Disconnect Found Between Increased Suicide Attempts and People Getting Behavioral Health Services

Suicide has become a leading cause of death in the United States. From 1999 to 2018, annual deaths by suicide increased from 29,199 to 48,344. The new study, which was published this week by JAMA Psychiatry, is based on data collected through the National Survey of Drug Use and Health from 2008 to 2019. The examination of the data focused on individuals 18 years old or older.

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The Physicians Foundation Pursuing Social Drivers of Health Agenda

The Physicians Foundation has adopted the term social drivers of health rather than social determinants of health. As detailed in a Health Affairs article published last year, social drivers of health is a more precise term, which also does not strip people of “their agency to manage their own health and well-being—as though their struggles to access food or housing were pre-determined and thus unalterable.”

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Decontamination of N95 Respirators With Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Effective, Study Finds

The new research article, which was published by American Journal of Infection Control, is based on data collected at a large tertiary care academic center in Boston from June 15 to Aug. 31, 2020. Over the course of the study, the researchers tested a total of 35 3MTM brand N95 respirators for fit and seal. From the 35, seven of the N95 respirators were tested for filtration efficiency.

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Mass. Joins States Offering Digital Access to Vaccination Records

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced on Monday that residents are now able to use a QR code to access the My Vax Records tool on the COVID-19 SMART Health Card platform, offering a digital repository for vaccination status. They can enter their name, birth date and e-mail address or phone number to create the account, which offers the same data as a paper record.

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