BLH Staff

One of the most beautiful things about America is its diversity. A diverse population strengthens our nation’s culture, economy, politics, and more, and according to the 2020 Census, the United States is more diverse than ever before, with people of color making up 43% of the population.

Diversity in the workforce has generally been viewed as a way of thinking and a belief that we should simply respect other cultures while simultaneously not harming colleagues and clients from different backgrounds. However, the workforce has now shifted to understanding that diversity is an act of inclusion; a commitment to proactively engage, advocate for, and champion equal opportunity for people from all walks of life in the workforce, in health care, education, the justice system, and more.

Thanks to dedicated public health efforts, cigarette smoking is at an all-time low among U.S. adults.

Have you ever left a doctor’s office and felt confused about what the doctor said?  The ability to understand a doctor’s instructions is directly tied to an individual’s overall health, daily health habits, and his or her recovery rate from a specific condition.  Understanding a doctor’s instructions and interpreting public health information is called “health literacy,” and it significantly impacts individual health levels and health costs.   

Opioid abuse and addiction remains a serious problem in the United States, contributing greatly to the nation’s disease burden. The most recent data indicate that in 2018, about 1.2 million people in the United States aged 12 and older had an opioid use disorder, and 526,000 suffered from a heroin use disorder.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently contracted with BLH Technologies, Inc. (BLH) to code Vietnam era combat operations data for use in integrating the data into the Official Military Archives Report (OMAR) system. OMAR is a new system implemented by the VA and used to expedite the verification process for veteran mental health claims. Processing of mental health claims can be a complex process and can take in excess of more than six weeks.

In 1981, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury had a jam session leading to their collaboration on “Under Pressure”—critically regarded as one of the greatest songs of the era. While both artists are well accomplished, their coming together created a musical masterpiece.

We like to think we are relatively safe from harm in the United States, but actually, we can do little to prevent natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or fires. What we can do, however, is to prepare for potential natural disasters so that we continually improve our ability to quickly react and effectively help when such tragedies occur.