With the recent rise in flu cases and the increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases nationally putting a strain on the health care system, the burden on health care professionals across multiple professions is rising to levels last seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through each wave of the pandemic, in intensive care units (ICU) across the country, teams worked to pull patients back from the brink of death using invasive, life-sustaining therapies.
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Opinion
With Nancy Pelosi, we witnessed one of the political greats
When writing thousands of columns about American politics, there are some you'd like to have back. The worst I ever wrote was in 2010, calling on then-House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to step aside.
The Democrats had just lost 63 seats in the midterm elections; I reasoned that “shellacking,” as President Obama termed it, called for a change in leadership. Diane Dewhirst, a top aide, cautioned me that was wrong and would not be forgotten.
That stupid column — had ...
The legacy of Nancy Pelosi
The decision of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to step down from her leadership position provides an important opportunity to assess the legacy of the first woman to lead the legislative branch of our government. When Pelosi arrived on Capitol Hill, many dismissed her as the personification of the “San Francisco liberal” Democrat that conservatives had castigated. After three and a half decades of legislative achievements and skilled political helmsmanship, no one doubts her hist...
After midterms, the return of the ‘pen and phone’
The pattern has become so common now that we may take it for granted: A president, particularly a Democratic president, has control of Congress for the first two years of his first term; during those two years he focuses on major legislation. For President Clinton it was the Family and Medical Leave Act and a failed attempt at health care reform. For President Obama, it was the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd Frank Act. And for President Biden it was the Inflation Reduction Act and num...
After midterms, the return of the ‘pen and phone’
The pattern has become so common now that we may take it for granted: A president, particularly a Democratic president, has control of Congress for the first two years of his first term; during those two years he focuses on major legislation. For President Clinton it was the Family and Medical Leave Act and a failed attempt at health care reform. For President Obama, it was the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd Frank Act. And for President Biden it was the Inflation Reduction Act and num...
The midterms show the US needs healing in more ways than one
Have you noticed that meanness and mockery have become a mainstay of our political process and that debate and open exchange of ideas have all but disappeared? Social media and cable news are partly responsible for stoking these flames but they have also become essential parts of our political process.
This is deeply disturbing, especially at a time when the nation is coming out of a damaging pandemic we badly need to heal from. We need kindness and compassion, but inste...
What the Democrats’ surprising midterm means for the party
The Democratic Party vastly exceeded expectations in Tuesday’s midterm elections, bucking anti-incumbent historical trends and overcoming an unfavorable national political environment.
Republicans will likely end up controlling the House by a few seats — as opposed to 15 to 20, as most predicted — and Democrats appear to have won control of the Senate, given the victory of incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly in Arizo...
House Republican leadership an oxymoron
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Midwives can alleviate the maternal health crisis. Here’s how.
In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, maternal mortality is on the minds of many Americans. The United States has long been worst-in-class among developed nations in maternal mortality, and maternal care access keeps getting worse. There’s never been a better time to act. The first step is empowering the professionals who can help change this situation, which some simple federal rule changes can help accomplish.
A whopping 42 percent of births (over 1....
Post Roe, America must end its staggering maternal health crisis
When a child is born, medical providers quickly calculate the Apgar score. Using a 0-10 scale, numbers are assigned to gauge the baby’s breathing, pulse rate and other vitals. A score below 7 is a sign of potential distress that may require emergency care.
If there was an Apgar score for maternal health, our nation wouldn’t come close to a 7.
Nearly 1,200 women in the United States — almost 60 percent of whom were women of color — died in 2...