With the prolific advancements in social media and technology, our world seems to get smaller and smaller every day. No other event in history can illustrate that point more than the global COVID-19 pandemic. As healthcare professionals we have witnessed first-hand the devastating losses caused by this pandemic but there have also been positive aspects born out of necessity that bear mentioning. A our fellow … Continue reading Diagnostic Imaging & Artificial Intelligence – A response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Just 3 years ago I was sitting at this computer writing a blog 12 days after the Hurricane Harvey disaster. Now we are in a new disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are still happy to report that everyone in our AHEC family is safe as far as we know. Every day is a new experience and we, as much as everyone else, face new … Continue reading #HoustonStrong – We are back open for business!

We noticed a lot of concerns from the radiography community about the sanitary use of lead markers, especially on possible COVID-19 patients.  Most technologists whose facilities don’t have digital markers, have used the same lead markers for years or decades.  We surveyed our database of technologists throughout the U.S. and abroad. Over 55% of the responding technologists work in a hospital, 24% in freestanding clinics … Continue reading How Your Peers are Protecting Markers and Equipment During the Pandemic

Patient visits to the emergency room have been trending downward since mid-March proving that people are afraid of going to the hospital.  Doctors believe it is because people are afraid of possibly contracting Covid-19. As Covid-19 emergency room admissions rise across the country, non-coronavirus patients are avoiding hospitals and seeking treatment at alternative outpatient sites. If people are avoiding hospitals out of fear, it could … Continue reading Coronavirus sparks dramatic decline in non-coronavirus ER visits

Amid the pandemic, it is hard to connect with others who may be undergoing the same types of experiences in the workplace. The pandemic exposure is variable dependent upon your geography. State by state, the numbers of people exposed and/or positive is driving the employment status. It’s difficult to make assertions about the radiology workplace as a whole. Different facilities have different responses to PPE … Continue reading Taking Our Temperature: What’s Your Employment Status

How are you fighting off COVID-19? If your only weapon against the Coronavirus is hand sanitizer, you may want to reevaluate your battle strategy. Nowadays you can barely find any in stock in the grocery store. People are buying in bulk, either out of fear or they’re trying to make a quick buck with the sudden increase in demand. Some are even attempting to make … Continue reading Hand Sanitizer Raises Red Flags

Are you taking social distancing seriously, or are you the type of person who thinks this will all blow over? With many confined to their homes and more and more “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” orders from our government being issued, many are becoming weary and well, skeptical that this is all an over-reaction. On top of this skepticism there has been a host of misinformation surrounding … Continue reading Please, Don’t Buy the Snake Oil!

Our staffing firm is recruiting and placing new candidates for the many health care positions that are associated with the Covid19 testing and opening of new beds. And yet, some local healthcare facilities are sending personnel home or reassigning personnel to areas where help is needed.  Both things are happening at the same time, but the situation is fluid, changing every day. A challenge we … Continue reading Are You Still Skeptical of the Covid19 Spread? Will the Skeptics Kill Us All?

Marilyn Sackett, MEd, RT(R), FASRT President/CEO Advanced Health Education Center MEDRelief Staffing Houston, TX These are unprecedented times and we are changing our protocols daily. We have been doing what is most important: supporting and helping healthcare providers wherever and whenever possible. Our team is working long hours to meet the extraordinary needs in our local communities. MEDRelief Staffing has a long history of excellent … Continue reading Open Letter on the COVID19 Pandemic… What We Are Doing to Help

No, I am not blasting our government. I am speaking about our local public health response.  I have never seen so much disagreement and lack of continuity. Social media reports show a wide variation from the suspension of non-emergent exams to the extreme of “business as usual”. Postings on social media describe having no PPE, reusing PPE to make them last, to statements that staff … Continue reading Public Health Leadership Void in Covid19 Pandemic