Doctors Leave States With Abortion Bans - Healthcare Suffers
A free public service for a better community
A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. Let me know what you think.
Idaho - Not Safe For Women
According to Medpage Today, Idaho has been losing practicing obstetricians since its abortion ban took effect in August 2022, according to a new report by the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative (IPWAC).
The report showed that 22% of the practicing obstetricians in Idaho stopped practicing or left the state during a 15-month period from August 2022 to November 2023. In total, the number of obstetricians practicing in the state -- with a population of approximately 960,000 women -- dropped from 268 to 210 during that period.
The report also noted that two hospital obstetric programs closed during this period, while two other programs are struggling to remain open due to problems recruiting obstetricians, including one that is expected to close on April 1.
Many obstetricians are trained in the care of high-risk pregnancies and when you lose obstetricians, you lose the ability to care for people who have high-risk pregnancies and you lose the ability to have access to emergency obstetric care, including an emergency cesarean section.
But wait, there’s more - A new report found the majority of Iowa’s rural hospitals no longer have labor and delivery services. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform analyzed federal data and found, as of last month, 61% of rural Iowa hospitals no longer have OB care, and of the 36 rural hospitals still providing care, 58% were losing money on patient services overall. (Iowa Public Radio)
You already know the answer, restore the right nationwide to reproductive healthcare and the ability to purchase abortion medication nationwide via tele-health. Those are the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 12/S. 701) restoring the right to an abortion nationwide and and the Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act (H.R. 767/S. 4467).
ACTION
Call or email your member of Congress and Senators and remind them to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act (H.R. 767/S. 4467) to make sure the medicine used in 53% of all abortions is available.
Or Use RESISTBOT to send this email. Just text SIGN PPOTTE to 50409.
“I am your constituent and I am shocked to learn that 22% of the obstetricians in Idaho have left the state. The ability to get to a doctor quickly for women is disappearing in states with abortion bans. Moreover, if you have a pregnancy with complications your ability to have it successfully managed are declining rapidly because those that are leaving know how to treat those emergencies. More than half of all rural hospitals in Idaho NO LONGER DELIVER BABIES.
You already know what to do but I want you to know this is becoming MORE CRITICAL EVERYDAY.
I want you to do everything possible to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 12/S. 701) restoring the right to an abortion nationwide and and the Protecting Access to Medication Abortion Act (H.R. 767/S. 4467) to make sure the medicine used in 53% of all abortions is available. For me this is a critical issue and I promise I will remember how you behaved at the next election.”
Measles Update
Recall that the Florida surgeon general chose to recommend that un-vaccinated students attend school while there is a measles outbreak, apparently pandering to the “you can’t make me “ crowd who are willing to put their children at risk. He did this instead of following CDC guidelines that recommend that the un-vaccinated children stay at home.
The Florida measles outbreak is now expanding. On Friday (2/23/2024) , health officials in Broward County confirmed a seventh case of the virus, a child under age 5. The patient is the youngest so far to be infected in the outbreak, and the first to be identified outside of Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale. ... Cases are “not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious,” said Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Across Florida about 10% of children are not vaccinated. Since each person can infect about 18 un-vaccinated people having a high percentage protected is important. Herd immunity is usually achieved at 95% or better vaccinated.
Michigan has reported its first case of measles since the 2019 outbreak.
Measles has also been reported in Minnesota, according to public radio there.
The MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is widely available at almost all commercial pharmacies.
RESOURCES
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
Thanks for reading Healthcare Advocacy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts
I read an article last month in Wired claiming that Boise was the new hot spot for high tech jobs. Honestly, I was surprised. Is Wired not paying attention? Why would young folks move to a place where they can’t start / raise a family, let alone get trans care they may need?