Low wages, high risk strain nursing homes’ workforce
Long-term care facilities have struggled with staff shortages for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the burden and risks of such shortages, according to news reports. A July 6, 2021, CNN article examined the factors behind staff shortages,…
Frontlines Spring 2021
Quick updates about the latest public health news from across the School and beyond.
Philanthropic Impact: Meeting the moment
Unrestricted gifts help the School’s researchers weather the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health became a local, national, and international hub for evidence-based information about the pandemic, all while facing constant challenges…
A crisis on top of a crisis: COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic
February 16, 2021 - For people struggling with opioid use disorder, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges at every turn. Michael Barnett, assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, discussed…
Secret shopper study raises concerns about cost, recruitment tactics of addiction treatment programs
An audit of more than 600 residential care programs for opioid use disorder raised concerns about high costs and misleading recruitment practices by the programs, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The…
‘Go find dental floss!’
During the pandemic, Harvard Chan School's Department of Health Policy and Management got creative with virtual programming to keep faculty, staff, and students feeling connected.
The Connected Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired new research directions across the School
Nursing homes face staff, equipment shortages during pandemic
Roughly 20% of nursing homes in the U.S. have faced severe shortages of personal protective equipment and staff during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study.
Opinion: Pandemic shows that ‘visiting’ the doctor online works just fine
The coronavirus pandemic has forced much of primary care medicine online—and that’s a good thing, according to health policy expert and primary care physician Michael Barnett. “It took a pandemic to get there, but COVID-19 is giving us…
Telemedicine use surging in coronavirus pandemic
As people avoid hospitals and doctors’ offices to slow the spread of coronavirus, they’re increasingly using telemedicine—virtual connection with medical professionals via mobile devices or computer—according to a March 19, 2020 WGBH story. Several large telehealth companies are…