United States

This viewpoint explains reasons why US suicide rates may rise in tandem with the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and describes opportunities to expand research and care. Suicide rates have been rising in the US over the last 2 decades. It Read More

This article reports on the release of new crisis standards of care (CSC) guidelines by Colorado state health officials that address allocation of scarce resources if necessary during a public health emergency. Under the guidelines, hospitals would make decisions on Read More

This forthcoming article discusses the application of ethical principles to resource allocation in response to a public health crisis, such as COVID-19, emphasizing both the continuity of central ethical principles such as respect for persons and the increased relevance of Read More

This press release from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the resolution of a complaint against Alabama based on the state’s 2010 ventilator allocation guidelines, which were challenged as Read More

This article discusses proposed changes to privacy regulations to allow for less-restricted health information exchange. COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges to the United States health care system. To safely care for patients, health information must flow across provider platforms seamlessly. Read More

This study suggests public health organizations provide the most up-to-date and timely COVID-19 information, yet other online information sources do not align with WHO’s basic protective measures. Evaluating information on the internet is important as a lot of misinformation is Read More

This article reports on the Ohio Hospital Association’s adoption of new guidance for allocating scarce resources during a public health emergency, including recommending the use of a triage committee rather than bedside personnel to make allocation decisions. The guidance also Read More

This essay from Joseph J. Fins, one of the authors of New York’s 2015 guidelines on ventilator allocation during a public health emergency, contends that the Task Force’s guidelines should not be interpreted to authorize the commandeering of ventilators used Read More

This article reports on new guidelines from Massachusetts health officials for potential rationing of ventilators in the event COVID-19 case surge overwhelms available supply. According to the article, the guidance uses an 8-point scoring system based on a patient’s likelihood Read More

Social distancing measures to address the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic may have significant health, social, and economic impacts. This study estimates the mean change in state-level COVID-19 epidemic growth before versus after the implementation of statewide social distancing measures in the Read More