Advocates in Mass. are pushing to keep masking in health care settings

Health

Massachusetts’s COVID-19 public health emergency runs out on May 11, ending state masking requirements in health care facilities.

Advocates in Mass. are pushing to keep masking in health care settings
Public health advocates are urging Massachusetts health officials to keep universal masking in place at health care facilities. John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe, File

A coalition of public health advocates is urging Massachusetts to keep masking requirements in place in health care settings, even after the state’s COVID-19 emergency declaration runs out in early May. 

“Without universal masking precautions in healthcare, vulnerable people face substantial risk of being exposed in waiting rooms or clinical settings against their will, violating their autonomy, and deterring many from seeking much-needed care,” the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity wrote in an open letter last week. 

Coalition co-founder Dr. Lara Jirmanus, a family physician and Harvard Medical School instructor, explained in a virtual press conference Wednesday that removing masking requirements from health care settings will be especially risky for babies and children who can’t mask. 

“People can bring these infections home to their loved ones and hurt them,” Jirmanus said. “And I will say personally, as a parent of a 16-month-old baby, this is part of my calculation.”

In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines to relax masking requirements for health care facilities in parts of the country with lower levels of community transmission. (In Massachusetts, state masking requirements remained in health care settings even after the CDC change.)

Relying on community transmission data to dictate masking is flawed, Jirmanus asserted, citing underreported cases. 

According to the coalition’s letter, “far fewer people are testing for COVID-19 as much required routine testing has ended, federal funding for COVID-19 testing has diminished, and most rapid tests are not reported. Further, most low-wage workers don’t have paid sick time, and many are incentivized or compelled to go to work with COVID-19, or to avoid testing.”

The group cited data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, whose director estimated in September that only 4{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} to 5{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of COVID-19 infections are actually reported. 

Even when transmission rates are low, clinics and hospitals will still be an epicenter for COVID-19 patient care, creating opportunities for the virus to spread, according to the coalition’s letter. Removing masks from health care settings also puts providers at risk at a time when the health care system is overrun with staffing shortages, the group argued.

A spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services told The Boston Globe that the state health department will continue to track COVID-19 cases and make adjustments as circumstances change. 

The spokesperson also told the Globe that infection control leaders at several of the largest hospital systems in Massachusetts have repeatedly asked state health officials to end the mask mandate.

The Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity remains unconvinced. 

“We are wondering, when we take a look at that Globe article, why have hospital administrators been lobbying to remove masks? Is this about the money?” Jirmanus asked. “It doesn’t make sense. Removing masks in health care … is going to cause health worker outbreaks and it’s going to exacerbate existing staffing shortages and thereby exacerbate the budget crisis.”

She added: “We all have a loved one in our lives who could be hurt by a COVID infection. … and we could all be harmed by long COVID. So let’s be safer together.”

Mass General Brigham selects Medline as strategic vendor for medical supplies

Medline selected by leading integrated academic healthcare system for prime vendor agreement

NORTHFIELD, Ill., Feb. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Medline and premier Massachusetts-based Mass General Brigham have entered into a multi-year prime vendor agreement. After being with a previous vendor for over 25 years, Medline will now be the exclusive provider of medical and surgical supplies across the integrated academic healthcare system’s continuum of care, including the system’s acute care facilities and network for ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices.  

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mass General Brigham tapped Medline to augment the health system’s storage capacity with third-party logistics (3PL) solutions enabled by Medline’s state-of-the-art 840,000 sq. ft. Uxbridge, Mass. distribution center. With the expansion of the strategic relationship, in addition to 3PL solutions, Mass General Brigham will also leverage Medline’s supply chain optimization and logistical expertise to advance its supply chain operations and resiliency efforts. 

“Working with Medline allows us to leverage their entire scope of expertise in the areas of supply chain logistics and clinical solutions to ultimately help improve our operating performance,” said Lisa Scannell, vice president of supply chain for Mass General Brigham. “We look forward to evolving this strategic relationship to achieve greater resiliency and standardization in our system’s supply chain.”

As part of the agreement, on-site Medline analysts will work hand-in-hand with leaders to address specific caregiver needs and help drive new ways of optimizing care in a commitment to providing enhanced support and service. In addition, Mass General Brigham will have the ability to easily monitor key metrics such as item utilization, contract compliance, price accuracy, and spend by product categories through Medline’s advanced analytics platforms.

“We are honored to expand our business relationship with Mass General Brigham and are committed to becoming an extension of their team, going to great lengths to understand the system’s needs,” said Jim Digiacomo, executive account director for Medline. “Combining their mission to serve the community with Medline’s agility and scale, this partnership will enable us to create customized solutions to help healthcare run better.” 

Learn how Medline tailors solutions across the entire continuum of care as a manufacturer and distributor by visiting https://www.medline.com/supply-chain.   

About Medline
Medline is a healthcare company; a manufacturer, distributor, and solutions provider focused on improving the overall operating performance of healthcare. Partnering with healthcare systems and facilities across the continuum of care, Medline provides the clinical and supply chain resources required for long-term financial viability in delivering high-quality care. With the scale of one of the country’s largest companies and the agility of a family-led business, Medline is able to invest in its customers for the future and rapidly respond to a dynamically changing market with customized solutions. Headquartered in Northfield, Ill., Medline has 30,000+ employees worldwide and does business in more than 125 countries and territories. Learn more about Medline at https://www.medline.com.

About Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic healthcare system, uniting great minds in medicine to make life-changing impact for patients in our communities and people around the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a non-profit organization that is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information, please visit www.massgeneralbrigham.org.    

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SOURCE Medline

5 Bad Fitness Habits That Cause You To Lose Muscle Mass

The foundation of any productive health regimen is constructed upon balanced routines. Irrespective of whether your goal is to operate your initially marathon, established a deadlift personal document, or dedicate to a day by day walking regime, the key is sticking to normal patterns that nudge you together the route to a much healthier, fitter you. Even so, when it arrives to achieving your health and fitness and health ambitions, realizing what not to do is often similarly as significant as understanding the ideal points to do. Making and sustaining muscle mass is no exception to this common rule. To enable you build and maintain on to your lean muscle mass, we’re sharing 5 bad health and fitness habits that trigger you to drop muscle mass mass so you can stay away from them at all prices.

You can commit numerous hours in the health club and educate with Tazmanian devil-like intensity, but if you have awful health habits, you’re taking pictures by yourself in the proverbial foot and are unlikely to achieve your physical fitness plans. The good news is, by earning insignificant tweaks to your nourishment, exercise routine schedule, and everyday behaviors, you’ll prevent the pitfalls of negative patterns and substantially increase your means to grow muscle mass. Qualified own trainer Kate Meier, CPT of Fitness center Garage Assessments shares the lowdown on which negative health behavior you really should steer clear of like the plague. Preserve examining to come across out what they are, then verify out The 5 Best Diet & Training Tips To Get back Muscle mass Mass.

5 Bad Fitness Habits That Cause You To Lose Muscle Mass
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A surefire way to eliminate muscle mass mass is not consuming ample vitality (energy). Food is gas for your muscle groups, and not ingesting sufficient calories implies your system will operate on an empty tank.

“Noticeably cutting energy combined with intense cardio will direct to muscle mass reduction in excess of time,” claims Meier. “Converse with a nutritionist or use an on-line calorie calculator to help determine how many calories your entire body wants to support every day features and your education regimen.”

man fatigued, overtraining at the gym
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“Training continuously is a vital facet of building muscle, but overtraining can have the precise opposite outcome,” cautions Meier. Except you happen to be an endurance athlete who runs marathons or competes in triathlons, performing out also much can lead to overtraining syndrome (OTS), a situation that takes place when you you should not allow for for proper restoration soon after constant, vigorous teaching classes, in accordance to the Healthcare facility for Unique Surgical procedure (HSS). Additionally, minimized muscle glycogen levels and muscle weakness are connected with overtraining, analysis shows. Typical signs and symptoms of OTS include things like prolonged fatigue, bad slumber excellent, small power, persistent muscle mass soreness, and mood swings, according to the HSS.

Similar: Above 50? Listed here Are 6 Workout Mistakes You happen to be Also Old To Make

man yawning in bed, fatigued
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Slumber is possible the most effective (yet most underrated) part of any well being or physical fitness purpose. Working towards fantastic snooze cleanliness and making significant-high quality, restorative rest a top rated priority will assistance you retain and expand muscle. Exploration demonstrates that not acquiring superior excellent snooze, or not sleeping ample, can heighten your chance of losing muscle mass.

“Your muscle mass maintenance and increase whilst you sleep, and slumber regulates almost all of your bodily features,” says Meier. “Intention to get 8 strong hrs of shuteye each night. This will assist avert very long-term tiredness and help with muscle mass advancement if you work out continuously.”

man holding tray of protein
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Your entire body consists of roughly 20{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} protein it really is located in all of your cells. Hence, acquiring ample protein is critical for not only good health but also for building and retaining muscle mass mass.

“Regardless of your diet system, be certain you might be getting more than enough protein in your diet regime,” says Meier. “Muscle is fueled by protein, so correct restoration and muscle growth relies upon on it.”

Whilst the global advised nutritional allowance (RDA) for the total of protein you need to eat is .8 grams per kilogram of your physique bodyweight, you may will need to eat extra if your goal is to enhance muscle mass progress and get better from routines quicker. The American School of Sports activities Medication (ACSM) recommends consuming between 1.2 and 2. grams of protein for every kilogram of physique pounds each day for the finest benefits. Just make guaranteed you are energy teaching and acquiring your protein from whole food stuff sources and superior-top quality protein powders.

Linked: The Best Physical fitness Behaviors That Improve Your Muscular Stamina Immediately after 50

woman on snowy winter run to lose holiday weight
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Although normal cardio workout is excellent for overall health and fitness, heading overboard can trigger muscle mass reduction. The Actual physical Exercise Pointers for Americans propose that nutritious grownups get a bare minimum of 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise for every week. Nonetheless, continuously likely above and beyond this threshold—combined with not taking in more than enough calories or doing power training—is a bad routine for everyone wanting to maintain or regain muscle mass.

“Generating certain your body is appropriately fueled ahead of cardio exercises is critical, because as a lot as it allows you burn up additional calories and body fat, it will also melt away muscle at the time other electrical power sources are depleted,” suggests Meier. “The bottom line is you should locate a great equilibrium in between cardio and strength instruction if your purpose is muscle expansion.”

Adam Meyer

Adam is a well being writer, accredited holistic nutritionist, and 100{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} plant-based athlete. Read through much more about Adam