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2 weeks ago | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Ronit Rose
Fact checked by Shannon SparksAfter ramping up my yoga practice a few years ago, I experienced tremendous pain in my hands. Poses that put pressure on them became intolerable. Even biking was agony; I couldn’t grip the handlebars. Someone recommended a sports medicine doctor to me, so I made an appointment. The doctor spent a lot of time moving my hands around and testing my strength. Then she ordered an MRI. When I returned to get the results, she explained them in detail.
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Jan 19, 2025 | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Ronit Rose |Shikha Jain |Catherine Gianaro |Dean Dean
One of the best things about the new year is reviewing our most-read articles from the previous year. This exercise gives us an opportunity to find out what our readers most wanted to read, to remind ourselves of the health events that unfolded, and to review our breadth of coverage and our writers’ talents. This past year, our top 10 include stories on inequities, hospitals’ preparation for the Democratic National Convention, ongoing vaccine controversies, and more.
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Nov 11, 2024 | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Ronit Rose
Centering mental health and public safety during a contentious voting dayAs political violence and division flared in recent months in the U.S., our associate editor, Ronit Rose, prepared for her role as an election judge for this year’s presidential election. Ronit served at a precinct in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
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Oct 12, 2024 | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Judith Weinstein |Ronit Rose |Katie Scarlett Brandt
For the first time in history, the United States Surgeon General in June 2024 declared gun violence a public health emergency. “Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, said in a public address. Murthy introduced a 39-page advisory, laying out an approach to address firearm violence.
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Jul 6, 2024 | 
chicagocaregiving.com | Ronit Rose
Fact checked by Catherine GianaroHas a loud and sudden alert from your phone, announcing an Amber Alert, ever surprised you? These notifications that a child has been abducted spread the word quickly and enlist the public’s help in finding the missing person. But what about when adults with cognitive disabilities or other issues wander away?
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Jul 6, 2024 | 
chicagocaregiving.com | Ronit Rose
Fact checked by Catherine GianaroNurse Staffing StandardsNew patient care standards in Medicare- and Medicaid-rated nursing homes will phase in over the next five years to give facilities time to ramp up staffing. The standards require facilities to provide a minimum of 3.48 hours per day of nursing care to all residents, including approximately 30 minutes per day by a registered nurse.
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Apr 8, 2024 | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Ronit Rose
Fact checked by Derick WilderEffective January 2024Many seniors on Medicare who need extra help paying for medications, premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other healthcare costs may now qualify for help under Medicare’s expansion of the Extra Help program. Income limits to qualify are $22,590 for an individual and $30,660 for a married couple in 2024. If you qualify, you will pay nothing for Part D (drug coverage) premiums, and you will receive reduced copays, along with other benefits.
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Jan 3, 2024 | 
chicagocaregiving.com | Ronit Rose
When my mother received a statement from her insurance company recently, detailing $5,800 for sleep apnea supplies, I checked it to verify coverage and then tossed it aside. Afterward, it hit me: My mother doesn’t have sleep apnea. While there was no charge to my mother, there was a multi-thousand dollar charge to Medicare for something my mother never needed nor experienced. I called her insurance company, which transferred me to Medicare.
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Jan 3, 2024 | 
chicagocaregiving.com | Ronit Rose
Make a resolution to brush up on first-aid skills. Even if you’ve taken a course before, refreshing your skills or reviewingwhat you learned will ensure you respond effectively to an accident or emergency situation. “The American Red Cross recommends that people get trained for moments that matter,” says Traci Johnston, Red Cross field operations manager for the central Midwest. “Accidents and emergencies can happen in the workplace, home, and out in your community.
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Sep 27, 2023 | 
chicagohealthonline.com | Dan Dean |Ronit Rose
When a Groot recycling facility in Plainfield burned down in 2021 due to a battery fire, no one could blame Davide Pezzini for it. Like an estimated 20% of people, Pezzini, a 46-year-old Chicago resident and professional bass player, is fastidious about recycling. He grew up in Switzerland, and while he was in elementary school, the country began to foster a recycling culture.
