Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl

While Chicago schools have resumed in-class instruction, they’ve lost one undeniable benefit: a later wake time since commuting was no longer necessary during virtual schooling. Remote classes should have been a wake-up call that the current school start time may be too early to optimize students’ health. Over six years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that school start times were too early. According to researchers, 42 states reported that 75% to 100% of the public schools in their districts started school at a time that the health authority says is too early to start the day: namely 8:30 a.m. or earlier. (Wendy Heller, 1/25)

Should children as young as 12 be allowed to get vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge or consent? I was taken aback when I read that state Sen. Scott Wiener has proposed a bill that would essentially strip parents of the right to make such an important decision about their children’s medical care. I mean, what gives the state the right to undermine one of our most sacred bonds? Plenty, as it turns out. (Robin Abcarian, 1/26)

We all know how magical a child’s imagination can be – the wonderful worlds they create in their minds. But there’s a flip side to the joyful creativity that can turn a big cardboard box into a spaceship. A child’s mind exposed to real-world fear, without the ability to properly process it, can go down dark passages leading to nothing less than existential dread. (Goldie Hawn, 1/26)

As a Black woman with long, poofy hair, I was delighted to see Oregon join California and 11 other states that have passed laws against hair discrimination. In those states, workplaces and educational institutions can no longer legally discriminate against Black people for their hairstyles and hair texture. A little-discussed aspect of hair discrimination is how it can affect medical care, something I began to seriously contemplate during the first year of my psychiatry residency. (Amanda Joy Calhoun, 1/26)

Our region is home to some of our nation’s leading health care systems, but do we have better health as a result? In a recent report produced by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, Ohio ranks 47th out of 50 states for health value, with Indiana slightly ahead at 43 and Kentucky trailing at 50. This means that we live less healthy lives and spend more on health care than people in most other states. The causes are not a mystery: high rates of adverse childhood experiences, systemic inequities and discrimination and limited investment in public health top the list. (Jill Miller and Kate Schroder, 1/25)

Despite reforming our Certificate-of-Need (CON) laws twice in the last decade, these unnecessary regulatory burdens in Tennessee continue to raise the cost of our healthcare and reduce its access and quality. The Volunteer State maintains onerous CON laws on healthcare specialties which few other states regulate. Piecemeal reforms to this outmoded regulatory system are not sufficient when our healthcare is at stake; it is time for our legislators to do some serious spring cleaning in the 2022 legislative session. (Macy Scheck and Daniel J. Smith, 1/25)