3.5 minute read

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Today's Top Beats

🏥 ICE in Hospitals
💉 Independent Vaccine Committee
🥩 Added Protein Needs

HANDOFF

Bracing for ICE at Hospitals

There’s mounting fear among healthcare workers that ICE arrests could increasingly occur in medical settings. Nurses report declining ER visits and tragic consequences, including preventable deaths from delayed treatment. With ICE ramping up enforcement nationwide and state lawmakers pushing for easier arrests in hospitals, medical staff worry these policies will worsen health outcomes and strain communities, especially among immigrants afraid to visit hospitals due to possible detainment. Check out the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association’s step-by-step guidance on how to deal with ICE agents who enter your hospital.

Vaccine Committee

After Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of a key vaccine advisory panel and replaced them with vaccine-skeptical appointees, public health experts are seeking alternative, science-based guidance. Michael Osterholm of CIDRAP is launching the Vaccine Integrity Project as a potential counterweight to the CDC’s altered committee. Major medical groups and states have pushed back against Kennedy’s moves, citing risks to public trust and access to vaccines. Some are collaborating with CIDRAP to uphold evidence-based vaccine recommendations amid growing concern over politicized health decisions.

Protein Needs

Protein is essential for the body’s growth, repair, and maintenance, and your local grocery store is no doubt ripe with packaged food full of added protein—but most people in well-nourished countries already get enough through a healthy diet. Despite the marketing push for high-protein products, experts say these items often benefit profits more than health. It’s best to get protein from a variety of natural sources like beans, dairy, meat (and meat substitutes), or fish. For muscle building, exercise—not protein bars—is the key.

TODAY'S TOP VITAL

81%

The percentage of Americans who say US presidents should be legally required to publicly release their cognitive tests and disease screenings. Learn what they say about politicians’ overall health honesty.  

NURSE ON-CALL

MAP OF THE MODERN NURSE WITH DEBRIEFING THE FRONT LINES

Acknowledging the Impact of Trauma

Trauma Informed Communication is a systems approach that acknowledges the pervasive impact of trauma on behavior, thoughts, and emotions that foster understanding and empathy in interactions. The six tenets of trauma-responsive communication include:

• Safety: Ensuring physical and emotional safety for individuals, allowing them to feel secure in sharing their experiences.

• Trustworthiness:  Building trust through transparency, consistency, and reliability in communication.

• Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Empowering individuals by providing options in how they engage in conversations, promoting autonomy and control.

• Collaboration and Mutuality: Encouraging a partnership approach, where individuals are actively involved in discussions and decisions affecting them.

• Peer Support: Utilizing debriefing as a tool to validate individuals’ experiences and supporting their strengths.

• Cultural Humility: Recognizing and respecting diverse backgrounds, ensuring communication is sensitive to cultural context.

Through debriefing, organizations can integrate these principles into everyday interactions to support healthcare workers in the aftermath of trauma. Learn more here. 

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TODAY IN THE CHART

SUPPLY ROOM

Ew, David

When Schitt's Creek and L&D collide, you get this funny sticker!

BREAK ROOM

One Tough Kid

Need an extra boost to get through your next shift? Check out this video of a pediatric patient toughing it out during a blood draw for some inspiration.

DISCHARGE INSTRUCTIONS

Can you guess what percentage of nurses currently hold a BSN or higher? Click here for the answer!

YOUR BEAT. YOUR VOICE. OUR FUTURE.