In 2019 before the pandemic, the Shelby County Health Department was giving roughly 9,000 vaccinations a month. Through August of this year, the tally had dropped to 2,480 a month, leaving thousands of people – mostly children in lower socio-economic brackets – vulnerable to diseases like measles, diphtheria and chicken pox. “People were so afraid,… Read More
As Memphians, we should know better than citizens most anywhere else the value of a strong and independent public health service. That is what Dr. Robert Wood Mitchell, a former Confederate Army surgeon, called for in the summer of 1878, when he was appointed president of the Memphis Board of Health. Dr. Mitchell had seen… Read More
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Possible protection from COVID-19 could be on the horizon for younger children after a summer that saw pediatric cases increasing in Memphis and nationwide. Pfizer says a medical trial shows its coronavirus vaccine is safe for children as young as 5 years old, which could be a big step toward making the… Read More
“A lot of groups, including children’s hospital groups, are urging the FDA to rapidly review and turn this one over,” said Dr. Jon McCullers, chief pediatrician at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. McCullers also is on faculty at UTHSC.
A Memphis specialist is getting national attention for an all-encompassing new textbook that is expected to greatly help doctors treat preexisting condition that can lead to that deadly disease and many others.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, sniffling and coughing some in his attic isolation, is on Day 6 of his COVID-forced retreat. “I explained to people that it feels like I have a sinus infection. Saturday was actually my worst day. And it’s gotten better every day since then,” he said Thursday, Sept. 16. His message from… Read More
Most horseback riders wear helmets when they ride. But many who don’t say it’s because helmets don’t fit well or are unnecessary. As for the riders who do, the helmets they use might not be offering their full protective value, a new study has shown. “Most people don’t know that equestrians are more likely than… Read More
Senior vice president and chief nurse executive, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Sometimes you’ve just got to take the reins. Nikki Polis effectively led Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare through the harrowing and confusing morass of the pandemic. She spearheaded PPE planning and worked on the revised visitor policy. And, when elective surgeries were suspended, she guided… Read More
