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Three years ago, the Maryland Hospital Association issued a dire warning: Maryland needs more nurses. The COVID-19 pandemic had aggravated a growing shortage of both registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. There was already a deficit of 5,000 or more full-time-equivalent nursing professionals across the state, experts noted, but burnout was making matters worse. If left unchecked, the nursing shortage was expected to reach 13,800, which would leave supply only able to meet 80% of demand as an aging population demands more health care services. (11/30)

I’m a vaccine researcher. And I’m terrified of needles. It’s not something I’m proud to admit, especially in front of my colleagues, but when I roll up my sleeve for flu shots or blood draws, I look away. My heart races, my palms sweat, and I hold my breath until the quick jab is done. (Benjamin L. Sievers, 12/1)

My father didn’t know it, but by the time his urine had turned dark, the color of tea, he had only a month or so to live. Until then, he had seemed fine, at most a little tired in the weeks before. This didn’t seem unusual for a young father of two kids — me, a toddler, and my brother, a kindergartner. (Dr. Helen Ouyang, 12/1)

The GOP should advance proposals that put patients back in charge of our health care system. (Lanhee J. Chen and Daniel L. Heil, 12/1)

“Silence = Death.” That was the mantra of determined AIDS activists who quickly concluded the U.S. government was not doing enough to combat the then-emergent AIDS epidemic, which first hit the headlines in 1981. (Gavin Hart, 11/29)