Category Archives: Health

Upcoming COVID and Flu shots at Skyline

Posted on September 16, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Please save the dates for our upcoming COVID and Flu Vaccination Clinics: •                  Friday, October 9, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. •                  Friday, October 23, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. •                  Location: Mt. Baker Room For anyone wanting to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Vaccines | Leave a comment

Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00am – “Let Me Clear My Throat: The Spectrum of Acute and Chronic Cough” by Dr. Katy Horan in the MBR

Posted on September 14, 2026 by Jim deMaine

The flu and COVID season are arriving in the fall. How should we think about that cough? Dr. Katy Horan is a Pulmonary Medicine specialist at Virginia Mason, focusing on bronchiectasis, non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease, and chronic cough. After … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Leave a comment

Invitation to Substack postings on preparing for the inevitable

Posted on September 13, 2026 by Jim deMaine

I’ve recently begun to move my writing about end-of-life issues to Substack. I’m going to be publishing some of my older essays, along with some new material. I’ll also post several videos in which I was interviewed by Michael Hebb, … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life, Health, Hospice | Leave a comment

How neighbors created the Burke-Gilman, the nation’s first urban rail-to-trail

Posted on September 6, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: My wife and I were a small part of this activist neighborhood group in Mathews Beach in 1970-71. The group was meeting in each others homes to discuss politics and world affairs. Frustrated that there was little we … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Fitness, Health, Transportation | 1 Comment

No country wants our model

Posted on September 6, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Pearl McElheran

Posted in Health | Leave a comment

Gloria Steinem

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Pearl McElheran We’re all old enough to remember these women, aren’t we? Gloria Steinem (1934 – 2026)  Just a few years ago she said, “I hope I live to be 100.  There’s so much work to be done.”  … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Government, happiness, Health, Justice, Law, Mental Health, Politics, protests, Race, Social justice | Leave a comment

The Measles-Stricken Mother Who Lost Her Newborn Son

Posted on September 3, 2026 by Jim deMaine

The family at the center of Pennsylvania’s measles controversy tells their story. By Tom Bartlett in The Atlantic (thanks to Ed Marcuse) When the Amish man emerged from his barn to greet me, he had no idea that his newborn son’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Health | Leave a comment

The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.” By Michael Powell in The Atlantic Photographs by Dana Golan Late last year, I walked roughly a mile from downtown … Continue reading →

Posted in drugs, end of life, Government, Health, In the Neighborhood, Law, Legislation | Leave a comment

When wildfire smoke hits home

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Jim deMaine

“With a son on the fire line, what I’ve learned about protecting the air we breathe”, by Matt Willis – published by Your Local Epidemiologist. Ed note: This morning Seattle’s air is quite clean and free of the smoke from … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, Health, smoke | Comments Off on When wildfire smoke hits home

First mRNA flu shot gets FDA approval, raising hopes for a more effective vaccine

Posted on August 9, 2026 by Mike Cory

Submitted by Ed Marcuse Sarah Boden August 6, 2026 Influenza VaccineA first-of-its-kind flu shot using mRNA technology has been approved for adults 50 years of age and older by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Moderna’s mFlusiva is the company’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Health, Vaccines | Comments Off on First mRNA flu shot gets FDA approval, raising hopes for a more effective vaccine

Neighborhood Notice of Public Meeting

Posted on July 19, 2026 by Jim Tanner

Found: this notice in the window of Coffee Tree on 9th between Cherry and James. July 23, 2026 @ 6 PM – 7 PM at the Harborview Research and Training Building at 300 9th Ave. Seattle, WA 98104 Room 109 … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, In the Neighborhood | Comments Off on Neighborhood Notice of Public Meeting

Aging geriatricians talk about CCRCs, assisted living, nursing homes, hospice and the takeovers by private equity

Posted on June 28, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: This fascinating podcast from GeriPal features two aging academic geriatricians and a banker/health researcher talking about the effects of financing on quality of care in the long term care industry. Now that healthcare is consuming 18% of GDP, … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance, Health | Comments Off on Aging geriatricians talk about CCRCs, assisted living, nursing homes, hospice and the takeovers by private equity

How South Korea Cut Stroke Deaths by More Than 80%

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Jim deMaine

from The Formula by Tom Frieden — Thanks to Kate B. In 1990, stroke killed South Koreans at a rate of 248 per 100,000. By 2023, that rate had fallen to 32. That’s an 87 percent drop. A generation ago, only … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Health | Comments Off on How South Korea Cut Stroke Deaths by More Than 80%

Naming Grief

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Jim deMaine
Posted in Grief, happiness, Health, Mental Health | Comments Off on Naming Grief

Keep Washington emergency medicine local

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: This article highlights the dangers and pitfalls of the corporate takeover of healthcare. There are perverse incentives when medical care may be compromised by preference being giving to stockholder’s interests. However, there is no perfect set of incentives. … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Comments Off on Keep Washington emergency medicine local

The Noble Art of Being Non-Profit

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Selfless Institutions That Pay Their Executives Like Royalty Denis Benjamin Thanks to Ed M. Ed note: This article must make one think about what a tax exemptnon-profit really is. I checked with ChatGPT to ask about the incomes in our … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Health | Comments Off on The Noble Art of Being Non-Profit

She Didn’t Want to Live With Advanced Dementia. So Why Was She Being Kept Alive?

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: I encourage you to read this article. Dementia will affect many of us as we age. What are your wishes for care if you are in dementia’s advanced stages? Dr. Hope Wechkin, the Medical Director at Evergreen Hospice … Continue reading →

Posted in Dementia, end of life, Health | Comments Off on She Didn’t Want to Live With Advanced Dementia. So Why Was She Being Kept Alive?

CDC restores official U.S. immunization schedules to July 2, 2025, versions to comply with March 16 court order   

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. In compliance with the March 16 federal court ruling in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy, CDC restored its official child and adolescent immunization schedule and its official adult immunization schedule to the July 2, 2025, versions. These versions reflect the decisions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Vaccines | Comments Off on CDC restores official U.S. immunization schedules to July 2, 2025, versions to comply with March 16 court order   

Peptides, explained: Answers to your top questions

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Jim deMaine

by Katelyn Jetelina in Your Local Epidemiologist Ed note:  Sir William Osler (1849–1919), a foundational figure in modern medicine, once stated: “The desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature which distinguishes man from animals”. “Peptides” is a very broad category, … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Comments Off on Peptides, explained: Answers to your top questions

New Vaccine Recommendations Page from DOH

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has launched a new Vaccine Recommendations webpage in response to House Bill 2242 (PDF). The page provides current state immunization recommendations and related guidance for health care providers and local health jurisdictions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Vaccines | Comments Off on New Vaccine Recommendations Page from DOH

Good reason to get the COVID booster

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Ed M. The Washington Post reported that Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health and former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delayed the publication of a study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Comments Off on Good reason to get the COVID booster

A Room-by-Room Guide for Going Plastic Free

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Jim deMaine

The Sierra Club has a useful guide about how to handle plastics in our lives. Click here to view the article. (thanks to Diana C.)

Posted in environment, Health | Comments Off on A Room-by-Room Guide for Going Plastic Free

Happy Public Health Week

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Jim deMaine

From “Your Friendly Epidemiologist” This week also happens to be National Public Health Week. It’s our time to shine! Public health is, quite literally, an invisible shield, and it’s essential to make it visible.

Posted in Health | Comments Off on Happy Public Health Week

Less can be much much more–caveat emptor

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Jim deMaine

When switching to a lower dose of this medication, a patient found that the cost for a three month supply increased from $24.88 for the 90 mg dose to $644.01 for the 60 mg dose. That’s about a 25 fold … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Comments Off on Less can be much much more–caveat emptor

🗓️Recognizing World TB Day 2026

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Jim deMaine

Each year on March 24, World TB Day is recognized globally to build public awareness around TB and recommit to ending the world’s deadliest infectious disease, which claims about 1.25 million lives annually. The date commemorates the 1882 discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Comments Off on 🗓️Recognizing World TB Day 2026