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Articles by Ronit Rose
MD, DO – What Kind of Doctor is This? - Chicago Health
Fact checked by Shannon Sparks After ramping up my yoga practice a few years ago, I experienced tremendous pain in my hands. Poses that put pressure on them became intolerable. Even biking was agony; I couldn’t grip the handlebars. Someone recommended a sports medicine doctor to me, so I made an appointment. The doctor spent a lot of time moving my hands around and testing my strength. Then she ordered an MRI. When I returned to get the results, she explained them in detail.
Our Top 10 Stories of 2024
One of the best things about the new year is reviewing our most-read articles from the previous year. This exercise gives us an opportunity to find out what our readers most wanted to read, to remind ourselves of the health events that unfolded, and to review our breadth of coverage and our writers’ talents. This past year, our top 10 include stories on inequities, hospitals’ preparation for the Democratic National Convention, ongoing vaccine controversies, and more.
The Election Judge and the Bully
Centering mental health and public safety during a contentious voting day As political violence and division flared in recent months in the U.S., our associate editor, Ronit Rose, prepared for her role as an election judge for this year’s presidential election. Ronit served at a precinct in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
The Public Health Crisis of Gun Violence
For the first time in history, the United States Surgeon General in June 2024 declared gun violence a public health emergency. “Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, said in a public address. Murthy introduced a 39-page advisory, laying out an approach to address firearm violence.
If Your Loved One Wanders, Don’t Wait to Dial 911
Fact checked by Catherine Gianaro Has a loud and sudden alert from your phone, announcing an Amber Alert, ever surprised you? These notifications that a child has been abducted spread the word quickly and enlist the public’s help in finding the missing person. But what about when adults with cognitive disabilities or other issues wander away?
Legal Updates
Fact checked by Catherine Gianaro Nurse Staffing Standards New patient care standards in Medicare- and Medicaid-rated nursing homes will phase in over the next five years to give facilities time to ramp up staffing. The standards require facilities to provide a minimum of 3.48 hours per day of nursing care to all residents, including approximately 30 minutes per day by a registered nurse.
New Health Laws
Fact checked by Derick Wilder Effective January 2024 Many seniors on Medicare who need extra help paying for medications, premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other healthcare costs may now qualify for help under Medicare’s expansion of the Extra Help program. Income limits to qualify are $22,590 for an individual and $30,660 for a married couple in 2024. If you qualify, you will pay nothing for Part D (drug coverage) premiums, and you will receive reduced copays, along with other benefits.
How to Report Medicare Fraud
When my mother received a statement from her insurance company recently, detailing $5,800 for sleep apnea supplies, I checked it to verify coverage and then tossed it aside. Afterward, it hit me: My mother doesn’t have sleep apnea. While there was no charge to my mother, there was a multi-thousand dollar charge to Medicare for something my mother never needed nor experienced. I called her insurance company, which transferred me to Medicare.
Emergency Ready
Make a resolution to brush up on first-aid skills. Even if you’ve taken a course before, refreshing your skills or reviewingwhat you learned will ensure you respond effectively to an accident or emergency situation. “The American Red Cross recommends that people get trained for moments that matter,” says Traci Johnston, Red Cross field operations manager for the central Midwest. “Accidents and emergencies can happen in the workplace, home, and out in your community.
Recycling is Complicated and Controversial…
When a Groot recycling facility in Plainfield burned down in 2021 due to a battery fire, no one could blame Davide Pezzini for it. Like an estimated 20% of people, Pezzini, a 46-year-old Chicago resident and professional bass player, is fastidious about recycling. He grew up in Switzerland, and while he was in elementary school, the country began to foster a recycling culture.
Placing Bets - Chicago Health
When gambling goes from fun to dysfunctional, know the gambling disorder signs to watch for — and what to do about it. Americans love to gamble. We bet in casinos and on sports, pour our money into slot machines, buy raffle and lottery tickets.… It’s an entertaining and often social activity. And now, with a new casino slated to open in Chicago — projected to bring in $200 million in annual tax revenue by year two — people who gamble will have even more options locally.
Medical Essentials
5 health tools to keep in the house First, it was a new thermometer, with a battery and display. Later, a blood pressure cuff showed up. I noticed a pulse oximeter on the nightstand once the pandemic started, and recently I saw an ad for a blood sugar monitor that implied that everyone should have one, regardless of whether you have diabetes. What else do I need? Should I keep an AED, or automated external defibrillator, handy, in case one of us experiences sudden cardiac arrest?
New Health Laws - Chicago Health
Bodily Autonomy Ordinance This new Chicago law prohibits city departments and agencies from participating in investigations or proceedings related to reproductive and gender-affirming care by another jurisdiction. In other words, if an anti-abortion state comes around seeking information about a citizen who may have received care in Chicago, the inquirer won’t be able to access any information from city departments or agencies.
Emergency Ready - Chicago Health
Resolve to prep your first-aid kit, keep yourself safe, and respond to emergencies and accidents This new year, make a resolution to brush up on first-aid skills. Even if you’ve taken a course before, refreshing your skills or reviewing what you learned will ensure you respond effectively to an accident or emergency situation. “The American Red Cross recommends that people get trained for moments that matter,” says Traci Johnston, Red Cross field operations manager for the central Midwest.
A Midwestern Island for Abortion Access
How changing abortion laws are impacting Illinois The Supreme Court’s June decision against abortion rights triggered a cascade of laws to prevent abortions in 13 states, many in the Midwest. But people’s needs don’t always follow changes in law. People now seeking abortions are facing longer wait times, increased travel costs, and, overall, uncertainty.
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body
Everyone knows that brushing your teeth prevents cavities and tooth decay. But many people don’t realize dental care is an essential part of overall healthcare. Dental care may help prevent conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. With poor oral health, bacteria can grow and spread through the body. Inflammation in the gums may lead to other inflammation and disease, such as heart disease.
Navigating Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
If you are confused about breast cancer screening guidelines — how often to get mammograms and when to start — your instinct might be to head to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for some clarification. But you may not get the answers you seek because there you will see a matrix with a confusing mix of recommendations from seven different organizations.
Drinking Age - Chicago Health
With the pandemic and an increase in wine culture, more women are drinking — to excessive levels Women drink. A lot.
For Strong Bones, Start Young
Brittle bones and stooped posture may seem like an inevitable part of aging, but they are not. In fact, what you do now can protect your bones and influence your risk of osteoporosis later. Most people don’t realize they have osteoporosis — which means “porous bone” — until they have a bone fracture. But increased awareness of osteoporosis can help prevent the condition before it develops.
Breast Cancer Breakthroughs
Better surgeries, less radiation, and new drugs are changing treatments and offering hope In 1811, Nabby Adams, daughter of President John Adams and Abigail Adams, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Brave Nabby submitted to a mastectomy without anesthesia in her parents’ home. The doctor successfully removed her tumor, but the cancer reappeared, and she diedtwo years later, at age 48.
Diagnosed with Breast Cancer? Answers to Questions About Radiation
Physicians have used radiation therapy to treat breast cancer for well over a century. But even though it’s safe, some people facing the treatment have concerns. The first breast radiation treatment took place in Chicago in 1896, when an enterprising medical student irradiated an older woman in an X-ray tube factory on Halsted Street, according to the book The Emperor of All Maladies.
Research Hero: Richard Novak, MD
University of Illinois at Chicago Covid-19 is not the first pandemic go-around for Richard Novak, MD. For more than 30 years, he has worked closely with HIV-positive patients. Today, as head of infectious diseases at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he has been running several research studies trying to find a drug to treat Covid-19. Novak was the principal investigator on a phase 3 trial of remdesivir, a medication found to be effective against Covid-19.
Skilled Nursing Hero: Apsara Rosario
Alden Terrace of McHenry Apsara Rosario, assistant director of nursingat Alden Terrace of McHenry, which provides short-term rehab and skilled nursing services, was 13 when she immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti. After high school, she found herself living in San Diego, a military wife and mother of three. When her family returned to Chicago, she enrolled in nursing school to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She’s thankful for healthcare opportunities here.
Staying Safe and Engaged in Senior Communities During Pandemic
Above photo: The Cinco de Mayo happy hour cart makes its way around Artis Senior Living. Photo courtesy of Artis Senior Living The coronavirus pandemic has hit senior residential communities particularly hard. Older adults are at a higher risk for serious complications and death from COVID-19, and the virus spreads easily in close quarters. While senior communities have been locking down, they’ve also been looking for ways to keep residents engaged to counter the isolation.
Hope for Huntington’s Disease?
A progressive and fatal neurological disease, Huntington’s disease affects the entire brain. It’s “a constellation of three types of issues: motor, cognitive and psychiatric,” says Danny Bega, MD, a neurologist and director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Huntington’s disease clinic. There are no curative or preventive therapies, but there has been “an explosion of research in the last few years,” Bega says.
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