COUNTY LIFE
5 ways to ensure medication safety during COVID-19
(Family Features) During the COVID-19 pandemic, staying healthy is top of mind. For individuals at risk for or diagnosed with COVID-19, the addition of new treatments may pose another medical danger: adverse drug events (ADEs). ADEs cause an estimated 150,000 deaths per year in the United States and 1.3 million emergency room visits, resulting in nearly 350,000 people hospitalized for further treatment.
The experts at Tabula Rasa HealthCare, a team of clinical pharmacists building solutions for personalized medication safety, recommend several actions to improve medication safety and prevent ADEs:;
1. Keep an updated list of all your medications.
Ask your doctor(s) for a list of all your medications and update it with over-the-counter medications to ensure you both have a complete profile. Document why you take each medicine, the dose, frequency and time of day. Always have access to it by, for example, creating a secure note in your phone for safekeeping. Also, share a copy with a loved one in case of an emergency.
2. Ask your pharmacist to review your medication regimen.
Make an appointment with your pharmacist to review your medications, including prescription, non-prescription, supplements, herbals and recreational drugs. While you may see multiple health care providers, your pharmacist can provide a holistic review of your regimen. Ask questions and try to understand the purpose of each medication. Your pharmacist likely has access to technological tools that identify risk for preventable ADEs. For example, Tabula Rasa HealthCare’s MedWise is a one-of-a-kind technology solution that compares how medications interact together. Using this unique solution, pharmacists may assist you with managing your medications safer and smarter. If you are not aware if your health plan covers pharmacist visits, consider selecting a plan that does.
3. Ask about the benefits of a “pharmacogenomic” test.
If you have a chronic illness and take multiple medications, ask your pharmacist for a test that identifies your personal gene make-up that can affect the way certain medications interact with each other in your body. With this data, your pharmacist can determine if your medications will work as expected, or if they may put you at risk for ADEs. With tools that store this data, your pharmacist can personalize your medication regimen and help reduce your risk for ADEs.
4. Ask your pharmacist about risks with every new medication.
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, talk to your pharmacist before taking any new medications to determine if they may increase your risk for ADEs. When adding or removing medications to or from your regimen, it is important to understand how these changes impact your risk for an ADE. Another tool your pharmacist may use is the MedWise Risk Score to help you better understand and measure medication risk with changes. Your pharmacist may adjust how you take your medications or recommend an alternative that is safer for you.
5. Develop a routine for taking your medications and stick with it.
Be consistent when you take your medications to avoid ADEs. Your pharmacist can provide you with a unique medication profile that outlines the time to take each of your medications for safety. Setting reminders such as an alert on your cell phone or sticky notes can help remind you to take your medication on time.
Pharmacists are medication safety “quarterbacks,” helping optimize your medication regimen, avoid ADEs and assure you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe, during and after COVID-19. To learn more, visit trhc.com/nextfrontier.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
SOURCE:
Tabula Rasa HealthCare
Take time to remember all those who gave all for our freedoms in America. The Bowie News staff wishes you a safe and happy holiday day weekend this Memorial Day. The News office will be closed on Monday for the holiday.
AUSTIN – With Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start to summer boating season, Texas Game Wardens are preparing for one of the busiest boating weekends of the year and reminding Texans and visitors alike to put safety first before heading out on the water.
In 2025, Texas recorded 178 reportable boating incidents that resulted in 50 fatalities and 77 serious injuries. Eighty-four percent of those who died in boating incidents were not wearing a life jacket. Texas Game Wardens also made 223 Boating While Intoxicated (BWI) arrests last year.
“Memorial Day weekend is when many families get back on the water for the first time this year,” said Col. Ron VanderRoest, director of Law Enforcement for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Before you leave the dock, take a few minutes to make sure your life jackets are on board, your boat is properly equipped and you have designated a sober operator.”
Texas Game Wardens encourage boaters to keep the following in mind before launching:
- Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Children younger than 13 are required to wear one while underway.
- Never operate a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- The operator must wear the lanyard or have the engine cut-off switch fob on their person when operating a boat equipped with one.
- Operate at a safe speed and maintain a proper lookout.
- Take a boater education course. It is required for anyone born on or after Sept. 1, 1993.
- Check the weather before heading out and be prepared for changing conditions.
- Leave a float plan with someone you trust.
- Don’t overload your boat.
“Boating should be fun,” said VanderRoest. “A little planning and some common sense help keep it that way.”
Renting a Boat or Personal Watercraft
If you plan to rent a boat or personal watercraft, choose a licensed vessel livery (a business establishment engaged in renting or hiring out vessels for profit).
By law, vessel liveries must provide all required safety equipment, explain how to operate the vessel, review applicable boating laws and have the operator sign a form acknowledging they received this information. They are also required to carry liability insurance.
Before leaving the dock, renters should make sure the vessel has enough life jackets for everyone on board and that they understand basic operating rules, including those specific to personal watercraft.
Personal Watercraft Safety
Personal watercraft, including jet skis, are subject to special laws in Texas. Operators and passengers must always wear a life jacket, the operator must use the engine cut-off switch, and these vessels may not be operated between sunset and sunrise. Operators must also stay at least 50 feet from other vessels, people and the shore unless traveling at headway speed.
“Whether you’re launching your own boat or renting one for the day, take the time to understand the rules and make safety part of your plan,” said VanderRoest. “If you take safety seriously from the start, you’re far less likely to need help later.”
For more information about boating laws, required equipment and boater education courses, visit the TPWD Boater Education Program at tpwd.texas.gov/boatereducation.
Starting at noon on May 25 at The V (VFW) in Nocona there will be a program for the Memorial Day featuring speakers, cannons and a rifle team.
There will be a Memorial Day Celebration Dinner at 5 p.m. on May 25 at the Nocona Senior Citizens Center (Carpenter Shop).
Call for reservations at 940-825-3148. The meal will include barbecue ribs, french fries, beans, cole slaw, dessert and ice team. Adults are $10 and children $5.
Proceeds benefit the senior center and the Meals on Wheels program at Nocona.
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