Ageism and cost-cutting in the age of coronavirus By Shelley Lyford, Opinion Contributor – 08/03/20 (First published by The Hill) COVID-19 has delivered a one-two punch to state budgets — and we’re still in the early rounds of the fight to contain this deadly pandemic. Steeply declining tax revenues combined with sharply rising expenses have… Read more »
June 10, 2020 Life as we know it has forever changed as our nation continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racism and injustice, political division, economic hardship and human suffering. While the wounds run deep and the list is long, we are seeing signs of hope that over time we will emerge from… Read more »
While geriatric medicine strives to focus on the support needed to accommodate aging patients, it can falter when the resources to improve quality of care are not provided to healthcare professionals. The mission of the West Health-UCSD Geriatrics Quality Improvement Science Fellowship is to educate and create innovative leaders in the field of geriatric… Read more »
Congress Should Act Swiftly to Make Telehealth Expansion Permanent June 25, 2020 By Shelley Lyford It took a public health emergency to temporarily lift the regulatory barriers that have stifled the growth of telehealth in this country. Now, Congress must act and take the next step, which is to legislate telehealth into the mainstream of… Read more »
June 23, 2020 by Sean Dickson and Timothy A. Lash As COVID-19 continues to ravage US communities, the costs in terms of lives and lost wages are severe, particularly among seniors and minority communities. Treating COVID-19 shouldn’t disproportionately add to these costs, but the history of drug pricing in the United States provides reason for concern. The… Read more »
June 8, 2020 Black Lives Matter. We are grieved and outraged by the brutal deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others who have been hurt or killed by racist violence. The peaceful protests we are witnessing around the nation and in our own communities are righteous and needed to help bring about an… Read more »
May 19, 2020 This week the West Health family of organizations hit another major milestone! I’m very excited to announce that Civica Rx, the nonprofit generic drug manufacturer created in 2018 by seven leading health systems and three national foundations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation, is now part of a new and historic… Read more »
May 13, 2020 Abstract BACKGROUND COVID-19 has led to a dramatic increase in the use of telehealth services, particularly with older adults, who are at highest risk of potential infection and mortality. As a result, Emergency Departments (EDs) around the country are now leveraging telehealth as a key tool in a variety of settings for… Read more »
April 16, 2020 Sadie, a 76-year-old who lives alone and suffers from chronic renal stones suddenly developed acute flank pain resulting in four medical visits in one week. First to her primary care provider (PCP), second to the emergency department (ED), and a third visit to Urgent Care. Each time she was sent home and instructed… Read more »
April 1, 2020 Today, the California Department of Aging and the California Health and Human Services Agency announced the Stay Home, Save Lives, Check In Campaign. They’re encouraging people, like us, to take a few minutes out of each day to check-in with our older neighbors. Let’s make sure they feel connected and that they… Read more »
