COMM 2381: Oral Communication

Information about the Coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) also known as COVID-19 may be found in the COVID-19 Informational Guide provided by the University of Memphis Health Sciences Library.

The guide includes:

• government pages,
• University pages,
• National Library of Medicine resources,
• public health resources, and
• news pages.

Here is a direct link to the COVID- 19 Informational Guide.

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, more than six years ago! This law seeks to improve access to affordable and fair health insurance for all. 

• Read the act in its entirety here.
• See what is entailed in enrolling at the Health Care Marketplace.
• Understand local implications by reading the Health & Human Services report "5 Years Later: How the Affordable Care Act is Working for Tennessee."

Many children in Shelby County deal with food insecurity and hunger on a daily basis.  The 2010 Food Research and Action Center report rated metro Memphis as the most food insecure metro area in the country.

• Read the US Department of Agriculture's overview on food security.
• Explore local initiatives to help address the problem, such as community gardens, or mobile fresh food services

Concern over football players' head injuries is increasing due to research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), repetitive brain trauma, concussions, and other head injuries.

• Timeline on the Concussion Crisis
• The US House of Representatives' Democratic Staff Report on the NFL attempting to influence the National Institutes of Health's research.
• Casson, I. R., Viano, D. C., Powell, J. W., & Pellman, E. J. Twelve years of National Football League concussion data. Sports Health 2(6), p. 471-483. (Also check "Similar articles in PubMed" in the sidebar.)

The Veterans Health Administration came under fire in 2014 for the delayed and insufficient medical treatment of veterans and falsified treatment records.

• Read an official report, Veterans Health Administration, review of alleged patient deaths, patient wait times, and scheduling practices at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, here: http://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo51591

Compared to their contemporaries, college students have a slightly higher risk for contracting meningococcal disease.

• Discover which states require vaccines for incoming college students: http://www.immunize.org/laws/menin.asp
• Read the CDC description of the risk factors posed by community setting.

Opiate addiction has reached epidemic status in the United States.  The Center for Disease Control reports that, "the majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involve an opioid." The American Society of Addiction Medicine provides up-to-date statistics on opioid addiction.

• The Center for Disease Control & Prevention offers and expansive and authoritative guide to Zika: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ 
• Because the virus has spread more widely outside of the United States, the World Health Organization's Global Response may also be of interest.
• Congressman Cohen hosted a roundtable on Zika and more local government resources will likely be available in the coming months.