The two-way street of volunteering

A conversation for this week's First Opinion Podcast got me thinking about volunteering.

June 9, 2024 Check out STAT+

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By Patrick Skerrett Editor, First Opinion

A conversation I had with two addiction specialists for this week's First Opinion Podcast touched on volunteering. As we talked about the very difficult intersection of addiction and pregnancy, I recalled spending a few hours each week at a Boston safety-net hospital holding babies who were born to mothers addicted to crack or heroin. Most cried when they weren't sleeping; some had the same kind of shakes an adult in withdrawal has. I and the other volunteers walked with these young ones, rocked them, talked and sang to them. While trying to comfort an inconsolable baby could be stressful, I got as much out of it as I hope the babies did. Soon after I retired from STAT last year, I started volunteering at Community Servings, a Boston-area organization that makes medically tailored meals, chopping vegetables and doing other prep work. One of my sons told me this week he is about to start as a Big Brother. Around 60 million Americans spend some time each year volunteering. Some help build houses, some collect water samples from lakes and streams, some work in hospitals or food pantries. The possibilities are almost endless. The work volunteers do is needed; and they reap what they sow. As much as I've enjoyed filling in at First Opinion while Torie Bosch is on leave, it hasn't left much time for volunteering. I look forward to getting back to it when she returns. If you spend time volunteering at something, bless you. If not, think about it. On to this week's essays, which ranged from the worrisome "brain drain" in the essential field of antibiotic development to why states that have legalized marijuana need to pay more attention to protecting kids from it, a look at medical debt and how a common approach to solving it doesn't work, and more. You can read them all here.

Adobe When medical debt relief is not enough: A study showing what doesn't work may help point to better solutions Despite the apparent shortcomings found with medical debt relief, the study should catalyze the search for effective solutions. By Katherine Hempstead Antibiotic innovation is ailing. 'Brain drain' may kill it Antibiotics are arguably the most important drug class ever discovered. So why are there fewer and few scientists working on them? By Henry Skinner Listen: Among pregnant people, active treatment for addiction shouldn't trigger a call to child protective services This week's "First Opinion Podcast" looks at the hazards that pregnant people in active treatment for opioid addiction face. By Patrick Skerrett Adobe Shifting the focus from loneliness to social health Efforts that help people experiencing chronic loneliness must be complemented with broader initiatives that advance social health for all. By Kasley Killam As states legalize recreational marijuana use for adults, they must prioritize protecting kids Implementing strong and comprehensive protections for children is not the norm in many states that have legalized recreational marijuana use. By Linda Richter, Robyn Oster, and Lindsey Vuolo 100,000 models show that not much was learned about stopping the Covid-19 pandemic Did government responses in 181 countries in 2020 and 2021 affect outcomes in the Covid-19 pandemic? 100,000 models show it's hard to say. By Eran Bendavid and Chirag Patel Victor Moriyama/Getty Images Close a regulatory loophole in the ACA to provide vaccine access for all Americans The ACA requires insurers to cover "routine" vaccines. A loophole forces people with commercial insurance to pay for other important vaccines. By Tom Daschle and Kathleen G. Sebelius A new initiative will help governors and local leaders fight the next pandemic The new American Democracy and Health Security Initiative focuses on what worked to fight Covid-19 pandemic at state and local levels. By Asa Hutchinson and Deval Patrick Obesity drugs pose a big challenge for health care equity The high cost and limited availability of new obesity medicines put them out of reach of most global citizens. By Jayasree K. Iyer Carsten Koall/Getty Images Outdated Medicare rules prevent some dementia patients from getting the medications they need Medicare has established policies that make it difficult for providers to prescribe appropriate antipsychotic drugs for dementia patients. By Carolyn Clevenger

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