Perspective
Perspective is a weekly blog from Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the 黑料正能量 Association, that explores the most important issues facing hospitals and health systems.
There鈥檚 a poignant moment in Hamilton: An American Musical in which a despondent George Washington laments the long odds of his revolution, 鈥渁 powder keg about to explode鈥 unless he receives an immediate infusion of the supplies and reinforcements he was initially promised at the war鈥檚 start.
With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise in much of the country, negotiations on the next COVID-19 relief package are picking up in the Senate.
Congress returns to Washington, D.C., on Monday, and the stakes are extremely high. The Senate will begin serious negotiations on the next COVID-19 relief package, and we expect Congress to pass legislation before the August congressional recess.
Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. These are three simple actions we know that will stop the spread of COVID-19. The AHA, American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association shared those messages in an open letter to the American public.
As James Madison wrote in the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights, we have the right to 鈥減etition the government for a redress of grievances.鈥 We also have an important right that many in other countries don鈥檛 鈥 the right to vote. These two rights go hand in hand as a foundation of our democracy.
Expanding access to telehealth services to provide much more patient-centered, convenient care. Creating additional health care workforce capacity and avoiding workforce shortages. Removing barriers for patients and communities to access needed care.
With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations spiking in a number of states, hospitals and health systems 鈥 and the women and men on the front lines 鈥 continue to battle the virus. At the same time, hospitals continue to confront the greatest financial crisis in their history, as our recent report鈥
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life in ways we never expected. For patients across the country, the cancellation or postponement of non-emergent surgeries, clinic visits and procedures delayed important medical care and financially devastated many hospitals and health systems, even threatening鈥
The Census Bureau recently reported that 鈥渁 third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression鈥 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It鈥檚 also been reported that Americans are increasingly at risk for 鈥渄eaths of despair鈥 from substance misuse and suicide, forecasting that the mental鈥
The AHA is working hard to achieve health equity by working with the government to improve data collection to guide policy, and by creating tools and resources to help hospitals and health systems improve health equity in the community.