Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

By Staff

Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, was scheduled to retire in June of 2020 then the coronavirus pandemic hit, delaying her departure.Last week, the health unit announced that Noseworthys last day would be Dec. 11, 2020 and that Dr. Natalie Bocking would be taking over starting in April 2021. In the interim, Dr. Ian Gemmill, former medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health, will be filling the position.

Bocking has worked for the last four years as a public health physician at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority. She received her medical doctorate from McMaster University and is a public health and preventative medicine specialist. During her time in northern Ontario, she was also a locum family physician. She and her family now live in City of Kawartha Lakes.

She has a wealth of knowledge and experience in providing public health programs and services in rural areas of the province and has most recently worked with northern First Nations communities to provide public health services, Doug Elmslie, chair of the board of HKPR District Health Unit, said.

He thanked Noseworthy for her time with the health unit. Dr. Noseworthy has guided this health unit through some challenging times and we wish her all the best for her well-deserved retirement, he said. Dr. Noseworthy has worked tirelessly to help provide quality public health programs and services to the residents in our communities and I know Dr. Bocking will do an excellent job in carrying on that work.

View original post here:
New medical officer of health to begin April 2021 - Haliburton County Echo

(Image sourced via Team Rubicon website)

While the amazing humanitarian work being undertaken by NGOs around the world, particularly in disaster zones, is rightly widely recognized and lauded, most of us fail to consider the huge logistics challenges involved in ensuring that everything works smoothly and efficiently.

Justin Spelhaug, Vice President and Global Head of Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft, explains the challenge:

Responding to a disaster is a huge supply and demand problem. It's not just about getting a person to volunteer, but it's how does that organization leverages data and intelligence to get the right' person on the ground based upon experience, skillset, proximity, availability and a number of other factors? To mobilize that many volunteers a day almost overnight, you have to have the systems and infrastructure to do it.

One NGO faced with just that issue isTeam Rubicon, a US-based organization that uses the skills and expertise of military veterans to help rebuild underserved communities around the world hit by natural disasters ranging from hurricanes and wildfires - and lately Covid-19. To help it in its mission, it has been working on a digital transformation roadmap over the last two and a half years, which it is currently about half way through.

This digital transformation has resulted in it introducing a Microsoft Dynamics 365-based enterprise management and volunteer mobilisation system, which runs on the software vendor's Azure cloud platform. As Raj Kamachee, Team Rubicon's chief information and chief technology officer, points out though, the Covid-19 pandemic "threw us off course", not least because:

The model of a traditional event, such as an earthquake or storm, is that they're instantaneous and based in a single location - they don't generally happen at the same time. But our challenge in this instance was how to respond to a number of events all happening simultaneously.

These events at home in the US ranged from wildfires on the West Coast to Hurricanes Laura, Sally, Delta and Zeta as well as the pandemic itself. Such a complex situation meant that Team Rubicon needed to modify its existing centralised system, which was used by staff based at headquarters to deploy volunteers around the country.

The idea was to introduce a more distributed model in which 25 individual territories were given more control over mobilising the support required locally, a shift that was introduced in as little as five weeks. This mobilisation process includes vetting available skills and ensuring volunteers in vulnerable categories are not put in harm's way but are still able to make a useful contribution.

The benefits of adopting a decentralised model have already been considerable, says Kamachee:

Rather than deploy grey shirts' [volunteers] to one location at a time, we can now deploy them simultaneously. So the volume of volunteers is now larger and their impact is higher and deeper than in the past, which is important as we're not just providing a single service - we're doing everything from providing emergency food and medicine to Covid testing sites.

The NGO also partners with other organizations, including food banks, some of which can connect to its system to share data using an application programming interface, while in the case of others, data entry is a more manual process. Digitalisation is currently somewhere between 95% and 98%, but the idea of achieving "connectedness" is a key priority "to enable information to flow", Kamachee explains.

One means of achieving this information flow is by adoptingMicrosoft's Common Data Model, which will be used to link the organization's finance and delivery systems. The aim here is to track the journey each dollar makes from the time it leaves a donor's hand. Understanding the impact of that dollar on the ground will then make it possible to report back to donors what it has been used for and how it has benefited service users.

But there are other benefits to be gained from enabling "connectedness" too. Kamachee explains:

When all of your different data pipelines become a single conduit, it's better and faster for decision-making. It improves your operational efficiency and security, and means you can tap into data for things like customer and marketing analysis. That was the goal when we set up the system. We're about half way there and success will be when we have consistently flowing data that provides a feedback loop. The end goal is to ensure we can tap into the power of AI to augment our decision-making, whether we're talking about deployment, mobilisation, predicting training requirements, revenue analysis so the finance team can project what the budget needs to be for x number of projects, and asset tracking and logistics, so we know which goods are expiring or not.

To this end, the NGO already has access to a "huge data lake" on Azure, which takes raw structured and unstructured data in real time and helps staff make cost-effective rapid response decisions in emergency situations. Curated data is also siphoned off into a data warehouse, where it informs the body's enterprise resource planning and fundraising systems for organizational decision-making purposes.

As to where Team Rubicon intends to go from here, it has a number of plans in the offing. For example, it is currently adding a new Dynamic 365 module to provide omnichannel customer service and also launched an "Uber-style" emergency foodassistance schemefor vulnerable people, although it unfortunately closed on 8 October due to lack of funds.

In the pipeline for the first quarter of this year though is an AI-based program that assesses volunteers' skills and experience against the requirements needed to deal with a particular incident and contacts the most appropriate individuals to see if they are willing and able to help. Another system, which is also in testing, is an AI-based optical character recognition system that assigns a validity score to volunteers' documentation and certificates and alerts an administrator to any apparent discrepancies.

Over time though, the NGO's aim is to move beyond simply reacting to crises as they happen towards preventative work in order to help to build resilience within vulnerable communities with the help of local authorities and community leaders. This would mean providing post-disaster education, such as rebuilding homes, and creating networks of partners to "provide services we can't", says Kamachee. He explains:

The end goal is to ensure client services aren't single point in time-based but are provided continuously to ensure people's needs are met all the time. For that, we have a huge need for systems interoperability so we can work with our partners' data. It's what we're heading out to do because the more data we harness, the more AI and machine learning can come into the equation. The aim is to remove and automate mundane tasks, while interacting directly with the people we serve through our volunteers.

Team Rubicon demonstrate that with a shrewd vision for the future, smart partnering and the judicious use of technology, NGOs can teach the private sector a trick or two about how to innovate with tight resources.

The rest is here:
NGO Team Rubicon partners with Microsoft to move from reactive to preventive disaster zone response - Diginomica

Introduction

The Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction is presented to licensed dental hygienists who go above and beyond typical hygiene practice. They serve as role models and mentors to us all and use their education and talents to make this world a better place. Traditionally, award recipients are honored at RDH Under One Roof, a three-day action-packed event offering quality hygiene education and a chance to mingle with fellow hygienists. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this years event was held virtually on October 911.

Although the 2020 recipients of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction were unable to receive their awards in person this year, we still take immense pride in introducing the four recipients of the award to you here. Jennifer Geiselhofer, Jaci Klepadlo, Lisandra Maisonet, and Karen Thomas are the four newest dental hygienists to join this prestigious group of key influencers. Congratulations to the 2020 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction recipients! You make us all proud to be dental hygienists!

(Denver, Colorado)

Like most hygienists, Jennifer Geiselhofer began her career in private practice. During her 23 years in a general dentistry practice, she found that her real passion was for dental Missions of Mercy. This passion for the underserved led her to create a portable preventive dental business called Dental at Your Door.

Jennifer Geiselhofer, RDHDental at Your Door is a for-profit business that brings much-needed oral health care to Denvers homeless and underserved population. Jennifer brings preventive dental care to those in homeless shelters, correctional facilities, substance abuse facilities, group homes, womens shelters, runaway youth shelters, human trafficking recovery facilities, and more.

The mission of Dental at Your Door is to provide access to high-quality preventative dental health care. This includes serving patients of all ages with significant health issues, mobility challenges, and financial limitations.

But still, Jennifer worried about those whom she couldnt treatthe people who had to be turned away because they did not have private insurance or did not qualify for state assistance and couldnt afford to self-pay. So she created a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Deserving Dental, which is funded through grants and donations.

Jennifer has three dental assistants and four hygienists working with her to provide preventive oral health services to those who would not be able to afford it otherwise. They provide prophies, scaling and root planing, digital x-rays, oral cancer screenings, exams, sealants, silver diamine fluoride, and referrals to dental and medical officesall while providing their patients with hope and teaching them the value of a clean mouth and how it can affect their overall health.

One of Jennifers dental assistants nominated her for the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction. She stated, After having a dental visit with Jennifer, a lot of patients are so happy with their care that they leave emotional, grateful, and even like to give hugs.

Many of their male patients have shaved their beards after a cleaning because they dont want to hide their teeth anymore!

Referrals to dentists and physicians are important for patients who have completed visits with Jennifer and her team. Jennifer has partnered with several Medicaid-approved providers such as general dentists, oral surgeons, head-and-neck physicians, and ENTs for continuing-care referrals.

One nominator stated, Dental at Your Door was a huge accomplishment considering how many hoops she had to jump through, tears shed, and countless hours spent getting everything in order that she needed to start her dream! Because Jennifer followed that dream of serving the underserved, she has become a recipient of the 2020 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction.

Congratulations, Jennifer Geiselhofer!

(Mays Landing, New Jersey)

Invest in yourself and give back to others is Jaci Klepadlos advice to other hygienists. Giving back to others is second nature to Jaci. In addition to working as a clinical hygienist for 13 years, she has served as past president of the New Jersey Dental Hygienists Association (NJDHA) and is currently cochair of Veterans Smile Day Foundation. According to one of Jacis nominators, Finding out Jaci was cochair on the team was no surprise at all. Her hard work and determination are a force to reckon with. She could get through any hurdles thrown her way.

Jaci Klepadlo, BSDH, RDHAs president of the NJDHA, Jaci introduced a bill for dental hygienists to have direct access to providing oral health care, because she strongly believes that public health dental hygienists are willing and fully qualified to reach the underserved where they live.

Jaci became involved with Veterans Smile Day Foundation with her employer, a former navy dentist. After serving in Afghanistan, her employer returned to New Jersey and learned that veterans receive dental benefits only if they have retired from the military or were injured in the line of duty. This information left the vast majority of those who served without dental care, and those who do receive it have to travel great distances to get to a VA clinic that has a dental component on-site.

Jaci and her employer made it their mission to give back to veterans, and they founded the Veterans Smile Day Foundation. As cochair, Jaci has spent the past six years working with our nations veterans and dental providers across the nation to deliver free dental care to the men and women who have served selflessly for our country but who do not receive dental benefits. Each year you will find her offering her expertise to the local veterans for free to help make a difference in their oral care and overall health. She strongly believes in helping our veterans live a better life.

The Veterans Smile Day Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to recruit dental professionals and corporate sponsorships to help fill in that void by Serving Those Whove Served. Since its inception in 2012, it has grown to include private dental offices, dental schools, hospitals, and dental societies throughout the United States.

Jaci invites you to volunteer with the Veterans Smile Day Foundation. Find out how you can use your dental hygiene skills to serve those whove served by contacting Jaci at jaciklepadlo@gmail.com. Because Jaci followed her passion for serving our veterans, she has become a recipient of the 2020 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction.

Congratulations, Jaci Klepadlo!

(Pennsylvania)

Mentoring, educating, creating systems within the dental office, igniting passion in dental hygienists, meeting challengesthese are all aspects of Lisandra Lisandra Maisonet, BS, RDH, PHDHP, EFDAMaisonets present day-to-day life. But she began her career as a clinical hygienist in a pediatric dentistry practice. In that capacity, Lisandra implemented a strong preventive protocol that led to an incredible decrease in dental disease in the practice. She was able to inspire every team member to actively participate in the efforts to improve the oral health of thousands of patients.

While working in both the preventive and restorative aspects of dentistry and assisting in IV sedation cases in the pediatric practice, Lisandra questioned why they were treating a disease that was totally preventable. Answering this question became the driving force that brought her to her current role as director of operations and hygiene and leader to 50 dental hygienists in 22 practices, where she has created strong systems that focus on disease prevention and education on oral-systemic health.

Lisandra has made a positive impact on her community in many ways. She is an educator for the Healthy Teeth Healthy Children program, where she goes to pediatricians offices and educates medical professionals on the importance of oral health and fluoride application. She is a volunteer for Mission of Mercy, providing dental care to the underserved in her state, and she has presented numerous courses for the Cavity Free Kids program in Pennsylvania to educate the community on the importance of oral health.

During her active membership with the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists Association (PDHA), Lisandra served as president for three years. In that time, she worked hard to push initiatives forward to enhance the profession of dental hygiene. She mentors and inspires hygienists to become involved and serve in their association.

With financial help from the PDHA, Lisandra was given the opportunity to create a video that highlights the dental hygienist. While working diligently on this video, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and hospitalized. Nevertheless, Lisandra continued with editing of the video with the desire to leave it as a legacy at the end of her PDHA presidency. The goal of the video was to share with patients and legislators the fact that dental hygienists are educated preventive specialists who are willing and capable of providing care to the most vulnerable populations. While daunting at times, her passion for this project was what kept her going through difficult times. Lisandras hope is that, through this video, hygienists will finally gain the respect they deserve.

Because Lisandra followed her inner drive to make a difference on so many levels, she has become a recipient of the 2020 Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction.

Congratulations, Lisandra Maisonet!

(Raleigh, North Carolina)

Karen Thomas began her career as a clinical dental hygienist in Florida. She later became a research dental hygienist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was the examiner for patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, episodic headaches, and pelvic pain. It broke her heart to see patients in so much pain. As an examiner, she gathered data but did not have the opportunity to make a personal connection with the Karen Thomas, MSc, BS, RDH, CNS, LN, ND, FDN-P, CHHC, Biological RDHpatients. She thought, Thereve got to be better ways to help these people.

Then, life took a turn in Karens career and her health. Her future mother-in-law became seriously ill days before her wedding. Over a short period of time, the house she was selling caught fire the day before closing, her father passed away, her new home needed significant renovations, and her new husband ended up in the hospital. Karen was told he would not make it. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law did pass on, but Karens husband came home from the hospital and is fine today.

The stress became too much to bear and, as Karen puts it, her body simply shut down. She took a medical leave from her job and spent the next two years in bed, doing little more than sleeping.

After two years of doctors appointments, 15 different diagnoses, multiple medications, and still no improvement, Karen took matters into her own hands. She had been diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroiditis as a teenager. Karen found research stating that 2%5% of people with Hashimotos also have celiac disease, but no doctor had tested her for that. Karen ordered tests on her own and presented the results to her doctor, who finally diagnosed her with celiac disease. She gave up gluten, among several other dietary changes, and got her life back. As one of her nominators for the award said, Thankfully, the dental hygiene curriculum and the way we as RDHs are taught to decipher information are ultimately what helped her heal herself through food.

Karen had regained her life but still wanted to help others. She went back to college to learn more about integrative medicine and combined that education with her dental hygiene training to help others link oral health with systemic health. She attained a master of science in human nutrition and functional medicine and became a licensed nutritionist, a certified nutrition specialist, a certified integrative nutrition health coach, and a certified functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. Karen is also the award-winning author of Overwhelmed and Undernourished: Use Food as Medicine and Turn Your Life Around. She currently works as a functional medicine nutritionist and teaches continuing education in dentistry.

It is easy to see why Roy T. Bennett's quote is one of Karens favorites: Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.

Congratulations, Karen Thomas!

Originally posted here:
Recipients of the Sunstar|RDH Award of Distinction 2020 | Registered Dental Hygienist - RDH

Vicki Fichter works as a dispatcher for Chicago Board Up Services, but lately she has also been asked to moonlight as a crystal ball. This week, around fifty businesses in the city have called requesting quotes for a disturbing scenario: They want to shutter storefronts ahead of election day.

Everyone asks me, what will the next couple of weeks bring? Will the unrest come next week? Fichter told The Daily Beast. Im like, Dont ask me. Im not going to be the judge of anything political.

The week before Election Day, social media filled with images of major cities seemingly closed down, expecting unrest to come. I never thought I would see so many buildings here in the nations capital boarded-up on the eve of a presidential election in anticipation of possible unrest, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer tweeted. And its not just in D.C. Its happening in New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere around the country. So sad!

Donald Trump Jr. responded, You a-holes and your liberal agenda built that, failing to acknowledge his fathers habit of stoking potentially violent election day interference.

Of course, November 3 will not be the first time this year that commercial neighborhoods braced for impact. Wood paneling drilled over windows has become a ubiquitous sight in shopping districts since May, when the murder of George Floyd fueled a national protest movement. Though the majority of those demonstrations have been peaceful, in some instances that anger has erupted into raucous unrest.

Fichter has worked in the industry for a decade; shes never dealt with the kind of demand 2020 has required. This has just been a very unsettling six months, she said. So many things have happened in a row. We have been very busy, on and off, since [protests began] in May. Then we were busy in August, and again now. But weve never done this for any election. This is a first for all of us.

WWD reported that the New York flagship stores for Macys, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue have been boarded up. Outside of Saks, the joyless display of drilled-down wood clashes with its gilded facade.

Downtown, SoHo outposts of Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moncler were also blacked out. A rep for Nordstrom, on 57th Street, told the trade publication that the department store would close early on Election Day.

According to The New York Times, Beverly Hills police will close Rodeo Drive as a proactive approach. Last week, representatives for Walmart told The Wall Street Journal that the mega-chain would remove guns and ammunition from sales floors. They later reversed this decision.

When Marshalls customers in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan, saw two storefronts boarded up, the Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad released a Facebook statement that read, There is nothing to be concerned about at this time and the police department will continue to work to provide a safe and secure election.

A USA Today/Suffolk poll revealed that 3 out of 4 surveyed voters express[ed] concerns about the possibility of violence on Election Day. Boarded-up shops serve as an immediate visual reminder of nationwide anxiety.

The Sunday and Monday before Election Day, Fichter had booked 12 jobs around the city of Chicago. Right now, were doing a lot of preventative medicine, so to speak, she said. Were a bit swamped, because I only have two trucks [to send out].

Theyre worried about rioting, whether its Trump winning and people are pissed off or its Biden winning and theyre celebrating.

James Smythe

Owners want to wait until the last minute to put up wood panels. The biggest concern is how it looks, Fichter said. As of yesterday and today, nobody wants to board up too early. You dont want it to look crappy. I dont blame them.

According to Fichter, services in Chicago can cost between $500 and $850. A lot of those little mom and pop retail places would rather spend $500 to board up than $5,000 to fix broken glass, she said. And unfortunately, insurance doesnt pay for preventative work. There is no government grant for these owners, and thats whats sad. No one will reimburse them.

James Smythe, general manager of New Yorks Cipco Boarding, Inc, added that his office is going a little crazy right now.

Everyones calling up for prices, he said. We started getting phone calls on Wednesday, and by Thursday we were blowing up. By Election Day, the company will have boarded about a dozen or two dozen big retail stores and 20 mom and pop shops.

Theyre worried about rioting, whether its Trump winning and people are pissed off or its Biden winning and theyre celebrating, Smythe said, adding, This is the worst Ive seen for an election.

Here is the original post:
American Businesses Board Up Their Windows, AgainThis Time for the Election - The Daily Beast

news, latest-news, men, movember, bendigo, victoria, moustache, men'shealth, health

John McIlrath knows first hand the crucial role preventative medicine plays in longevity. At the age of 31, Mr McIlrath from Bendigo, Victoria, was diagnosed with advance stage testicular cancer and given just a five per cent chance of survival. Almost 10 years on, he's growing a mo and fundraising for Movember, in the hope of generating discussion about men's health. "Men are notoriously bad at talking and going to the doctor," Mr McIlrath said. "The more the message gets out there, the more men's health outcomes will improve." Bendigo Health's chief nursing and midwifery officer David Rosaia said surveillance is important. "If you show any signs and symptoms, don't wait, go to your GP," MR Rosaia said. "Particularly when it comes to mental health, don't be afraid to share what concerns you. "As men, we need to be able to express ourselves." Mr McIlrath, a former police officer and heavy diesel mechanic in the Australia Army, said prior to his diagnosis, he noticed his body changing. "I did nothing about it," he said. "I waited six months from first noticing things and found excuses for why I was feeling tired or why my fitness was down." Months later, after coughing up blood and experiencing unbearable pain, Mr McIlrath visited his GP. "I had only visited a few months ago and didn't want them to think I was a malinger," he said. "That goes back to my army days. I just didn't want to think it was real. "It was the mindset I operated in at the time." READ MORE: Mr McIlrath couldn't believe what was to follow, a diagnosis of cancer. "You know the news isn't going to be good when you walk in and the clinic is packed with people and the receptionist ushers you straight through," he said. "I was in a completely different world. "I was prepared to die." Following numerous chemotherapy treatments and surgeries, Mr McIlrath is in remission. "I'm lucky to have the best wife in the world, a great family and great friendship group," he said. To donate to Mr McIlrath's Movember fundraiser, visit au.movember.com/mospace/9745485

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/nicholas.nakos/6578dd53-d053-4d48-b289-54bd834d7da2.jpg/r10_216_4219_2594_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

John McIlrath knows first hand the crucial role preventative medicine plays in longevity.

At the age of 31, Mr McIlrath from Bendigo, Victoria, was diagnosed with advance stage testicular cancer and given just a five per cent chance of survival.

Almost 10 years on, he's growing a mo and fundraising for Movember, in the hope of generating discussion about men's health.

"Men are notoriously bad at talking and going to the doctor," Mr McIlrath said.

"The more the message gets out there, the more men's health outcomes will improve."

Bendigo Health's chief nursing and midwifery officer David Rosaia said surveillance is important.

"If you show any signs and symptoms, don't wait, go to your GP," MR Rosaia said.

"Particularly when it comes to mental health, don't be afraid to share what concerns you.

"As men, we need to be able to express ourselves."

Mr McIlrath, a former police officer and heavy diesel mechanic in the Australia Army, said prior to his diagnosis, he noticed his body changing.

"I did nothing about it," he said.

"I waited six months from first noticing things and found excuses for why I was feeling tired or why my fitness was down."

Months later, after coughing up blood and experiencing unbearable pain, Mr McIlrath visited his GP.

"I had only visited a few months ago and didn't want them to think I was a malinger," he said.

"That goes back to my army days. I just didn't want to think it was real.

"It was the mindset I operated in at the time."

Mr McIlrath couldn't believe what was to follow, a diagnosis of cancer.

"You know the news isn't going to be good when you walk in and the clinic is packed with people and the receptionist ushers you straight through," he said.

"I was in a completely different world.

Following numerous chemotherapy treatments and surgeries, Mr McIlrath is in remission.

"I'm lucky to have the best wife in the world, a great family and great friendship group," he said.

View post:
Movember raises awareness of men's health issues - The Canberra Times

Introduction by Croakey: A CSIRO report released on Wednesday warns Australia is at risk of increased disease outbreaks and pest incursions, weakened exports, and damage to its global trading reputation.

It says:

In the five years to 2017, the amount of biosecurity risk materials intercepted in Australia increased by almost 50 per cent. At the same time, the risk of biosecurity threats like pandemics are on the rise, fuelled by global trade and travel, urbanisation, climate change, biodiversity loss and antimicrobial resistance.

The report Australias Biosecurity Future: Unlocking the next decade of resilience was co-developed with Animal Health Australia, Plant Health Australia and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.

CSIROs Director of Health and Biosecurity Dr Rob Grenfell said in a statement COVID-19 illustrated the interconnectedness between human, animal and environmental health and where a weakness in one is a vulnerability for all.

How Australia navigates the changes needed over the next decade will significantly impact the health of Australians, our communities, ecosystems and agricultural systems and food security into the future, he said.

The CSIRO report follows the release of a new global report into biodiversity and pandemics, published by the high-level Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

As Croakey journalist Amy Coopes reports below, it says the underlying drivers of pandemics are the same global environmental changes that drive biodiversity loss and climate change.

It warns that unless there is a seismic shift in how countries collectively deal with infectious diseases, future pandemics will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, cause greater damage to the global economy and kill more people than COVID-19,

Pandemics, climate change and biodiversity loss all share common drivers, and without transformative action novel infectious diseases outbreaks will emerge more often, spread more rapidly, kill more people, and affect the global economy with more devastating impact than ever before.

This is the stark warning offered by a new report into biodiversity and pandemics, published by the high-level Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The report, which IPBES describes as one of the most scientifically robust examinations of the evidence and knowledge about pandemic risk and nature since the COVID-19 pandemic began, cites more than 700 sources from across the fields of epidemiology, zoology, public health, disease ecology, comparative pathology, veterinary medicine, pharmacology, wildlife health, mathematical modelling, economics, law and public policy.

It offers a frank assessment of emerging infectious diseases, outbreaks of which is says are becoming more frequent, entirely driven by human activities.

The IPBES report describes the underlying drivers of pandemics as the same global environmental changes that drive biodiversity loss and climate change, including land use changes, agricultural expansion and intensification, and wildlife trade and consumption:

These drivers of change bring wildlife, livestock, and people into closer contact, allowing animal microbes to move into people and lead to infections, sometimes outbreaks, and more rarely into true pandemics that spread through road networks, urban centers and global travel and trade routes.

The recent exponential rise in consumption and trade, driven by demand in developed countries and emerging economies, as well as by demographic pressure, has led to a series of emerging diseases that originate mainly in biodiverse developing countries, driven by global consumption patterns.

Pandemics such as COVID-19 underscore both the interconnectedness of the world community and the rising threat posed by global inequality to the health, wellbeing and security of all people.

Current pandemic strategies focused on disease response but, as the novel coronavirus pandemic had shown, this was a slow and uncertain path that resulted in mounting human costs: in lives lost, sickness endured, economic collapse, and lost livelihoods, the report said

Instead, it advocated for preventative strategies focused on the reduction of anthropogenic global environmental change.

Pandemic risk could be significantly lowered by promoting responsible consumption and reducing unsustainable consumption of commodities from emerging disease hotspots, and of wildlife and wildlife-derived products, as well as by reducing excessive consumption of meat from livestock production. it said.

Conservation of protected areas, and measures that reduce unsustainable exploitation of high biodiversity regions will reduce the wildlife-livestock-human contact interface and help prevent the spillover of novel pathogens.

Without action to tackle the common drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss and emerging infectious disease, the report said pandemics would emerge more often, spread more rapidly, kill more people, and affect the global economy with more devastating impact than ever before.

It said the risk of pandemics was already rapidly increasing, with 1.7 million undiscovered viruses thought to exist in avian and mammal hosts, of which up to 850,000 could have the ability to infect humans a so-called spillover or zoonotic event which accounted for the majority (70 percent) of emerging infectious disease (Ebola, Nipah, Zika) and almost all known pandemics (HIV/AIDS, influenza, COVID-19).

It estimated that more than a third of new diseases seen in the past 60 years had been caused by land use changes including deforestation, human settlement, urbanisation, and expansion of crop and livestock production. These created synergistic effects with climate change that had, in concert with biodiversity loss, seen the emergence of important novel pathogens, the report said.

More than five new diseases emerged in humans every year with the potential to spread, driven by exponentially increasing anthropogenic changes, it said, estimating the annual cost of such emerging pathogens as likely in excess of $1 trillion.

Climate change has been implicated in disease emergence and will likely cause substantial future pandemic risk by driving movement of people, wildlife, reservoirs, and vectors, and spread of their pathogens, in ways that lead to new contact among species, increased contact among species, or otherwise disrupts natural host-pathogen dynamics, it said.

On an economic basis alone, the report said pandemic prevention made more sense than reflexive response, with risk reduction and surveillance costing two orders of magnitude less than the damage wrought by a global outbreak.

Though it said the true cost of COVID-19 would not be known until vaccines had been fully deployed and transmission contained, the bill had been put at $16 trillion in the US alone by the fourth quarter of 2021 (and that assumed an effective vaccine). Risk reduction would cost 100 times less, it said.

Looking ahead, it said land use decisions largely failed to account for human health, and health should be a key consideration for ecological restoration, which it described as critical for conservation, climate adaptation and provision of ecosystem services.

The report highlighted the importance of equity considerations, noting that pandemics affected countries and populations unequally, with the elderly and minorities suffering disproportionate impacts from COVID-19.

It said both disease and economic outcomes were often more severe on women, people in poverty and Indigenous peoples, and to be transformative, pandemic control policies and recovery programs should be more gender responsive and inclusive.

The report makes a number of recommendations on pandemic prevention, including, crucially, designing a green economic recovery from COVID-19 as an insurance against future outbreaks. It also calls for:

The report says its recommendations come at a critical juncture in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Acceleration of the Anthropocene, where the manifest inadequacy of current reactive approaches have been underscored by more than one million human deaths and a huge socioeconomic toll.

Dr Peter Daszak chaired the expert workshop which authored the report, and he said there was no great mystery about the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic or of any modern pandemic.

The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment, said Daszak.

Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people. This is the path to pandemics.

He concluded:

We have the increasing ability to prevent pandemics but the way we are tackling them right now largely ignores that ability. Our approach has effectively stagnated we still rely on attempts to contain and control diseases afterthey emerge, through vaccines and therapeutics.

We can escape the era of pandemics, but this requires a much greater focus on prevention in addition to reaction.

The fact that human activity has been able to so fundamentally change our natural environment need not always be a negative outcome. It also provides convincing proof of our power to drive the change needed to reduce the risk of future pandemics while simultaneously benefiting conservation and reducing climate change.

See the original post:
'Escape from the pandemic era' - expert report makes case for prevention, for human and planetary health - Croakey

The race to represent the 11th Senatorial District in Harrisburg pits a Democratic incumbent against a Republican challenger.

The district includesReading, Birdsboro, Centerport, Fleetwood, Kenhorst, Kutztown, Laureldale, Leesport, Lyons, Mohnton, Mount Penn, New Morgan, Shillington, St. Lawrence, Topton, West Reading and Wyomissing; and Alsace, Bern, Brecknock, Caernarvon, Centre, Cumru, Exeter, Lower Alsace, Maxatawny, Muhlenberg, Oley, Richmond, Robeson and Ruscombmanor townships.

State senators serve a four-year term and receive an annual salary of $90,300.

We asked the candidates to respond to this question:

Question: The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been widespread and severe, affecting everything from the economy to health care to education. As the state fights to recover from this global health crisis, what specific steps do you feel need to be taken to aid that recovery?

Background: Incumbent, previously served as dean of agricultural and environmental science at Delaware Valley College, former Berks County commissioner for eight years, former chief executive of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania.

Answer: The pandemic has presented us with unprecedented challenges that we must still overcome, but I believe that it also provides us with an opportunity to reimagine the way we deliver government services to build a brighter future for all Pennsylvanians.

In the short term, as we take prudent steps to reopen our economy and achieve a new sense of normality, we must continue to provide the unemployed a financial lifeline until jobs reopen for them, offer businesses especially small businesses the resources they need to recover, and tackle the tough task of completing the 2020-2021 state budget to meet the needs of our citizens within the revenues available.

Long term, making health care, including preventative medicine, more accessible possibly via technology like telemedicine; increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care; offering more educational opportunities across our lifespans, promoting lifelong learning and attainment; developing a more equitable way to pay for education that has school property tax elimination in mind; improving our road, water, sewer and technology (particularly broadband) infrastructure; working to mitigate the impacts of climate change with renewable energy and regenerative agriculture and, making government a better partner with business will help us achieve prosperity beyond COVID.

Annette Baker

Background: Homemaker and home-school teacher, local radio personality, chairwoman of the Berks County Republican Committees southern region and former environmental scientist.

Website: annettecbakerforsenate.wordpress.com

Answer: The citizens of our commonwealth have suffered greatly because of the pandemic and we will be feeling the effects of COVID-19 for many years to come. No sector of our economy has been left untouched.

Rebuilding must begin with helping small businesses and restaurants. Many of them are on the verge of closing permanently. They must be able to reopen at full capacity. Educational institutions must also open, supporting parents returning to full employment.

Employers and employees, while following guidelines, are capable of solving the problems facing the reopening of our state. When the government gets out of the way, people can find solutions to difficult problems. By getting people back to work, we will begin to provide stability to families and businesses in the commonwealth. This is important not only for our economic well-being but for the physical and mental well-being of our residents.

I will support legislation such as House Bill 836 because it is time to reopen our economy. The governor and General Assembly should be working together to determine whether emergency declarations should be extended. It is time to unite together to move forward and restore normalcy to our commonwealth.

Here is the original post:
Election 2020: The contest in the 11th Senatorial District - The Mercury

MarketQuest.biz has recently announced a new report entitled Global Medical Wellness Market 2020 by Company, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 offers an overview of the market by giving market data with characteristics and market chain with analysis and developments and increase. The report delivers a comprehensive analysis of the global market which presents the critical analysis of the current state of the global Medical Wellness industry, demand for the product, environment for investment, and existing competition. Point by point data about the market players who are holding a fundamental position in the market concerning the business, revenue, open market development, and the temporary courses of action are listed in the market. It covers segments such as competitor segment, product type segment, end use/application segment, and geography segment.

NOTE: Our analysts monitoring the situation across the globe explains that the market will generate remunerative prospects for producers post COVID-19 crisis. The report aims to provide an additional illustration of the latest scenario, economic slowdown, and COVID-19 impact on the overall industry.

Key Players Profiles:

The report provides present competitive analysis as well as valuable insights to industries or other clients to help them penetrate in a global market. Businesses will get a competitive advantage from this competitive research analysis. The report then covers gives a detailed overview of global Medical Wellness industry prime vendors and regional evaluation with forecast period 2020 to 2025. The research focuses on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments, and regional analysis. It also delivers the market competitive landscape and an elementary inspection of the regional growth of the market.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.marketquest.biz/sample-request/17182

Developments and future opportunities estimated to emerge in the global Medical Wellness industry are looked into in this portion of the study. The report also throws light on the competitive landscape, underlining the corporate strategies that the prominent players across various geographies have employed to get ahead in this industry. The research focuses on business consulting, industry chain research, and consumer research to help customers provide non-linear revenue models within this market.

Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions including North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Australia), South America (Brazil, Argentina), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and South Africa). Moreover, the market potential for each geographical region with respect to the growth rate, macroeconomic parameters, consumer buying patterns, and market demand and supply scenarios is analyzed in this report.

This research report also includes profiles of major companies operating in the global market. Some of the prominent players operating in the global Medical Wellness market are: Massage Envy, Nanjing Zhaohui, Fitness World, Steiner Leisure Limited, VLCC Wellness Center, World Gym, HEALING HOTELS OF THE WORLD, Beauty Farm, Universal Companies, Edge Systems LLC, Kayco Vivid, WTS International, Golds Gym International, Guardian Lifecare, Arashiyu Japanese Foot Spa, The Body Holiday, Bon Vital, Biologique Recherche, Enrich Hair & Skin, Kaya Skin Clinic, Healthkart

Based on type, the market has been segmented into: Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Beauty Care and Anti-Aging, Preventative & Personalized Medicine and Public Health, Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss, Rejuvenation, Other

Based on application, the market has been segmented into: Franchise, Company Owned Outlets

ACCESS FULL REPORT: https://www.marketquest.biz/report/17182/global-medical-wellness-market-2020-by-company-type-and-application-forecast-to-2025

Key Features of The Global Market Report:

Customization of the Report:

This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team ([emailprotected]), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs. You can also get in touch with our executives on +1-201-465-4211 to share your research requirements.

About Us

MarketQuest.biz is a leading global Market Research agency providing expert research solutions, trusted by the best. We understand the importance of knowing what global consumers watch and buy, further using the same to document our distinguished research reports. MarketQuest.biz has worldwide presence to facilitate real market intelligence using latest methodology, best-in-class research techniques and cost-effective measures for worlds leading research professionals and agencies. We study consumers in more than 100 countries to give you the most complete view of trends and habits worldwide. MarketQuest.biz is a leading provider of Full-Service Research, Global Project Management, Market Research Operations and Online Panel Services.

Contact UsMark StoneHead of Business DevelopmentPhone: +1-201-465-4211Email: [emailprotected]Web: http://www.marketquest.biz

Read more from the original source:
Global Medical Wellness Market Import Export Scenario, Application, Growing Trends and Forecast 2020-2025 - The Think Curiouser

CHARLOTTESVILLE- When you talk about COVID-19, most of the conversation involves the actual virus. You talk about symptoms or how long quarantine lasts. But the pandemic also brought less physical problems, issues that arent being addressed.

Dementia-related deaths surged over the last seven months in Virginia. Over the summer, 61,000 people died from dementia in Virginia, 11,000 more than 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while experts arent 100% positive of the cause, many speculate that its due to the pandemic. Not as a symptom of the actual virus, but a tragic side effect of the new social norms.

While the numbers are staggering, it does not reflect nearly the amount of people with COVID infections, said Dr. Laurie Archbald-Pannone, who specializes in geriatric medicine at the University of Virginia. Rather its shows the effect that the COVID era has on the care of people with dementia.

According to Archbald-Pannone, some of the necessary rules to control the viruses spread have negatively effected older people with dementia and their caregivers. After caring for dementia patients for over twenty years, the CDCs statistic didnt surprise her. Shes witnessed the effects of the pandemics isolation on their lives firsthand.

As we enter the first year of the pandemic, its important that we find creative ways to stay connected in our communities, said Archbald-Pannone. We need to support each other through the challenges that were going through.

People misunderstand a lot of things about dementia. Usually when we hear the term, we tend to think of a pretty singular picture. But theres no one way to have dementia. Its a disease that exists on a wide spectrum, one that can affect people in different ways. However, social isolation is pretty harmful to most forms of the illness.

Now, to be clear, there is a difference between social distancing and social isolation. The problem is that people right now tend to confuse the two.

Social distancing is a part of the overall infection prevention methods to decrease the spread of the virus, she said. Social isolation, however, not a good thing. Its when were disconnected from our community. Being socially engaged while being socially distant is a part of figuring out how to survive in the COVID era.

Social isolation can have distarous effects on our bodies. According to UVA Health, socially isolated people have higher rates of dementia as well as heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, cognitive decline and death. To Archbald-Pannone, its no coincidence that this increase has happened alongside the COVID-19 pandemic.

Humans are social creatures. We need social interaction for not only our physical health, but our mental health as well. Dementia causes memory loss, typically effecting people 65 years of age or older. Social connections, like talking on the phone, is especially helpful for people living with the condition.

Caring for someone living with dementia can be a very difficult job, especially if theyre a loved one. In the most severe cases, a caregiver may be dressing, bathing, and even feeding a patient, often 24 hours a day. This doesnt even take into account the emotional toll that this has on a person. Watching the decline of a family member, spouse or a friend is tremendously difficult.

Even on the good days, caring for someone with dementia can be taxing, said Archbald-Pannone. Caring for someone close to us can be hard. Unrecognized burdens can fall on the caregiver. And this was before COVID.

Nowadays, these caregivers are just as isolated as their patients, creating a much higher risk of them burning out.

For dementia patients to get the best care, their caregivers also need care and support, said Archbald-Pannone. If caregivers are not in good shape physically or mentally, people living with dementia may not receive the best care possible.

We have to make sure that healthcare providers are becoming aware of this and are actively reaching out to caregivers whether theyre at home or in facilities, said Archbald-Pannone. We have to ask how we can support them and how can we alleviate any additional stressors that have been brought on by COVID.

Throughout the summer, no one wanted to go to their doctor for a checkup. Even if it was a serious health issue, there was and still is a fear that if you go to a hospital, you could potentially leave with COVID-19. However, if you have a chronic condition like dementia, consistent treatment is non-negotiable.

In the spring and the summer, we saw that people had less access to their primary care physicians for preventative care, said Archbald-Pannone. And its really important that were keeping up with their chronic medical conditions and giving them what they need when they need it.

Increased access to medical care was a must. But, in the COVID era, healthcare professionals have to provide for their patients in a whole new way. the solution was telemedicine. Telemedicine has made it possible for doctors to see their patients remotely. Holding doctors visits over the phone or through video chat is a safer alternative to an in-person visit. So this way, they can meet their patients medical needs while making sure no one gets exposed to COVID-19.

However, Archbald-Pannone raised a good point. Telemedicine may not always be a viable option for those with dementia. Doctors and long-term care providers must take extra steps.

Telemedicine, often an option for other patients, may not be manageable for those with dementia, she said. Physicians and staff need to reach out to them. But, on a positive note, this may allow long-distance loved ones a chance to help with their relatives medical care.

In our geriatric clinic, we have the option of getting routine visits done via video interface or over the phone. And this even carries additional benefits, like, if someones loved one lives out of state or isnt able to come to an in-person visit, theyre able to join remotely through telemedicine visits, said Archbald-Pannone.

If someone you know has dementia, Archbald-Pannone says that checking in on them is the best thing to do. However, she wants to make it clear that this does not mean throw caution into the wind. Maintaining CDC-reccomended guidelines is still of the utmost importance. Now, people just need to get more creative with communication skills.

It can be as simple as a phone call. It may not be the safest option to connect physically with people. But calling them on the phone to check in can be helpful, said Archbald-Pannone. We dont always need to have the answers. Sometimes being a listening ear can be enough.

If you think a loved one may be suffering from dementia, the best thing to do is talk to a medical professional. There are many early, warning signs of dementia. But, with the elderly, that can be tough. Its hard to distinguish between which signs are normal facets of aging and which ones are symptoms. Talking to a professional is the best way to know for sure. If you or a loved one needs help with dementia, you can call this 24/7 hotline, 800.272.3900, or visit the Alzheimers Associationswebsite.

Arianna Coghill is a content producer at the Dogwood. You can reach her at arianna@couriernewsroom.com

Continued here:
More Virginia Seniors Are Dying From Dementia. Social Isolation Might Be the Cause. - The Dogwood

Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) invites adults across Central Appalachia to participate in a webinar on preventative healthcare and how it saves lives.

Participants will learn what screenings and immunizations they should have at every age, how living a healthy lifestyle can change your health outcomes andthe importance of maintaining healthcare appointments during a pandemic.

Speakers Dr. Elizabeth Nelson and Dr. Paula Jones will discuss adult preventative screenings by age and gender, beginning at age 18; the importance of regular health check-ups; the importance of a healthy lifestyle; immunizations you should have; Covid safety precautions at hospitals and clinics and the ease of telemedicine.

Elizabeth Thompson Nelson, MD, FHM, practices at Beckley ARH Hospital in Beckley. Dr. Nelson is board certified in internal medicine, providing care for adults. She diagnoses and treats chronic illness, promotes health and disease prevention and is dedicated to excellence in patient care. Dr. Nelson completed her residency and internship in internal medicine at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, and her doctor of medicine degree at the Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC.

Paula Jones, DO, practices at ARH Medical and Specialty Associates in Harold, Ky. Dr. Jones treats adults and children over 13 years of age, diagnosing and treating both acute and chronic illnesses. She provides routine health screenings and counseling on lifestyle changes in an effort to prevent illnesses before they develop. Dr. Jones completed her doctor of osteopathy from Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, Ky. and is a board-certified Osteopathic Family Physician.

Adults who would like to participate in this webinar can register for the event at the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vgycht7fQ_uZKOEgKIewTQ

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.

Here is the original post:
ARH webinar on preventative healthcare | Health | register-herald.com - Beckley Register-Herald