Go In Or Call In? Guidance For Routine Health Care During COVID-19

Also: Remembering Boston activist Aubri Esters; hardships for critical nursing home workers ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( June 15, 2020 Good afternoon, Boston's public health community received heartbreaking news last Thursday. Aubri Esters, who led efforts to expand treatment for substance use and rights for people who use drugs, was found dead by police in her apartment. When it comes to preventing deaths of drug users and keeping them safe, Esters was one of the community's fiercest champions. She was known for meeting with with lawmakers and influencers in Boston and across the state, using her seat at the table to represent people who use drugs. In recent years, she focused on the opioid epidemic in the South End and supervised consumption facilities. “She used the bigotry and oppression that she faced as a transgender person, a substance user, and someone who experienced homelessness, to powerfully speak and act to protect those without a voice,” State Sen. Cindy Friedman, who served with Esters on the state’s Harm Reduction Commission, said. “Her courage was remarkable." You can [read more about Ester's life and legacy]( here. — Meagan McGinnes, Newsletter editor newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown url[Go In Or Call In? Here's Some Basic Guidance For Routine Health Care During COVID-19]( Now that your doctor is booking non-urgent visits again, when should you see someone in person, and when is a phone or video chat sufficient? We asked a range of physicians to provide guidance on some of the most common situations for adults and children to seek medical care. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [What Zebra Mussels Can Tell Us About Errors In Coronavirus Tests]( During the coronavirus pandemic, many scientists who usually have nothing to do with viruses or infectious disease are turning their attention to COVID-19. For example, one wildlife biologist is raising questions about the accuracy of tests that detect the coronavirus. [Read more.](  ['They Don’t Respect Our Job': Critical Nursing Home Workers Bear The Brunt Of The Pandemic]( Certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, provide some of the most critical care for nursing home residents. It also earns them the lowest wages and puts them at the greatest risk. [Read more.](  Support the news [As Stores And Restaurants Reopen, Is It Hard To Decide What You Dare To Do? It's Not You]( "This combination of uncertainty and high stakes is like the perfect storm of anxiety. So it's hard for all of us to make decisions," says Prof. Steven Woloshin about personal coronavirus risk decisions as hard-hit areas like Massachusetts reopen. [Read more.](  [A New Addiction Crisis: Treatment Centers Face Financial Collapse]( Fewer patients in recent months have been showing up for drug and alcohol treatment. And this isn't just a medical worry; it's a business problem. Less money is coming in, while investments in technology for teletherapy and safety protective gear have added new costs. [Read more.]( WBUR Town Hall Tomorrow at 6 p.m.: [Health Before Profits: Businesses Step Up During COVID-19]( Some companies have put aside the bottom line to pitch in and meet the challenges caused by coronavirus. WBUR reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka talks with three business leaders from Wayfair, New Balance and Lovepop, which all pivoted production to start making masks, hospital beds and linens when they heard supplies were scarce. Our WBUR Town Hall Series is free and open to the public, but [advance registration is requested.]( Commentary [Racism In Medicine Isn't An Abstract Notion. It's Happening All Around Us, Every Day]( The medical community is comfortable discussing negative outcomes for marginalized people in general. But we urgently need to talk about how we disenfranchise the patients in our care, writes Ayotomiwa Ojo.      Did you know 52 "pop-up testing sites" will be open across the state this week on Wednesday and Thursday? Gov. Charlie Baker is urging Massachusetts residents who took part in recent demonstrations against police brutality to get tested.[Learn more here.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [WBUR]  [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](. Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2020 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. Our mailing address is: WBUR-FM 890 Commonwealth AveBoston, MA 02215-1205 [Add us to your address book](