“It’s a strange time to be having a baby,” my patient said as she sat alone in her labor room. The state order to shelter-in-place in California had left her family with few options as her husband had to stay home to take care of their toddler. She is …
Social distancing. It is a mantra that seemed to have been plucked straight out of obscurity for those who had never heard of it before just as the coronavirus pandemic dug its ugly claws into the fabric of American life. And since then, it has been pe…
My friends ask me how I’m doing. The short answer is always, “We’re OK.” But the real answer is much longer. I feel a lot of anxiety these days. It’s always there, sometimes with more intensity than others. But a constant, ever-present,…
On Doctors’ Day, my hospital celebrated our work by giving us each a pair of cheap headphones, and also announced the death of an attending. Though the personal risk to each of us was highlighted by the recent death, the administration did not gi…
On Doctors’ Day, my hospital celebrated our work by giving us each a pair of cheap headphones, and also announced the death of an attending. Though the personal risk to each of us was highlighted by the recent death, the administration did not gi…
On the front lines, America’s emergency departments (ED) are currently in at the center of a crisis treating patients with COVID-19. Emergency physicians and other clinicians are placing themselves and their families at risk. Yet, there is also …
Testing for novel coronavirus is still a serious issue in the U.S. due to a lack of lab capacity, test reagents, nasal swabs, and even personal protective equipment for health care workers. Due to these shortages, the CDC is recommending that COVID-19 …
In times of disaster, marginalized groups often become even further marginalized. Both those of lower socioeconomic status and those with disabilities often are left out of emergency planning, as is evidenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic. From acce…
During the influenza epidemic of 1918-1920, my great-grandfather, Ralph Norton Mitchell, was in the military. He helped stack the corpses of those who had died from the infection. I shudder to think about what type of personal protective equipment he u…
This is a frightening time. The coronavirus is called “novel” because it is new, and what is new is often terrifying. We don’t know enough about our new microscopic enemy. Scientists, clinicians, and policymakers are all working tirelessly with limited…
