Laughter may be the best medicine, but only if we titrate it to effect – EMS1.com

By Tammie Bullard

Its a common phrase, that laughter is the best medicine, and EMS providers are well known for making it integral to prehospital care.

In the right context, laughter does provide evidence-based health benefits. Its been the subject of medical consideration for centuries, formal research for over 60 years and even cited as a cure for the famed Norman Cousins case during the 1960s [1-3].

Long-term physical and mental health gains for patients and paramedics are innumerable. With a focus on its more immediate, short-term benefits, it comes as no surprise that we are heavily reliant on humor within the emergency medicine environment.

Humor can elicit the following physical benefits [2-7]:

Humor also has the following positive effects on mental health [2-6]:

The beauty of this freely available, rapid-acting elixir lies within its universal language. Humans are naturally hardwired to laugh, so it is easily recognizable despite barriers of dialect, disability or environment [3,4].

So, with its limited adverse effects and minimal contraindications, why exercise caution in the administration of humor [2]?

Misuse in the healthcare setting can have devastating and long-lasting consequences. Patients and their loved ones may feel confused, embarrassed, ridiculed, dismissed and hurt by misdirected or misconstrued attempts to ease stress or tension, making them fearful of similar encounters [8]. Such reluctance to call for an ambulance has disastrous repercussions in terms of risk to future physical and mental health.

Also, with communication, behavior and attitude cited as the cause of more healthcare complaints than clinical treatment, we have a personal vested interest in avoiding offense through poor delivery or direction of humor [8-11].

So, how do we decide when to crack the comedy vial and when to dispose of its unused contents?

With its heat of the moment nature and the subsequent need to defuse high tension on scene, prehospital care can benefit through smart use of considered comedy [6]. The secret lies in maintaining compassion and exercising emotional intelligence to deliver it appropriately [8].

If we opt to include humor within our skillset, we must make it our duty to stay sharp in knowing when to use it and why.

Read next: Getting rid of the gallows humor in EMS

Tammie Bullard is a paramedic, educator and author of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic, a reflective practice text for prehospital care providers. She is passionate about best patient care and paramedic professionalism. Connect with her through LinkedIn or by visiting http://www.gbuparamedic.com.

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Laughter may be the best medicine, but only if we titrate it to effect - EMS1.com

Let’s Unite to Protect the Badger-Two Medicine – Flathead Beacon

Opinion | Guest ColumnSen. Testers Badger-Two Medicine bill needs to be acted on by Congress

By Frank Szollosi and Tom France // Jul 29, 2020

Montana Sen. Jon Tester has now introduced the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act to safeguard a critical piece of wild country on Montanas Rocky Mountain Front. This is a historic moment in the decades-long effort to protect this unique landscape from oil and gas development and Montanans should come together to support Senators Testers bill.

The Badger-Two Medicine is one of the wildest, most rugged landscapes in America where grizzlies roam the hillsides, elk ramble through the valleys, pure cutthroat trout swim in its streams and mountain goats stand sentinel high in its mountains. In addition to its importance for wildlife, the Badger has enormous cultural significance for the Blackfeet Tribe, whose members have gone to the its mountains for generations to practice religious ceremonies, gather medicine and conduct other cultural practices.

Because of its importance to the Blackfeet, the Badger-Two Medicine was part of the original Blackfeet Reservation but under pressure from gold and copper miners the federal government forced the Tribe to cede this sacred area in 1895 and it ultimately became national forest land. Today, despite its importance to the Blackfeet and its value as wildlife habitat, the Badger-Two Medicine is the only part of the Rocky Mountain Front that still isnt legislatively protected.

Without congressional protection, the Badger-Two Medicine was leased to oil and gas companies and speculators in the 1980s and tribal leaders and conservationists have fought to protect the Badger from development for the last 40 years. Earlier this year the last federal oil and gas leases were finally terminated, opening the way for Congress, led by Sen. Tester, to act.

Under Sen. Testers bill, the Forest Service would manage the Badger as a protected roadless area where only activities that would destroy these qualities and the areas cultural values would be prohibited. While new road building, mining and oil and gas development would be excluded, the Badger would still be public land open for use by every American.

But the bill also recognizes the importance of the Badger-Two Medicine to the Blackfeet people by designating a cultural heritage area and requiring regular consultation between the Blackfeet and Forest Service. The legislation also requires the Forest Service to develop a cooperative agreement with the tribe to share administrative or management activities, including public education regarding the cultural significance of the area, trail maintenance, wildlife habitat improvements, and cultural resource protection.

In addition to the added input from the Blackfeet, Sen. Testers bill will also establish a citizens advisory committee to help the Forest Service create and implement a management plan. The committee would consist of diverse stakeholders that would include both tribal and non-tribal members representing the many interests with a stake in how the Badger-Two Medicine is managed. Ultimately, even with the citizen advisory committee and the greater input from the Blackfeet, the Forest Service will retain final decision-making authority, but their decisions would be better informed, more broadly supported and more just.

Sen. Testers Badger-Two Medicine bill needs to be acted on by Congress. It is a win/win scenario across the board for the Blackfeet, hunters, anglers, backpackers, ranchers and Montanas fish and wildlife resources. Please contact Sen. Steve Daines and Congressman Greg Gianforte and ask them to join Sen. Tester in protecting one of the best places in the Last Best Place that is Montana.

Frank Szollosi is the executive director of the Montana Wildlife Federation and Tom France is the regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation.

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Let's Unite to Protect the Badger-Two Medicine - Flathead Beacon

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Releases List of Presenting Companies at the 2020 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa – GlobeNewswire

Washington, DC, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies, today released the initial slate of presenting companies at its upcoming 2020Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa. The annual event will be held October 12-16 via a virtual platform, allowing attendees from around the globe to connect with potential partners over the course of the five-day conference while avoiding any risk to their health.

The event will bring together senior executives from leading cell therapy, gene therapy, and tissue engineering companies along with large pharma and biotech, institutional investors, academic research institutions, patient advocacy groups, disease philanthropies, life science media, and more.

TheCell & Gene Meeting on the Mesafeatures presentations by 115+ leading public and private companies, highlighting technical and clinical achievements over the past 12 months in the regenerative medicine sector.

The initial slate of 2020 presenting companies includes:4BIO Capital, Adaptimmune, Adicet Bio, Adverum Biotechnologies, Aegle Therapeutics, AGTC, AIVITA Biomedical, Akron Biotech, AlloVir, Amicus Therapeutics, Anemocyte, Aposcience, Artiva Biotherapeutics, Aruvant, AskBio, Aspect Biosystems, Aspen Neuroscience, Atara Biotherapeutics, Autolus, Avectas, Avery Therapeutics, AVROBIO, Axovant Gene Therapies, Bellicum, BioCentriq, Biogen, bluebird bio, Bone Therapeutics, Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, Cabaletta Bio, Caladrius Biosciences, Capricor Therapeutics, Caribou Biosciences, Carisma Therapeutics, CARMA Cell Therapies, Castle Creek Biosciences, Cellect Biotechnology, Cellino, Celyad, Century Therapeutics, CEVEC, Corning, Covance, CRB, Cryoport, Cynata Therapeutics, DiscGenics, eGenesis, ElevateBio, Flexion Therapeutics, Frequency Therapeutics, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Gamida Cell, Genprex, GenSight Biologics, Giner Life Sciences, Glycostem Therapeutics, Gyroscope Therapeutics, HEALIOS K.K., Helixmith, Homology Medicines, I Peace, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Kuur Therapeutics, LifeSprout, Locana, LogicBio Therapeutics, Luminary Therapeutics, Mammoth Biosciences, MEDIPOST America, Mesoblast, NexImmune, Opsis Therapeutics, Orchard Therapeutics, OVIZIO, Oxford Biomedica, PDC*line Pharma, Pluristem Therapeutics, Polyplus-transfection, Poseida Therapeutics, Precision BioSciences, Prevail Therapeutics, Recombinetics, Regenerative Patch Technologies, REGENXBIO, ReNeuron, RootPath, Sangamo Therapeutics, Scaleready, SCM Lifescience, Sensorion, Senti Biosciences, Sernova, Sigilon Therapeutics, Skyland Analytics, Solid Biosciences, Standards Coordinating Body for Regenerative Medicine, StemBioSys, Stempeutics, Synthego, Talaris Therapeutics, Tenaya Therapeutics, Terumo BCT, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tikomed, TreeFrog Therapeutics, Triumvira Immunologics, uniQure, Vascugen, VERIGRAFT, ViaCyte, Vigene Biosciences, Vineti, Visicell Medical, VIVEbiotech, and WindMIL Therapeutics.

Additional event details will be updated regularly on the conference website http://www.meetingonthemesa.com.

Registration is complimentary for investors and credentialed members of the media. To learn more and to register, please visitwww.meetingonthemesa.com. For members of the media interested in attending, please contact Kaitlyn (Donaldson) Dupont atkdonaldson@alliancerm.org.

For interested organizations looking to increase exposure to this fields top decision-makers via sponsorship, please contact Laura Stringham atlparsons@alliancerm.orgfor additional information.

About the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies. ARM promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives to advance this innovative and transformative sector, which includes cell therapies, gene therapies and tissue-based therapies. Early products to market have demonstrated profound, durable and potentially curative benefits that are already helping thousands of patients worldwide, many of whom have no other viable treatment options. Hundreds of additional product candidates contribute to a robust pipeline of potentially life-changing regenerative medicines and advanced therapies. In its 11-year history, ARM has become the voice of the sector, representing the interests of 360+ members worldwide, including small and large companies, academic research institutions, major medical centers and patient groups. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visithttp://www.alliancerm.org.

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The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Releases List of Presenting Companies at the 2020 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa - GlobeNewswire

Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Calls for Multi-Stakeholder Pan-European Initiative to Fast-Track Real World Evidence in Support of Patient Access…

Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Calls for Multi-Stakeholder Pan-European Initiative to Fast-Track Real World Evidence in Support of Patient Access to Advanced Therapies

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. July 29, 2020

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organisation dedicated to realising the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies, has today called for pan-European action to fast-track the use of Real World Evidence (RWE) for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), ensuring patients have access to these transformative therapies.

ARMs newly published position paper provides clear recommendations for the European Commission to include as part of the EU Pharmaceutical Strategy, which is designed to improve and accelerate patients access to transformative therapies that are safe and affordable medicines and to support innovation in the EU pharmaceutical industry. ARMs full response to the EU Pharmaceutical Strategy Roadmap can be found on the European Commission website.

ARM calls on the European Commission to fast-track the use of RWE for ATMPs, by convening a multi-stakeholder forum, including subject matter experts from ARM, manufacturers and patient advocacy groups, to set up a European infrastructure for regular RWE use. ARM believes this collaborative approach will benefit regulators, HTA bodies, payors, manufacturers, healthcare professionals and, most importantly, patients.

This group should be focused on the following priorities:

Investment in pan-European RWE infrastructure for ATMPs will be particularly effective if clinical assessment were to be coordinated at the EU level (joint clinical assessment), while adapting national Health Technology Assessment (HTA), pricing and reimbursement processes to capture and value the long-term benefits of ATMPs. An integrated RWE infrastructure, collecting evidence of ATMP use and effectiveness across Europe, will also facilitate cross-border treatments, which are of vital importance in cases when only a limited number of specialised centers across Europe can administer the treatment.

A significant number of ATMPs are expected to obtain European marketing authorization in the years to come, resulting in an increasingly urgent need to address inefficiencies coming from a fragmented, inconsistent and often unusable RWE ecosystem in Europe. ARM advocates for the creation of pan-European infrastructure and processes to develop standards for the collection, analysis and use of RWE for ATMPs and for this infrastructure to be fully integrated in the future establishment of a European Health Data Space.

Paige Bischoff, SVP Public Affairs at ARM, commented: ARM strongly believe the EU must take a central, co-ordinating role to ensure that RWE use for ATMPs is fast-trackedto properly meet the needs of all stakeholders and enhance access to innovation. RWE is integral tocollecting evidence of ATMP use and effectiveness.Solely relying on traditional clinical trials, withoutbenefit of the proper gathering, management and use of Real World Evidence will likely create delays in guaranteeing patient access to transformative regenerative medicines and advanced therapies -- a delay that patients in need cannot afford. As the voice of the ATMP sector globally, ARM looks forward to being part of an inclusive and solution-driven dialogue with the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders in shaping the path forward for the fast and effective use of RWE for ATMPs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted even further the importance and urgency of having a common RWE infrastructure across Europe, in order to ensure critical data is available in times of crisis, when the access to healthcare centres and the conduct of traditional clinical trials are hampered.

Press inquiriesFor more information or for media requests, please contact Kaitlyn (Donaldson) Dupont from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine at kdonaldson@alliancerm.org or Consilium Strategic Communications at ARM@consilium-comms.com.

About the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is the leading international advocacy organisation dedicated to realising the promise of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).ARM promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiativesin Europe and internationally to advance this innovative and transformative sector, which includes cell therapies, gene therapies and tissue-based therapies.Early products to market have demonstrated profound, durable and potentially curative benefits that are already helping thousands of patients worldwide, many of whom have no other viable treatment options. Hundreds of additional product candidates contribute to a robust pipeline of potentially life-changing ATMPs. In its 11-year history, ARM has become the voice of the sector, representing the interests of 360+ members worldwide and 70+ members across 15 European countries, including small and large companies, academic research institutions, major medical centres and patient groups.To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visithttp://www.alliancerm.org.

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Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Calls for Multi-Stakeholder Pan-European Initiative to Fast-Track Real World Evidence in Support of Patient Access...

US regulations for regenerative medicine advanced therapies – Regulatory Focus

This article examines US regulations and guidance documents for regenerative medicine advanced therapies (RMATs). The author describes the field of regenerative medicine, noting that it is expanding at an accelerated pace, and outlines some of the common terms associated with it. He also addresses the application process for these therapies, accelerated regulatory pathways, market access, and the outlook for RMATs. The author cautions that, as exciting as these therapies are, they require a rigorous and carefully planned approach to ensure a seamless progression to regulatory approval and commercial success.IntroductionRegenerative medicine is a rapidly expanding field, offering the potential to treat serious and life-threatening conditions by replacing, or regenerating, human cells, tissues, or organs that have been damaged by disease, trauma, or congenital defects.1 With more than 200 investigational new drug (IND) applications anticipated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020,2 regenerative medicine should yield many new therapies with enormous benefits to patients, especially those with unmet medical needs.Navigating the complex regulatory environment of regenerative medicine requires companies to engage with the FDA early and often throughout the drug development process to identify and overcome potential obstacles to approval. Many of these therapies are developed by scientific institutions and medical research groups with limited inhouse regulatory resources, so it is advisable to seek external regulatory support early in the planning process.Regenerative medicines definedRegenerative medicines, as defined by the FDA, include cell therapies (non- and genetically modified), therapeutic tissue-engineering products, human cell and tissue products, and combination products using these biologic components, which lead to a sustained effect on cells and tissues.In addition, a combination product (biologic device, biologic drug, or biologic device-drug) can be eligible for regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation when the biological product constituent part is a regenerative medicine therapy and provides the greatest contribution to the overall intended therapeutic effects of the combination product (i.e., the primary mode of action of the combination product is conveyed by the biological product constituent part). In January 2020, the FDA released six final guidances on gene therapy manufacturing and clinical development of products and a draft guidance.3The FDAs policy to advance the development of safe and effective cell and gene therapies can be found here.4 This article explains some of the terminology and covers the key US regulations and guidance documents. Discussions of a select number of these documents will be published in separate articles in Regulatory Focus.TerminologyCellular & gene therapy products5Cellular therapy products include cellular immunotherapies, cancer vaccines, and other types of autologous and allogeneic cells, including hematopoietic stem cells and adult and embryonic stem cells, for certain therapeutic indications. Human gene therapy seeks to modify or manipulate the expression of a gene or to alter the biological properties of living cells for therapeutic use. The FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) has approved both cellular and gene therapy products.5Gene therapy6Gene therapy is a technique that modifies a persons faulty genes treat or cure disease and is most often applied to cancer, genetic diseases and infectious diseases. Gene therapies can work by several mechanisms:

The following figureshows CBERs organisation for pre and postmarket regulation35

Market access and outlookAs of May 2019, the FDA had granted 34 products FDA regenerative medicine advanced therapy designations.36 In all, 68 of the 100 designation applications were cell therapy products, 20 of the 34 RMAT granted products have orphan product designation, and 11 of the 34 have fast track designation. While the promise of regenerative medicines to cure disease is driving the field forward at an accelerated pace, developing these therapies require a rigorous and carefully planned approach to ensure a seamless progression to regulatory approval and commercial success.AbbreviationsANDA, abbreviated new drug application; CBER, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; HCT/P, human cell, tissue, and cellular and tissue-based product; IND, investigational new drug; PDUFA, Prescription Drug User Fee Act; rDNA, ribosomal DNA; RMAT, regenerative medicine advanced therapy.ReferencesAll references were accessed 23 July 2020.

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US regulations for regenerative medicine advanced therapies - Regulatory Focus

Support the Badger-Two Medicine Cultural Heritage Act – The Havre Daily News

Badger-Two Medicine: From Birch Creek and Family Peak in the south, to Lubec Ridge and Elk Calf Mountain in the north, the headwaters of Badger Creek and the Two Medicine River flow down from the sacred summits of Feather Woman and Heart Butte, Scarface and Morningstar, Half Dome and Kiyo Crag, Goat Mountain and the Bruin Peaks. This is classic east-of-divide country with the northern Great Plains of the Blackfeet Nation stretching far to the east.

Immediately south of Glacier National Park, this wild, mostly roadless 130,000-acre segment of Montanas Rocky Mountain Front is a cultural jewel for Blackfeet people who have worshiped here for untold generations. It is also supremely significant for Americas outdoor heritage -- the last piece of public land along a hundred miles of the Backbone of the World without lasting formal protection.

The Blackfeet Tribe has proposed designating this special place as a Cultural Heritage Area, and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has introduced the Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act, which would accomplish that goal. Testers bill correctly states that the area boasts abundant wildlife, critical clean water, spectacular natural scenery and outstanding recreational opportunities; and importantly it provides connectivity to Glacier Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, of which it is an integral part.

Testers bill will keep it like it is by protecting wildlife habitat and ensuring continued public access for traditional recreational uses including hunting, fishing, horse packing and hiking.

In recent years large wildfires burned across some of the country, which means windfallen trees across trails, so the legislation allows chainsaws for trail clearing. The Cultural Heritage Area honors tribal treaty rights and the spiritual connections the Blackfeet have for this sacred land, and it serves the best interests of all who love wild places.

Montanans overwhelmingly supported the 2014 Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act which protects all national public lands of the Front south of Birch Creek.

This latest proposal completes 40 years of continuous effort so many have worked for to ensure that our descendants can experience the special landscape of the Badger-Two Medicine the way we have. The area is finally free of oil and gas leases, so the next logical step is to formally recognize its significance as a Cultural Heritage Area.

We urge all Montanans to thank Senator Tester for introducing this bill and urge Senator Daines and Congressman Gianforte also to endorse this excellent legislation. Lets seize this opportunity for enduring protection, a win-win for all concerned. Its time to protect the Badger-Two Medicine.

The Montana Conservation Elders are an independent, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. Its membership represents a variety of conservation perspectives and our members bring experience from a wide range of fields, including journalism, publishing, teaching, law, health care, politics, outfitting and more.

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Support the Badger-Two Medicine Cultural Heritage Act - The Havre Daily News

Laughter really is the best medicine | Columns | timesenterprise.com – Times-Enterprise

I missed it again. So did the rest of America.

July 1s unofficial International Joke Day came and went without fanfare.

Thats regrettable, because we could all use a good belly laugh right now which gave me an idea.

The other day, after hearing more doom-and-gloom news while driving, I said to the Apple CarPlay app on my trucks stereo, Hey, Siri, tell me a joke.

Siri, Apples voice-activated digital assistant, replied, My cat ate a ball of yarn. She gave birth to mittens.

Thats an awfully corny joke but I laughed so hard, I accidentally steered my truck onto some roadside gravel.

When you laugh like that, its impossible to be angry or to dwell on whatever personal or business challenge may hang over your head

A belly laugh is an antidote to the self-seriousness thats one of the greatest afflictions of modern times.And with a pandemic killing thousands and crippling the economy, plus protests and social unrest, we need belly laughs more than ever.One psychologist suggests practicing laughing with a friendbecause utter seriousness can drive us to despair.

Social media gives everyone a platform to share thoughts, which is good. But some self-serious people get awfully huffy with others who disagree with or challenge their thinking. Theyre so serious and so certain that those who disagree with them are wrong, even evil, that they demonize their detractors.

They dont try to converse, debate or understand differing viewpoints. OK, boomer and OK, Karen memes offer cases in point.

Humor and laughter, wonderfully infectious, keep us from falling into the trap of self-seriousness, promoting goodwill, thoughtfulness and civility.Humor is an elixir, a tonic that is good for mind and spirt, says an executive coach.

Laughters power is incredible and that power lasts.

One of my favorite family stories dates to the early 1950s. Freddy, my dads uncle on his mothers side a real character had a neighbor who was among the first in their area to buy a VW Beetle. Behind the neighbors endless boasting about his Beetles terrific gas mileage was conceit essentially, Im smarter than you, which is why Im getting way better gas mileage than you!

Freddy began sneaking next door at night to fill the VWs gas tank. As he did so, his neighbors boasts grew louder and more tiresome the guy was ready to call the Guinness World Records people, as his VW clearly was getting more miles per gallon than any other Beetle on Earth.

After a month, Freddy continued sneaking next door. But now he siphoned gas from the Beetles tank to the point where the neighbor thought his VW was getting worse gas mileage than any other Beetle on Earth.

Were still laughing at the braggart neighbor who suddenly stopped bragging.

Theres more evidence of the power of laughter. More than 60 years ago, my mother first heard this joke, which she vividly remembers, and still laughs at:

A lady whod been grocery shopping was walking to her car when she tripped and dropped a paper bag, splattering a gallon of water, a dozen eggs, and a pound of bacon all over the pavement. She was so upset that she started crying. A drunk walked up, surveyed the situation, and told her, Dont cry, lady. It wouldnt have lived anyway. Its eyes are too far apart.

We all need to laugh more. It really is the best medicine for our current ails.

Tom Purcell, author of Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood, a humorous memoir available at amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Laughter really is the best medicine | Columns | timesenterprise.com - Times-Enterprise

Gilead Sciences and Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine Partner to Study Racial Health Inequities Associated with…

-- Funding from Gilead will support creation of data map to systematically address the impact of the disease on Black and minority communities --

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc.. (Nasdaq: GILD) and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine are working together to develop a real-time, public-facing and comprehensive health equity data platform to help address the impact of COVID-19 and other diseases on communities of color.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200728005373/en/

The tool will provide the ability to collect and study the demographic disparities associated with COVID-19, with the goal of using this data to help create actionable, evidence-based policy changes to attain health equity and ensure that disproportionately impacted communities receive resources and support. The database will also examine comorbidities associated with COVID-19, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, sickle cell anemia and depression.

COVID-19 data demonstrate that the disease disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly Black Americans.

As we have seen, COVID-19 is magnifying inequities that predate the pandemic, said Daniel E. Dawes, Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. Black Americans, Native Americans, Latinx Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans still contend with neighborhoods that are largely devoid of health-sustaining and health-protective resources, and they still contend with the political determinants or drivers that created, perpetuated and exacerbated these health inequities. We are honored to partner with Gilead to address the root causes of health inequities. Our collective effort intends to create systemic policy change and realize more equitable outcomes for all population groups.

Gilead will initially provide $1 million for the project and also to support the creation of a Black Health Equity Alliance, composed of national thought leaders, community representatives, scholars, researchers and policymakers, which will help coordinate COVID-19 education, training, information exchange and dissemination, and policy analysis.

The data we are compiling with the Satcher Health Leadership Institute will provide the insight we need to help build a better healthcare system for the Black community, said Douglas M. Brooks, Executive Director of Community Engagement at Gilead Sciences. At the core, the work we do at Gilead is being on the frontlines where the need is greatest, as weve done in HIV and hepatitis C in communities across the country. There are many hurdles in the American healthcare system for the Black community to access care and without data like this, we'll be having the same conversation when the next pandemic strikes. We look forward to working with Morehouse School of Medicine to help address these issues.

Data show that in the United States, the Black community is disproportionately impacted by COVID-19:

The data map will go live and be available to the public in the fourth quarter of 2020.

About Satcher Health Leadership Institute

The Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) aims to be the leading transformational force for health equity in policy, leadership development and research. Rooted in the legacy of its founder, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, SHLIs mission is to create systemic change at the intersection of policy and equity by focusing on three priority areas: the political determinants of health, health system transformation, and mental and behavioral health. In conjunction with key strategic partners, SHLI enhances leadership among diverse learners, conducts forward-thinking research on the drivers of health inequities and advances evidence-based policies, all in an effort to contribute to the achievement of health equity for all population groups. Learn more at https://satcherinstitute.org; https://healthequitynetwork.org.

About Morehouse School of Medicine

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), located in Atlanta, Ga., exists to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities, increase the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce and address primary health care through programs in education, research and service, with emphasis on people of color and the underserved urban and rural populations in Georgia, the nation and the world. MSM is among the nations leading educators of primary care physicians and has twice been recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for its dedication to the social mission of education. The faculty and alumni are noted in their fields for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, and are known in the community for exceptional, culturally appropriate patient care. Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctorate and masters degrees.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

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Gilead Sciences and Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine Partner to Study Racial Health Inequities Associated with...

Laughter really is the best medicine – Red Bluff Daily News

I missed it again. So did the rest of America.

July 1s unofficial International Joke Day came and went without fanfare.

Thats regrettable, because we could all use a good belly laugh right now which gave me an idea.

The other day, after hearing more doom-and-gloom news while driving, I said to the Apple CarPlay app on my trucks stereo, Hey, Siri, tell me a joke.

Siri, Apples voice-activated digital assistant, replied, My cat ate a ball of yarn. She gave birth to mittens.

Thats an awfully corny joke but I laughed so hard, I accidentally steered my truck onto some roadside gravel.

When you laugh like that, its impossible to be angry or to dwell on whatever personal or business challenge may hang over your head

A belly laugh is an antidote to the self-seriousness thats one of the greatest afflictions of modern times.And with a pandemic killing thousands and crippling the economy, plus protests and social unrest, we need belly laughs more than ever.One psychologist suggests practicing laughing with a friendbecause utter seriousness can drive us to despair.

Social media gives everyone a platform to share thoughts, which is good. But some self-serious people get awfully huffy with others who disagree with or challenge their thinking. Theyre so serious and so certain that those who disagree with them are wrong, even evil, that they demonize their detractors.

They dont try to converse, debate or understand differing viewpoints. OK, boomer and OK, Karen memes offer cases in point.

Humor and laughter, wonderfully infectious, keep us from falling into the trap of self-seriousness, promoting goodwill, thoughtfulness and civility.Humor is an elixir, a tonic that is good for mind and spirt, says an executive coach.

Laughters power is incredible and that power lasts.

One of my favorite family stories dates to the early 1950s. Freddy, my dads uncle on his mothers side a real character had a neighbor who was among the first in their area to buy a VW Beetle. Behind the neighbors endless boasting about his Beetles terrific gas mileage was conceit essentially, Im smarter than you, which is why Im getting way better gas mileage than you!

Freddy began sneaking next door at night to fill the VWs gas tank. As he did so, his neighbors boasts grew louder and more tiresome the guy was ready to call the Guinness World Records people, as his VW clearly was getting more miles per gallon than any other Beetle on Earth.

After a month, Freddy continued sneaking next door. But now he siphoned gas from the Beetles tank to the point where the neighbor thought his VW was getting worse gas mileage than any other Beetle on Earth.

Were still laughing at the braggart neighbor who suddenly stopped bragging.

Theres more evidence of the power of laughter. More than 60 years ago, my mother first heard this joke, which she vividly remembers, and still laughs at:

A lady whod been grocery shopping was walking to her car when she tripped and dropped a paper bag and two eggs fell out of the carton and broke onto the pavement. She was so upset that she started crying. A drunk walked up, surveyed the situation, and told her, Dont worry, lady. It wouldnt have lived anyway. Its eyes are too far apart.

We all need to laugh more. It really is the best medicine for our current ails.

Tom Purcell, author of Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood, a humorous memoir available at amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

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Laughter really is the best medicine - Red Bluff Daily News

Maintain records of medicine sale – The Hindu

KARUR

Collector T. Anbalagan has directed all 318 pharmacies in the district to maintain records of sale of medicine and drugs for treating fever, cold and cough.

He said the pharmacists should note down details of customers including mobile number while selling medicine.

The Health Inspectors of Karur and Kulithalai municipalities and the respective Block Development Officers should carry out periodic checks at pharmacies whether they were properly following the direction. They should send a report daily through their heads to him so as to take COVID-19 preventive steps, he said.

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Cases of COVID-19 still climbing in Burke – Morganton News Herald

Positive cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in Burke County with 22 new cases.

The Burke County Health Department reported 1,557 positive cases Wednesday, up from 1,535 cases Tuesday. The Burke County COVID-19 dashboard shows that 1,164 of the positive cases have recovered and eight residents are hospitalized. The county has previously reported 26 deaths associated with the virus.

Health Department Director Rebecca McLeod continues to remind residents to practice the three W's when in public: wear a cloth face covering when out and unable to physically distance from others; wait at least 6 feet from others; and wash hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.

McLeod said it also is imperative for those testing positive to stay home until their isolation time has been completed and those who are sick to stay home until symptom-free.

The Health Department will hold adrive-thru COVID-19 testing clinic from 1-4 p.m Sunday at the Jonas Ridge Fire Department in the Jonas Ridge community of Burke County.

The test is free, but people should bring their insurance card, the Health Department says. The department says its preferred for those wanting a test to pre-register by calling 828-764-9168, but drop-ins are welcome. Pre-registration is so officials will know how many staffers and how much supplies will be needed. People wanting a test dont have to be a Burke County resident.

On Tuesday, Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said she expects the state will be done with testing at nursing homes and nursing care facilities statewide by the end of this week or early next week.

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Cases of COVID-19 still climbing in Burke - Morganton News Herald

Earle Chambers, Ph.D., MPH, Appointed Director of Research in Department of Family and Social Medicine at Einstein and Montefiore – PRNewswire

"As a department, we continue to place health equity front and center, and it's my goal to have our research agenda reflect that," said Dr. Chambers, who began his career at Einstein and Montefiore in 2007. "There's an understanding that if we are going to value all lives, then we need to address the social determinants that put extra burden on the most vulnerable in our population to achieve overall health and wellness, and so we need to do more."

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted societal inequities that have led to a disproportionate rate of infections and deaths among minority populations, Dr. Chambers noted. Many people of lower-income and people of color were deemed essential in the pandemic but faced challenges with safe transportation, overcrowded housing that did not allow for social distancing, and lack of proper personal protective equipment. Yet, even without a pandemic, food insecurity, lack of access to care, structural racism, and other factors lead to poor health.

"Are we trying to close racial and ethnic disparities that lead to those adverse health outcomes? Are we asking research questions that speak to closing those gaps? How do we support investigators interested in those questions?" Dr. Chambers asked. "One of the things I want to do is lead the development of a health equity research lab, which would provide dedicated resources at Einstein to support interdisciplinary studies of social determinants of health and the inequities that result in harmful outcomes for some people."

Dr. Chambers also said he would like to help build a diverse pipeline of investigators, including medical students, residents, and fellows, to explore health equity research questions.

"I'm very happy to appoint Dr. Chambers to this position. He has been a productive member of our research faculty since 2007 and has collaborated widely with other investigators at Montefiore-Einstein," said Peter Selwyn, M.D., M.P.H., chair of family and social medicine and professor of medicine, of epidemiology & population health, and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "In addition to conducting important original research, he is a valued and sought-after teacher and mentor. I know Earle will do an outstanding job, and will help expand our research efforts in social determinants and health equity in the Bronx and beyond."

Dr. Chambers earned his B.S. in biology from Duke University, his master's in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and his Ph.D. in epidemiology with a concentration on chronic disease from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the New York Obesity Research Center (now the New York Obesity Nutrition Center), at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, before joining the Einstein faculty. He has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for studies on how social determinants of health, such as housing and neighborhood conditions, affect behaviors and health outcomes for patients, both as individuals and as part of larger communities.

About Albert Einstein College of MedicineAlbert Einstein College of Medicineis one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D.students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centersat Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit http://www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, followus on Twitter, like us on Facebook,and view us on YouTube.

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Earle Chambers, Ph.D., MPH, Appointed Director of Research in Department of Family and Social Medicine at Einstein and Montefiore - PRNewswire

SentryHealth Partners with Prescient Medicine to Offer Pharmacogenetic Testing – PR Web

Using the insights gained from pharmacogenetic testing, we can help individuals achieve significantly better outcomes, both physically and financially, often in a shorter timeframe.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (PRWEB) July 29, 2020

SentryHealth, an industry leader inworkplacehealthmanagement, today announcedits partnership with Prescient Medicine to include LifeKit PreScript pharmacogenetic testing as part of its WellOnMyWay health and wellness program.

"Pharmacogenetics, or PGx, testing is proven to support efforts to improve employee health and lower health care costs for both employees and their employers, said Terry Minton, Prescient Medicines COO-Louisville. Its quickly becoming a new standard of care when prescribing, enabling health care providers to choose the best, most appropriate medications specific to an individual.

With a DNA sample from a quick cheek swab, the Prescient Medicine LifeKit PreScript analyzes an individuals genetic makeup to determine the most effective medications and optimal dosing levels. The test report also informs their health care providers of harmful or ineffective medications to avoid adverse reactions.

LifeKit PreScript will serve as an integral component of WellOnMyWay, targeting critical health care areas such as behavioral health, pain management, cardiac health, and other chronic illnesses. Individuals with these types of issues will benefit from greater support to manage their conditions through better care coordination and tailored health and wellness guidance.

As part of our initiative to guide advanced, hyper-personalized health and wellness journeys, we are pleased to partner with Prescient Medicine, commented J. Kevin Porter, CEO of SentryHealth. Using the insights gained from pharmacogenetic testing, we can help individuals achieve significantly better outcomes, both physically and financially, often in a shorter timeframe.

About SentryHealth

SentryHealthdrives better health and wellness nationwide through personalized, full-service well-being management solutions. Their unique, technology-driven approach redefines employee wellness through a unique fusion of advanced analytics, industry-leading wellness programs, and high-touch employee outreach and incentive management.Learn more by visitinghttps://www.sentryhealth.com.

About Prescient Medicine Holdings, Inc.

Prescient Medicine is a privately held company focused on developing diagnostic tools that advance the precision healthcare movement. Prescient Medicine's mission is to accelerate the development, commercialization and deployment of advanced clinical diagnostics to address the most pressing public health issues in the U.S. Prescient Medicine builds powerful tests and analytic solutions to offer deep predictive insights so doctors and patients have the data they need to make better, more informed clinical decisions, and achieve the best possible patient outcomes.

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Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Opens and Welcomes Its First Class of Future Physician Leaders and Health Equity Advocates -…

"All of us at the school are excited to welcome 50 phenomenal students who are compassionate, mission-driven, collaborative, and very smart and are poised to become the next generation of leaders in medicine," said Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, Founding Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. "As our nation grapples with a devastating pandemic, long overdue attention to social injustice, and entrenched disparities in health and health care, we are excited to train students who will become outstanding clinicians and skilled advocates for patients and communities. I am thrilled about our incoming class as well as the faculty and staff who have come together to participate in their education."

The school's curriculum is built on the three pillars of biomedical science, clinical science and health systems science. Students will learn in an environment that reflects the changing demographics of America and the multi-faceted health care issues facing society. The school has woven equity, inclusion, and diversity into all aspects of its design. Student well-being is built into the school's fiber with a dedicated course focused on supporting well-being and building resilience skills; sessions with a clinical psychologist; and robust academic support. This is all accomplished in a variety of settings, from the technology-enhanced classrooms in its new education building, to clinical settings that span in scale from large hospitals and outpatient facilities to community-based, federally qualified health centers.

"We proudly welcome the inaugural class to our innovative new medical school that reflects Kaiser Permanente's deep commitment to providing high-quality, affordable health care and improving the health of our members and the communities we serve," said Gregory Adams, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente. "I believe these students will be inspired by Bernard Tyson's legacy as they gain the knowledge, skills and passion tobecome future physician leaders and health equity advocates who will help our diverse communities thrive."

Students will be immersed in the clinic starting in week three of school as they learn from Permanente Medical Group physician preceptors and their care teams. Students will follow patients over time in longitudinal integrated clerkships spanning their first two years of medical school, in Kaiser Permanente's groundbreaking integrated health care system, now in its 75th year, and one of the nation's highest-performing health care organizations that excels in patient-centered care and population health.

"Integrating the students into our KP care teams will provide them with an innovative learning environment and a unique platform to practice Permanente Medicine which emphasizes patient-centered, equitable, compassionate, high quality, evidence-based care," said Edward Ellison, MD, executive medical director and chairman of the Board, Southern California Permanente Medical Group; Co-CEO, The Permanente Federation. "Our physicians and care teams look forward to welcoming the students and embracing, supporting, educating, and empowering the next generation of physicians as healers, change agents, and leaders."

Plans for the school began more than a decade ago, and formal development was put in motion by the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Boards of Directors in 2015. The school's Board of Directors was first convened in September 2016. After former Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson unexpectedly passed away in November 2019, the school's board renamed the school after Tyson to honor his deep commitment to the school, and his tireless work on behalf of health equity and the health of communities.

"The board is thrilled with the caliber and diversity of the student body matriculating to the school, and by the promise of these individuals to become the types of physicians that our country so ardently needs," said Holly Humphrey, MD, President of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and Chairperson of the school's Board of Directors. "The confluence of these talented people and the school's imaginative and forward-thinking curriculum will be exciting to experience."

Last year, the school announced full tuition waivers for its first five classes entering 2020 through 2024, for all four years of their education. In the school's final lead-up to opening, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the school to be creative and adapt to the new environment. These included the need to recruit the first class of admitted students virtually, refine the curriculum to support a hybrid approach, with some parts taught in person, following public health guidelines such as distancing and masking, and other parts taught virtually, and implement strict health, safety, and facility cleaning standards. The school will integrate COVID-19 into its case-based curriculum by examining the biology of the virus itself, addressing clinical implications of COVID-19 as it presents, and integrating it into the context of racial and ethnic disparities, public health surveillance, vaccine development and delivery, and the impact of the economy on health.

Prospective students for the school's second class can submit their primary application by October 1, 2020. For more information, visit the school's admissions web page at https://medschool.kp.org/admissions.

About the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is devoted first and foremost to offering an outstanding, forward-thinking medical education. Its curriculum is built on the three pillars of Biomedical Science, Clinical Science, and Health Systems Science. Students will thinkbroadly about the ways care can be more effective for everyone and learn how to advocate for better health in homes, school, workplaces, neighborhoods, and society at large. The school will incorporate many of the most innovative and effective educational practices available today and will give students the opportunity to learn from the physicians and care teams in Kaiser Permanente's integrated health care system.This approach will provide future physicians with the knowledge and skills to play key roles in the transformation of healthcare in our nation and help people from all backgrounds and settings thrive. Learn more at medschool.kp.org.

Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Fact Sheet

Located in Pasadena, California 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles the school is centered in a modern, newly constructed 80,000-square foot, four-story building designed for active learning, collaboration, and a technologically advanced education. The new medical education building was designed by the Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign with input from the City of Pasadena Design Commission.

Other features of the school include:

Learn more at medschool.kp.org

Contact Winston Chang [emailprotected] 626.726.1994

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http://www.kaiserpermanente.org

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Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Opens and Welcomes Its First Class of Future Physician Leaders and Health Equity Advocates -...

Medicine supplies stretched and must be boosted ahead of possible second wave of coronavirus, MPs warn – Evening Standard

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Stockpiles of medicines need to be boosted ahead of a possible second wave of coronavirus, MPs have warned.

In a report examining the economic impact of Covid-19, the Commons International Trade Committee said the typical six-month "buffer stock" of supplies needs to be increased.

It found that UK trade in essential goods like pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and food had mainly managed well in the crisis, but more action was needed.

MPs on the committee said: "UK supply chains in these critical sectors have largely held up during the pandemic, despite spikes in demand, disruption to production and freight, and export bans in some countries.

"While UK supply chains for medicines have proved to be resilient, they can only be stretched so far.

"The Government must ensure that buffer stock of medicines (which typically only lasts up to six months) is being replenished in case of a further pandemic wave."

Committee chairman and SNP MP Angus MacNeil said dealing with the economic impact of coronavirus was a matter of "intimidating complexity".

He said: "The question now facing trade policymakers is not only how to help economies respond to the damage caused by Covid-19 but also how to better prepare for a similarly dire scenario in the future.

"It is a task of intimidating complexity and seeing it through will require political dexterity.

"Ensuring supply-chain resilience and access to essential goods needs smart solutions that avoid falling into the trap of short-sighted protectionism.

"At the same time, the Department for International Trade must ensure it provides the right support to UK businesses as they rebuild, as well as leading international efforts to respond to this disease through co-ordinated trade policy. Their successes and failures will affect us all."

The committee also called for the Government to consider adjusting intellectual property provisions to allow for compulsory licensing of therapeutic drugs or vaccines against Covid-19.

MPs said this could be a means of ensuring they can be made available as quickly, widely and cheaply as possible.

The committee called on the Department for International Trade (DIT) to "improve communication" about how it can support exporters to recover from the pandemic.

The report expressed "concern" about the lack of a co-ordinated international trade plan early in the pandemic.

MPs said this was in contrast to what happened in the 2008 financial crisis and called on the Government "to act to ensure that temporary disruptions do not become permanent barriers to trade".

The MPs also urged transparency, stating: "The committee calls on the Government to be as open as possible about the measures it is considering to address supply chain vulnerabilities.

"It asks for clarity about how the Government will balance national security with its ambition to be a global champion of free trade.

"The report calls on DIT to step up its efforts in helping inward investors.

"The committee also calls on the Government to set out its approach to investment agreements in light of issues raised by the pandemic.

"Following concerns about predatory investors taking advantage of the devaluation of assets in the pandemic, the committee asks the Government to set out how it will strike a balance between screening investment for security concerns and promoting inward investment."

A Government spokeswoman said the Department for International Trade was leading a review, called Project Defend, aimed at strengthening supply chains for critical goods.

She added: "Medical supplies are critical to the Government's response to coronavirus and the department's global team has worked around the clock to support the continued flow of medical supplies and equipment and other essential goods into the UK.

"The Department for Health and Social Care is doing everything possible to prepare for all scenarios and protect NHS patients including building a stockpile of crucial medicines."

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Medicine supplies stretched and must be boosted ahead of possible second wave of coronavirus, MPs warn - Evening Standard

Laughter is the best medicine – Morganton News Herald

I missed it again. So did the rest of America.

July 1s unofficial International Joke Day came and went without fanfare.

Thats regrettable, because we could all use a good belly laugh right now which gave me an idea.

The other day, after hearing more doom-and-gloom news while driving, I said to the Apple CarPlay app on my trucks stereo, Hey, Siri, tell me a joke.

Siri, Apples voice-activated digital assistant, replied, My cat ate a ball of yarn. She gave birth to mittens.

Thats an awfully corny joke but I laughed so hard, I accidentally steered my truck onto some roadside gravel.

When you laugh like that, its impossible to be angry or to dwell on whatever personal or business challenge may hang over your head.

A belly laugh is an antidote to the self-seriousness thats one of the greatest afflictions of modern times.And with a pandemic killing thousands and crippling the economy, plus protests and social unrest, we need belly laughs more than ever.One psychologist suggests practicing laughing with a friendbecause utter seriousness can drive us to despair.

Social media gives everyone a platform to share thoughts, which is good. But some self-serious people get awfully huffy with others who disagree with or challenge their thinking. Theyre so serious and so certain that those who disagree with them are wrong, even evil, that they demonize their detractors.

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Laughter is the best medicine - Morganton News Herald

Doctor touted by Trump believes alien DNA is in medicine and demon dream sex is an actual problem – The Week

Using paint and a syringe, Michael Gittes found a way to express his appreciation for the medical workers fighting the coronavirus.

The Los Angeles artist decided he wanted to give paintings to the employees of a hospital that had been hit especially hard by COVID-19, and selected Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn. He chose flowers as his subject because "even though these people are all part of a big, beautiful garden, I wanted them to know they were all individual flowers, and without them, there would be no garden," he told The Washington Post. Gittes used a syringe to drip the paint because it is "a symbol of healing."

Interfaith Medical Center has 1,800 employees, and it took Gittes more than three months to complete the project. The paintings were distributed on July 13, with everyone nurses, custodians, security guards, doctors, administrators, and cafeteria workers receiving their own work of art.

Account representative Sheila Arthur-Smith was hospitalized with COVID-19 in March, and on the day she was able to go home, her sister died of the virus. "I see Michael's painting as a memorial to my sister, and I'll never forget that he created this for me from his heart," she told the Post. "It's incredible to me that he took the time to paint so many portraits and show that the work we have done is not in vain and that we're loved. It's a phenomenal gift." Catherine Garcia

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Doctor touted by Trump believes alien DNA is in medicine and demon dream sex is an actual problem - The Week

The Hive forced to close its doors – Medicine Hat News

By MO CRANKER on July 29, 2020.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com

Medicine Hats downtown artist hub is closing its doors after 10 years in the community.

The Hive art studio and gallery recently announced its closure, which was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Things have been tricky for us in the past few years, said board of directors president Wendy Struck. When our studios were full, we were in pretty good shape.

Our costs were always higher than the money we brought in through the studios, so we always had to work to fill that gap.

We had our studios booked this year, but COVID-19 happened and it made things even harder.

The Hive originated as a pilot project by the Canadian Badlands and Medalta around 2010. At that point in time, one had to apply to get studio time at the Hive. People were able to apply for three, six or 12 months and did not have to pay to use the studio.

After a couple years, the project ended and the Hive became a not-for-profit society thanks to a small group who took it over.

After the project ended, we kept it running and had artists pay for the space they were using, said Struck. Our mission statement was to provide safe, affordable space to artists and creative people, and to exhibit their work in our gallery.

Struck has been with the Hive since 2011 and has seen it transform over the years into a building with 10 studios. She is proud of what it became.

Its all about having a creative community and having a creative presence downtown, she said. I think our space was able to provide that creative community to so many artists over the years.

Struck says the space will be missed.

Its hard to leave, for sure, she said. Its difficult, but in a way it feels like its time and this is a natural ending in a way.

I dont think theres anything else like this in the city, but maybe that will happen again in a different space in the future.

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Practicing Medicine In The Era Of Private Equity, Venture Capital And Public Markets – Forbes

Healthcare delivery firms are increasingly owned by private equity, venture capital, and public ... [+] markets. Ethical operations of these firms will require new guardrails.

In the last decade, there has been a remarkable shift in ownership of healthcare delivery.Previously independent, physician-owned medical practices have been acquired by private equity firms and publicly traded corporations.The rationale for these acquisitions istypically two-fold.First, the acquiring entity can streamline cost structures and implement management practices to lower the overall cost of delivering care.Second, these firms can use their consolidated position in the marketplace to extract more favorable rates from third-party payers. In addition to private equity and publicly traded companies, venture capital firms have invested heavily in healthcare hoping to reap rewards from new models of care delivery.

Contrary to others observers of these trends, I believe thischange in ownership of healthcare is not intrinsically good or bad.There are countless examples of not-for-profit healthcare organizations behaving in predatory ways, just as there are examples of for-profit healthcare organizations operating altruistically.In addition, private capital does create opportunities to transform care delivery at scalein meaningful ways that otherwise might not otherwise receive investment.

This change in ownership does, however, create a new operating reality where the previous central tenet of healthcare deliverydoing what is best for the patientnow has a competing imperative: doing what is best for shareholders and investors.The code of professionalism taught in medical schools butts up against the fiduciary responsibility taught in business schools.I believe that publicly traded healthcare firms and their private equity counterparts must must proactively build ethical frameworks that ensure that these two imperatives conflict do not conflict.

In the past several months, I have observed several cases where these competing priorities were handled poorly.A hiring freeze was implemented in a clinical care company because of potential earnings shortfalls by its publicly-traded parentdespite clear patient need for clinical services.In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a private equity owned home-based assessments company continued to perform non-clinical coding visits to capture more Medicare Advantage revenue.Entering a new funding cycle, a venture-backed healthcare company pushed its physicians for schedule follow-up visits earlier than needed to improve revenue and enhance the companys valuation.In each of these cases, a business imperative trumped a clinical onein each case introducing potential harm to patients for the benefit of shareholders and investors.

I believe that shareholders and investors have a longer-term interest in preserving the clinical ethics of the healthcare organizations in which they invest.There is growing momentum to limit the influence of private capital in healthcare.In California, for example, lawmakers introduced legislation requiring the State to approve any transaction in which a healthcare provider organization is being acquired by private equity.To be sure, this is a reaction to to the belief that private enterprise can not be trusted to do what is in the public interestin the way the medical profession historically has been trusted. The need for investor-backed healthcare to adopt a clear and defensible ethical framework has never been greater.I believe this framework has four parts: 1) board obligations and composition; 2) organizational structure; 3) clinical decision-making governance; and 4) compensation design.

Boards of private equity and public traded firms owning healthcare delivery assets must commit to a dual obligation to investors and shareholders and patients; and commit to the idea that when these interests are in conflict, the obligation to patients trumps others interests.Many decisions are made in organizations without adequate consideration of clinical impact because boards are not expected or empowered to consider these impacts.The monocular focus on creating shareholder value or long-term returns frees them from considering deleterious clinical impact.Enlightened boards and board members will often implicitly consider patient impactbut this is by no means an industry standard.Companies operating in healthcare must visibly and meaningfully acknowledge at the highest level that when human interests and financial interests collide, human interests will supersede financial interest in decision-making.This is a controversial notion to some who believe corporations need a single organizing objective.However, the only way investor-back healthcare will sustainably earn and maintain the public trust is to embrace this dual obligation and hierarchy.

To enable this dual obligation, companies should adopt an organizational structure in which the the chief clinical executive (often the chief medical officer) has dual reporting to the chief executive and the board.I have observed a deleterious trend where chief clinical executives are not reporting directly to the chief executives, sometimes reporting to chief operating officers or chief financial officers.I believe the enhanced primacy of clinical decision-making in these organizations demands a seat at two tablesthe organizational executive committee, leveling the chief medical officer equivalent to other corporate officers, but also a direct line to the board of directors.This structure is similar to the dual reporting many publicly traded companies adopt with other high priority areas such as compliance.The board must have direct visibility into clinical care operations in order to take responsibility for its ethical administration.This structure is not to absolve chief executive officers of their responsibilitybut to create a necessary counterbalance to the profit motive.

To further enhance the clinical sophistication of boards, organizations should consider a dedicated board position of an independent clinical director, a full-time practicing clinician or patient whose job it is to enhance the clinical perspective and decision-making of the boardand constantly ask the question how will the affect the patient. Too often, the physician voices (if any) on boards are physicians whose days in full-time clinical practice are far in the past and whose perspectives are more dominated by business considerations than clinical ones.Boards must be vigilant and thoughtful about installing a thoughtful clinical conscience in the form of a practicing physician or patient.

Clinical organizations must further adopt a governance norm that any decision that is clearly clinical in nature will ultimately be made by clinicians.To be sure, operations and finance leaders can and should provide input into clinical decisions.However, I havetoo often observed non-clinicians providing input into clinical decisions without adequate consideration of the consequences.The staffing example provided earlier is emblematic.Clinical decisions should ultimately be made by people expert in clinical care who are ultimately most capable of balancing trade-offs between business and clinical imperatives..

Finally, there must be vigilance around the design of incentives to ensure that clinical incentives payments of any kind are not tied to any potential source of harm to patientsoveruse, under-use, or misuse of clinical servicesor any imperative to enhance billing documentation (I.e. HCC coding).This may be the trickiest to implement, as companies typically use a combination of incentive payments and stock to reward performanceeach of which may be tied indirectly to decisions made by clinicians on a daily basis.Where possible,incentives must be tied most closely to clinical outcomes.

The incursion of private equity and publicly traded firms into healthcare delivery has grown increasingly controversialespecially as these firms grow in number and an increasing share of US healthcare is being delivered by entities whose stated primary obligation is to investors, not patients and communities.Private equity and public markets are not incompatible with ethical medical practice, but they do require enhanced ethical safeguards; the same might be said for large integrated delivery systems whose behaviors and business practices increasingly resemble for-profit companies more than community-based non-profits..The time is now for all types of organizations to proactively adopt frameworks to ensure that in the rush to create value our care and concern for the patient is not lostand that the ethical mores underlying the practice of medicine are not permanently compromised.

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Practicing Medicine In The Era Of Private Equity, Venture Capital And Public Markets - Forbes

Sports medicine innovations improve TACP health, readiness > Team McChord > Article Display – 62nd Airlift Wing

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --

Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Airmen have a unique job. They embed with units on the front lines of battlefields to call in air strikes during a fight.

The TACP Airmen of the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron perform jobs that require some of the highest levels of physical fitness in the Air Force. With that level of performance often comes injuries both from the job itself, and from the physical training required to maintain that performance.

The risk of injury has always existed, but the way the military has dealt with that risk has changed over time. In the past, TACP Airmen often worked for as long as they could before injuries stopped them from continuing in their career field. Treatment of those injuries was reactive, trying to repair damage or manage pain.

Over the past two and a half years, the Air Force has changed its approach from reactive to preventative medicine, partnering TACP squadrons with medical professionals to bring medical care directly to Airmen in their units.

When David Friederich, a special warfare exercise physiologist, arrived at the 5th ASOS nearly three years ago, 35 percent of the unit was on a duty limiting condition profile. Now, not a single member is on a profile. The average time it took for a TACP Airman to receive care for an injury, including waiting for a primary care doctors appointment, being referred to any necessary specialists, and getting treatment, was 27 days. The average time to get treatment now is just two days.

We work really hard to get them in, educate them and try to point them in the right direction, said Todd OMealy, a chiropractor at Madigan Army Medical Center who cares for service members there, as well as the 5th ASOS, 1st Special Forces Group and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Weve come up with game plans for each individual to get them to be able to take care of themselves.

The focus on ensuring Airmen having an active role in their own health has included bringing not only a well-equipped gym into the squadron building, but also a range of recovery options including cryotherapy, infrared heat therapy and even weekly yoga classes.

Its always great to be able to walk out of your office and have what you need to finish your workout for the day or burn off some stress, said Master Sgt. Nicholas Altgilbers, 5th ASOS operations superintendent. Thats just the first order effects. The second, third and fourth order effects are what it does for the younger guys. They see that the Air Force is investing in them and their wellness.

The changing mindset around health hasnt stopped at bringing medical care to the squadron. Physical training standards have evolved to reflect the need for overall fitness rather than a focus on either strength or speed. The TACP Airmen take the Tier 2 Operator Fitness Test which is designed to test the muscular and aerobic strength and endurance required for their career field.

"Back in the day, it was the tendency to go very heavy on the cardio or very heavy on the lifting, said Reid Inman, 5th ASOS assistant director of operations. Yes, we had some really fast guys and some really strong guys but the question was, are we really doing what we need to accomplish the job which is probably something more in the middle. As weve examined our own PT standards and gone to the tier two test, were helping bring everyone in toward that middle.

From strength and conditioning, to preventing injuries and treating injuries that cant be prevented, 5th ASOS Airmen are now, more than ever, ready to go anywhere, anytime.

Our operators have a unique job, thus we try to be unique in how we go about providing care for them, Friederich said. If we can increase deployability, lethality and retainability , then weve done our job.

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Sports medicine innovations improve TACP health, readiness > Team McChord > Article Display - 62nd Airlift Wing