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Cargando... Canary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People (edición 2021)por William Cooke
Información de la obraCanary in the Coal Mine: A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People por Dr. William Cooke
   Ninguno Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro.  Dreesie | Oct 7, 2021 |  sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
"One doctor's courageous fight to save a small town from a silent epidemic that threatened the community's future-and exposed a national health crisis. When Dr. Will Cooke, an idealistic young physician just out of medical training, set up practice in the small rural community of Austin, Indiana, he had no idea that much of the town was being torn apart by poverty, addiction, and life-threatening illnesses. But he soon found himself at the crossroads of two unprecedented health-care disasters: a national opioid epidemic and the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak ever seen in rural America. Confronted with Austin's hidden secrets, Dr. Cooke decided he had to do something about them. In taking up the fight for Austin's people, however, he would have to battle some unanticipated foes: prejudice, political resistance, an entrenched bureaucracy-and the dark despair that threatened to overwhelm his own soul. Canary in the Coal Mine is a gripping account of the transformation of a man and his adopted community, a compelling and ultimately hopeful read in the vein of Hillbilly Elegy, Dreamland, and Educated"-- No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Debates activosNingunoCubiertas populares
 Google Books — Cargando...GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)362.109772Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Social problems of & services to groups of people People with physical illnesses History, geographic treatment, biography North America Midwestern U.S.Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio: (2.25)
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But this book. Cooke is a GP who set up a the only practice in Austin, Indiana, which was in the throes of an opioid epidemic that he was not yet aware of. It goes on to become an HIV epidemic due to shared needles. He is very earnest and definitely wants to help people, but he comes with many preconceptions--which he admits--that he does not fully break down. He contradicts himself. He has a very high opinion of himself as a good Christian and good doctor.
I stuck out this listen even though I found it very frustrating. And he has his own frustrations--Mike Pence, then governor of Indiana; the politicization of needle exchanges; the power-hungry people in medicine and government that look down on a small-town doctor.
I listened on audio, mostly while walking, so I did not take the notes or mark pages as I would have if I had read a paper copy or ebook.
• Too much religion, and by religion I mean Protestant evangelicalism.
• When things go right, it's because of God. When things go wrong, it is because of people (individuals or groups or the general public).
• According to Cooke, addicts are victims and are not at fault, and substance abuse disorder is caused by traumatic events in childhood. Addicts were not raised in safe, loving environments by their parents/guardians. But then of his individual examples, some absolutely had trauma, but how, for example, is a father's death of a heart attack when a child is 12 anyone's "fault"? Most of his examples got hooked on opioids after being prescribed them by a doctor or dentist--he blames their inability to get off on their upbringings.
• Not until chapter 6 or 8 does he mention oxycodone being marketed as "nonaddictive", and how many doctors and dentists handed out Rxs like candy because they believed this. Though he refuses to prescribe such drugs, he proceeds to ignore this common way so many people have their first encounter with opioids--legally and innocently, often as a minor with a sports injury or dental surgery, or with a work-related back injury. He offers no suggestions on how to manage this gateway of real pain and irresponsible prescribers.
• Not until chapter 16? 18? (also: the audiobook chapters on the audio do not match the chapters showing on the screen) does he mention drugs such as cocaine and crack on how they decimated black urban communities, and the answer was to jail people. With this largely rural, white epidemic, the answer is no longer jail. He researches and mentions this, but does not advocate for either emptying the jails of drug offenders or arresting current users.
• He complains about lack of health insurance and transportation as barriers to health care, but never suggests a medicare-for-all or other system. Or offers any solutions to get health care to people who cannot afford it. He just complains.
• He does not mention mental illness until the appendices, and offers up self-medication as part of what is going on. No kidding.
• Though he goes on and on about childhood trauma being an extreme contributor to addiction, he also does not offer any solutions for current and future children. Should schools offer mandatory grief counseling? Does their need to be a change to the foster care/social services systems? Are mandatory reporters not reporting, or being ignored? How can children be given a safe person to confide their secrets to?
And the narrator--he has a great voice when reading the text and portraying the author. His women's voices, however, sound like high school boys mocking their mothers. I will be paying more attention to how male narrators portray women's voices in the future. I have never noticed before, and this was not good. (