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Last Call: Reflecting on 64 Years in Medicine
On April 16, 2024, I took night call for the last time, 64 years after I first took night call. For the last few months, I have been thinking about... -
Leadership Doesn’t Have to be Lonely
Kirsten Meisinger, MD, MHCDS It can be lonely at the top, but it doesn’t have to be. Health care professionals who excel at patient care often go on... -
“Good Insurance”
It all started innocuously enough in the week leading up to Christmas in 2019 with a runny nose, a cough, and some fussiness. All pretty standard for...
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.
What Americans Can Do to Address Systemic Racism and Achieve Health Equity
I can’t breathe! This has become an all too familiar cry for many African Americans who everyday struggle to breathe in a society suffocated by systemic racism and entrenched inequities. They struggle to live in a society that has intentionally erected barrier after barrier intended to weaken their bodies and hasten their deaths. What we have is the perfect storm for a disaster—a serious health crisis, an inequitable method of health delivery, millions of uninsured and under-insured people, an uneven and politically charged approach to dealing with the pandemic, police brutality, and other ...
Health Equity Through the Lenses of Intersectionality and Allostatic Load
Although the term health equity is widely used, a common understanding of this term is lacking. Viewing health equity through the lenses of allostatic load and intersectionality could help. This blog post considers three case scenarios, all of which are composites of actual cases that have occurred within the United States, to explore ideas of health equity related to intersectionality and the concept of allostatic load. Case 1 A young, black woman was admitted to Labor & Delivery and progressing well in her own labor. Shortly after ...
