News Healthcare
US Trending Away from Its Peers in Healthcare Numbers
Photo by Kindel Media. The term “avoidable death” is defined as the death of a person less than 80 years old which could have been prevented by normal healthcare interventions. Statistics on avoidable death numbers are used in part to assess…
When Specialized Healthcare is What You Need
Photo by Anna Shvets. A March 2024 report published by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that by 2036 there will be a shortfall of 86,000 physicians in the United States. Many of those shortages are expected to occur…
Southern Humboldt Community Health Needs Assessment: Key Findings and Future Directions
In the first quarter of 2024, SoHum Health embarked on an extensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to better understand and address the health needs of its residents. This multi-month endeavor, facilitated by Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District (SHCHD) Outreach…
Keeping Everyone in the Loop
Photo by Mikhail Nilov. Imagine for a moment a scary situation in which a health crisis of some kind lands you in an emergency room unconscious. Whatever the accident or crisis may have been, until you regain consciousness, your loved…
Vaccines do not cause autism
Photo by Frank Meriño. A common aphorism posits that it requires an order of magnitude more energy to refute misinformation than it does to propagate it. I’ll do my best though: Vaccines do not cause autism. I can say this…
Say what?
Photo by Mark Paton on Unsplash Approximately 15% of Americans over the age of 18 experience some degree of hearing loss during their lifetime. According to a 2020 study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, looking at…
The Short End of the Stick
Photo by Oles kanebckuu. If you get your primary care locally and you are healthy, you may not have noticed that much of the healthcare system is experiencing a severe workforce shortage. Thanks to good management and careful planning Southern…
The career of Lorraine Carolan – Part 2
This is part 2 of 3 looking back at the 50-year career of Lorraine Carolan, longtime community healthcare activist, Licensed Midwife and Physician’s Assistant. Redwoods Rural Health Center opened in 1976. The center was founded by a group of new settlers…
AI in Healthcare
Photo by cottonbro studio. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing computer application that simulates the problem-solving abilities of the human brain. Computers can be trained to think the way we do, by taking in and analyzing data and using…
The career of Lorraine Carolan – Part 1
This is part one of a series looking at the career of Lorraine Carolan, arguably the most influential healthcare provider in our community in modern times. She has served for over 50 years as a midwife, women’s health specialist, physician’s…