The RBV Blog

What is the worst thing that the pandemic has done to us? Killing 500,000 Americans? Not good!  Screwing up major pieces of the U.S .economy? Also, not good! BUT. Perhaps the worst thing that COVID has done to us is to increase loneliness, and even more pervasively, the fear of being alone. Check this out. What you […]

Today I have a fascinating little story. Well off my usual beaten path. It is the story of Dr. Anthony Fleg, who as a medical student decided to get out of his books for a while and look at the real world. In his case, that meant taking trips to visit important battle grounds for […]

Check this out. What you will see is a blogging physician asking whether we really mean it when we say we support our “healthcare heroes.” Here’s the deal. A public health physician ended his day with 10 doses of COVID vaccine left over. What to do? There was at the time no protocol for how to […]

Older readers will recall Robin Williams’ memorable “Good morning, Vietnam” movie quote. I can still hear his enthusiastic rendition of this line as he portrayed a military radio announcer during the war. Captivating! May he rest in peace!!! This is not that. But it IS a good morning in Vietnam. Check this out.   What you will […]

Check this out. What you will see is a four-minute video of a PCP emphasizing the importance of teaching kids, as early as possible and in an organized and nonjudgmental manner, about LGBTQ issues. As a Lesbian herself, this doctor knows that absent such education, informal “learnings” about LGBTQ will likely be negative and lead to […]

I haven’t posted about Dr. Pamela Wible in 2021. I covered her several times in 2020. Her dedication is to the concept of “Ideal Medical Care,” which in her view must satisfy the needs of both patients and physicians to be sustainable. But in fact, most of the posts I wrote about Pamela dealt with her dedication […]

Check this out. What you will see is an analysis that demonstrates that people with mental disorders die 8.2 years younger than do those without such afflictions.   Rather than getting hung up in all the correction factors and “p values,” just picture this fact as a check on your intuition. If I had asked you about […]

Check this out.  What you will see is an article clearly outlining the kinds of medical procedures that are being postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. As summarized in the article “Even with telemedicine, there were 6.9 million fewer mental health visits. Early childhood immunizations declined by 22%. And 31% of adults avoided preventive care in 2020.” […]

Check this out. What you will see is an exploration of the various jobs that the 21% of physicians for whom the pandemic brought furloughs or other reduction in hours/income have pursued in an effort to keep financially afloat. Dog groomer, warehouse worker, doll house decorator, etc.  Keep in mind that this is the first time […]