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Overcoming limitations during the holiday season

Editor’s Note: The following column was originally published Dec. 12, 2020. Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for ...

Natural gas helping Ohioans stay warm

To the editor: With the cold front coming in and temperatures dropping quickly across the state, Ohioans need reliable and affordable energy to stay warm. Our state’s essential natural gas provides the dependable power for furnaces and heat pumps. With over 63% of Ohio residents relying on it for home heating, natural gas is the most dependable energy source for keeping families safe and warm through the holidays. The state benefits from a reliable supply, thanks to production in the Shale Crescent region. The Shale Crescent region, encompassing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West ...

Giving back to the community that grew me

To the editor: Growing up in Salem, Ohio, I was shaped by a caring community — from the teachers at Salem High School to the local Scouting program and the families, farms, and friends who encouraged my love of plants and the outdoors. Though I moved from Salem after high school, I carry these roots with me every day in my work with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, where I serve as a Horticulture and Forestry Agriculture Extension Agent. Cooperative Extension is a national public service partnership between land-grant universities and local communities — funded ...

Congress needs to pass H.R. 5031

To the editor: After thirty years serving the people of Ohio in state government and now volunteering with veterans and seniors in care facilities, I’ve learned that good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. That’s exactly what’s happening with Medicare Part D drug price negotiations. Nobody disputes that prescription drugs cost too much. We all want lower prices for seniors. But when Washington cuts drug prices without considering how those drugs actually reach our most vulnerable citizens, we create new problems while solving old ones. Long-term care (LTC) ...

AI transforming healthcare

To the editor: As an IT director at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, I see firsthand how technology is advancing medicine and changing lives for the better. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare by improving diagnostics, streamlining operations and helping healthcare professionals make faster, more accurate decisions. These advances aren’t just exciting — they’re saving lives. But in today’s world, where threats from ransomware, phishing and foreign-backed cyberattacks are growing, cybersecurity has become synonymous with data security, ...

Indicators suggest that a recession is emerging

A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland delivered some unsettling news as we roll toward the holiday season. Indicators suggest there is a 24% chance the U.S. economy was in recession last month. The Cleveland Fed represents Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky, where the Ohio Capital Journal noted there have been a number of worrying indicators. Credit card debt is rising faster in Ohio than in all but four other states. We had the fifth-highest unemployment rate in the country in August (the Capital Journal notes “despite years of spending billions ...