The proper ways for handling a patient’s health records are set forth by the government at national and local levels. All healthcare organizations must have systems in place to comply with these legal requirements, referred to as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). The penalties associated with not following the laws and...Continue reading
Category: Policy
June Is Men’s Health Month—Get Involved
Did you know there was a month entirely dedicated to raising awareness for issues impacting the health and wellness of men and boys? June will honor the 23rd annual Men’s Health Month. The month also coincides with Men’s Health Week (June 12-18), a special awareness period created by Congress, and the #ShowUsYourBlue campaign on June...Continue reading
“C” Means See Your Doctor
As a doctor, there are certain things I’ve never said, and will never say, to patients. In the operating room, “Oops” is certainly verboten. “There is no hope,” is another. “Trust me, I’m a doctor” is a third. In some way, each of these violates the sanctity of the profession. Help Me Help You Patients...Continue reading
Let’s Not Forget the Office of Indian Men’s Health
By Eric Bothwell, DDS, MPH, PhD and Tamara James, PhD As the Obama administration winds down its eight years of oversight and support of the health care needs of American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) from federally recognized tribes, a brief reflection on what has been accomplished and what might still be accomplished is worthwhile....Continue reading
October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
We all want nothing more than to be understood. But for some kids, that isn’t as easy as it seems. Learning and attention issues are much more common in children than most people realize. In fact, in the U.S., 1 in 5 children struggles with brain-based learning and attention issues that affect reading, writing, math,...Continue reading
Men’s Health Takes Center Stage at the White House
In 2012, Men’s Health Network launched the Dialogue on Men’s Health series, which regularly brings together healthcare professionals, patient groups, community organizations, private corporations, and government agencies to address the unique challenges that confront men, boys, and their families. So you can imagine how delighted we were when the U.S. Department of Health and Human...Continue reading
Hats off to Adults Who Earn Their High School Diploma
Did you know that more than 29 million Americans don’t have a high school diploma. Why? Well, each person’s story is different: there are the young mothers and fathers who opted to support their family over school, kids who were forced to choose putting food on the table for their family over school, and even...Continue reading
Preventing Fires: It’s Up to Us
Unless you’re living completely off the grid (and if you were, you wouldn’t be reading this), you’ve heard about the recent fires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and taken far too many lives. For more than 70 years, Smokey Bear has been telling us about how to prevent forest fires. Clearly we need to be...Continue reading
Interning with Men’s Health Network
My first day interning with Men’s Health Network was May 31st, a.k.a. the day before the start of Men’s Health Month (MHM). It was rather easy, my most difficult task being remembering everyone’s name in the office. However, this was the calm before the storm. Things were about to get hectic. MHN, the sponsor for...Continue reading
Public Health in Action – Time for a Reality Check
Back in 2008, in the summer between semesters at graduate school, I took an internship with the Men’s Health Network (MHN) in Washington, D.C. I had no idea then how transformative it would be. Looking back now, it was a reality check of sorts. In the semester before my internship, I took a class on...Continue reading