Monday, June 21, 2021

Vaccine Culture War; Elder Care Growth; and Telemedicine Facts

#David French, "Can we escape the vaccine culture war?" TIME, June 21/June 28, 2021. - "After all, the history of the pandemic is intertwined with the culture war, and from the beginning, the response to COVID has broadly split between blue and red, urban and rural, with virtually every important issue decided by your response to a single, vital question: How dangerous is COVID-19?" "[Heavily] Republican white evangelicals are more reluctant to take the vaccine than any other religious community." Vaccine hesitancy is strongly concentrated in the red states.

"When Trump drew the line in the sand, minimizing the virus in the first months of the pandemic, millions of his supporters drew that line right with 'him -- and not as a self-consciously partisan pose, rather, as a deeply held belief and tribal identification." "Partisan tribalism is the primary cause of Republicans reluctance, and it's the reason while evangelicals are disproportionately hesitant to take the vaccine." "Once an issue becomes political, why evangelicals are often more partisan than they are religious." [Existing] data shows that "white evangelicals are more ideologically aligned with a singe political party than any other religious sub-group. in the U.S." 

"From lockdowns to masks to schools to shots, all too many of us are; still living in the political culture created by Donald Trump, the man who faced the great challenge of his presidency, and responded by trying to lie his way to health, prosperity, and that elusive second term." 

#Abigail Abrams, "Elder care grows up," TIME, June 21/June 28, 2021. - "Nursery homes and other group facilities are inherently petri dishes for pathogens." 

In most states, older adults must have a monthly income under $2,382, and $21,000 or less in assets to qualify. That leaves many middle-income American with too much money for Medicaid but unable to afford expensive care. Roughly 8 million seniors  fall into this category, a number expected to reach 14.4 million by 2029, according to a 'Heath Affairs' study.

"Homecare workers earn a mean hourly wage of $1,250, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 15% live in poverty, and more than half rely on some form  of public assistance, like food stamps." "Some 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and the Census Bureau projects the number of seniors will reach 74.6 million by 2060, with the majority expected to need long-term-care services at some point." 

#Janie Ducharms, "No therapists still need couches?" TIME, June 21/June 28, 2021. - "In a series of TIME/Harris poll of national surveys conducted this winter and spring, about half of respondents reported using telehealth since the pandemic began, compared with about 25% who said they had beforehand." "High prices mean both therapy and teletherapy remain unattainable for many." More than 125 million people in the U.S. now use telemedicine facilities, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

Training more clinicians from underserved backgrounds is the single most impactful way to encourage people of color to get help."

ADDENDUMS:

Sean Gregory, "A turning point for athlete mental health," TIME, June 21/June 28, 2021. - "According to the 'British Journal of Sports Medicine,' the reported prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders in elite male athletes in team sports varies from 5% for burnout and alcohol use to 45% for anxiety and depression."

*Raj Panjabi, Alarms don't ring themselves," TIME, June 21/June 28, 2021. - "For every $1 a county invests in community health workers, an estimated $10 is returned to society, creating jobs and setting up for a faster way out of the next pandemic." 

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