How Chaos at Chain Pharmacies Is Putting Patients at Risk

Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/health/pharmacists-medication-errors.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

Summary: All over the US, there have been reported cases of people being hospitalized, even as far as to the point of facing death because of pharmacists in chain drugstores are handing out the wrong prescription or the wrong kind of medicine. Turns out, pharmacists have to do a number of tasks from giving prescriptions, manning the drive through, calling doctors, consulting patients, almost simultaneously, making it a very demanding and dangerous job. Pharmacists describe an understaffed, high pressure work space with no time for breaks, and a lot of room for error. Many mishaps do not even go announced because they are settled with the family privately. When pharmacists took a survey, 600 pharmacists said that they "agree" or "strongly agree" that they feel pressured to meet standards that may interfere with patient care.

Reaction: It may be just in the area that I live in, but I've never experienced a drug store like Walgreens or a CVS that was super busy at the pharmaceutical area. However, I can understand how high pressured and high demanding the job is. Without the proper help, or the proper breaks for the pharmacists or any health care professionals in general, the consequences for their patients can be fatal. I'm shocked and sad to hear about the different patients that have suffered the consequences of these mishaps that were described in the article, including a patient that was given a powerful chemotherapy drug instead of an antidepressant that died two weeks later. I understand if the patients are unable to identify drugs that are prescribed in a bottle because of the complicated chemical name, but one of the other cases described was a man whose eye had swollen up because he was given ear drops instead of eye drops for a mild irritation. Yes, the pharmacist is at fault, but it is that hard to look at the bottle at least once in the few days he had used them for already and notice that they were actually ear drops? 

Connection: The high pressure, high demanding working conditions connect back to the working conditions in the Gilded Age. Back then, people worked for 10 hours a day, maybe more, every single day, and it took a toll on their bodies and probably mental health, affecting their work. That reflects in the article, pharmacists having a long list of things to do, all while never even receiving a lunch break. One pharmacist quit his job because he was working 13 hours shifts with no breaks for lunch and dinner. 

Questions for discussion: What solutions can you think up to solve this problem? Do you feel that the health care professionals are more at fault, or are the patients a little bit to blame? 

Sen. Scott Wiener unveils bill seeking takeover of PG&E

Article Link: https://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/California-bill-seeks-takeover-of-nation-s-15026663.php

Summary: 
California's State Senate member Scott Wiener recently proposed a law that would turn PG&E into a public utility and would shut down the electric company. This proposal was based off of PG&E's response to their power lines causing wildfires and burning down towns, as well as shutting down the power for multiple cities to save on costs, as the company went bankrupt in 2019. The plan would be to give money to taxpayers to effectively buy all of the company's stock ($9 billion), and handing it over to the Californian government to handle as an entity for the public to manage. Although it has been met by criticism from PG&E and its fearful workers, it has met positive reception, including that of state governor Gavin Newsom.

Reaction:
Although I am a bit concerned on how exactly the transition of power will play out if the bill passes, I think I would be supportive because of the bad management from PG&E to resolve their issues of debt and upsetting Californian cities by dropping their power for days. The fact that they're so concerned about profits instead of caring for the people shows this detachment from communities.  To think that PG&E would no longer be in charge of our electricity is interesting, but it could be a very near future.

Historical Content Connection: 
The rise of monopolies and corporations in the 1870s led to the government's eventual reliance on them to help support the government, such as the Panic of 1893. This led to the federal government "trustbusting" these companies into regulating them by the 1900s, including the creation of the Federal Trade Commission in 1914. (Source)

Questions:
What are your opinions about this proposed law? Do you think PG&E are able to restructure the company and fix its issues?

Virginia Teachers On Strike

Photo above is of the Virginian teachers’ strike

Link: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/01/27/us/virginia-teachers-protest-monday/index.html

 Summary: On Monday Monday January 27th, about January 27th, one thousand teachers in Virginia rallied at the state capitol to demand higher raises and more funding for students. Christina Melendez, one of the teachers, says that she has taught in three school districts in the past seven years and says she and other teachers are tired of using old textbooks and working multiple jobs to support themselves. An average Virginia teacher’s salary is $51,994 which is almost $8,500 less than the national average. When Virginia teachers rallied at the state capitol last January, lawmakers agreed to a 5% raise for teachers. That is however still not enough, Melendez says that “without a major boost to teachers’ salaries, I can’t afford to be a teacher next year.” 

Connection: This connects back to what we’ve been learning in class about workers going on strike for better wages like the Homestead strike when workers at Carnegie’s steel plant walked out and went on strike because their wages were being cut. 

Reaction: I am shocked that teachers get paid so little when their jobs are one of the most important.  I think the government should definitely spend more money on schools and teachers because they’re the ones providing us an education and preparing us for the future so we can get jobs.

 Question: Why do you think teachers get paid so little despite the importance of their job? What else could teachers do to raise awareness?  (Because going on strike means they can’t show up at school and teach.)

New Affordable Housing in San Francisco

                                       
Link: https://www.kron4.com/news/new-mixed-income-housing-community-offers-affordable-housing-in-san-francisco/

Summary: On Thursday, January 30th, Mayor London Breed announced the opening of three new mixed-income, mixed-use Avery apartment buildings, located on Folsom, Clementina, First, and Fremont streets. These buildings contain 548 units where 149 of them are for people who make 50% or less of the area median income. The apartments were developed as part of the Transbay Redevelopment project and are aimed at creating a successful community with various groups of people.

Reaction: I think that the creation of this new apartment complex with low-income housing is a great thing in a city where many struggle to afford rent.  However, when I first clicked on the article I expected more of the possible 548 units to be made for this purpose, and in some ways I see this as a way for big companies, such as Avery, to profit from major issues.

Connection: This is connected to the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, which provided money to public housing agencies in order to improve the lives of low-income families. While not the same, the new low-income housing units also were created to improve the lives of the poor.

Discussion Question: Do you think that affordable housing should become more easily accessible to people?

The Effect of the Coronavirus on the Economy

Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/01/29/british-airways-cancels-flights-china-over-coronavirus/?itid=hp_hp-top-table-main_britishairways-130-1-duplicate%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Summary: As a result of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China, as well as in other countries including the US, numerous major companies have been forced to shut down their factories and stores in China. Consequently, company shares have been significantly lower in value, while quarterly performance for the upcoming quarter will be lower than expected. Additionally, major airlines have closed off routes coming from and going to China, temporarily decreasing their revenue until the virus outbreak is contained. In the past, the SARS caused airlines to lose a combined 8% of their revenue ($6 billion then), meaning this outbreak could also result in similar hardships for airlines. On the other hand, bioscience companies helping with the development of a cure and supplying necessary medical equipment to Chinese hospitals have greatly profited from this unfortunate event.

Reaction: It’s interesting to see how much the virus affects the US and worldwide economy because people tend to focus simply on where the virus is spreading and how to not contract it, while ignoring the indirect impact it has on the economy.

Connection: In the late 1800s and during the 19th century, strikes temporarily stopped production of goods in factories until a compromise had been reached.For example, as a result of the Pullman strike, railroad traffic through Chicago stopped for a few days, hurting both the Pullman company and the railroad industry. This shows the effect that stopping factories or railroads only for a few days can have on the economy, in both the 19th and 21st century.

Discussion Questions: Should we be focusing more on the many ways that the coronavirus is affecting our lives? Are there other problems indirectly caused by the coronavirus that aren’t being talked about as much as others?

SF Director of Public Works arrested by FBI

Link: https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/mohammed-nuru-head-of-sf-public-works-arrested-by-fbi/

Summary: On Monday, January 27th, San Francisco’s Director of Public Works, Mohammed Nuru was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after making false statements in his unnamed arrest last week. He has been charged with one count of wire fraud which includes bribing an airport commissioner and providing insider information to a contractor bidding on a program to provide restrooms for the homeless. In 2011, he was also the target of a lawsuit accusing him of treating black women differently in the workplace. Facts about the case are still spiraling out after he appeared in federal court on Monday. 

Reaction: I am shocked that this is still happening in 2020 in San Francisco. I think it is very wrong that Nuru has taken advantage of his power in the government as a public servant. 

Connection: This is connected to the political machines and bosses that we are currently learning about. More specifically, William Tweed was a political boss for Tammany Hall in New York starting in 1856. He extorted around $45 million to $200 million from the government, using some to help New York residents, before he was arrested in 1873.

Discussion Questions: Do you think that misusing government power to help others (in Nuru’s case helping the program to provide restrooms for the homeless) is justified? Why or why not?

Source: https://www.history.com/news/boss-tweeds-flight-from-justice

More U.S Coronavirus Cases Emerge, as China's Death Toll Rises

Link to Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/world/china-coronavirus.html

Image: 


Summary: The official coronavirus cases across China stands at a 2,744 count as of January 26, 2020. Authorities have recorded an overall death toll of 80 people. The Chinese government has banned wildlife trade nationwide until the epidemic passes. Hong Kong has banned people and residents who have traveled to Wuhan in the past 14 days from entering the city. Shanghai Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland have both closed down indefinitely. According to the C.D.C, there were three more coronavirus cases that were reported in the United States on Sunday: two in California and one in Arizona bringing the nation’s total to five cases.

Reaction: I think this virus is a concern because experts aren't certain about the originating animal. I believe the Chinese government made the correct decision to quarantine the Wuhan residents and prevent them from leaving in an effort for containment. This is because the virus has so many unknown factors and is still mutating. The epidemic has been all over TV and social media which makes me feel more cautious, especially with the California local cases.

Connection to US history: Pandemic waves have been prevalent in US history. We learned last semester how smallpox came to North America in the 1600s and wiped out 70% of the Native American population. However, there have been fewer infectious disease outbreaks through medicine advancements and the development of vaccines for smallpox & other massive viruses like yellow fever and cholera.

Questions for Discussion: Do you think the world is overreacting to the corona virus outbreak? Are you concerned that the corona virus will continue to spread to more people? What solutions would you propose to the US government to prevent this disease?

Over 2,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China and counting

Link: https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-01-27-20-intl-hnk/index.html



Summary: As of January 27, 2020, there has been at least 2,700 confirmed cases of the Novel coronavirus (a.k.a. Wuhan coronavirus) in China and 82 infected have already died. The virus began its outbreak in Wuhan, China and has made its way outside of the region with 50 infected, including 5 in the United States. Coronavirus is an umbrella term for viruses that infect the respiratory system in mammals, including humans. Such viruses associated include the common cold, the flu, and SARs. In most cases, it is mild but can rarely be lethal. It is highly contagious and can spread before symptoms appear. Currently, there has been efforts to reduce the spread of this coronavirus through increased airport screenings and travel bans as there is also no vaccine to this recent virus.

Reaction: News of this outbreak has been overly displayed all over the media but in a good way. More people, including I, continue to know more about this virus and know what to expect in the future. It doesn't frighten me as much until the numbers rise, but I would be cautious if more become infected in the U.S. Also, I believe this is incomparable to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 since it is spreads through the air, so there is more worry among people. It is likely that the numbers of infected people will continue to rise, especially in mainland China.

Connection to U.S. history: In the early to mid 17th century, Europeans immigrated to the U.S. region of North America, carrying food, necessities, but also diseases such as smallpox. Smallpox killed over 70% of the Native population in North America. It was not until 1770 Edward Jenner created a vaccine for smallpox.

Discussion Questions: What is your reaction to the Wuhan coronavirus? What actions do you think countries should take to prevent the spread of this virus? Do you think the U.S. should be worried of it being spread to the country?