New study links bias in medical technology to COVID-19 clinical care. A preview of one of the largest public works projects in Sacramento’s history. Sacramento native Tim McCord, who is the guitarist of the rock band Evanescence, performs at Aftershock Festival. 

Medical bias in COVID-19 clinical technology

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The pulse oximeter sounds like something from the movie "Back to the Future," but it's a very common medical device. It's a clip the nurse or doctor puts on your finger to measure the oxygen level in your blood: simple, painless, yet an important measure of what's going on inside. However, there is concern about the pulse oximeter's effectiveness in evaluating patients during the COVID pandemic, especially for Black patients. Now we are learning about how a potential bias in the device could have led to hours-long delays in patients with darker skin tones getting the care they needed. This is important considering that, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, although Black individuals represent 13 percent of the US population, they account for 20 percent of COVID-19 cases and 23 percent of COVID-19–related deaths. This study of the pulse oximeter's effectiveness was led by researchers at Sutter's Institute for Advancing Health Equity and conducted in collaboration with the Roots Community Health Center in Oakland and U-C San Francisco. Kristen M.J. Azar, the Scientific Medical Director with Sutter, and Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO of Roots Community Health Center, joined us to provide more details on this study.

Sacramento regional sewer upgrades

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One of the largest public works projects in Sacramento’s history has been quietly underway out of sight for most people in the region. Starting November 2022, big portions of it are expected to go online, drastically changing how one dirty aspect of our lives is handled. A massive one-point-six billion dollar upgrade to the Echo Water system is about to start cleaning sewage to the point that it can be used to irrigate ag crops. CapRadio News Anchor Randol White took a tour of the Echo Water facility and sat down with Regional San and Sac Sewer General Manager Christoph Dobson, who helped explain a bit more about this big change that’s more than a decade in the making.

Sacramento native, Tim McCord from Evanescence performs at Aftershock Festival

<?Tim McCord, former bassist and current guitarist for Evanescence, discusses his work as a musician, being a Sacramentan, and performing at the Aftershock music festival. McCord and his band join many iconic rock bands like Slipknot, My Chemical Romance, and Kiss, who will descend on Sacramento to perform at the four-day festival, which will also inject an economic boost to the local Sacramento economy.