On this month’s medical roundtable, our panelists took a closer look at the biggest medical headlines, including:
- On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened many of its recommendations for battling COVID-19. Schools and other institutions no longer need to screen apparently healthy students and employees as a matter of policy. The guidance eliminates the strategy known as "test-to-stay" — a schedule of testing for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but not up to date with their vaccinations. Those people are allowed to continue in-person learning so long as they continue to test negative and show no symptoms.
- In an eerie echo of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a decade of warnings preceded the global outbreak of human monkeypox that has now spread to more than 31,700 cases, with about a third of those in the United States.
- The Inflation Reduction Act passed Congress and was signed by President Biden. An important health care element in this legislation is the ability for Medicare to negotiate directly with pharma on drug prices, a move that may lead to lower drug prices.
- New York City health authorities announced that they had found the polio virus in wastewater samples, suggesting polio was probably circulating in the city again.
Guests:
- Dr. Juliana Kling, internist and specialist in women’s health, Mayo Clinic Arizona.
- Dr. Dacre Knight, internist and director of the Ehlers Danlos Clinic, Mayo Clinic Florida.
- Chad Nielsen, epidemiologist and director of accreditation and infection prevention, UF Health Jacksonville; faculty member, UF College of Medicine Jacksonville.
BE WELL
A new art exhibit poses big questions about what it means to be well. From the dynamic between caregivers and their loved ones to the cultural impact of wellness — and the concept of health itself — the BE WELL exhibit at Yellow House asks profound and provocative questions.
Guests:
- Dimelza Broche, artist.
- Hope McMath, founder and director, Yellow House.
