Money from UHC

Georgia is one of the 18 states (and D.C.) that will be receiving money from UnitedHealthcare — $500K, in our case — for help ‘addressing the social determinants of health’. In other words, to help lower-income people live healthier in general.

Grant recipients in Georgia include the National Birth Equity Collaborative, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Wellspring Living, Emory University, Open Hand Atlanta, and Hope Center (Albany).

The details about Georgia’s grants are here (PDF)

A chance to direct

Looking for a new challenge instead of the same ol’ same ol’ every day? How about, I dunno, Executive Director of Retail Pharmacy Operations for WellStar?

The company is looking for one to “plan, organize, and supervise all pharmaceutical and financial activities occurring in the WellStar Pharmacy Network” as part of WellStar’s renowned Department 100-7070700.

Get more info, the detailed job description, and a link to apply — it’s all right here.

Latest monkeypox news

Of the 200 or so people being monitored after potential exposure, 26 are in Georgia. Just so you know.

[P]eople being monitored include a number who sat within six feet of the infected individual on the Lagos-to-Atlanta flight; others who used the mid-cabin bathroom on that flight; airline workers who cleaned the bathroom after the flight; [and] flight attendants.

What oughta be a law?

You tell us. Seriously. It’s time for GPhA to start planning its 2021–22 legislative agenda, and that usually comes from membership — folks on the front lines.

Vaccine protocol expansion in 2015? Member idea. Medicaid audit protections? Ditto. Expanded point-of-care testing, the Pharmacy Patient Protection Act, the Audit Bill of Rights, anti-steering … all these came from members.

So let’s ask again: What oughta be a law?

If there’s a law or policy issue you want to see changed — something that will improve patient care or the practice of pharmacy — tell us about it! E-mail a brief explanation of the issue to our VP of public policy, Greg Reybold, at greybold@gpha.org. Yes, it’s that simple.

Your deadline: Friday, August 16, by 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Doug Hoey: International Man of Pharmacy

Congrats to NCPA CEO Doug Hoey, who was elected president of the World Pharmacy Council. He’ll be “tasked with leading the international group focused on building international recognition of community pharmacy, simultaneous with his leadership of NCPA.”

Pfizer vs. Delta

Israeli data show that the Pfizer vaccine is now only 39 percent effective against the Delta variant, but British numbers say it’s 88 percent effective. What gives?

Too many variables. How much the vaccine wears off over time. Whether early recipients were less healthy. Whether there are accurate data on infection levels. Whether unvaccinated people get tested. And so on.

What everyone does seem to agree on is that the vaccine is highly effective at preventing serious illness.

Drinks are on you

Pharmacist is ranked #20 in the latest US News & World Report ranking of the best-paying jobs in the country, between sales manager and business operations manager. (In the healthcare space, it’s ranked higher than optometrist, but below other healthcare professions including nurses, dentists, and OB/GYNs. The best-paying job? Anesthesiologist.)

Light up their lives

No one wants depressed mice, right? Here’s a trick Swiss biochemists discovered: Shine a bright light at them for 15 minutes in the morning. That apparently increases expression of a particular “clock gene” — one that plays a role in both mood and the circadian rhythm. (They tried the light at different times, and using it at the beginning of the “dark cycle” had no effect — it has to be near the end of that cycle; i.e., early in the morning.)

The great thing about light is that it’s safe, easy to administer, and nearly free, and it has a significant effect on the brain.

#Captainobvious’s friend’s cousin heard it’s not true

A study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute “Shows Cancer Misinformation Common on Social Media Sites.”

Further, the vast majority of that misinformation has the potential to harm cancer patients by supporting approaches that could negatively impact the quality of their treatment and chances for survival.

Great news!

Global warming may give us more floods and wildfires, harsh winters and blistering summers, eroding beaches and migrating aardvarks, but guess what? It may limit the spread of dengue fever!

Mosquitoes carrying the virus are less tolerant of heat, so a warmer world is one where the disease spreads less. W00t!