After 40 years as a doctor interacting with patients, in the last two and a half years the tables turned, and I’ve become the patient. Although most are good, I’ve found some doctors are detached, some are too quick, some would rather be somewhere else, some are even angry; but, when a physician who cares walks into the room, and I’m not exaggerating, the day becomes better, the pain becomes less, and hope fills my heart. Scientific knowledge is important, but the ability to convey honest concern, human thoughtfulness and compassion is equal in importance in this healing profession. So, how do we select premed students for that, or teach compassion in medical school?

When in life does one come to confront the tough truth that each of us will eventually die? In my years as an internist caring for young and old alike, some people understand this early, and some people never get it. In denying death, we intensify our fear of it. Usually, however, it is sometime during their 50s that people first look into the eyes of death. Put it off as we may, the hard certainty is that we are all aging and one day an end will come. Shakespeare described advanced age in his play As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII (All the world’s a stage):

This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit our southern border and see firsthand the chaos occurring there. Our trip to the Rio Grande Valley reaffi rmed that what is going on at our border is nothing short of a national security crisis. The Biden administration’s reckless disregard for border security has turned every state — including Nebraska — into a border state.

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments on Biden v. Nebraska and U.S. Department of Education v. Brown, two challenges to the Biden administration’s student debt cancellation proposal. The administration’s debt cancellation scam is just one example of a pattern of irresponsible economic policies that have resulted in ongoing inflation, exacerbated workforce woes, and increased financial hardship hitting American households. In our Commitment to America agenda, House Republicans made a promise to deliver a government that is accountable to taxpayers. To do this, we must conduct stringent oversight, stop reckless policymaking, and move forward proposals that will get our country back on track.

Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) will be offering Vaccines for Children at public clinics in March. Anyone two months of age and older are invited to get their vaccinations.

We all agree that our kids are our future. In every community across our state, no matter the size, we all want the same thing – a better future for our kids than we had. Our highest priority is to protect our kids and their adolescent minds until they are old enough to discern and make their own decisions.

One in 12 Nebraskans are employed by the trucking industry, making it the third largest industry in our state. Over three million Americans work as commercial truckers, carrying essential products across our country. American truckers transported 10.93 billion tons of freight to their destinations in 2021.

Throughout my time in the legislature, I have heard countless stories from across Nebraska of working people being driven off of their farms and out of their homes because of the rising burden of property taxes. Working with Governor Pillen, I am proud to be the lead sponsor of LB 783, which would eliminate the property tax levy authority of community college boards. Current projections show that the state’s general fund balance will be $3.28 billion by the end of the two-year budget cycle in 2026-27. At the same time, Nebraskans are dealing with the silent effects of inflation.

It’s been an incredibly emotional week. We spanned the entire palette in just a few days and I suppose that’s both healthy and stressful.

Many people find themselves being told, “your blood pressure is pretty high today!” You might be at the dentist’s office for a filling, in the emergency room getting stitches after an avocado mishap, or maybe you’re at your annual physical appointment. If you’ve never had high blood pressure you might be surprised at this news! Sometimes my own patients will call my office after such an event, “Doc, should I be on blood pressure medication?” When we get these calls our typical answer is: maybe, but maybe not.