AHA Stat Blog

While tributes and celebrations are important, for those of us in health care, this month is an opportunity to pause and reflect on this diverse community’s health needs – during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Tomorrow, May 25, marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death shined a spotlight on the systemic racism and inequities in many aspects of our society. These include inequities in health and health care. 

As our country continues to emerge slowly from the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of America’s hospitals and health systems – and the 6 million women and men who work there – has never been more apparent. 

Women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and into the first postpartum year than at any other time in their lives, writes Margaret Howard, division director of women's behavioral health at Providence, R.I.-based Women & Infants Hospital and executive director of women’s behavioral health at Care New England. Read about how the Postpartum Depression Day Hospital at WIH provides whole health treatment to pregnant women and new mothers in a safe and nurturing environment.

Millions of people across our country are living with a mental health issue. It’s estimated that one in five U.S. adults and one in six young people ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder every year.

The heroic efforts of our hospitals, health systems and care teams in fighting the pandemic over the past 17 months is a testament to the dedication and determination of the best health professionals in the world. 

Today is “Our Cup Runneth Over with Gratitude” Day at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital in El Dorado, Kan. Employees are wearing blue and yellow SBA colors and getting a stainless steel cup as a small gift of thanks from their hospital leaders.  

President Biden has expressed his hope that America will have a normal, or as close to normal as possible, Fourth of July this year. All the signs increasingly point to fulfillment of that wish — a wish we all share.

A recent report from the Lown Institute that ranks hospitals on what they deem to be unnecessary hospital services, tests and procedures attempts to make sweeping conclusions about hospital value based on data that are not only incomplete, but also not current. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should reconsider its decision to discontinue coverage of tele-audio services when the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, writes Blaine Greenwald, M.D., vice chair and director of geriatric psychiatry in the department of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health's behavioral health center. Greenwald notes that a significant proportion of older adults without access to tele-video services are instead relying on tele-audio during the COVID-19 pandemic for their psychiatric appointments. As we mark May as Mental Health Awareness Month, read more about why hospital outpatient departments must mobilize to overcome tele-video capability disparities and why reimbursement for some post-PHE audio-only services should be reconsidered to protect the mental health of older Americans.

What does it take to become an everyday champion for advancing health equity? How do hospitals and health systems successfully transition from planning to taking action and creating real cultural change? 

Are you aware that cyber adversaries target the health care sector the most of all critical infrastructure sectors? Hospitals and health systems in particular have frequently been the target of high-impact ransomware attacks, which disrupt patient care and risk patient safety. 

While certain health care supply chain pressures remain during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are notable improvements, particularly in the area of collaboration.

The factors that influence health are present in all aspects of our lives — in our own homes, in our communities and in society as a whole. In theory, this gives each of us the opportunity to improve and maintain our health, with support from hospitals and other providers, community-based organizations, businesses and government agencies. 

Most studies of the toll COVID-19 has taken on the mental health of Americans reach the same conclusion: The pandemic has made what were already serious problems much worse. 

In this episode, I was delighted to talk with Stacey Stewart, president and CEO of March of Dimes, and present her with AHA’s 2020 Award of Honor for her organization’s work during eight decades to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.

UChicago Medicine found an opportunity to enhance inpatient treatment for opioid use disorder by leveraging non-specialist clinical expertise and collaborating with local community-based treatment providers. Read more from George Weyer, M.D., about this successful consult service and how it formed.

The government’s announcement last week that more than half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 shot is a remarkable feat that outperforms earlier predictions about the pace of vaccinations across the country.