Dear John,

ICYMI, Health Affairs This Week featured Jeff Byers and Jessica Bylander discussing the demise of Walmart Health and the health of retail clinics and telemedicine.

In the May issue of Health Affairs, Christopher Hoover of the California Department of Public Health and coauthors explore findings from California’s COVID-19 vaccine equity policy.

In March 2021, California implemented a vaccine policy that “distributed 40 percent of available COVID-19 vaccines to the least advantaged one-quarter of communities in California.”

Community need was measured by a California-specific, area-based socioeconomic measure.

The researchers estimate that in the least-advantaged communities, the policy resulted in a 28.4 percent increase in vaccination rates. Also, more than 160,000 cases, 10,000 hospitalizations, and 670 deaths were averted because of the policy.

For more on the paper’s findings, listen to an upcoming episode of A Health Podyssey featuring lead author Christopher Hoover and Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil.

Join us for an exclusive virtual Journal Club featuring a closer look into the paper with Hoover and Health Affairs' Leslie Erdelack.

More on COVID-19

• Community Health, Health Care Access, And COVID-19 Booster Uptake In Massachusetts by Adam Gaffney et al.
• Easing Cash Assistance Rules During COVID-19 Was Associated With Reduced Days Of Poor Physical And Mental Health by Emily C. Dore et al.
• A Health Podyssey Excursion: George Wehby on Mask Mandates and How Health Services Research Has Changed Since COVID

Health Affairs is launching its second annual You’re A Health Policy Wonk If… contest!

The premise is simple. Finish the statement “You’re A Health Policy Wonk If…”

Besides honor, the first-place winner will receive a free online journal subscription for a year.

Submit by May 31.

Check out last year's submissions to get inspired before submitting your entry!

Safeguarding The Well-Being Of The Health Care Workforce: The Evolving Role Of Chief Wellness Officers

Jonathan Ripp