Author: Evan O'Connor

Awareness, Disabilities
No Comments

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

As declared by the UN, today was International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Started in 1992, the observance day aims to promote understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of those with disabilities. With one billion people worldwide experiencing some sort of disability, the day can have an important impact on many who experience difficulties every day. In honor with the international observance, we at NeedyMeds want to share the resources available for people with disabilities in the United States. The UN theme for 2014 is “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.” In a […]

Read More
Medicine Safety
No Comments

Medication Safety at Home

We hear in the media of mistakes made in hospitals including errors in administering medication. A new study shows that a child is improperly medicated at home every eight minutes. The study published by the journal Pediatrics is based on data from the National Poison Database System between the years of 2002 and 2012. The statistics don’t reflect the real scope of the problem since not everyone reports an error to poison control or may even be aware they made a mistake. In the 10-year time period, 696,937 children younger than 6 years old experienced out-of-hospital medication errors. The most common […]

Read More
Health
No Comments

Staying Healthy This Cold and Flu Season

Children going back to school and a cold wind starting to blow are signifiers of the impending cold and flu season. This year’s may seem particularly daunting due to exotic diseases appearing in the news and the spread of enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) affecting hundreds of families throughout the United States. With all of this in mind, NeedyMeds wanted to give our readers some helpful tips to keep themselves and their children healthy, along with resources available for those in need. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough and sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough […]

Read More
Social Media and Healthcare
1 Comment

HEALfundr: The Power to HEAL

Even with recent legislation making health care more accessible, Americans still need help paying for medical expenses. Despite having insurance coverage, 10 million Americans faced bills they were unable to pay in 2013. When options run low and eligibility requirements for assistance can be restrictive, many are turning to online crowdfunding. Remaining popular for creative works, crowdfunding is a tool to collect donations using the Internet towards a larger single goal. In 2012, up to 30% of all crowdfunding campaigns were for social or medically related causes. The use of social media has connected those in need with those in […]

Read More
Disease Resources
2 Comments

Resources for ALS

Chances are you have at least seen a video on your social network of choice of someone you may know dumping ice water over their heads, or possibly even posted one. The “Ice Bucket Challenge” has become a mainstream phenomena and significantly raised awareness for those suffering from the chronic illness ALS. Donations have also been on the rise, with the ALS Association reporting over 7 times the amount donated in just the past three weeks compared to the same time period last year. With 260,000 new donors already, the number is expected to continue to climb.   What Is […]

Read More

About Us

Welcome to the NeedyMeds Voice! We look forward to presenting you with timely, provocative pieces on healthcare reform, patient advocacy, medication and healthcare access, and other health-related news. Our goals are to educate, enlighten, and elucidate; together, we will try to make sense of the myriad and ongoing healthcare-related changes in the U.S. today.