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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... -
Cultivating Collaboration: A Primary Care Setting and Community Hub Address Arthritis Management and Social Health Needs
A diagnosis of arthritis-associated pain or disability is a frequent reason for a primary care visit. Even when not the chief concern, arthritis is... -
Wellness for Everybody—in Every Body
In recent years, several qualitative studies have given us field notes of patients describing their experiences having larger bodies and interacting...
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.
Healing Across the Divides: Peace Building Through Health
Shortly after Healing Across the Divides began its work, the Israeli army had placed boulders at the entrance to Sinjil—a Palestinian town in the central West Bank—blocking it off from the outside world. A local Palestinian woman contacted me, persistently urging me to “tell President Bush to end the occupation.” And doing everything possible within my realm of control, I ...
Want to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Rural America? Start Local…
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging in the United States, rural Americans find themselves trapped in a whirlwind of misinformation and distrust as they seek answers for questions like the following: “Is the pandemic really as bad as the media portrays?”
Well-Being of LGBTQI+ People in the United States Today
More than 11 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people live in the United States today, but we know far too little about their overall health and well-being. For LGBTQI+ people, we do know that some aspects of life are better than they once were. Whereas LGBTQI+ people were once viewed negatively by many ...
Mobile Clinics: A Powerful Resource for Addressing Health Disparities
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the systemic limitations of the American health system when confronted with the unexpected emergence of major disease, and underserved communities are often those most affected. A possible solution to address these disparities: mobile clinics. Mobile clinics are vehicles customized with medical equipment and staffed with medical providers and other health ...
Food Access via Small Stores on Navajo Nation: COVID-19 & Beyond
It’s a calm sunny day as I sit with John McCulloch in front of his store in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. The store has served his community since 1905. The English name Teec Nos Pos is derived from the Navajo T'iisnasbas, a name inspired by a grove of trees growing in a circle in the area. As we sit and talk, community members file in and out of the store. They’re greeted with large florescent posters asking customers to wear a mask while in the store, to stay home if they feel sick, and to respect the maximum occupancy level of eight people in the store at one time. ...
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.
Defeating COVID-19 Locally: The Community Health Worker Ground Game
The Problem While COVID-19 is a novel virus, its devastating impact on public health has shone a spotlight on longstanding failures of our healthcare and social services systems. Thus far in the United States, the virus has claimed over 100,000 lives, dramatically reduced
