Pages
- A Father's Letter to the PHFriends Listserv
- A Flower For PH
- A Life of Lessons
- A Life on the Move
- A Walking and Talking Miracle
- Backpacking Through Life
- Choosing the Right Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Supplier
- Contingency Planning for C-Pap / BiPap Users
- Dark, Disturbing, but Deeply Insightful
- Do I Have To Ask?
- Exercise and Pulmonary Hypertension
- Flu Season Strategies for the PH Patient
- I Have PH. Can I take any of the PH Medications?
- In the Wee Hours
- Iron Deficiency and Pulmonary Hypertension
- Israeli PH Association Conference
- Life with Flo: The Series
- LIFE WITH FLO: The Series
- Living Life While You’ve Got It
- Living Wills: One Patient's Experience
- Living With PH and Studying Cranes
- Loose Lips Sink Studies
- Memory Loss and Pulmonary Hypertension
- Mr. Spock Speaks
- Mutterings and Musings on Being a Patient
- My best friend, Jean
- My Nightmare and PH
- My Story
- Myriam's Story
- Navigating the Benefits Maze
- Navigating The Health Care Super-Highway:
The anxieties of a consumer-oriented hospital system - New Dietary Guidelines for 2010 Released - Changes that may affect you
- Pumpless in Colorado
- Random Thoughts
- Sarah of the Moment
- Single Parenting with PH
- Sinus Problems? Here's One Solution (no pun intended).
- The Canadian Medicare System - An Overview
- The Courage to Change the Things I Can
- The Emotional Side of PH
- The Hill, a poem
- The Lighter Side of PH
- The Way It Was, The Way It Is
- Welcome
- When the Insurance Company Says “NO”
Welcome
By Armond Aserinsky, President and Science Editor
This is the first commentary of the PHCentral Editorial Board. Although written by one person, it represents the opinion of the entire group who are the architects of this site and the driving force of the non-profit organization, PHCentral, Inc. As we have conceived of it, PHC is the central internet clearing house for information related to Pulmonary Hypertension. We might be called a cross between an internet portal site and a "newspaper of record" - the Yahoo and The New York Times of PH.
Regarding "who" we are, you will find answers throughout the site. The About PHC page gives a short description of the organization's permanent staff and those whose material appears on a more occasional basis. The briefest answer, however, is that We are You: PH patients, caregivers, medical professionals, and researchers.
Because our service is based on the revolutionary technologies of the internet, the site emphasizes INTERACTION. We are creating both an archive of information and a system of active and instant response among the PH-people in all the villages of our little blue marble.
We hope to be comprehensive and up-to-the minute in our presentation of information . We're fortunate to have in our ranks people with the detective-skills to find even the most obscure references and the scientific judgement to pick out the gold nuggets in the buckets of sand.
The "interactive" element of the site means more than message boards and real-time chats. You may have noticed that on our Main Menu we've got a section called "FEATURES." That's where we'll put original contributions from YOU, whether you're a world renowned PH researcher or just one of us regular folks who has a story to tell.
PHCentral feels a strong sense of responsibility to present medical issues in their full complexity. While we exercise editorial judgement over the sources of our information, there are many questions that simply do not have a scientifically agreed upon answer, even among the small group who are most learned on the subject. Organizations vary as to how they handle such disputes Our approach is to present the several opinions of the most reputable authorities.
This is not to say that our organization has no point of view. We do. Our guiding principle is that PH patients and those concerned with their care are our "clients." We are biased on their behalf. As they say in baseball, "the tie goes to the runner." Guess who is the runner. PHCentral subscribes to a patients' "Bill of Rights" which places the interests of the patient over those of third party payers, operators of public accommodations, and the manufacturers of medical products.
Above all, this site belongs to those who use it. Your needs have driven us to create it. Before we "officially" went online, we invited you to send us your ideas on a listserv we set up just for your input.
"Hey, don't forget to put in a section on hints for daily living!" "What about insurance - are you going to get an expert to tell us how to deal with our HMO?"
Today, we're finally open for business, though the scaffolding is still up, and parts of the store haven't been furnished, yet. You can continue the dialogue with us on design and content by dropping a note in the new mailbox info@phcentral.org.
And speaking of unfurnished, if we're an international organization, how come everything on the site is in English.
JOB POSTING: Translators. All languages needed.
Well, we can only cover a reasonable amount before an editorial is declared a book... On behalf of the staff of PHCentral, I welcome you all to our world-wide cyber family.
Armond Aserinsky, Ph.D. July 30, 1999
President and Science Editor, PHCentral
Editor's note Feb. 28, 2006: Armond is currently a consultant to the board of directors and is the past president and co-founder of PHCentral, Inc.
WE WOULD LIKE YOUR FEEDBACK. Please send your comments about this article and your suggestions for future articles. We ask that all articles are relevant, that common decency prevail, and that any factual statements be verified for accuracy. If you are sending comments on a feature, please reference the title in the subject line. Our goal is to bring useful and interesting features to you in future months. PHCentral is committed to the expression of diverse opinions from members of the PH Community.
We feel strongly that free and open discussion regarding PH will assist in the generation and the refinement of new and existing ideas. To that end, we provide the opportunity for anyone from the medical and patient communities to submit editorials, letters to the editor or short articles on a PH-related topic. We will be encouraging opposing points of view. Areas may include treatments, causes, advocacy, disability, etc.
PHCentral is committed to the expression of diverse opinions from members of the PH Community.
We feel strongly that free and open discussion regarding PH will assist in the generation and the refinement of new and existing ideas. To that end, we provide the opportunity for anyone from the medical and patient communities to submit editorials, letters to the editor or short articles on a PH-related topic. We will be encouraging opposing points of view. Areas may include treatments, causes, advocacy, disability, etc.
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