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Recent Newspaper & Online Columns by Kate Scannell MD

Betty Ford changed much of how we think about medicine

By Dr. Kate Scannell
First published in print: 07/24/11

BETTY FORD never actually set foot in my medical clinic. But it sometimes felt that she was there, accompanying patients who were motivated to seek care because of her.

I was a medical student in 1978 when it was widely reported that Betty Ford had a problem with "addiction" to a variety of prescribed pills and alcohol. The news was shocking in that pre-Amy-Winehouse era when nobody spoke -- let alone sang -- about addiction and "rehab." In fact, had you told someone back then that you were "going to rehab," they may well have assumed you were planning to renovate your kitchen.  Read More