Massachusetts announced Thursday that Dr. Monica Bharel, the state's Commissioner of the Department of Public Health for the past six years, is stepping down.
The Barnstable Patriot
HYANNIS Cape Cod Hospital, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced Wednesday that it has expanded access to monoclonal antibody therapy (mAb) and will administer the treatment at a new mobile unit at the hospital.
Positioned near the COVID -19 testing site, the temporary clinic will help patients that have tested positive for COVID-19 receive immediate treatment. The promising mAb therapy has been shown to keep high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital.
The temporary mAb unit is available Monday through Saturday between 1 and 6 p.m. To confirm eligibility for the treatment, patients should contact their primary care provider.
Public health is ‘more relevant than ever’
May 27, 2021 Most people don’t think about public health unless there’s a crisis, Dean Michelle Williams noted during Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s 2021 virtual graduation ceremony. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, the field has become more visible and relevant than ever.
“The world is realizing that public health is just that public. That it’s everyone’s business. And that we simply haven’t invested in public health like we should,” Williams said.
Crises create the opportunity to look at old problems in new ways and to imagine something better, she said. Noting that applications for next year’s class have gone up by 40%, she told graduates, “People want to be like you. They want to be part of the solution.”