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Social issues

Health Care

Life after life support

Data collected by the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society shows that 4% of patients are readmitted to intensive care. This readmission rate is currently being used to lobby for more beds in intensive care. It is argued that more beds will prevent readmissions. It is true that readmissions…
Sarah Russell
August 26, 2004

Turning homes into prisons

Victoria’s new home detention program is alarming. Electronic home detention has the potential to turn homes into prisons and families into prison wardens. Creating prisons in the home assumes that family members, especially female family members, will be available, willing and able to take on the role of prison warden.…
Sarah Russell
April 9, 2004
Health Care

Hysterical ‘Pandemic’

Amid the hysteria over Pan Pharmaceuticals, Australians are being warned to avoid taking all herbal and vitamin preparations. Would Australians be warned about avoiding driving all cars after the recall of a Commodore? Somehow, the spotlight shifted from poor quality control of pharmaceutical preparations to all complementary therapies being discredited.…
Sarah Russell
May 2, 2003

Let’s broaden the population debate

As Tim Watts, Hugh Martin and Steve Vizard have noted, the delegates of last years population summit have produced a proposal for a shift in the way population policies are set. Not surprisingly, Philip Ruddock, refuses to sign the proposal. What is surprising, however, is that so few of the…
Sarah Russell
April 8, 2003

‘Down’ is all in the eye of the beholder

By choosing to spend less time in paid employment, I am labelled as a "Down-shifter. I think Australian Institute think tank should think again. The label 'Down-shifter implies a process of moving down, and thereby misrepresents a positive life choice. After all, the only thing to go down is income.…
Sarah Russell
January 13, 2003

Listen to youth on chroming

Were young people who chrome invited to attend the recent Parliamentary Inquiry to talk about what they do or why they do it? They have the relevant experience to make a genuine contribution to this debate and they come up with some creative solutions. These will certainly be more realistic…
Sarah Russell
June 24, 2002
Health Care

Palm Island’s health hazards

When asked to describe my work as a nurse at the Palm Island Hospital, one word comes to mind: "Frustrating". It was terribly frustrating to be working in a health care service that was clearly not working.  Although many health professionals lobby for increased funding for aboriginal health care, the…
Sarah Russell
November 24, 1997
Health Care

A holistic approach on Aboriginal health

The issue of Aboriginal health is of great concern to all Australians. It is far too important an issue to be used as a political and bureaucratic football. Some people seem to think that we can “cure” Aboriginal health by simply providing funding for increased medical care. A classic example…
Sarah Russell
February 21, 1995