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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.
Primary Care
Health Equity
Health Policy
Social Determinants of Health
COVID-19
Public Health
Activism
Advocacy
Beating Hunger: Addressing Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Closed. Out of Business. We are temporarily closed due to COVID. These signs have become a common sight in the windows of grocery stores scattered throughout the United States. Throughout the pandemic, the number of communities that have become food deserts, as well as the number of households that have become food insecure, has increased substantially. While volunteering at a local food pantry during the pandemic, I talked to a regular named Carmen, and she described her ...
Primary Care
Community Health
Health Equity
Health Policy
Public Health
Activism
Environment / Climate
BIPOC
Advocacy
Inspire: Helping Families with Asthma Catch Their Breath
“I did whatever I needed to for my child to get the proper services… you are the professionals, but I’m the mom.” She’s the mom. It’s these humbling moments that Mary, a panelist at the
Primary Care
Health Equity
Health Policy
Social Determinants of Health
Public Health
Environment / Climate
Advocacy
Air Quality in Southwest Detroit: A Public Health Crisis
Southwest Detroit is currently battling some of the worst air pollution in the country. In this area, where senior centers and elementary schools sit on the borders of oil refineries, residents suffer from high rates of asthma, cancer, and respiratory illness. Asthma hospitalization rates are
Primary Care
Health Equity
Health Policy
Public Health
Activism
BIPOC
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Behavioral Health / Mental Health
Advocacy
Centering the Woman in Maternity Care
Few human experiences match the intensity of stress, pain, exertion, and emotional turmoil as labor. The mortality risk in pregnancy is present for all, though Black women in the United States are
Primary Care
Health Equity
Health Policy
Public Health
Activism
Sexual and Reproductive Health
LGBTQIA+
Advocacy
Menstrual Justice Is a Matter of Health Equity: How to Fight Period Poverty and Stigma
While assisting patients in the Emergency Department (ED) one morning, I met a patient I’ll refer to as Mary. When I walked in, she was hunched over the edge of the bed, gripping her abdomen in distress. As I approached her, asking how I could make her more comfortable, she sat up slightly. She sounded ashamed as she opened up to me about not having access to menstrual products and unexpectedly starting her period while waiting in ...
How a Women’s Rights Organization in India is Changing the Culture
Years ago, a friend and I were coming home from university very late on a cool, breezy evening. The public transport was crowded, so we decided to walk home. On our way, as we crossed a dark, deserted alley, a group of men started following us, using abusive language, talking about our body parts loudly. We quickened our paces, they did the same. As we entered the street where my friend lived, we were in a state of panic. As these men crossed into ...
Reframing the Debate: Health Care Access Requires Affordable Care, Not Just Coverage
Like many Americans, Hector, a resident of Revere, Massachusetts, was overwhelmed by health care costs. He had insurance through his employer, but he could barely afford his $600 a month premiums, and he quickly learned that his coverage was not enough to keep his out-of-pocket costs manageable. Needing treatment for hearing, liver and heart conditions, Hector faced deductible costs from hospital care, $175 co-pays per visit with his specialist, and ongoing prescription costs of more than $100 ...
Primary Care
Community Health
Health Policy
Social Determinants of Health
COVID-19
Public Health
Activism
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 & Emerging Opportunities for Community-Based Healthcare
As the largest system for primary care in the United States, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) (and other community health centers) stand in a unique position to redress the
Health Equity
Health Policy
Social Determinants of Health
Public Health
Activism
Trauma
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Addiction / Substance Use Disorder
LGBTQIA+
Health Equity & Reproductive Justice: Transforming Perinatal Care Now
Drug-involved fatal poisonings for 2020 are expected to reach over