safety – Page 2

Big pharma’s safety pledge isn’t enough to build public confidence in COVID-19 vaccine – here’s what will

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Big pharma’s safety pledge isn’t enough to build public confidence in COVID-19 vaccine – here’s what will

Americans are increasingly concerned that regulators and manufacturers will rush a vaccine to market without an adequate review. That prompted nine vaccine front-runners, including Pfizer and Merck, to promise to abide by clinical and ethical standards in an effort to increase the public’s confidence in any vaccine that ultimately comes to market. As a scholar of law, public health and bioethics, I have extensively studied vaccine policy, as well as the laws and regulations governing human subject research and FDA-regulated medical products. In my view, the pledge is little more than a public relations strategy, with companies simply reaffirming that they’ll follow FDA guidelines and standard scientific practices. While I doubt the biotech pledge will do much to increase public confiden...

#DefundPolice What Can Do For Public Safety

28Aug

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL JUSTICE

#DefundPolice What Can Do For Public Safety

Cities imagine taking away resources from racist, oppressive policing and putting it toward public safety and social services. In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the nation is no closer to eradicating the violence Black people have experienced at the hands of the police. National efforts to track use of force by police officers have come up short. But something has changed. Floyd’s death strengthened the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, founded in 2013 after a jury acquitted George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, for killing Trayvon Martin. The cofounders of BLM had grown tired of seeing Black people killed with impunity. Now, protesters across the country, and across the world, have taken up their message. They’re calling for a divestment from polici...

Black and Latino essential workers experience greater safety concerns than their white counterparts

5Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Black and Latino essential workers experience greater safety concerns than their white counterparts

The big idea Black and Latino essential workers are more likely to feel stressed over job safety and security as well as family pressures than white workers, according to a recent survey of essential workers we conducted in Massachusetts, among them doctors, sanitation workers and grocery employees. Specifically, 70% of Black workers and 78% who are Latino reported that they didn’t feel safe on the job, compared with 58% of white people. This is not simply because Latino and Black workers were more likely to be in low-wage jobs. When we analyzed low-wage workers separately, Latino and Black people in this group were still far more likely to feel unsafe in the pandemic than their white counterparts. We found that access to benefits on the job is critical to maintaining personal and famil...

HOTTOPIC: 4 ways COVID-19 has exposed gaps in the US social safety net

26May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

HOTTOPIC: 4 ways COVID-19 has exposed gaps in the US social safety net

The United States is experiencing its steepest economic slide in modern history. Tens of millions of Americans have filed new unemployment claims as the coronavirus shutters businesses and forces companies to lay off staff. People need support to help them through the crisis in a few key ways – cash to meet immediate financial needs, health care to cover them should they become ill and housing even if they can’t make rent. Despite federal stimulus efforts north of US$2 trillion – so far – it is likely that some of those currently being affected will fall through the cracks. As a scholar who studies how people enroll in public programs, I and my colleague Cecille Joan Avila, who researches social programs related to women’s health, have seen how well-intentioned policies can sometimes fai...

Obamacare’s insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

Obamacare’s insurance safety net protects many of the millions losing their employer-provided health insurance – but not all

The loss of 31 million jobs due to coronvirus has an added downside: 27 million have lost job-based health insurance. The worst may still lie ahead. One study estimated that 25 to 43 million people could lose coverage from their employer. The situation for many Americans feels dramatic. Fortunately, the limited U.S. safety net will be able to cushion some of the fallout for almost 80% through programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. And, of course, all preexisting conditions are still required to be covered by all insurers. Yet millions will be left without coverage. As a professor of public policy, I believe there are four things you need to consider if you’ve been laid off, or if you didn’t have health insurance before th...

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

6 safety tips for summertime joggers

The key is to run sensibly A disagreeable notion, perhaps, to take a jog during summer months when temperatures soar? The key is to run sensibly. Road Runners Club of America offers this sound advice: 1. Stay hydrated: Pre-hydration with a few glasses of water before running is advised, then carry a bottle or wear a hydration pack and sip at least every 20 minutes. Rrca.org recommends weighing yourself before and after running and, to determine proper hydration, “you should have drunk one pint of fluid for every pound you’re missing. Indications that you are running while dehydrated are a persistent elevated pulse after finishing your run and dark yellow urine. Keep in mind that thirst is not an adequate indicator of dehydration.” 2. Pay attention to the day’s air pollution and humi...

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Pool safety tips for the summer

Tip of the week: Backyard pool Safety tips for the summer According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are several ways to stay safe around backyard pools this summer: 1. Never leave a child unattended in or near water. 2. Teach children how to swim. 3. Teach children to stay away from drains. 4. Ensure all pools and spas — both in your backyard and any public pool you may visit — have compliant drain covers. 5. Install proper barriers, covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa. 6. Know how to perform CPR on children and adults. Veggie gardening What grows best in June Urban Farmer recommends beans, corn, cucumbers and summer squash for a June planting in USDA zones 3-8, which cover most of the continental U.S. Beans can be planted directly in the gr...