Twenty years of World AIDS Day

I knew what the red ribbons symbolized before I ever saw the other variants of colorful ribbons pinned and stuck to shirts and trucks. The red ribbon has become a symbol of support for people with HIV/AIDS, viruses that have infected and killed millions of people for over two decades. I expect to see many [...]

A gender gap in liver transplants

A study out this week shows women are more likely than men to die from waiting for a liver transplant.
Since 2002, transplant patients have been measured against the MELD (model of end-stage liver disease) score, a method of assessing who most deserves transplants. The objective scoring method is supposed to take bias out of the [...]

Happy people don’t watch as much TV as unhappy people

People who spend more time watching TV are less happy than people who watch less. A New York Times article review of a study from the Social Indicators Research stated that happy people didn’t watch as much TV as unhappy people. Happy people do watch TV, but to a lesser extent. Instead, they enjoy reading [...]

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Today, I covered an online panel discussing the feasibility of President-Elect Barack Obama’s healthcare plan. Check out the ColumbiaMissourian.com for the story.
One discussion the panel had that I found interesting was how the US could learn from a country like the Netherlands, which has a high rate of satisfaction with health care.
“We need to look [...]

Bush’s newest stance on women’s health

As he heads out of office, President George Bush is taking one last stand on women’s health issues.
A last-minute move by the current administration could prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses or health care workers who refuse to perform or assist with abortions, sterilization procedures or any other health service program [...]