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Is working at Walgreens… more like working in servitude ?
Joe Biden’s new EO denies patients in pain the medication they need
Joe Biden’s new EO denies patients in pain the medication they need
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Should Walgreens be Removed from Vaccine Programs ?
Should Walgreens be Removed from Vaccine Programs ?
https://pharmacistactivist.com/2021/April_2021.shtml
“Walgreens Not Following U.S. Guidance on Pfizer Vaccine Spacing” is the stunning title of a recent story in The New York Times (April 5, 2021; Rebecca Robbins). The story includes the following statements:
“People are supposed to get two doses, three weeks apart. Walgreens, however, separated them by four weeks because that made it faster and simpler for the company to schedule appointments.”
“But Walgreens’s decision, which it didn’t publicly announce, confused some customers and caught the attention of federal health officials….a spokeswoman for the C.D.C. said the agency had asked Walgreens to stop using a longer-than-recommended period between doses.”
“The company’s vaccine-scheduling system by default schedules all second doses four weeks after the first. Doses of Moderna’s vaccine, which Walgreens is also administering, are supposed to be spaced four weeks apart. Using the same gap for both vaccines was ‘the easiest way to stand up the process based on our capabilities at the time,’ Dr. Kevin Ban, Walgreens’ chief medical officer, said in an interview.”
“Now Walgreens is changing its system.”
“The vaccination program is a business opportunity for Walgreens, which is bringing in revenue from the vaccine administration fees paid by government and private payers as well as from purchases made by shoppers coming in for vaccines.”
“Asked about Walgreens’ scheduling, …a spokesman for Pfizer said the safety and efficacy of the company’s vaccine had not been evaluated on dosing schedules different from the three-week gap tested in clinical trial volunteers.”
“Walgreens’ decision to not adhere to the C.D.C.’s guidance on dose spacing for Pfizer’s shot left some customers confused.” One individual “who got her first Pfizer shot late last month has been trying, to no avail, to reach a Walgreens representative to reschedule her second-dose appointment for a week sooner.”
Arrogance and greed In my opinion, there will NOT be any clinically important difference in the protection provided by the vaccine whether the two doses are administered at 3- or 4-week intervals. However, Walgreens does NOT have the authority to change the dosage regimen. “Chaos” is not too strong a term to characterize the confusion and argumentative debate about the transmissibility of COVID-19, closing of schools and businesses, the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, vaccine distribution, etc. Walgreens’ action only adds to the confusion and chaos!
“The science and the clinical trial data can be ignored.”
“The FDA-approved dosage regimen and CDC guidance can be ignored.”
“We will decide on ‘the easiest way’ for us to give the vaccine for our convenience, metrics, and revenue.”
The statement of the Walgreens medical officer that it chose “the easiest way… based on our capabilities at the time” is ludicrous and must be rejected. If Walgreens does not have the capability to schedule consumers at different time intervals, is it capable of storing and handling the vaccines in the proper manner, or administering the correct dose? The Walgreens self-serving action is based on its greed and arrogance to give more vaccines to more people faster to acquire greater profits.
Remaining questions
What actions have state boards of pharmacy taken in response to Walgreens’ action?
Does Walgreens’ action violate professional ethics?
How do pharmacy’s professional associations view this action?
Are there other vaccines or medications for which Walgreens has determined “the easiest way” to adjust dosages and administer them (e.g., vaccines, antibiotics, cancer chemotherapy)?
Or is there silence?
The last question is the only one for which there appears to be an answer, so I will break the silence! Walgreens should be removed as a participant in vaccine immunization programs!
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When urine tests lie
When the urine test LIES
Many doctors are insisting that their chronic pain pts routinely have to take a urine test to determine if they are taking their prescribed medications – or not – or to discover if patients are taking other medications/substances legal or illegal.
“Failing a drug test” will normally mean that a patient is summarily dismissed from the practice.
Many of these office practices that have elected to use the inexpensive “pee in a cup” form of test.
Physicians are use to lab testing to be 100% accurate, except these “pee in a cup” tests have a reported 20% error rate, but often the practices that use these tests… have apparently not read the “fine print” about their accuracy.
Often some of the false positives – tests shows some drug/substance in the urine that they patient has no knowledge of every taking.
Unfortunately, there are many foods, OTC medications and prescription medications that will throw a “positive test” for a banned substance in the urine.
Something as innocuous as the prescription medication like Amoxicillin or Ampicillin could show up as a COCAINE in the urine.
Having taken Robitussin DM for a cold could show up as PCP or a opiate.
Here is a link to a rather extensive list of possible false positive urine test results;
http://www.keystosaferschools.com/drug-testing/drug-testing-false-positives-for-urine-testing
It may be appropriate for every patient, being subjective to urine tests, to carry a print out of the list on the above hyperlink. If you show a “false positive” at the physician’s office for a urine test… it could be possible to refute the result before it is added to your medical records and you are discharged/fired from the practice.
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Is this another crisis or just a EPIDEMIC ?
Preventable deaths from alcohol use increased in 2020
https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2021/alcohol041521.html
Preliminary data highlights impact of excessive alcohol use in Minnesota
New preliminary data show that nearly a thousand Minnesotans died from alcohol use last year.
The preliminary data suggest that factors related to the pandemic may have boosted a decades-long trend of increasing numbers of alcohol-attributable deaths in Minnesota. The number of fully alcohol-attributable deaths increased by one-third between 2000 and 2010, and more than doubled between 2010 and 2020. Fully alcohol-attributable deaths would not have happened if alcohol had not been consumed. This includes both chronic causes, such as alcohol-related liver disease, and acute causes, such as alcohol poisoning. In 2020, 992 Minnesotans died from fully alcohol-attributable causes.
“The deaths of so many Minnesotans from alcohol is tragic and preventable,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm. “Sadly, the pandemic has amplified some of the root causes of substance use and substance use disorders, such as social isolation, job loss and lack of access to treatment. In response, we need to strengthen overall opportunities in our communities for connectedness and financial security as well as specific evidence-based community strategies to reduce excessive alcohol use.”
The deaths from alcohol use in 2020 mirrored similar trends to recent years, until the number of alcohol-attributable deaths started to accelerate in June of last year. This mid-year acceleration is thought to be due in part to factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In 2020, we saw that after May, alcohol-related deaths continued to stay elevated and 171 more Minnesotans died in 2020 compared to 2019, which is a larger jump than the trend prior to the pandemic,” said Kari Gloppen, MDH alcohol epidemiologist. Studies show that excessive drinking affects your brain, heart, liver, digestive system and even your immune system. Alcohol is also a carcinogen that has been linked to several types of cancer.”
The data brief, Fully Alcohol-Attributable Deaths in Minnesota, 2000-2020 (PDF), does not include partially alcohol-attributable causes of death for which alcohol was one of several factors contributing to a death. These estimates, therefore, underestimate the impact of alcohol use on deaths in Minnesota. In addition, alcohol-attributable deaths are only the tip of the iceberg as far as the impact of excessive alcohol use. Excessive drinking is costly, both in human and economic terms not just related to premature death, but also chronic diseases, including cancer, injuries and violence, crime, property damage, and lost productivity.
Deaths and other harms from excessive alcohol use are preventable. The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, nonfederal panel of prevention experts, makes evidence-based recommendations at The Community Guide Excessive Alcohol Consumption page on programs and strategies to improve health. Strategies recommended by the group to reduce excessive drinking, and alcohol-related injury, disease and deaths include the following:
- Increase the price of alcohol.
- Regulate the number and concentration in communities of places that sell alcohol.
- Consistent enforcement of laws prohibiting alcohol sales to minors.
- Electronic screening and brief intervention to reduce excessive alcohol use. These screening and brief intervention programs can be integrated into clinic and emergency department services, at workplaces or in other community settings, using mobile devices or computers.
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Is COVID-19 going to be declared a perpetual pandemic ?
Pfizer, Moderna Say Booster Shots Probably Needed
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/949446
Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’sCoronavirus Resource Center.
People who’ve received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines will probably need a booster shot this year, top executives for those two pharmaceutical companies said this week.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people who’ve gotten both doses would likely need a third shot within 12 months and might need an annual shot thereafter.
“There are vaccines … like polio that one dose is enough, there are vaccines like pneumococcal vaccine that one dose is enough for adults, and there are vaccines like flu that you need every year,” Bourla said on a CVS Health Live event, “Race to Vaccinate.” “The COVID virus looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus.”
A top Moderna executive said the United States is in a good position to move into booster shots because of its vaccine rollout, whereas many other nations are still getting first vaccinations.
“It is likely that the countries that have already achieved high vaccine coverage are going to be ready to shift their focus to boosters in 2022 and possibly even starting at the end of this year,” Corinne M. Le Goff, PharmD, Moderna’s chief commercial officer, said during a call with investors, Business Insider reported.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel made similar comments to Business Insider this week.
“I hope this summer to get the vaccine authorized for a boost so that we can help people getting boosted before the fall, so that we all have a normal fall and not a fall and winter like we just saw in the last 6 months,” he said.
Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky told CNBC in February that people may need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 annually, just like seasonal flu shots.
And David Kessler, MD, of the Biden administration’s COVID response team told a congressional committee on Thursday that Americans should expect to receive booster shots to protect against coronavirus variants, CNBC reported.
“We don’t know everything at this moment,” he told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
“We are studying the durability of the antibody response,” he said. “It seems strong but there is some waning of that and no doubt the variants challenge … they make these vaccines work harder. So I think for planning purposes, planning purposes only, I think we should expect that we may have to boost.”
The CDC says almost 126 million people in the U.S. (37.9% of the population) have received one dose of vaccine and that 78.4 million people (23.6% of the population) are fully vaccinated.
Earlier this month, Pfizer said studies show its vaccine is 93.1% effective 6 months after the second dose. Moderna said studies show 90% effectiveness in its vaccine after 6 months.
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If anyone wonders why the chronic pain community is invisible to the media….
It was announced today that so far this year 92 police officers have been shot/killed. I don’t know about you, but I have not seen more than a handful mentioned on the national news. But then it is claimed that – on average 24 veterans commit suicide EVERY DAY… and once again, the national media seems to be oblivious to all of these lost lives of people who have pledged to protect and serve our country.
Many have called for DEFUNDING THE POLICE and in many major cities homicides have increased 50%-100%. Today one of the members of the “squad” in the house Rashida Tlaib https://www.newswars.com/squad-democrat-tlaib-demands-no-more-policing/ called out to eliminate the police altogether ! Have not seen anything about DEFUNDING THE DEA
It has been reported that this administration had instructed ICE to not take custody of any illegal immigrants.. basically making our ENTIRE COUNTRY a SANCTUARY PLACE.
And you believe anyone in power really cares about your chronic pain and your inability to get adequate pain management ? You could be delusional !
They claim that elections have consequences… there is another election in abt 18 month, 435 members of the house and 33-34 Senators are up for reelection. 87% of Congress can be replaced with the Nov 2022 election. If both houses of Congress flip to Republicans… Washington DC will quickly come to a gridlock. It was reported today that inflation in Feb was 0.4% and March was 0.6%… on a annualized basis that is SIX PERCENT. That is DOUBLE- TRIPLE what it was in the previous three years. Remember during the second term of Obama when gasoline was > $4.00/gal ?
98% of Congress expect to get reelected, regardless what they promise and what they do or don’t do… that percentage drops dramatically… their paranoid will be on HIGH ALERT… they might even listen to constituents when they come to office in 2023.
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Another collateral damage of the war on drugs/pts ?
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Health Care and which political parties they donate money to in 2020
Health Services/HMOs
Health Services/HMOs: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups
Total contributions: $151,572,671
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.php?cycle=2020&ind=H03
To Candidates and Parties | To Outside Spending Groups | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Contributor | Total Contribs | Total | Dem% | Repub% | Total |
1 | Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment & Research | $99,107,150 | $1,607,150 | 0% | 100.0% | $97,500,000 |
2 | Kaiser Permanente | $3,733,913 | $3,603,657 | 84.0% | 15.4% | $106,053 |
3 | Centene Corp | $3,584,086 | $3,506,808 | 47.4% | 52.5% | $125,756 |
4 | UnitedHealth Group | $3,233,647 | $3,209,273 | 58.0% | 41.9% | $21,203 |
5 | Blue Cross/Blue Shield | $2,760,726 | $2,693,350 | 68.6% | 31.2% | $92,382 |
6 | DaVita Inc | $1,722,986 | $1,602,406 | 56.1% | 43.8% | $118,265 |
7 | Integra Connect | $1,424,354 | $1,424,341 | 20.1% | 79.5% | $0 |
8 | Humana Inc | $1,117,971 | $1,102,222 | 62.2% | 37.3% | $12,273 |
9 | Optum | $803,918 | $783,668 | 81.6% | 17.5% | $15,710 |
10 | Molina Healthcare | $783,419 | $780,831 | 61.5% | 38.4% | $1,798 |
11 | Epic Systems | $773,192 | $758,888 | 92.3% | 6.8% | $13,674 |
12 | Fresenius Medical Care North America | $769,084 | $769,084 | 51.4% | 48.6% | $0 |
13 | Athenahealth Inc | $708,560 | $694,576 | 98.5% | 1.1% | $13,148 |
14 | Ambry Genetics | $670,708 | $70,558 | 94.1% | 1.8% | $600,000 |
15 | Deer Oaks Mental Health | $663,255 | $592,533 | 100.0% | 0% | $70,722 |
16 | Scott Holdings | $647,425 | $647,425 | 0% | 100.0% | $0 |
17 | Aetna Inc | $638,738 | $626,954 | 78.6% | 20.9% | $8,029 |
18 | 23andme Inc | $601,174 | $597,678 | 100.2% | 0% | $3,336 |
19 | LHC Group | $595,009 | $492,302 | 15.6% | 84.4% | $102,500 |
20 | Beacon Health Options | $571,296 | $542,025 | 96.7% | 3.1% | $24,355 |
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Medical Science now using DNA testing on inherited Cardiovascular Disease
Genetic Testing for Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
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