cover story one
Culture Care Connection
Keeping pace with change
BY SUSAN SEVERSON
To support physicians and other clinical and non-clinical health-care professionals who are serving a patient population whose members may not speak English or be familiar with or trustful of traditional U.S. medical practices, Culture Care Connection (http://culturecareconnection.org) has been reimagined and redesigned to keep pace with changing needs.
cover story two
Telepharmacy: Improving Medication Therapy Management
BY SARA MASSEY, PHARMD, NATALIE ROY, PHARMD, AND KYLE WALBURG, PHARMD, CDCES
Meet George. He lives in rural Minnesota about 40 miles from your clinic. His wife of 30 years recently died of COVID, and he is hesitant to come in to see you, his primary care physician,because he fears the virus. He has several chronic conditions; a recent diagnosis of depression, uncontrolled diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Health Care Equity
Diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) in health care: Its impact on psychiatry
BY ASFIA QAADIR, DO
with the advent of DEI initiatives across healthcare organizations and a broader awareness of healthcare inequities nationally, the need for healthcare providers to understand root causes of healthcare inequities has never been more urgent. There is a growing movement to educate healthcare workers to recognize inequities in clinical care together with strategies they can employ to improve clinical outcomes for their patients.
MEDICATION MANAGEMENT
Treating anxiety disorder: Is medical cannabis an option?
BY NICK LEHNERTZ, MD, MPH, MHS, AND PETER RAEKER, MA
The, Minnesota Department of Health is considering a petition to add anxiety disorder to the list of qualifying medical conditions for the state’s Medical Cannabis Program.
Oncology
Cancer pain management: Effective solutions for challenging cases
By R. Scott Stayner, MD, PhD and David Schultz, MD
Recently, we received a call from a local oncologist asking for help with a 59-year-old man who was suffering from stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. The patient was undergoing chemotherapy to treat his cancer, but was experiencing severe, intractable lumbosacral pain from spinal metastasis..
Behavioral Health
Removing barriers: A new way to access mental health care?
BY MARC VAN HERR, CEO
When a patient has a fever, they go to urgent care. They are seen relatively quickly, and the problem is addressed. However, when that same patient has a mental health need, they are sometimes forced to wait weeks or even months for an appointment. This delay is not acceptable, especially when annual estimates suggest 60 percent of people who have a mental health issue don’t receive help..
