The two hottest topics in health care these days are Health Care Reform and H1N1 (aka swine flu). Today there are two local events on these exact topics.
Health Care Reform
U.S. Representative Etheridge is hosting a discussion on the impact of health care reform on senior citizens this afternoon from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm at the YWCA on Hargett St. The event will take place downtown Raleigh YWCA (554 E. Hargett St., Raleigh).
The discussion is slated to cover Medicare shortfalls in prescription drug coverage, access to preventative care and coverage, and the need for increased Medicare reimbursement rates for primary care doctors. Congressman Etheridge has invited three local experts, including a physician that practices at WakeMed, to address these issues and discuss how reform must provide solutions for seniors.
H1N1
Also today, Dr. Mark Piehl, WakeMed pediatric intensivist and Medical Director of the WakeMed Children’s Hospital, will participate in a Wake County press conference about H1N1. Dr. Piehl will talk about WakeMed’s surveillance data to date and the importance of the visitation restrictions. Tune into your local news tonight to learn more about H1N1 in our community.
The news conference is part of the partnership, ReadyWake! Flu, that brings Wake County leaders from different organizations together to provide public information. The county’s ReadyWake web site and Twitter feed are also great resources.
One of my sisters got infected with H1N1 or more commonly known as Swine Flu. Fortunately, she did not have very high fever and she was able to recover fast.