Hutchins Library News Blog

Welcome to another edition of "From Our Shelves" where I highlight and briefly review a book from our collection that I have read. Today I present The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine. The hospital is Ben Taub Hospital, in Houston, Texas, and the author is one of their doctors. Ben Taub is the local trauma center. It is also the hospital of last resort, the indigent's hospital. If you are too poor and/or uninsured, and you have nowhere else to go, Ben Taub will take you in. The author provides stories of patients and a look at how the hospital works. We also get some history of hospitals in the United States and health care policy in the United States. The author provides some good information and demystifies a lot of the American health care industry. It is not an easy book to read, but it is well worth reading.

See details below including publisher information and location in the library.

The People's Hospital by Ricardo Nuila

Call Number: Stacks 362.11 N968p 2023

ISBN: 9781501198045

Publication Date: 2023-03-14

This "compelling mixture of health care policy and gripping stories from the frontlines of medicine" (The Guardian) explores the question: where does an uninsured person go when turned away by hospitals, clinics, and doctors? Here, we follow the lives of five uninsured Houstonians as their struggle for survival leads them to a hospital that prioritizes people over profit. First, we meet Stephen, the restaurant franchise manager who signed up for his company's lowest priced plan, only to find himself facing insurmountable costs after a cancer diagnosis. Then Christian--a young college student and retail worker who can't seem to get an accurate diagnosis, let alone treatment, for his debilitating knee pain. Geronimo, thirty-six years old, has liver failure, but his meager disability check disqualifies him for Medicaid--and puts a life-saving transplant just out of reach. Roxana, who's lived in the community without a visa for more than two decades, suffers from complications related to her cancer treatment. And finally, there's Ebonie, a young mother whose high-risk pregnancy endangers her life. Whether due to immigration status, income, or the vagaries of state Medicaid law, all five are denied access to care. For all five, this exclusion could prove life-threatening. Each patient eventually lands at Ben Taub, the county hospital where Dr. Nuila has worked for over a decade. Nuila delves with empathy into the experiences of his patients, braiding their dramas into a singular narrative that contradicts the established idea that the only way to receive good health care is with good insurance. As readers follow the moving twists and turns in each patient's story, it's impossible to deny that our system is broken--and that Ben Taub's innovative model, where patient care is more important than insurance payments, could help light the path forward.

As we approach the holiday season, your skin begins to feel the dehydrating effects of the cool, dry, winter air. This is a great time to start thinking about the health of your skin and how you can help protect and maintain it. As such, November has been designated as National Healthy Skin Month by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), a time when everyone is encouraged to learn about the functions of the skin and how to keep it working and looking its best. The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of keeping your skin fresh and hydrated, not only during the winter, but all year round.Your skin is your body's largest organ, so it's important to take good care of it. November is National Healthy Skin Month.

According to Christian Millett, a board-certified dermatologist with Forefront Dermatology in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia: “Educating yourself about the skin is important for a number of reasons. Changes in the skin may be a sign that there is a problem with your overall health. Itching or a rash could indicate a number of conditions, such as an allergic reaction, an infection, or an autoimmune disease. A new growth or changing mole could turn out to be a type of skin cancer. Paying careful attention to your skin can provide important clues to the health and wellness of your body as a whole.”

Skin Facts

• The average adult has approximately 16 – 22 square feet of skin, which weighs around 9 – 11 lbs.

• Skin accounts for ~15% of your body weight.

• The skin has three layers: epidermis, dermis, and subcutis.

• The thickness of the skin varies between different parts of the body

• Skin is thickest on the palms and soles and thinnest on the eyelids.

• The skin completely renews itself every 28 days by constantly shedding dead cells.

• Skin sheds around 30,000 cells per minute.

• A large part of the dust in your home is actually made up of dead skin cells.

• Your skin is home to millions of bacteria, from over 1,000 different species.

• Skin that is damaged can heal itself by forming a scar.

• Unlike normal skin, scar tissue lacks hair and sweat glands.

• Skin that is exposed to repeated friction or pressure can become thicker, forming a callus.

• There are different types of receptors and nerve endings in the skin that respond to pressure, pain, and temperature.

• The skin serves as a protective barrier that helps to keep water in the body and harmful chemicals and pathogens out.

These are just a few of the many fun and educational facts about your skin. National Healthy Skin Month is a great time to learn about normal skin, but it is also a time to keep educated on a variety of skin problems, such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and skin cancer.

Description from:

“November Is National Healthy Skin Month!” Forefront Dermatology, Forefront Dermatology, 25 July 2019, forefrontdermatology.com/november-national-healthy-skin-month/.

The Look You Like

Call Number: 616.5 S371L

Publication Date: 1989-10-10

Hair: Facts and Basic Care Hair Loss Alopecia Other Hair Problems Hair-Coloring Products Hair Waving Straightening Other Hair Products The Face: Basic Care and Common Problems Facial Creams and Other Facial Products Aging Skin Shaving Advice for Men Excess Hair-Hirsutism The Body: Basic Care Problems Hands and Feet: Care and Problems Nails: Care Problems Perspiration and Body Odor Allergy and Irritation Insects and Bugs Nutrition and the Skin Miscellaneous Skin Problems Sports-Related Skin Problems The Sun and Skin Acne Psoriasis Herpes Infections Nevi and Pigmentation Problems The Skin and AIDS Skin Cancer

 

 

Dermatology and Skin Care by John A. Parrish

Call Number: 616.5 P261d

Publication Date: 1975-01-01

Dermatology and Skin Care by John Parrish, MD, is a relatively small (288 pages) dermatology text containing concise and lucid descriptions of the major skin lesions seen in practice. I found chapter 4, "General Pathologic Descriptions and Mechanisms," to be especially useful in helping me to describe and assess any lesions I might see. The book, as a whole, is well-organized and, above all, workable. It fills the need for primary dermatologic instruction in an area that most practitioner training programs leave incomplete. Description from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/535909

 

 

 

Skin by Charles B. Inlander; Janet Worsley Norwood

Call Number: E-Book

Publication Date: 1998-01-01

Great skin is about much more than looking good. As the body's largest organ, the skin is an important part of the immune system, and helps keep out harmful bacteria and other organisms. Skin also helps regulate body heat and focuses the sense of touch. Unfortunately, the skin is vulnerable to the effects of aging, sun damage, hormone fluctuations, and a host of diseases, as well as to reactions to certain foods, medications, and chemicals. Too often, popular magazines, salon attendants, and advertisements are me main source of advice on skin care -- despite me fact that their conclusions may be contradictory or even wrong. Now, the People's Medical Society has sorted through the mass of conflicting information to bring you a complete, authoritative guide to skin health. In this easy-to-read book you'll find a valuable collection of skin care advice backed up by scientific studies and expert, professional opinions on the most effective products, the latest "miracle" drugs, the newest laser procedures, and much more.

 

 

Family physician Dr. Zook practices cradle-to-grave medicine in London, KY and provides care for persons living with HIV, hepatitis and substance use disorders. Her path to becoming a 21st century country doctor wasn’t exactly what she imagined when she graduated from a college much like Berea. She will discuss how mistakes along the way have strengthened her and continue to form the person she has become.

If you enjoyed Dr. Melissa Zook's convocation, check out these related books in front of circulation desk:

A Hospital for Ashe County by Janet C. Pittard

ISBN: 9780786497751

Publication Date: 2015-10-30

Call Number: 362.1109 P688h 2016

When Ashe County Memorial Hospital opened in November 1941, it was the realization of a dream for the poor, sparsely populated county in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Building a hospital is a major undertaking for any community at any time. Accomplishing this in the waning days of the Great Depression and on the brink of World War II, while scant local resources were taxed by catastrophic floods and severe snows, was a remarkable feat of community organization. This is the story of the generations of supporters, doctors, nurses, emergency personnel and others whose lives are interwoven with regional health care and the planning, building and operation of (the "new") Ashe Memorial Hospital. This legacy, brought to life through 114 photographs and personal interviews with 97 individuals, traces the development of health care in a remote Appalachian community, from the days of folk remedies and midwives, to horseback doctors and early infirmaries, to the technological advances and outreach efforts of today's Ashe Memorial Hospital.

Public Health in Appalachia by Wendy Welch (Editor)

ISBN: 9780786494149

Publication Date: 2014-06-09

Call Number: 362.109 P976 2014

The Appalachian region of the United States sees hunger, poverty, disability, preventable illness and premature death in disproportionally high numbers. Yet, Appalachia also knows the quiet strength of people working together to lift one another up as a community. In this collection of essays, health professionals explore how clinics and communities address the barriers to healthcare that continue to plague this underserved region and discuss theoretical perspectives about Appalachian healthcare. Topics include regional dental care, cancer and diabetes treatment, the integration of primary care and behavioral health, telehealth, the importance of "patient responsibility," and the effects of faith, fatalism and family dynamics on the health of Appalachian youth. Avoiding simplification and stereotype while presenting data, analysis and anecdotes, this volume gives a detailed picture of Appalachia's complex and multi-faceted public health challenges. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Mary Breckinridge by Melanie Beals Goan

ISBN: 9780807832110

Publication Date: 2008-06-02

Call Number: 610.7309 B829zg 2008 c.2

In 1925 Mary Breckinridge (1881-1965) founded the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), a public health organization in eastern Kentucky providing nurses on horseback to reach families who otherwise would not receive health care. Through this public health organization, she introduced nurse-midwifery to the United States and created a highly successful, cost-effective model for rural health care delivery that has been replicated throughout the world. In this first comprehensive biography of the FNS founder, Melanie Beals Goan provides a revealing look at the challenges Breckinridge faced as she sought reform and the contradictions she embodied. Goan explores Breckinridge's perspective on gender roles, her charisma, her sense of obligation to live a life of service, her eccentricity, her religiosity, and her application of professionalized, science-based health care ideas. Highly intelligent and creative, Breckinridge also suffered from depression, was by modern standards racist, and fought progress as she aged--sometimes to the detriment of those she served. Breckinridge optimistically believed that she could change the world by providing health care to women and children. She ultimately changed just one corner of the world, but her experience continues to provide powerful lessons about the possibilities and the limitations of reform.