic in the Primary Care Setting
By: Mahmud Ibrahim, MD and Linda Girgis, MD According to the CDC, there are an estimated 50 million adults (or 20.4% of the population) in the US suffering from chronic pain. Additionally, there are 19.6 million adults with high-impact chronic pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain that typically lasts for longer than 12 weeks. While pain may serve as a warning of possible injury, chronic pain can last for months to years. Many chronic pain patients seek ...
