Hospitalists provide invaluable roles

June 29, 2019

I am writing in response to your series of articles regarding the shortage of primary care physicians in our area. I am speaking on behalf of the Lexington Hospitalist group at UPMC Altoona. We are addressing a few statements made by the primary care providers (PCPs) featured in your articles. While most of your readers are familiar with hospital medicine specialists (hospitalists), to some it may be a new concept. Hospitalists have become a standard in U.S. hospitals. There are 50,000 hospitalists in the U.S. The specialty was first introduced in 1996, and 80 percent of ...

Trump doesn’t run government in fear

June 23, 2019

How exciting. The presidential sweepstakes are in high gear, and from an Orlando, Florida, extravaganza, the 2020 voting procedures will be the most exciting ever and will be a knockdown/drag out. Good. Without any doubt events of Tuesday night are a continuation of the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. He baffled the in-crowd and their lackeys in all quarters by reaching the hearts and minds of Americans. Despite the past two vicious years by the losers to undercut, create a coup attempt to remove him, the 45th president is well on his way to another four-year term in the ...

‘God bless greatest generation’

June 6, 2019

Today’s the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France in World War II — codenamed Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault and the largest sea, air and land operation in history. On Tuesday June 6, 1944, 150,000 American, British and Canadian troops supported by over 5,000 ships and 11,000 airplanes landed at Normandy, France on five landing beaches codenamed Omaha, Utah, Juno, Gold and Sword. After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training, for the allied forces, it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, ...

Clean water plan needs your voice

June 3, 2019

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the latest clean water blueprint is the “best and perhaps the last chance to restore water quality” to the bay. After decades of volunteer efforts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 mandated D.C. and the five states in the watershed to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment reaching the Bay. Pennsylvania is particularly targeted, largely because the Susquehanna River contributes half of the Bay’s water. The blueprint was developed to achieve reductions by 2025. The final planning stage, the Phase 3 Watershed Implementation ...

Setting record about severance tax

May 14, 2019

In March, the Altoona Mirror reported on the fact that both the state and federal government agree on the need for expanded broadband access in rural areas. That’s because anyone living or working in a rural area understands how lack of access to high-speed internet hurts our students’ ability to learn, our doctors’ and emergency responders’ ability to provide medical care and our businesses’ ability to grow and thrive. Thankfully, Gov. Wolf has proposed the $4.5 billion Restore Pennsylvania initiative, which would provide the funding needed to enable broadband access for ...

Health care computers can kill you

March 30, 2019

Texting while driving is so dangerous that it’s outlawed. But doctors and nurses are expected to care for patients while keeping their eyes glued to a computer screen, following prompts and clicking boxes. Some electronic health record systems require 62 clicks just to order Tylenol, and a full emergency room shift involves 4,000 computer clicks. No wonder mistakes are rampant. Last week, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb pointed to “risk for patients” due to poorly designed electronic health record systems. Children can face overdoses when ...