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Scouting for Food 2023: A National Good Turn for America!
The 2023 Scouting for Food drive is on! The Hawkeye Area Council announcement just arrived on our doorknob the other day. Pickup day is October 28, 2023. Instructions: The food drive supports local families in need. All items collected will be distributed locally. If your bag is not picked up by noon, please deliver to…
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FEMA Emergency Alert Test Today
I just found out that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct a routine Emergency Alert Test around 2:20 p.m. ET today. According to FEMA, “The purpose of the test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level.” You…
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September is National Suicide Prevention Month
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The 988lifeline website has many resources for getting the word out about the importance of not missing any opportunities to help prevent suicide. In fact, there is a recently published article entitled “Multiple Missed Opportunities for Suicide Risk Assessment in Emergency and Primary Care Settings.” A few of the…
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Thoughts on Jack Trice
I was outside doing yard work the day before yesterday and my neighbor across the street walked over to say hello. We got to talking about sports and football came up. His wife stopped watching football because it was so violent—but then switched to watching hockey. He wondered when the Iowa Hawkeye vs Penn State…
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RSV Vaccine Prescription Necessary for Some States
Sena and I were wondering if you need a prescription to get the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine. It turns out only four states require doctor prescription to get RSV vaccine: Iowa, Georgia, Missouri, and Utah. Washington D.C. is working on making the RSV vaccine available without a prescription. The Iowa Pharmacy Association blog post…
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Phenylephrine Spelled Backwards is Enirhpelynbehp
News headlines are screaming about class action lawsuits being filed against drug companies selling the oral form of a nasal decongestant that the FDA says doesn’t work. It’s called phenylephrine. Phenylephrine has been around since the early 1970s and it’s a common ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies found in grocery stores in the medicine…
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How to Find Covid-19 Vaccine Availability By County
I’m finding out that maybe the best way to learn what the local public health issues are concerning Covid-19 infections as well as vaccine availability are through the county public health agency in my area. According to the Johnson County Public Health department, hospital admission rates in Johnson County currently low. I can search the…
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CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Vaccine This Fall-Winter Season
The CDC has posted a press release announcing that it has recommended the updated COVID-19 vaccine for the fall/winter virus season.
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CDC ACIP Meeting Today on Covid-19 Vaccines
Today is the scheduled meeting for the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). It meets from 10 AM-4 PM EDT. The final agenda is here. The presentation slides are at this link. I also want to recommend the recent article on the new Covid vaccine published in Scientific American on September 1, 2023, entitled…
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FDA Authorizes Updated mRNA Covid-19 Vaccines
Today, the FDA approved and authorized the updated mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, specifically for the monovalent XBB.1.5 variant. See the announcement on the FDA website for full details. The CDC ACIP will meet to discuss clinically-based recommendations for the use of these vaccines tomorrow.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 