Healthcare

Examining Doctors’ Roles in the Opioid Epidemic

Examining Doctors’ Roles in the Opioid Epidemic

Tom Petty and Michael Jackson have more in common than being internationally known recording artists; both of their lives tragically ended as a result of prescription drug overdoses. Petty was prescribed several prescription medications to deal with a hip injury, while Jackson was prescribed medication to combat insomnia. While Tom Petty’s doctor was neither charged nor investigated in connection with Petty’s death, it was a different story with Michael Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray. Dr. Murray was charged with and eventually convicted of involuntary manslaughter following Jackson’s death, and served two years in prison.

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Giving Heroes Their Shields: Providing More Immunity to the Healthcare Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Giving Heroes Their Shields: Providing More Immunity to the Healthcare Industry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

80,260,092 and 983,237. Respectively, these are the numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States. The effects of COVID-19 impact people who contracted the disease, families who lost someone, and people at risk who have been in isolation for over one year. One group who has been heavily affected by the pandemic is healthcare professionals. Healthcare workers were thrown into the frontlines without proper equipment, including PPE, and, at one point during the height of the pandemic, they also did not have enough ICU beds and ventilators. Because healthcare workers lacked medical equipment, they were more likely to contract COVID-19, which reduced the “quality and quantity of care available.”