This has been two weeks of particular craziness in health care, in which everyone, on all sides, did their level best at missing the boat. First, our friends at CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices went ahead and changed the recommendation for Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, a crazy change if ever there was one. […]
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Facing some unvarnished truths
During the 2016 election campaign, Donald Trump infamously asserted, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?” That he could murder without consequence was hypothetical at the time, but now it’s all too real as he orders boats suspected of carrying fentanyl blown up […]
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The Doctor’s In Your House: How at-home urgent care is changing the visit
Getting urgent or emergency care when you need can be a stressful ordeal. When someone is sick or injured, it could mean reshaping daily life to get care, and for some, that simply isn’t doable. At best, the disruption is temporary. But for older adults, busy families, people with mobility limitations, or those who are […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fueling a Female Movement: This dynamic nonprofit advocates for women, girls, and families
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island was founded 25 years ago by the late Simone P. Joyaux, a globally respected fundraising mentor and social justice advocate. In 2000, the Rhode Island Foundation partnered with Joyaux to launch the organization with a clear mission: close the opportunity and equity gaps facing women and girls. Today, WFRI […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about vaccines and RFK Jr., redux
First, now is the time to get a flu shot if you haven’t gotten one already. Flu is spreading in some southern and western states. Holiday travel will bring it here. Don’t delay. That said, I got the bill for the COVID-19 shot I had last month. Or rather, I got a record of the […]
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Gerry Goldstein: A dissent from the ‘Silent Generation’
I don’t know about you, but I keep getting my generations mixed up. That’s easy to do these days, what with pop culture references constantly bombarding us with the opinions and preferences of people belonging to Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z. Throw in Millennials, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta and I’m lost in […]
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At Thanksgiving – what are we thankful for?
(Part 2 of 3) Here’s the second part of what now turns out to be a three-part answer to my question, what are we thankful for? Each year, over the last few years, I’ve asked people over Facebook and through email what it is that they are thankful for this year – as we approach […]
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The Importance of It All: Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island
There is a refreshing vibe of positivity and connection when you visit Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island headquarters in Providence. All around you is a spirit of pride and purpose for what is both a logistically complex and emotionally demanding mission. I was taken aback, not because it seemed unbelievable, but because the energy […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about healthcare in the developing world
I am writing from the Island of Brava, in Cape Verde, where I worked for a week with a great little organization called Project Health CV, which brings American volunteers to Cape Verde a few times a year to augment the health care that people in Cape Verde get from the government and the tiny […]
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Gerry Goldstein: Parallels too frightening to ignore
In a democracy, citizens are guaranteed certain rights, and we can read them just as they appear in the Constitution: – Political power emanates from the people. – All…are equal before the law. – Officials are servants of the whole community and not of a party. But wait: Those guarantees are taken not from our own […]
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Helen Hames: A movie night with Angela Lima
On October 24, 1975, an entire country experienced an abrupt wake-up call that would change the course of gender equality for women around the world and eventually help pave the way for progress here in Rhode Island. The awakening happened in Iceland when women, many in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, decided to take a […]
Posted inNews
Women-led organizations prepare Rhode Island for a historic 2026
For New England fans of World Cup soccer, your countdown for the “Summer of Soccer” has begun – and for Rhode Island businesses large and small, now is the time to start planning your participation. An estimated 2.2 million people will attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and events in the Boston area next […]
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Gerry Goldstein: Rules of the road into battle
An irony about humanity is that while we tend to slaughter one another in barbaric wars, we are directed, as supposedly civilized creatures, to follow certain rules on the killing fields. In meetings from the Hague to Geneva dating from early in the last century, guidelines have developed not on whether we should kill, but […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: What’s crazy about COVID-19 and the flu vaccine now
I had a COVID-19 vaccine last week. I’m traveling in 10 days and wanted to make sure I don’t get sick when I’m traveling. Better safe than sorry – better jabbed than stuck in a hotel room for five extra days, unable to go out. Or hospitalized. The COVID-19 vaccine was easy to get and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Woman-led organizations prepare Rhode Island for historic 2026
When Discover Newport extends an invitation, I rearrange my schedule to attend. Newport’s equivalent of a local tourism board (which was recently awarded several “Best of’ Awards)’s monthly, off-peak Marketing Meeting is a gathering I never miss. When the topic is both steeped in Rhode Island’s history and outlining and educating us on our state’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Six: The Musical’ reigns supreme at PPAC
“Six: The Musical” starts out strong and never lets up. The show – more a high-energy pop concert than a typical Broadway musical – focuses on the six wives of England’s notorious 16th century ruler, Henry VIII. It’s the latest Broadway offering at the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Six” opens with the curtains parting and […]
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Dr. Michael Fine: Three things that are smart, not crazy, about health care
Three logical, smart, and hopeful things happened in health care in the past few weeks. I’m glad to be able to tell you about them. The first good thing is that the Rhode Island Department of Health joined Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York to form the Northeast Public Health […]