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Author Archives: Mehgan Gallagher

11.16.18

Suicide in Prisons and Jails: A Growing Concern

By Mehgan Gallagher

Photo Credit: Urdupoint.com Suicide among inmates in prisons and jails in the United States and abroad is a serious concern.  The United States has lower rates of suicide in prison compared to Western European and Nordic countries   However, compared to other nations, the United States has the highest prison population in the world and rates […]

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Thematic Areas: Health & Human Rights

10.12.18

Black Lives Matter: The 21st Century Civil Rights Movement?

By Mehgan Gallagher

Image: Courtsey of Rolling Stone   Racial tensions, inequalities police brutality, and violence are a major concern in the United States. People of color in America suffer from disparities across areas such as education, employment, housing, and incarceration rates.  African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million people in jail and are […]

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Thematic Areas: Health & Human Rights

09.14.18

A New Twist on Community Health Workers

By Mehgan Gallagher

Community health workers go door-to-door providing services in communities such as in Busia, Western Kenya. Photo courtesy of Living Goods   Community health workers are essential in delivering healthcare to some of the world’s most sickly and vulnerable populations.  They provide important sources of healthcare for people who are unable to access healthcare facilities due […]

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08.10.18

Preventive Care and The Health Coach Revolution

By Mehgan Gallagher

There has been a recent surge of talk about health coaches popping up in gyms, doctors’ offices, and in magazines.  A health coach is someone who is educated in the field of exercise, nutrition, diet, and overall well-being.  The Institute for Integrative Nutritiondefines a health coach as “a wellness authority and supportive mentor who motivates […]

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07.13.18

The Importance of Disease Surveillance: The Case of Zika Virus Disease

By Mehgan Gallagher

Surveillance is an important part of tracking any disease because it serves as an early warning system, identifies public health emergencies, guides public health policy and strategies, and helps to understand and monitor the epidemiology of a condition to set priorities and guide public health policy and strategies.  Zika is an excellent example of the […]

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06.19.18

Celebrity Suicide and the Risk of Contagion

By Mehgan Gallagher

  The recent deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain shocked the world.  It is especially upsetting for people who feel like they have nothing to live for to look at wealthy celebrities who seemingly have it all (fame, money, success) and yet still feel like taking their own lives is […]

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06.01.18

Stories from Trento: The Healing Power of the Black Stone

By Mehgan Gallagher

As part of my role with the O’Neill Health Law Initiative, I recently attended part two of the Global Faith-Based Health Systems (GFBHS) Conference in Trento, Italy, titled “Global Faith-Based Health Systems: Integrating Technology and Empowering Communities.”  The GFBHS project was conceptualized by Dr. Bette Jacobs (Georgetown University Health Law Initiative), Fr. Kevin Fitzgerald (Georgetown […]

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04.09.18

O'Neill Institute Co-Sponsors Oral Health Convening Focusing on Children with Special Health Care Needs

By Mehgan Gallagher

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about Deamonte Driver, a twelve year old boy who died of a toothache in Maryland in February 2007. It is hard to believe a child can die in the United States from an untreated cavity, especially so close to the nation’s capital. While Deamonte’s death sparked outrage […]

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03.09.18

Death from a Toothache: The Story of Deamonte Driver and Where we Stand Today in Ensuring Access to Dental Health Care for Children in the District

By Mehgan Gallagher

Oral health is an important part of overall health.  Unfortunately, many people forget this important aspect of wellbeing.  For children with special health care needs, dental hygiene is often low on the list of priorities for their parents and or caregivers.  In February 2007, twelve year old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache in Maryland. […]

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The views reflected in this expert column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law or Georgetown University. This blog is solely informational in nature, and not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed and retained attorney in your state or country.

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