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The first person I met with long COVID was Kenton Kaplan, a student I was mentoring at Georgetown University. Without much warning, he had called me in January 2022 to drop out of our departmental honors program. As we talked over the next year and a half, he told me about debilitating fatigue, dizziness and intense memory inconsistencies. He and his doctors believed that these symptoms were related to a COVID infection he likely caught at a New Year’s Eve party. (Emily Mendenhall, 11/10)

According to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health, Department of Nursing, nurses are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. And it goes without saying that our nurses are in serious need of support. (Kate Judge, 11/12)

Shelly has long known that short staffing undermines quality care, but the understaffing crisis has recently hit a boiling point. On most shifts, she's one of just two CNAs caring for 60 residents. Residents rely on her for everything from bathing to eating to getting dressed, not to mention daily health emergencies. (Mary Kay Henry and Ai-jen Poo, 11/9)

In the U.S. over 550,000 people are on kidney dialysis but less than 100,000 have even managed to get on a waiting list for a transplant, according to the National Kidney Foundation. That’s not because those who didn’t make the cut wouldn’t benefit from a transplant — about half of them will die within five years — there was just no point in trying. There are only enough donors for about 25,000 transplants every year. (Michael L. Davis, 11/13)

As Kansans get older, many will experience some form of hearing loss. By age 60, 30% of older adults will experience hearing loss, and by age 80, that statistic rises to 50%. Often, older Kansans will eventually move to long-term care facilities. Yet these facilities frequently do not have communication support for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing — leaving a large percentage of seniors without the resources they need to thrive. The good news is we could start to address this issue immediately by expanding Medicaid. (Robert J. Cooper, 11/12)

In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey brought Texas rain that just wouldn’t stop. After four torrential days, 75 people had died, and Houston — America’s fourth largest city — was deep under water. But given that the area is home to Superfund sites, fossil fuel-fired power plants, and other petrochemical hubs, this wasn’t ordinary rainwater. It was more like a toxic soup. Aerial photographs taken in the aftermath of the storm show the luminescent sheen of oil slicks and other toxins spreading across the city. Dangerous chemicals were also in the air. (Jacob Carter and Martha Kinsella, 11/10)

With the election of Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker of the House, the urgent and important work of passing appropriations and vital national security legislation is now advancing. But it is also the time to address additional important issues affecting the well-being of Americans, such as one highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as recent wildfires and hurricanes: the care and support for America’s most vulnerable. Leading health organizations and experts in geriatrics, pediatrics, and the care of the disabled have long cited the need to address the health consequences of these vulnerable groups when disasters disrupt their care. (Robert Kadlec, Sue Anna Bell and Michael Wasserman, 11/13)