13,000 nurses and health workers at Swedish, Providence plan to strike Jan. 14

Nurses and other workers at Swedish-Providence medical centers have just told us that they will be going on strike January 14. .. . . Last month, their union told us 13,000 worker at 13 Swedish locations could participate. That would include seven hospitals and care centers in King and Snohomish Counties. KIRO.

Washington State fines online health insurance company $1.5 million 

Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings, LLC, doing business in Washington state as Health Insurance Innovations (HII), has paid a $1.5 million fine for more than 50,000 violations of Washington state insurance laws and rules.  Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Northwest Hospital changes name, integrates with UW Medical Center

As of the new year, Northwest Hospital will be the second hospital system of University of Washington Medical Center . . .  now known as UW Medical Center – Northwest, affiliated with the UW Medicine health system in 2010. The current UW Medical Center campus will be known as UW Medical Center – Montlake. PSBJ.

Older people need geriatricians. Where will the come from?

Older People Need Geriatricians. Where Will They Come From?
. . . As the nation’s older population surges, the gap between need and supply has steadily widened, and a persistent shortage of geriatricians has troubled the medical profession for years . . . If one geriatrician can care for 700 patients with complicated medical needs, as a federal model estimates, then the nation will need 33,200 such doctors in 2025. It has about 7,000, only half of them practicing full time. NYT.

Thousands of toddlers have ingested vaping liquids

… at least 1,892 children ages 5 or under were exposed to vaping liquids in 2018, in most cases by swallowing them.  The consequences for a toddler-age child ingesting vaping liquids could be devastating or even fatal.  Symptoms include vomiting and, in a small percentage of cases, irregular heartbeat and seizures.  One child died in 2014 after drinking from a refill bottle. Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Vegans suffer worse hangovers than meat eaters

. .  The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, appears to show that vegans experience worse hangovers because their diets are deficient in two nutrients that influence how we metabolise alcohol: nicotinic acid (otherwise known as vitamin B3) and zinc. Mens Health.