Why Local Hospitals Are Helping Patients Register to Vote

Good morning. Today’s gigantic article delves into why local hospitals are being criticized for trying to lend a hand patients and staff register to vote before the presidential election (which, if you haven’t heard, is a pretty gigantic deal here in Pennsylvania). Additionally, Main Line Health will soon hire a modern CEO, and resident physicians at the University of Pennsylvania Health System became the first in the state to reach a tentative union agreement with their university.

📮 Do you think hospitals should encourage voter registration? Why or why not? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us back.

If someone sent you this newsletter, sign up here.

— Alison McCook, Inquirer health reporter, @alisonmccook.

Do you drink? Do you smoke? Do you feel secure at home? And are you registered to vote?

Here are some of the questions patients ask during screening tests in hospitals across the country where social workers are encouraging people to register to vote ahead of the crucial upcoming presidential election.

Such efforts — which include setting up tables at cafeteria checkouts with voter registration information and handing out QR code badges to staff that link to a voter registration website — are being organized nationally by groups like Vot-ER.

But not everyone supports it pressure to register patients to vote. Although Vot-ER claims to be nonpartisan, it has been criticized for its Democratic ties. “This is a clear abuse of the doctor-patient relationship,” said Kush Desai, Pennsylvania communications director for former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Read the article for more information on how — and why (according to them It’s good for your health!) — hospitals get involved in voter registration.

Latest news worth paying attention to

Week number: 1 in 3.

Many former NFL players believe they suffer from the neurodegenerative brain disease CTE, a study has found. A Harvard study published this week in JAMA Neurology. A quarter of people who believed they had an incurable disease said they had also had suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks.

The surprising findings follow an Inquirer investigation earlier this month that found that most of the starting lineup for the 1980 Eagles — the first team in franchise history to appear in the Super Bowl — developed cognitive problems after retirement, ranging from memory loss and depression to personality changes and movement disorders.

Fans at the Eagles’ game against the New Orleans Saints this week got a first-hand look at how perilous that can be when two players — Eagles right quarterback Lane Johnson and wide receiver DeVonta Smith — suffered concussions.

(Note: Some eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a title change in this section of the newsletter. Don’t worry! We’re still digging into the data (An exclusive, quantitative look at the week in local health news and the stories behind the numbers.)

St. Luke’s Upper Bucks Hospital was cited for sanitation and patient privacy violations between January and June after state inspectors six hospital visits. Click here to read more details we have gathered about the incidents.

Does it matter what a doctor wears?

That question was posed by dermatologist Jules Lipoff, who noted that there is an “unwritten code” that male doctors should wear a white coat and/or shirt and tie, while female doctors should wear the same.

Lipoff decided to buck the trend when he became an attending physician: He ditched the tie but kept the white coat. When the COVID pandemic hit, he switched to a uniform. To keep patients interested at The Dermatology Specialists in Old City, he smuggles in quirky socks, such as ones decorated with X-ray bones or pills or in the colors of his football team (not the Eagles, which takes courage in this city).

Read Lipoff’s expert column to learn more about what he thinks matters in a doctor’s wardrobe and what doesn’t.

It’s a gigantic deal: Main Line Health CEO Jack Lynch plans to retire in June from the nonprofit health care organization he led for 20 years.

It was an engaging tenure, to say the least. While Lynch was CEO, Main Line split from the former Jefferson Health System (its longtime financial partner), acquired Riddle Hospital and built modern patient pavilions there and at three other acute care hospitals, and acquired Mirmont Treatment Center, an inpatient addiction treatment facility.

While Main Line has always been one of the financially strongest health systems in the region, it has faced significant annual losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lynch told healthcare business reporter Harold Brubaker that he made the decision several years ago to retire from Main Line after 20 years. “I’m excited about the possibility of someone coming in with the same level of energy, enthusiasm and passion that I came in with.”

Read Harold’s story to learn more about Lynch’s legacy and what he expects from the health system’s modern CEO.

You can’t imagine this: portion sizes in restaurants have changed has increased significantly in recent years. But don’t worry if you end up not leaving any more food behind — studies show that People will eat as much food as they canregardless of appetite.

Is it any wonder that nearly three-quarters of American adults are overweight or obese?

Sophia Hua, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, recently completed a real-world experiment in two coffee shops (not in Philadelphia) where students, employees, and diners were given different portion sizes for their entrees. Hua and her team are now analyzing the data to determine whether that leads to fewer calories purchased—and more revenue for the coffee shops.

How can smaller—and therefore cheaper—portions lend a hand restaurants make a profit? By reducing food waste and attracting many customers who say they want to be able to order smaller portions– Hua said.

Read my article to learn more about Huy’s actions and get her tips on how to avoid eating more food than you want at a restaurant.

📮Would you like chain restaurants to offer the option of serving smaller portions of main courses? If you would like a chance to be featured in this newsletter, please send us an email.

By submitting your written, visual and/or audio materials, you agree to The Inquirer’s terms of service. Terms of Useincluding the granting of rights in Article 10.