We were at war. Yet, there was a second battle against an airborne virus plaguing the army as well as citizens. Those in charge of quarantined soldiers kept them isolated from communities and inoculated as many as they could. Thirty percent of the population died. In July 1776, Gen. George Washington...

A pediatrician decides a struggling teen with mental illness needs hospitalization to neutralize psychologic demons impacting their personal and social life. A workers’ compensation doctor requests a neck MRI in a powerline worker with growing right arm numbness and weakness to search for potential...

Many nations proudly tout life expectancy as a reflection of their healthcare. For over two decades in our country, this statistic has consistently edged upward due to expanding technology, doctors/patient education, and vibrant emphasis on healthy lifestyles. But a recent report from the Centers for...

I had never heard the term “throughput” before a meeting at our hospital two years ago. It was used to discuss how the emergency department (ED) could yield greater profits by faster patient turnover. Coordinating various duties (including intake, admitting, and cleaning staff; lab and radiology;...

War is being waged on behalf of American citizens against the business takeover of hospitals, yet most people don’t realize this battle exists. Surprisingly, the warriors scattered throughout our country in this fight are doctors. Unlike recent scandalous headlines of Wells Fargo committing fraud against...

Hospitals have always served as a lifeline to survival. Whether from pneumonia, heart attack, stroke or trauma, they have been a community safeguard between life and death. Today, cost of care has been added to the patient treatment discussion, forcing medical decision-making to look closely at expense....

With the 2016 Rio Olympics coming to a close, we honor four participants claimed by the Santa Clarita Valley as their own: Allyson Felix, Anthony Ervin, Abbey Weitzeil and David Smith. They brought home eight medals, five of which were gold. Each of our competitors won at least one medal. Quite an accomplishment...

Born in Canada, our mother came to the United States after World War II and blended into the Greatest Generation. Raising a family in the second half of the 20th Century saw her contribute to a thriving American society then maintain retirement health on Medicare. But in her early 90s, this tranquility...

Growing up in a family that emphasized education, I had trouble staying on mark, because I wanted to be a baseball player. At age 11, though, I underwent surgery on my left leg, as doctors thought I might have osteogenic sarcoma. The tumor was removed and benign, so my leg was not amputated. The overnight...

Two decades ago, I admitted a patient to the Intensive Care Unit for a heart attack. His children were grown, and he looked forward to retirement and purchasing an RV to relax and travel the country with his wife. Invasive cardiac technology had not evolved, so he remained in the ICU on intravenous medication...