Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial kick-off to summer, which is one of the best times of year to experience everything the Spokane area has to offer. Even though this is the second time our community we will be experiencing the holiday in a pandemic, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy a safe three-day weekend.
Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. While a doctor treats people who are sick, those working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place by promoting wellness and encouraging healthy behaviors.
Parenting is full of tough choices that are neither right nor wrong, but somewhere in the middle. The choice you make comes down to your family’s situation and the amount of risk and benefit there is. Have you noticed during the pandemic these choices have been harder, and critics on both sides have been louder?
In the last year we have looked to the nurses helping our community. Nurses have supported us throughout the pandemic in more ways than most will know. They were by the side of frightened patients struggling in the ICU, helping new moms who had to come to the hospital alone to deliver their babies, and working with patients through mental health crises as the world seemed to fall apart around them. Some nurses were, for better or for worse, forced under the public’s microscope, while others continued their vital roles in the background as lockdowns, guidance, and information was constantly changing.
Thank. You. Nurses.
By now, you’ve probably heard the news that the third COVID-19 vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, was authorized for distribution but was temporarily paused before being authorized once again for use in the United States. Even though another vaccine in our toolbelt is great news and gives us another tool to manage the spread of COVID-19, there are a lot of questions about the vaccine that we’re excited to answer.
As you may know, 420 (pronounced four-twenty) is cannabis culture slang for marijuana and hashish consumption, especially smoking around the time 4:20 p.m., and cannabis-oriented events held on April 20 (or 4/20). Though marijuana consumption is legal for adults 21 years and older, it is important to consider what responsible adult-use looks like and how families can talk to adolescents about marijuana.
New beginnings always seem more possible during springtime. Longer days, warmer temperatures and green shoots beginning to emerge from the cold ground after a long winter remind us that nothing lasts forever. April is national Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention month.
