State of Health - Latest Comments

Re: Woman Seeks Help for Post-Partum Depression. A Nurse Calls the Cops.

DocTaurus — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 12:53:41 -0000

I'm a licensed psychologist (we are all trained to assess risk of harm to self/others), and this is a tricky area. Nurses and doctors are not trained in the nuances of mental health assessment, nor should they be because that is the singular role of psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health practitioners (master's level therapists and LCSWs). What this clinic should have done is refer Porten to a mental health clinician in the clinic who could do a more thorough screening to determine if more intensive evaluation was needed at a hospital. However, many clinics don't have mental health clinicians on staff, which necessitated outside assessment (hence the call to police). Our mandated reporting laws and state boards scare people into thinking that they'll get sued or stripped of licenses for any negligence big or small, so the nurse was trying to cover all bases, understandably. I wish the nurse had been more empathic and transparent in the process, though. Should the nurse be sued for calling the police? Absolutely not. If there was any risk of imminent danger, even a psychologist would do the same thing (or help folks get taken to the hospital via family/partner).

However, all clinics need mental health practitioners on hand to more thoroughly assess mental health (in a more caring and tactful way, especially) and make appropriate referrals to local therapists. Instead of bills/legislation that require screening assessments from doctors and nurses who are NOT TRAINED in mental health, we should instead be pushing for mental health clinicians to be on-call or working with clinics/hospitals to assess mental health issues in the moment because they have the knowledge and training to adequately assess risk.

Re: Doctors Prepare for Possible Immigration Enforcement Visits At Hospitals

virgil — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 09:13:24 -0000

Is it too much to hope that Libby Schaff can be shipped to Guantanamo ??

Re: Doctors Prepare for Possible Immigration Enforcement Visits At Hospitals

Wilberofcourse — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 13:46:54 -0000

Illegal is illegal. If they don't like it, go home.

Re: Woman Seeks Help for Post-Partum Depression. A Nurse Calls the Cops.

Ryan — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 07:55:57 -0000

I have to say having worked in a mandated reporting space in California I would have done the same thing. It may not have been the right thing but when your trained on mandated reporting they scare the crap out of you about failure to immediately report. Granted this was 18 years ago I have no idea if the law has changed.

Re: Woman Seeks Help for Post-Partum Depression. A Nurse Calls the Cops.

Zoey — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:31:26 -0000

wow, I'm so sorry you had that experience. The nurse's first call should have been to her supervising physician to demand the physician come in for an evaluation. Of course, that is not always going to give you any better results. I truly hope you've gotten the help you need. I applaud your goals to change the laws to ensure patient care comes first.

Re: Treating Domestic Violence As A Medical Problem

Wilberofcourse — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:46:28 -0000

Apparently hasn't dulled her appetite.

Re: Woman Seeks Help for Post-Partum Depression. A Nurse Calls the Cops.

Rita Lewis — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 00:21:08 -0000

Never say to anyone you are having violent thoughts. They turn it against you although you did not follow through with the thought. So sad you can't be honest with anyone without being looked at like a criminal.

Re: Complaints Rise in California as Nursing Homes Evict Poor Patients

Romie Grace — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:13:02 -0000

The rich white alt-right establishment has decided to let the low income and poor elderly die off by denying long term aid and care. Then only rich white elderly will exist. It's called genocide of poor elderly. Just let die off. Don't have to worry with them anymore. Soon it will be the low income adults and children the rich white American establishment will be killing off.

Re: Complaints Rise in California as Nursing Homes Evict Poor Patients

Wilberofcourse — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:56:20 -0000

Michelle Obama helped create a notorious program that dumped poor patients on community hospitals.

The University of Chicago Medical Center has received a good deal of justly opprobrious press over its policy of "redirecting" low-income patients to community hospitals while reserving its own beds for well-heeled patients requiring highly profitable procedures. Substantial coverage was given to a recent indictment of the program by the American College of Emergency Physicians. ACEP's president, Dr. Nick Jouriles, released a statement suggesting that the initiative comes "dangerously close to ‘patient dumping,' a practice made illegal by the Emergency Medical Labor and Treatment Act, and reflected an effort to ‘cherry pick' wealthy patients over poor."

Oddly absent from most of the unflattering press coverage of UCMC's patient-dumping scheme is any mention of the role our new First Lady played in devising the program. A laudable exception has been the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported last August that "Michelle Obama -- currently on unpaid leave from her $317,000-a-year job as a vice president of the prestigious hospital -- helped create the program."

Re: Complaints Rise in California as Nursing Homes Evict Poor Patients

Wilberofcourse — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 14:42:12 -0000

This was what Michelle Obama used to do.

Re: Wrecked And Retching: Obscure Vomiting Illness Linked To Long-Term Pot Use

Lynn Duff — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 10:14:40 -0000

We've been through Ms. Queen's

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Peter Olins — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 18:48:34 -0000

I'm confused: are you proposing that we test pesticides on humans?

I am totally against unnecessary animal suffering, but occasionally, human well-being trumps the "rights" of other animals. On the other hand, I question whether the common practice of administering the 'maximum tolerated dose' of a toxic substance is either scientifically valid or ethical.

Now, when the 'bots take over the world, perhaps the definition of ethics will change.

Re: Health Giant Sutter Destroys Evidence In Crucial Antitrust Case Over High Prices

DrG — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 21:45:27 -0000

What a ridiculous reply. The records that were destroyed were PAPER documents, not emails. Did you not even read the first paragraph??

Re: Health Giant Sutter Destroys Evidence In Crucial Antitrust Case Over High Prices

Wilberofcourse — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 17:07:19 -0000

Ah, the Hillary strategy.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Wally — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 22:14:03 -0000

Well said!

Re: Valley Fever Surging Again In California This Year

Colleen Cabot — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:19:48 -0000

Pets are also vulnerable to catching Valley Fever, especially dogs who breath in the spores when they "nose" around. Our dog contracted this many years ago and we think it was in the Central Valley or Bakersfield areas. Our dog grew very listless and stopped eating well; she also developed swelling in her joints and perhaps some brain complications/seisures. Be sure to mention to your vet that your dog has been in hot, dusty conditions in the Central Valley or southern cal or San Louis Obispo.; and ask the Valley Fever be considered. Koda survived and is still alive 10 years later - but catch this early!

Re: Valley Fever Surging Again In California This Year

Angela M.E. R. — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 01:42:52 -0000

Several people here on the coast are suffering from flu like symptoms and this could very well be Valley Fever, more than the effects from toxic smoke from the fires in Santa Rosa. Yes, the wind carried smoke here north of San Francisco, all through the bay area.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

GOOSE — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:39:00 -0000

Look at what Monsanto toxicologist Donna Farmer says about the AHS study.

"Many groups have been highly critical of the study as being a flawed study, in fact some have gone so far as to call it junk science. It is small in scope and the retrospective questioneer on pesticide usage and self reported diagnoses also from the questioneer is thought to be unreliable"
https://usrtk.org/wp-conten...

What can you tell us about the health of the over 30% of study participants who couldn't be contacted to take the telephone survey.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

FarmersSon63 — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 18:41:47 -0000

Tell us how much glyphosate can be legally sprayed per acre per year.
You stupidly claim 4X annually.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Cletus DeBunkerman — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 11:28:27 -0000

No, Robert. That is the study that Donna Farmer Monsanto toxicologist was referring to in the quote I provided you from the internal Monsanto documents where she said this about that study.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

patzagame — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 10:49:52 -0000

No legit answers from the phake pharmer as usual.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Robert Howd — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 01:19:35 -0000

It appears that the people quoted here are unfamiliar with NCI's Agricultural Health Study, which has been in progress since 1993 and has involved nearly 90,000 participants, in a wide variety of investigations on farmer's health issues. The study is summarized here: https://www.cancer.gov/abou....

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Cletus DeBunkerman — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:54:16 -0000

Here is one small quote. You can read more and educated yourself if you care too.

https://usrtk.org/wp-conten...

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Robert Howd — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 00:04:47 -0000

I have no idea. There is a long chain of postings here.

Re: California Cracks Down On Weed Killer As Lawsuits Abound

Robert Howd — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 23:52:04 -0000

Yeah, right. Throw out the best pesticide exposure study ever done, and what is left is equivocal stuff of no particular significance, and so glyphosate is home free. Great strategy!