Blog Archives

  • Vitals: Fall 2015 – President’s Report by Hemant Sindhu, MD

    The Patient Who Made Me an Activist by Hemant Sindhu, MD, President/CIR My patient had been admitted with a clinical picture consistent with colon cancer, and he needed to be worked up to confirm my suspected diagnosis. He questioned the necessity of the procedures recommended and asked if they could be delayed. I spoke to…

  • Where Income and Health Meet – One Resident tells why she supports the Fight for $15

    The Fight for $15 & a Union: A Mental Health Issue by Dr. Eve Kellner, psychiatry resident at Lenox Hill Hospital, CIR NY Regional Vice President, and human rights activist The Fight for $15 movement undeniably intertwines workers’ rights and better pay with healthcare and the ability to afford nutritious food, medications, and preventative health…

  • Boston Residents Take On the Addiction Epidemic at Political Forum

    Boston, MA — On Monday, October 26, 2015, Massachusetts residents from Cambridge Health Alliance and Boston Medical Center attended an “Across the Aisle” forum at the Edward Kennedy Institute regarding the opioid crisis in their state. The forum was an opportunity for the public to hear from government leaders from both sides of the aisle…

  • BMC Quality Council Grants

    In 2015, the BMC Quality Council secured a commitment from the BMC Captive Insurance Company to provide the council $25,000 each July 1 to give out in grants to housestaff-led QI projects. Unused funds roll over to the next year. In the first round of grants, the following projects were awarded funding: Improving Emergency Department…

  • Right Care Action Week: October 18 – 24, 2015

    Right Care Action Week is a grassroots initiative from clinicians and others across the country to take action that demonstrates how much better our health care system can be. Individual and group activity welcome! Learn more about what some CIR chapters are planning below, and more about Right to Care Action Week here. At Boston Medical…

  • New York City Labor Day Parade

    Check out scenes from the New York City Labor Day Parade this past Saturday, September 12!

  • What Is CIR’s Agenda for Health Justice for All?

    Resident leaders have defined CIR’s political advocacy mission as fighting for an issue agenda under the banner “Health Justice for All.” Every day, resident physicians treat patients whose health has been compromised by a system that costs too much and leaves too many behind. The United States provides some with the high quality care they…

  • 2015 Is Our Year

    We’re a little over seven months into the year, and it’s been a big one already – new organizing campaigns, exciting program initiatives, the climax of several contract negotiations, an amazing National Convention… we’ve done a lot so far in 2015: On January 16,  residents at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. voted to join…

  • Volunteer Experience in Haiti Gives CIR Member New Perspective on Costs of Care

    In the last five years, over 100 CIR members and alumni have traveled to Haiti to volunteer as part of the continuing medical relief efforts through scholarships provided by the CIR Policy & Education Initiative. This year, a record number of CIR members applied for the scholarships, and twenty-five were selected to receive one. Volunteers…

  • NJ Residents Address physician shortage and diversity at Rutgers NJMS

    Patients rarely get a chance to get an in-depth look at the inner-workings of hospitals in their community. But that’s exactly what 38 high school students experienced at this year’s Physician Diversity Pipeline Project on July 28th. As the healthcare landscape changes in New Jersey to address the physician shortage, CIR leaders at Rutgers New…