Short and (hopefully) sweet
Changes ahead
Let’s start this week with some updates.
COVID and ILI
Things continue to move in the right direction on the respiratory virus front. COVID hospital admissions are down again. So are wastewater levels, and Wisconsin falls in the “low” category for flu activity. I’ve got no recent data on RSV, but last we heard, that was headed down too.
Give it until Valentine’s Day to drop masks in church gatherings. As I’ve said before, it’s possible to have rebound spikes before the respiratory virus season abates for good. Haste makes waste, as they say, and also a lot of sick people.
HSHS Hospital Closures
I received a couple of corrections on last week’s item about hospitals closing in Northwest Wisconsin. Holy Spirit Health Services owns and operates those two hospitals. I misunderstood Prevea Health to be the parent company of HSHS, but they’re simply a provider for them. That error I regret.
Another mistake I can’t claim much credit/blame for. The article I passed along says that with these closures, there would be no other psychiatric inpatient units in Northwestern Wisconsin. As an alert reader pointed out, this is not true. There are behavioral health units in Ashland, Amery and Rhinelander. Apparently, the lack of such units is oft-repeated, but not accurate.
In the meantime, the Mayo Clinic and Bellin and Gunderson Health have released statements saying that they’re assessing the situation. Not surprisingly, they’d like to fill the gap if they can. And the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce is forming a regional task force in response.
If you live in the affected area, and would like to organize in response, let me know. Same goes if you know someone who’s interested. We’ll do what we can to foster local efforts.
If you don’t live in the area, forgive me for going on at length about the subject. Hospital closures are always a Big Deal, especially in small cities and rural areas.
Well heck, since we started with some updates, why don’t end with one as well?
Schedule changes
We are getting closer to June 30th, the end of our Vaccine Community Outreach program. That means I’m getting busier and busier these days. And let’s face it, there’s only so many ways to say the same thing about COVID (you did get your booster shot, right?).
So let’s take a little pressure off my time, and spare you from annoying emails. This newsletter will be going to an biweekly-ish schedule. In other words, we plan to come out every other week, but if something important comes up, you’ll see us in your inbox.
As always, our inbox is open for reader feedback. Feel free to share your thoughts!
The Links
- Don’t forget to let me know if you’d like to be interviewed for our COVID oral history project! Our interviews will be compiled and given to the State Historical Society.
- There’s a pertussis (Whooping Cough) outbreak in Marathon County, and health officials are asking residents of a particular village to stay at home. Having had it as a kid, I can testify that pertussis is No Fun and To Be Avoided. Get your tots vaccinated, if you haven’t!
- Public Health Madison & Dane County has a fun series of “mysteries” they talk about on their blog. This week it’s “The Mystery of the Mothballs.”
- Katelyn Jetelina has an explainer of measles and vaccines against it. It’s good, but on the technical side.
- Also a bit on the technical side, or maybe just tough to wrap your head around: “What are the top causes of death for people 65 and older?” Turns out they’re mostly the same as they were 25 years ago, with the exception of COVID displacing flu and pneumonia. But death rates from each have declined since 2000.
Let’s finish on a wild note: scientists have documented for the first time cases of transmitted Alzheimer’s.
