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Virginia Mason Franciscan Health — which operates 11 hospitals and more than 300 care sites in the Puget Sound region of Washington — is reporting success with addressing hospital quality and safety measures, the result of bringing together two organizations with a strong history of patient care.
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Critical care often is overlooked in disaster planning. Risk managers should ensure this component is fully included. Critical care must ramp up quickly in a disaster, the same as the emergency department.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance includes two important exceptions. Employers remain limited by the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Title VII requires employers to provide exemptions from any vaccine requirement to employees with sincerely held religious beliefs preventing them from taking the vaccine. Further, the ADA requires employers to provide exemptions from any vaccine requirement to employees with a disability that prevents them from taking the vaccine.
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Guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission indicates healthcare employers can require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These mandates come with some obligations and risks.
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The new COVID-19 requirements from OSHA for healthcare employers create substantial obligations, but many hospitals already are carrying out much of what is required. The challenge may come in formalizing a written plan and ensuring it addresses all of OSHA’s expectations.
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A new study revealed opportunities for improvement in OB/GYN knowledge of sexual health education. OB/GYN residents, while knowledgeable on subjects like decreased sexual desire, sexual pain, contraception, and more, could benefit from learning more about transgender care, caring for sex trafficking survivors, and cultural competency in care.
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The easing of the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy restriction on mifepristone will make it easier for women to obtain the drug and could allow for pharmacy dispensing of the drug. Pharmacists should have a seat at the table in the conversation on dispensing prescription medication.
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The risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) restriction on mifepristone has been burdensome for providers and patients, researchers noted. The REMS restriction exacerbates the stigma around abortion care, which already disproportionately affects communities of color and young people.
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Healthcare providers need to focus on educating women with sickle cell disease about different types of contraception, efficacy, and risks while addressing disease-specific concerns. Women with sickle cell disease
are at risk for pregnancy complications, such as higher risks for maternal and fetal mortality, pre-eclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction.
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The results of a recent study highlight the gaps in COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant women in the United States. Although pregnant women are at increased risk for severe illness and death from the disease, many remain unvaccinated.