Category: Health

  • Call It Quits Nov. 15! Join the Great American Smokeout!

    Call It Quits Nov. 15! Join the Great American Smokeout!

    Smokers who want to quit tobacco can use their fingers to dial for free help instead of lighting up a cigarette. On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Great American Smokeout challenges smokers and vapers to take the first step by quitting for the day or making a plan to quit for good. Callers in Alabama can…

  • Estimated 1.9 Million Vapers in U.S. and Growing

    Estimated 1.9 Million Vapers in U.S. and Growing

    A research team including experts from Johns Hopkins conducted a survey to determine trends in e-cigarette use. Based on more than 400,000 responses from the national telephone survey led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the researchers estimate that 1.4 percent of the population in the U.S. vapes. Yet these roughly 1.9 million…

  • REPORT: Nearly Half of Resident Physicians Report Burnout

    REPORT: Nearly Half of Resident Physicians Report Burnout

    ROCHESTER, Minn. – Resident physician burnout in the U.S. is widespread, with the highest rates concentrated in certain specialties, according to research from Mayo Clinic, OHSU and collaborators. The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Physician burnout is a dangerous mix of exhaustion and depersonalization that contributes to physicians making mistakes while administering…

  • Speak Out! Don’t Allow Suicide to Take Another Physician’s Life.

    Speak Out! Don’t Allow Suicide to Take Another Physician’s Life.

    Did you know cancer was the most common cause of death among residents? Suicide was the second-leading cause of resident death — and the most common cause of death among male residents. A 2015 review of studies estimated 22 to 32 percent of resident physicians in the U.S. suffer from depressive symptoms and multiple studies have shown…

  • CDC STUDY: Steep and Sustained Increases in STDs in Recent Years

    CDC STUDY: Steep and Sustained Increases in STDs in Recent Years

    Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the National STD Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C. This surpassed the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases and marked…

  • STUDY: Doctor Burnout in Small Practices Is Dramatically Lower Than National Average

    STUDY: Doctor Burnout in Small Practices Is Dramatically Lower Than National Average

    Physicians who work in small, independent primary care practices — also known as SIPs — report dramatically lower levels of burnout than the national average (13.5 percent versus 54.4 percent), according to a study led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine published online July 9 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. The findings…

  • CVS Health to Begin MinuteClinic Video Visits through App

    CVS Health to Begin MinuteClinic Video Visits through App

    CVS Health is rolling out a new virtual health care offering for patients with minor illnesses and injuries, skin conditions and other wellness needs through the company’s MinuteClinic section of the CVS app. MinuteClinic Video Visits, a telehealth offering via Teledoc, will provide patients with access to health care services 24 hours a day, seven…

  • WIC Income Guidelines Increase. Are Your Patients Eligible?

    WIC Income Guidelines Increase. Are Your Patients Eligible?

    Alabama families may qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC. If you are a woman who is pregnant, who had a baby within the past six months, who is breastfeeding, or who is the parent or guardian of a child up to age 5, you are…

  • The Heat Is On! Take Precautions to Stay Safe Outdoors.

    The Heat Is On! Take Precautions to Stay Safe Outdoors.

    Extreme heat often results in the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards. In most of the United States, extreme heat is defined as a more than two or three days of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees. In extreme heat, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra…

  • Quitline: Free Help for Patients to Quit Smoking

    Quitline: Free Help for Patients to Quit Smoking

    The Alabama Tobacco Quitline is a free telephone (800-784-8669) and online counseling service for your patients who are ready to quit tobacco. The Quitline is open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. All Quitline services are free to Alabama residents including telephone and online coaching, printed support materials, and up to eight…