Christina's Considerations

Tips for Traveling in COVID19 Times with a Compromised Immune System

In late May, as talk of opening up the economy began, I started to think of my mother and her primary caregiver; my father. They both need my support and assistance as they face the challenges of a serious chronic... Read more →

Believing in Tomorrow

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Hand Sanitizer: Non-Alcohol Options

These days there is a great deal of buzz about hand sanitizer. There are options to the traditional alcohol based products, or those you can make from home. One intriguing option is Clean Well, because my skin is really dry.... Read more →

Panic Buying Toilet Paper - Unintended Consequences

I've been quietly watching as panic buying of toilet paper (TP) and water has unfolded. What I've seen reinforces my preparedness belief, because if you aren't already prepared you may not have TP to use in your potty when it... Read more →

Danger to Self, Others or Gravely Disabled

Tensions often exist between individual rights and liberties and those of a family, neighborhood or community. No where does this delicate balance seem to get tested more than in the areas of mental health and cognitive impairment. The latter of... Read more →

Showcasing Functional Limitation Aids

A little over two years ago I started researching tools to help me stay active in spite of new functional limitations. I looked for products to help me perform activities of daily living as independently as possible. As I progressed... Read more →

Measles and Your Practice

This guest post comes straight from the Doctors Company and addresses the rising number of measles cases and the numerous patient safety issues created. New cases of measles (rubeola) continue to make national headlines. In 2018 and into 2019, hundreds... Read more →

Disaster Supply Kit: A Visual Checklist

Being prepared for a disaster is the responsible thing to do both personally and professionally. Disasters create business and personal risks... especially for those with special needs and/or functional limitations. Over the years of promoting preparedness and urging communities and... Read more →

Firearm Safety and a Dementia Diagnosis

The US Census Bureau estimates that older people will outnumber children for the first time in US history by 2035. So, it makes sense that we will see a corresponding increase in the more common “older people” conditions over the... Read more →

Fall Risk? Get a personal alarm!

So, last year I was a fall risk, due to my Guillain Barre Syndrome, and did fall on a regular basis. I didn't go outside unless someone in my family was around. Early one evening I ventured off the patio... Read more →

Could You Have PTSD? Possible Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Traumatic experiences can occur at any point in life and in a variety of settings. Individuals who experiences the symptoms of PTSD should be assessed and, as needed, receive treatment such as, trauma-focused psychotherapy and/or medications to manage symptoms. This... Read more →

Functional Medicine and Essential Oils

Over the years, especially recently in light of my own, I post on functional limitations. My interest stems from disaster planning a few years ago and the awareness that an evacuation plan needs to account for the physical and other... Read more →

Influenza, Epidemics and the Global Village

My work in hospitals and community health has included a significant amount of disaster planning. We need to prepare for epidemics because this type of disaster is due. Perhaps this flu season is the warm up to next year and... Read more →

Salvation after a fire

Last night the Thomas fire drove residents and patients out of their nursing homes and hospitals; after chasing patients out of a psychiatric hospital a couple of nights before. This is in addition to people forced to flee their homes... Read more →

Disaster preparedness for those with functional limitations

A couple of years ago I was working on community-wide disaster preparedness and wrote an article after reading about the impact of a fire on the elderly and disabled. Little did I know I would experience my own functional limitations,... Read more →

Great Grips Open Doors

Individuals with grip weakness can have difficulty opening doors; and their caregivers can experience disruption and frustration when frequently asked for assistance. In addition, not being able to open door could be a safety issue when the individual is alone.... Read more →

Dr Drew: Not Just a TV Doc

Dr. Drew Pinsky and a few other doctors have voiced their concerns about what they see with their clinically trained eyes. They have asked questions and prompted reflection aimed at ensuring that the next President has been fully vetted. In... Read more →

Mass Casualty Planning and Enhanced Vigilance

This week's Modern Healthcare describes some differences in planning for mass casualties between the US and France. But, it also reminds us of the importance of being prepared and that includes periodically reviewing plans. When I was in the hospital,... Read more →

#NotAfraid: Putting the Attacks in Paris into the Healthcare Perspective

WORD Zubin of ZDoggMD.com ! Your words help me work through my feelings on this tragedy! I look forward to your music and humor someday soon! ZDoggMD.com Read more →

Business Continuity: FEMA Reimbursement for Hospitals

For the last couple of years, my disaster planning efforts have been focused on business continuity recovery planning. This is a resource all hospital risk managers, CFOs and disaster planners should have in their files. Thank you, Yale New Haven... Read more →

Medical Reserve Corps Overview

Earlier this week, I met a couple of people from the National Association of County and City Health Officials and came across some of their infographics. I thought I'd share one here to promote the volunteer clinicians who make up... Read more →

Evacuating Vulnerable Populations

This week I came home to New Orleans and attended the International Disaster Conference. One of the vendors I found is focused on something that should be a concern for every community - knowing where to find your at-risk populations... Read more →

The Plague

Not long ago I came across a wonderful quote by Albert Camus from his book The Plague. I realized I had not yet read this classic, so I used the quote in a recent article, Clean Hands Saves Lives, and... Read more →

Text-to-911 availability has important mHealth implications

One of my Multibrief articles made the list of ATA Telemedicine News Brief's list of most accessed content articles. It was written in August 2014, so we can all expect that additional states now have Text 911. Since it was... Read more →

Hospital Preparedness: Pay Now or Pay Later!

My latest article for Multibriefs addresses the risk of being unprepared for events like the current evolving situation with Ebola. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to be prepared and the government has a responsibility for supporting the planning process, including... Read more →