article_snippet.sent: It wasn't that long ago that a diagnosis of cancer was a tightly-kept secret that many victims of the deadly malady kept from family members, friends and especially employers.
article_snippet.sent: But that changed dramatically over the years as people with cancer, people with cancer family members and caregivers came together to educate and change public opinion about the disease.
article_snippet.sent: Similarly, and with the courageous example of Michael J. Fox, we've seen perceptions about Parkinson's disease change for the better, as people learn more about what it is and isn't.
article_snippet.sent: We also need to address the dilemma health care providers often face when the dilemma health care providers feel that strict patient privacy requirements inhibit the dilemma health care providers from alerting others to behaviors that could pose a public risk.
article_snippet.sent: Sooner rather than later, policy leaders need to explore a way to provide greater flexibility in patient privacy regulations to enable health care providers to identify seriously ill persons who could potentially pose a harm to innocent people.