Best Practice

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been increasing drastically over the past few years. Since 2014, the number of chlamydia cases has increased by 19%, gonorrhea cases by 63%, primary and secondary syphilis cases by 71%, and congenital syphilis cases by a whopping 185%. Certain groups are being more severely affected than others. The CDC explains why this is, and discusses how to decrease the rates of these STIs.

Although January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, knowing how to prevent cervical cancer is important all year long. It’s especially important now, when the national rate of cervical cancer is going down, but certain socioeconomic groups are seeing more cases than ever. Learn how this disparity is caused and how you and your patients can prevent cervical cancer.

Massachusetts has been hit hard by the national opioid crisis with the ninth highest rate of opioid deaths in 2017, according to the CDC.  The opioid crisis has killed over 2,000 people in Massachusetts each year for the past three years on record, peaking in 2016. As a result, Massachusetts organizations like Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) are looking at innovative ways to help those struggling with addiction.

Today's post is from our broker blog, AllWays Insider. We're sharing their timely information on what seasonal affective disorder is and how employers can support their employees through it.

Monday, January 20 was "Blue Monday," known as the gloomiest day of the year thanks to post-Christmas blues, unpaid credit card bills, and most of all, dark, cold weather. While there is the occasional exception (like Boston’s recent record-breaking 74-degree day), the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere are typically full of cold weather, short days, and little sunlight. These three factors can contribute to sadness, decreased energy, and stress, and even lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Every year, we conduct an annual provider satisfaction survey to measure the experiences of our network. This year, we received a record number of responses with more than 800 providers weighing in on what's great about AllWays Health Partners and what we can make even better.