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.

Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Music

"Music, uniquely among the arts, is both completely abstract and profoundly emotional. It has no power to represent anything particular or external, but it has a unique power to express inner states or feelings. Music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation." -Oliver Sacks, MD, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain During my sub-internship stint at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in New York's Mount Sinai hospital as a visiting international medical student, I witnessed board-certified music ...

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 ...