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.

Does Epidemiology Need a Rethink?

Epidemiology, the broad study of disease incidence and causality, has long formed the backbone of public health. Its rapid tabulations and population-level insights have made it an enduring discipline, which often shapes health policies across the globe. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reasserted epidemiology’s relevance in disease control and prevention. As we have all ...

The Power of a Personalized Approach: Physicians’ Fight against Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy

“There was so much information out there, I didn’t know what to do. I just wish someone had convinced me to get the vaccine,” said a COVID-19 patient we cared for a few days after he had been transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). Each day, we slowly turned up his oxygen. Each day, he could only manage a few words at a time as the virus, that has come to dominate all of our lives, ravaged his lungs. Every patient we have had in the ICU with COVID-19 in the last ...

Medication Abortion – Prioritizing Access in 2021 & Onward

Medication abortion is a common and important part of primary care…and access to safe abortion care will likely soon be made either harder or easier, depending on the state in which you live. The example of SB 8 in Texas is the most extreme currently, where no one can access an abortion in Texas if they are more than ...

Reflections on Tribal Primary Care in America

California of the pioneers, peopled by progressives of campsites with bear lockers of pines and berries of easy cilantro in markets of walnut milk of ocean vistas and Apple of fires in the woods. Our tribal health community “We want you to trust us with your primary health care,” I tell the 60-year-old patient whose body mass index (BMI) is just past obese. He is a native man who studied the classics in college and has been working on a book for 25 years. He lives with two sons ...

The Art of Meeting People Where They Are: A Community Partnership Approach for COVID Equity

Historic factors driving health disparities among the diverse Latino population in the U.S. include social determinants of health that have created barriers in COVID-19 prevention. As COVID-19 disparities became evident, dedicated clinicians, scientists and public health professionals from around the country partnered under the umbrella of the

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

From Redlining to Gentrification: The Policy of the Past that Affects Health Outcomes Today

In the 1980s, a set of historical city maps resurfaced to reveal a hidden facet of our neighborhoods—the redlined status. As it turns out, the implementation of these maps saved the housing sector and bolstered prosperity for some demographic groups but increased disparities in homeownership, wealth, and health for others. The structural inequalities set in place by federal policies over 80 years ago are still evident in communities today. As our ...

Homelessness Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: How the Perry Street Recovery Center Reminds Us to Prioritize Community Partnerships

In January 2020, Tom was 61 years old when he was evicted from his home. In the following months, an already distressing and traumatic experience was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom was living in a shelter when he first tested positive for COVID-19. He said, “I was alright, but I didn’t know what [a positive test result] meant for me.” And Tom’s story is extremely common. When people living in congregate shelters test positive for COVID-19, they have limited options. If ...

The Current State of COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts in Children

Children are absolutely essential to the success of COVID-19 vaccination efforts, as children aged 0-15 years compose nearly 20% of the United ...
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