 |
 |
 |
 Watching for worse depression
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Everybody has feelings of depression sometimes. For others, though, it's not the blues, but a continual black mood, which doctors might diagnose as major depression. At the University of Rochester Medical Center, Jeffrey Lyness studied more than 600 people ages 65 and older, to predict when feelings of depression might grow into major depression.
Here are signs of higher risk:
[Jeffrey Lyness speaks] ``People who already had some low-level depressive symptoms, also people who perceived that they had poor quality of social support.''
Lyness says older people with those signs might want to keep an eye on whether things are getting worse, and have doctors, family and friends help.
The study in the American Journal of Psychiatry was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 The Health Benefits of Cutting Salt
 A computer model suggests that even a modest reduction in salt intake could significantly reduce the number of deaths nationwide from coronary heart disease.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems. About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has hypertension.
Blood pressure can be reduced by lowering dietary sodium. Experts recommend that people consume less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day--that's what's in about 6 grams of salt, or about a teaspoon. People with high blood pressure should shoot for 1,500 milligrams or less--about 3.7 grams of salt. However, the average man in the United States takes in over 10 grams of salt per day and the average woman over 7.
While some dietary sodium comes from people sprinkling salt on their food, about three-quarters comes from processed food, including breads and cereals, dairy products and processed meats. To limit dietary sodium, people need to read food labels carefully.
Some countries have reduced their populations' salt intake by using various strategies, such as regulating the salt content in processed foods, requiring labels on ready-to-eat foods and educating the public. Researchers led by Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California, San Francisco, set out to explore the potential impact of a modest reduction in dietary salt on the health of the U.S. population.
The researchers built on the Coronary Heart Disease Policy Model, a computer simulation of heart disease in U.S. adults 35 to 84 years old. The data for the model came from several studies. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the Framingham studies conducted and supported by NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and trials testing the effects of reduced salt on blood pressure and heart disease, such as NHLBI's Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial. The new study was supported by NIH's National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the American Heart Association.
As reported in the January 20, 2010, online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, the scientists found that reducing salt intake by 3 grams per day could cut the number of new cases of coronary heart disease each year by as many as 120,000, stroke by 66,000 and heart attack by nearly 100,000. It could also prevent up to 92,000 deaths each year. All segments of the population would benefit, with African-Americans having the greatest improvements overall. Women would particularly benefit from reductions in stroke, older adults from reductions in coronary heart disease and younger adults from lower mortality rates.
Reducing salt intake by 3 grams per day would save the country up to $24 billion in health care costs a year, the researchers estimated. Even a modest reduction of 1 gram per day between 2010 and 2019 would be more cost-effective than using medications to lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
"Our study suggests that the food industry and those who regulate it could contribute substantially to the health of the nation by working toward reducing the amount of salt in the processed foods that all of us consume," Bibbins-Domingo says.
--by Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
 Birth Defects Were Top Cause of Infant Death in Most Recent Data Release
Proper healthcare before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects associated with risks, including diabetes, and other poor outcomes, such as miscarriage or stillbirth.
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
The top 10 causes of infant deaths in 2006 were birth defects (5,819); low birth weight and prematurity (4,841); SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] (2,323); maternal complications (1,683); accidents/unintentional injuries (1,147); complications of placenta, cord, and membranes (1,140); respiratory distress of newborn (825); bacterial sepsis of newborn (807); neonatal hemorrhage (618); and diseases of the circulatory system (543) (1).
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Birth defects affect approximately one in 33 newborns and are a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States (1, 2). Lifetime care for all infants born in a single year with one or more of 17 severe birth defects has been estimated at $6 billion (3).
This year's prevention month focuses on diabetes and birth defects. Diabetes is often diagnosed in women during their childbearing years and can affect the health of both the mother and her unborn child. Poor control of diabetes in a woman who is pregnant increases the chances for birth defects and other problems for the baby (4). Proper healthcare before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects associated with risks, including diabetes, and other poor outcomes, such as miscarriage or stillbirth.
What Is CDC Doing about Birth Defects?
Tracking birth defects: CDC believes that it is important to have a system to track birth defects to see when and where they happen. CDC uses different systems to look for changes and then tells the public about these trends. We base our research studies, for example causes of certain birth defects, on what we learn from tracking. In addition, our systems guide how we plan and evaluate ways to prevent birth defects. Learn more about tracking birth defects.
Researching birth defects: Most birth defects are thought to be caused by a complex mix of factors. These factors include our genes, our behaviors, and things in the environment. For some birth defects, we know the cause. But for most, we don't. And we don't understand well how factors work together to cause birth defects. Research helps us answer many of these questions. CDC has been doing research in this field for over 40 years. And we have funded other scientists to do research in the US and abroad. Learn more about birth defects research.
Preventing birth defects: Although we do not know the cause of most birth defects, the good news is that we know how to prevent some birth defects. CDC is working to find out how to prevent others. Scientists study data gathered from our birth defects monitoring systems to learn more. Currently, CDC's birth defects prevention efforts focus on folic acid use and alcohol abstinence before and during pregnancy. But, research suggests that many other important health behaviors may play a role in birth defects prevention. Learn more about our efforts to prevent birth defects.
References
- Heron MP, Hoyert DL, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 57 no 14. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009.
- CDC. Update on Overall Prevalence of Major Birth Defects --- Atlanta, Georgia, 1978--2005. MMWR 2008; 57 (01): 1-5.
- CDC. Economic costs of birth defects and cerebral palsy---United States, 1992. MMWR 1995;44:694--9.
- Correa A, Gilboa SM, Besser LM, Botto LD, Moore CA, Hobbs CA, Cleves MA, Riehle-Colarusso TJ, Waller DK, Reece EA and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Diabetes mellitus and birth defects. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;199:237.e1-237.e9.
HHS Secretary and Surgeon General Join First Lady to Announce Plans to Combat Overweight and Obesity and Support Healthy Choices
First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced plans on Thursday to help Americans lead healthier lives through better nutrition, regular physical activity, and by encouraging communities to support healthy choices. At a YMCA in Alexandria, VA, they talked directly with national and local leaders, parents and health professionals about reducing overweight and obesity in adults and children.
The First Lady recently announced that she will launch a major initiative on childhood obesity in the next few weeks and has asked HHS to play a key role. Today, HHS released The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation. In her first release to the nation, Dr. Benjamin highlights the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans, and asks them to join her in a grassroots effort to commit to changes that promote the health and wellness of our families and communities.
"The surge in obesity in this country is nothing short of a public health crisis that is threatening our children, our families, and our future," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "In fact, the health consequences are so severe that medical experts have warned that our children could be on track to live shorter lives than their parents. The paper released today is an incredibly important step in directing the Nation's attention to solving the obesity epidemic and we do not have a moment to waste."
The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled among adults and has tripled among children and adolescents from 1980 to 2004. Currently, two-thirds of adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese. Increased food intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and environments that make it difficult for people to make healthy choices but easy to consume extra calories, all contribute to the epidemic of overweight and obesity. This epidemic threatens the progress we have made in increasing Americans' quality and years of healthy life.
"Curbing the obesity epidemic requires committed people and organizations across the nation working together to take action," said Secretary Sebelius. "Today, we outline a vision for the nation that requires parents, neighborhoods, the medical community, employers, schools and individuals to take a coordinated and comprehensive approach to combating overweight and obesity."
Additionally, many racial and ethnic groups and geographic regions of the United States are disproportionately affected. For instance, African American girls and Hispanic boys are more likely to be obese compared to non-Hispanic whites. Among adults, American Indian and Alaskan native adults have the highest rates of obesity. The sobering impact of these numbers is reflected in the nation's concurrent epidemics of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. Researchers warn that if trends are not reversed, our children will be seriously afflicted with medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease in early adulthood.
"Americans will be more likely to change their behavior if they have a meaningful reward - something more than just reaching a certain weight or dress size," said Dr. Benjamin. "The real reward is invigorating, energizing, joyous health. It is a level of health that allows people to embrace each day and live their lives to the fullest without disease or disability."
The recommendations inThe Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation include:
Improving our communities - Neighborhoods and communities should become actively involved in creating healthier environments. The availability of supermarkets, outdoor recreational facilities and the limitation of advertisements of less healthy foods and beverages are all examples of ways to create a healthier living environment.
Healthy Choices and Healthy Home Environments - Change starts with the individual choices Americans make each day for themselves, their families and those around them. Reducing the consumption of sodas and juices with added sugars; eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains; limiting television time; and being more physically active help us achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Creating Healthy Child Care Settings - It is estimated that more than 12 million children ages 0-6 receive some form of child care on a regular basis from someone other than their parents. Parents should talk with their child care providers about changes to promote their children's health.
Creating Healthy Schools - To help students develop life-long health habits, schools should provide appealing healthy food options including fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, water and low-fat beverages. School systems should also require nutrition standards and daily physical education for students.
Creating Healthy Work Sites - Employers can implement wellness programs that promote healthy eating in cafeterias, encourage physical activity through group classes and create incentives for employees to participate.
Mobilizing Medical Communities - Medical care providers must make it a priority to teach their patients about the importance of good health. Doctors and other health care providers are often the most trusted source of health information and are powerful role models for healthy lifestyle habits.
To view The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov
###
 COMPTROLLER LIU CALLS ON FDNY TO ASSESS IMPACT OF HOSPITAL CLOSURE ON MANHATTAN EMS CAPABILITIES
NEW YORK, NY - Yesterday, New York City Comptroller John C. Liu, along with Congressmember Jerrard Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, State Senator Thomas Duane and Assemblymen Richard Gottfried and Deborah Glick, today called on the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to evaluate the impact the of the proposed closure and restructuring of St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center (St. Vincent's). In a letter to FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, Liu and others cited recent emergency room closures in Manhattan, as well as the FDNY's own data regarding increased EMS response times as cause for concern that the St. Vincent's restructuring will dramatically limit access to emergency services. "As you know, if this closure is implemented, a total of 16 New York City emergency rooms will have been shuttered since 2002. Two of these recent closures were in Manhattan and, one of them, Cabrini Medical Center, served some of the very same communities as St. Vincent's Hospital," Liu wrote. "Demand for EMS services is rising throughout Manhattan, placing a greater strain on existing capacity and performance. Indeed, according to the Fire Department's publicly available data, the number of Manhattan ambulance runs has spiked from 305,064 in 2004 to 328,060 in 2009. In addition, average EMS response times to all incidents in the Borough of Manhattan have increased by more than 16 percent since 2004." The letter also cited the impact on emergency rooms and ambulance turnaround times in Queens as a result of the recent closures of Mary Immaculate and St. John's hospitals, as cause for concern: "The recent closures of Mary Immaculate and St. John's hospitals in Queens caused emergency room registrations and the number of patients waiting to be admitted from the Emergency Department to soar at surrounding hospitals," the letter continued. "In fact, New York City EMS reported increases in ambulance transports to the remaining hospitals ranging from 13 to 51 percent in the month following the closure. "Given the possibility of cuts to EMS in the FY 2011 budget, we urge FDNY-EMS to immediately evaluate the impact of the proposed closure of St. Vincent's emergency room on FDNY-EMS operations and publicly release these findings. Residents and visitors to Manhattan have a right to know how the restructuring of the hospital will affect their access to emergency medical care. This transparency is critical to the effective functioning of government." Below is the full text of the letter. --- January 28, 2010 Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano New York City Fire Department 9 MetroTech Center Brooklyn, New York 11201 Dear Commissioner Cassano: Congratulations on your recent appointment as New York City Fire Commissioner. On behalf of all City residents, please know that we deeply appreciate your many decades of service. We write to request that your office swiftly release for public review a formal assessment of the proposed closure and restructuring of St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center and the impact this closure will have on EMS capabilities within the Borough of Manhattan, and specifically, the communities served by the hospital. As you know, if this closure is implemented, a total of 16 New York City emergency rooms will have been shuttered since 2002. Two of these recent closures were in Manhattan and, one of them, Cabrini Medical Center, served some of the very same communities as St. Vincent's Hospital. Demand for EMS services is rising throughout Manhattan, placing a greater strain on existing capacity and performance. Indeed, according to the Fire Department's publicly available data, the number of Manhattan ambulance runs has spiked from 305,064 in 2004 to 328,060 in 2009. In addition, average EMS response times to all incidents in the Borough of Manhattan have increased by more than 16 percent since 2004. The recent closures of Mary Immaculate and St. John's hospitals in Queens caused emergency room registrations and the number of patients waiting to be admitted from the Emergency Department to soar at surrounding hospitals. In fact, New York City EMS reported increases in ambulance transports to the remaining hospitals ranging from 13 to 51 percent in the month following the closure. Turnaround time at the nearest hospital--the amount of time from an ambulance arrival at the emergency room until the ambulance is available to take the next call--grew by nearly three minutes. Because turnaround times are considered a proxy for emergency room overcrowding, this increased lag time also reflects a troubling reduction in the City's ability to handle incoming 911 calls. Given the possibility of cuts to EMS in the FY 2011 budget, we urge FDNY-EMS to immediately evaluate the impact of the proposed closure of St. Vincent's emergency room on FDNY-EMS operations and publicly release these findings. Residents and visitors to Manhattan have a right to know how the restructuring of the hospital will affect their access to emergency medical care. This transparency is critical to the effective functioning of government. We look forward to your response, and remain confident that the surrounding community will also appreciate the efforts on behalf of the FDNY to provide a clear picture of how this proposal will affect access to emergency services. Sincerely, John C. Liu NYC Comptroller Jerrard Nadler United States Congressmember Scott M. Stringer Manhattan Borough President Thomas K. Duane NYS Senator Richard N. Gottfried Chair, Assembly Committee on Health Deborah J. Glick NYS Assemblymember ###
Cancer Rates Continue to Decrease
The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2006" found continued declines in overall cancer rates.
 According to a new report from the nation's leading health and cancer organizations, rates of getting cancer and dying from cancer declined in the most recent time period for men and women overall and for most racial and ethnic populations in the United States.
The overall cancer incidence rate (number of people who get cancer out of every 100,000 people) and death rate (number of people who die from cancer out of every 100,000 people) have dropped mostly because the rates for the three most common cancers in men (lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers) and for two of the three leading cancers in women (breast and colorectal cancers) have dropped.
The incidence rate for all types of cancer combined in the United States decreased, on average, about one percent per year from 1999 to 2006. The death rate decreased 1.6 percent per year from 2001 to 2006.
The continued declines in death rates for all cancers combined likely reflect the impact of increased screening, reduction of risk factors, and improved treatments. Differences in death rates by racial or ethnic group, sex, and cancer site suggest differences in risk behaviors, socioeconomic status, and access to and use of screening, treatment, and other health care.
Source: Edwards BK, Ward E, Kohler B, Eheman C, Zauber AG, Anderson R, Jemal A, Schymura MJ, Lansdorp-Vogelaar I, Seeff LC, van Ballegooijen M, Goede SL, Ries LA. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975-2006, featuring colorectal trends and impact of interventions (risk factors, screening, and treatment) to reduce future rates. Cancer 2009; in press.
Prevention
The number of new cancer cases can be reduced, and many cancer deaths can be prevented. Research shows that screening for cervical and colorectal cancers as recommended helps prevent these diseases by finding precancerous lesions so they can be treated before they become cancerous. Screening for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancers also helps find these diseases at an early, often highly treatable stage.
A person's cancer risk can be reduced by receiving regular medical care, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol use, avoiding excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and tanning beds, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active.
Vaccines also help reduce cancer risk. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine helps prevent most cervical cancers and some vaginal and vulvar cancers, and the hepatitis B vaccine can help reduce liver cancer risk. Making cancer screening, information, and referral services available and accessible to all Americans can reduce cancer incidence and deaths.
Data source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999-2006 Incidence and Mortality pre-release data. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009.
HHS Deploying U.S. Medical Personnel to Haiti
HHS Activates National Disaster Medical System and U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has activated the National Disaster Medical System and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. More than 250 personnel are in the process of deploying to Haiti and over 12,000 personnel could possibly assist in the coming days.
"HHS medical personnel from across the country are traveling to Haiti to provide emergency medical care," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "These experts will provide medical care to the injured and will support the public health response on the ground. Additional medical personnel will be deploying to Haiti to help address the critical health issues in the aftermath of the earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who are suffering from this terrible disaster."
The medical teams include doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, emergency medical and surgical physicians, and other medical personnel from Georgia, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida. An International Medical Surgical Response Team will provide care for severely injured patients and five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams will provide basic medical care. These personnel will be accompanied by 22,000 pounds of medical equipment and supplies.
In addition, experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will assist with checking the water and food supply.
HHS is committed to supporting the medical and public health needs of the Haitian people. The department will continue to mobilize support staff and supplies as part of the integrated U.S. government response to the earthquake.
For the latest information, visit www.hhs.gov.
 Within hours of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, HHC staff were mobilizing to help the people of the stricken island and their countrymen and women here in New York City. More than 125,000 New Yorkers are of Haitian descent, including many HHC patients, doctors, nurses, and other employees. Numerous people throughout HHC facilities have been affected directly or indirectly, including people whose family members were hurt or killed in the catastrophe.
HHC President Alan D. Aviles appointed Antonio D. Martin, Senior Vice President of the Central Brooklyn Family Health Network and Executive Director of Kings County Hospital Center, to coordinate HHC's response to assist the Haitian people. Martin will collaborate with NYC Council Member Mathieu Eugene, a native of Haiti, the Office of the Mayor and other appropriate organizations to develop HHC's immediate as well as long term response. Given the scope and magnitude of the catastrophe, help will be needed for months to come.
"I know that HHC employees will have a strong compassionate response to this unfolding tragedy and will want to do what they can to aid those in desperate need" Aviles said.
In a message to staff, Martin said that because Kings County Hospital is in the heart of New York City's Haitian Diaspora and serves a large Haitian population, the hospital has organized support groups for staff and community to cope with their grief and loss.
"It's important that each of you reach out to fellow co-workers who need support," Martin said.
HHC is doing the following:
- A Relief Fund was established by the HHC Foundation immediately following the earthquake. Cash or check donations will be accepted. . Donations may be sent to:
The HHC Foundation of New York City - Haiti Relief Fund
160 Water Street, Suite 1129
New York, NY 10038
- The Kings County Hospital Center's 24 hour Behavioral Health Hotline will be available to provide counseling to members of the Haitian community. Trained mental health professional counselors who are fluent in Haitian Creole can be reached at 718-245-2314.
- A payroll deduction program will be set up to enable HHC employees to donate part of their paychecks to the HHC Foundation Haiti Relief Fund over the next few pay periods.
- HHC will recruit medical volunteers who can be ready for deployment at a moment's notice and when advised by government authorities in charge of relief efforts. It was not advisable for HHC medical teams to travel to Haiti immediately after the quake because so much of the infrastructure of the island was damaged or destroyed, particularly at the epicenter near Port-au-Prince, making travel extremely difficult and dangerous. While some HHC doctors travel regularly to Haiti on their own to provide healthcare, and plan to go down on their own now, HHC will send a team with medical equipment and supplies as soon as authorities coordinating efforts on the ground signal that such assistance can be accepted.
COPD - it doesn't take much
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
A common lung condition - COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - can reduce the heart's ability to pump blood even with mild or no symptoms of COPD.
Graham Barr of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City found that in heart and lung data on more than 2,800 people.
COPD affects the lungs' ability to take in oxygen. The study indicates COPD strains the heart more than people realize:
[Graham Barr speaks] ``Previously, we thought this was a problem in people with very severe lung disease. This study suggests similar relationships or effects occur in much milder lung disease.''
One way to reduce the risk of COPD is to not smoke.
The study in the New England Journal of Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 A Healthy Life Starts with a Healthy Thyroid
|
By Alexis D. Washington
TRICARE Management Activity |
January 25, 2010
|
January is Thyroid Awareness Month and according to the American Thyroid Association, about 20 million people in the United States have some form of thyroid disease, most of them women. The thyroid gland is a key component in setting the body's metabolism-how the body gets energy from foods.
The thyroid is a small gland located in the neck, just above the collarbone and wrapped around the windpipe. The hormones triidothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), produced by the thyroid help oxygen travel through blood to all of the body's tissues. Thyroid hormones affect every organ in the body by telling them how fast or slow they should work.
With thyroid diseases the body uses energy more slowly or quickly than it should. A slow or less active thyroid, called hypothyroidism, is the most common. The body consumes less oxygen and produces less body heat. The symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Mental depression
- Sluggishness
- Feeling cold
- Weight gain
- Dry skin and hair
- Constipation
- Menstrual irregularities
An overactive thyroid causes hyperthyroidism and speeds up the body's metabolism. This occurs in about 1 percent of all women and mostly affects women between the ages 20 and 40, but men can also develop this condition. The most common form of hyperthyroidism is known as Graves' disease. The symptoms can include:
- Muscle weakness
- Trembling hands
- Rapid heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea or frequent bowel movements
- Irritability and anxiety
- Vision problems (irritated eyes or difficulty seeing)
- Menstrual irregularities
- Intolerance to heat and increased sweating
- Infertility
Other types of thyroid diseases include:
- Goiter - an enlarged thyroid
- Thyroid nodules - lumps in the thyroid gland
- Thyroid cancer - malignant thyroid nodules or tissue
- Thyroiditis - inflammation of the thyroid
There are many causes of and treatments for thyroid diseases, learn more at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thyroiddiseases.html. If you have any of these symptoms or a family history of thyroid disease, talk to your primary care provider concerning your thyroid health. |
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
61% Say It's Time for Congress To Drop Health Care
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sixty-one percent (61%) of U.S. voters say Congress should drop health care reform and focus on more immediate ways to improve the economy and create jobs.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of voters nationwide disagree and think Congress should press ahead with health care.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) say given the country's current economic situation, the Obama administration should wait on health care reform until the economy improves. That's a 10-point increase from March of last year. Thirty-three percent (33%) still say the White House should move forward with health care reform.
Seventy percent (70%) of voters nationwide say the health care issue was important in the special Senate election in Massachusetts. That number includes 49% who say it was very important. Only 15% think the health care issue was not very or not at all important in the Tuesday election.
Election Night Polling conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that 56% of Massachusetts voters named health care as their top voting issue. However, Coakley won a slight majority of those voters. Overall, Massachusetts voters said deficit reduction was a higher priority than health care reform.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was apparently one of those who viewed health care as important in Republican Scott Brown's upset Senate win in Massachusetts. Reid suggested on Wednesday that Congress shift its attention to the economy and job creation, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi countered that health care should still come first.
The health care issue is resonating to the Democrats' disadvantage in a number of Senate races across the country, too. Political analyst Larry Sabato says if Senate elections were held right now, the Democrats' 59-seat Senate majority would be reduced to 52.
Eighty-two percent (82%) of Republicans and 64% of voters not affiliated with either of the major parties say Congress should focus on more immediate ways to improve the economy and create jobs.
Democrats are much more narrowly divided, although the plurality (49%) say the focus should remain on health care reform.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of Democrats say the Obama administration should keep pushing health care reform. Eighty-four percent (84%) of GOP voters and 63% of unaffiliateds think the White House should wait until the economy gets better.
Democrats continue to believe health care reform is the most important of President Obama's budget priorities, but Republicans and unaffiliated voters say cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term should be the president's top goal. Confidence among all voters that Obama will be able to achieve health care reform has fallen dramatically, but deficit reduction is still seen as the goal he is least likely to accomplish.
As is frequently the case, there is a sharp divide between the Political Class and Mainstream America. While 71% of the Political Class think Congress should stay focused on health care, 73% of Mainstream voters say it's time for their national legislators to turn their attention to more immediate ways to improve the economy and create jobs.
Eighty-five percent (85%) of the Political Class say the Obama administration should move forward with health care reform despite the state of the economy. Seventy-one percent (71%) of Mainstream Americans say the administration should wait on health care until the economy improves.
But then the Political Class isn't nearly as convinced as Mainstream voters that health care was an important issue in the Massachusetts election.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of all voters now rate the president's handling of the health care issue as poor, while 32% say he has done a good or excellent job on the issue that has increasingly come to dominate the national political debate.
Autism
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an average of 1 in 110 children has some form of autism.
Children with autism are likely to have decreased development of social and communications skills, unusual play and other behavioral issues. Parents who are concerned about their child's development should talk to their health care provider. Early diagnosis can help improve a child's chance to reach his or her full potential.
CDC researcher Catherine Rice says specially structured teaching can help people with autism, especially if it's started early.
[Catherine Rice speaks] ``It's very important to begin the structured teaching, for families to be involved in that teaching, and to coordinate across areas where a child is receiving therapy.''
The study is in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
Gums and diabetes
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
A study indicates gum disease could be a warning to look closer for indications of diabetes - that, if you have gum disease, you might also have other problems, such as overweight or high blood pressure.
Researcher Shiela Strauss of New York University saw that in national survey data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[Shiela Strauss speaks] ``More than 90 percent of people with gum disease would have been recommended by the American Diabetes Association for diabetes testing because of their risk factors.''
Strauss says there's evidence that gum disease is a disease marker - and also that the inflammation of gum disease can lead to other diseases.
So if you have gum disease, you might need diet and exercise as well as brushing and flossing, and dental care.
The study was in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 SPRINGFIELD ANESTHESIOLOGIST CHARGED WITH FALSIFYING MEDICAL RESEARCH
BOSTON, MA - The former chief of acute pain at Bay State Hospital in Springfield, Massachuestts was charged last week in federal court with falsifying medical research studies, including studies that were published in medical journals regarding pain management.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Mark Dragonetti, Special Agent in Charge of the Food & Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations; Susan J. Waddell, Special Agent in Charge of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Warren T. Bamford, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division, announced that SCOTT REUBEN was charged in an Information with one count of health care fraud.
The Information alleges that REUBEN solicited and obtained research grants from pharmaceutical companies to perform research studies on pain management, often associated with various surgical procedures, but that he did not actually perform the research studies. Instead he made up patient data, submitted it to medical journals and caused false articles to appear in a number of medical journals.
If convicted on this charge, REUBEN faces up to 10 years imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Food & Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigations, Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Sternberg of Ortiz's Health Care Fraud Unit.
The details contained in the Information are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Congressman Michael E. McMahon, U.S. Representative for the 13th Congressional District of New York, will present: "Healthcare, Afghanistan, and Veterans."
Friday, February 5, 2010
8:15 a.m.
185 West Broadway, 2nd Floor Events Center
Please click here to reserve a seat.
Enjoy a safe and healthy Lunar New Year!
Many travelers are expected to visit Asia in the upcoming weeks to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. Lunar New Year falls on February 14, 2010. If you are traveling, the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) would like to share information and tips that will help you stay healthy and enjoy your trip.
Every destination, even in different areas of the same country, has unique health issues that travelers need to be aware of. To find specific information about the areas you plan to visit, see the East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia regional pages on the CDC Travelers' Health website, or click on the country or countries you will be visiting on the destinations page.
Important Health Information
- Mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis, are common throughout Asia, so it is very important to take steps to prevent insect bites. In addition, you may need to take prescription medicine to protect yourself from malaria or get a vaccine against Japanese encephalitis. Talk to your doctor about which prevention measures are right for you and your destination.
- Food and Water. Eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water can cause illnesses such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and travelers' diarrhea. Read about how to prevent these diseases by visiting the Safe Food and Water page of the Travelers' Health website.
- Seasonal flu, 2009 H1N1 flu and avian flu
Before Your Trip
- It is important to prepare for your health before you leave. Learn how by visiting Your Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel.
- At least 4--6 weeks before your trip, make an appointment to see a doctor familiar with travel medicine. You can contact the Travel Medicine Clinic nearest you.
- At the appointment, make sure to get all the vaccinations and medicines you need for your trip and discuss any allergies, current medications, or other health concerns with the doctor.
- Be sure that you are up-to-date with all of your routine vaccinations, including the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu vaccines.
- Pack health items that you may need on your trip. See Travelers' Health Kit or Pack Smart on the Travelers' Health website for a complete list of health items CDC recommends.
- Make a plan for what to do if you get sick during your trip, including where to go for medical care if you need it. Learn more by visiting Illness and Injury Abroad and Medical Information for Americans Abroad from the U.S. Department of State.
Stay Healthy During Your Trip
- Wash your hands often with soap and clean water. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and clean water are not available and your hands do not look dirty.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Remember to cover your cough:
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
- Put your used tissue in a wastebasket.
- Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing by washing them with soap and water (or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol).
- Go to the doctor if you have a fever with a cough or sore throat, are having difficulty breathing, or feel very sick. Tell the doctor if you may have been around a sick person or an animal that looked sick.
- Avoid traveling when you are sick, unless it is to get local medical care.
- Do not go to bird farms or live bird markets.
- Avoid touching--
- Live birds, including chickens, ducks, and wild birds, even if they do not seem sick.
- Dead or sick chickens, ducks, or any other birds.
- Surfaces that have bird droppings, blood, or other body fluids on them.
- Make sure the meat and other foods from birds that you eat, like eggs and poultry blood, are fully cooked. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Visit the Safe Food and Water page on the Travelers' Health website for more information.
- Keep raw meats away from other foods.
- After touching raw poultry or eggs, wash your hands and all surfaces, dishes, and utensils thoroughly with soap and water.
- Use insect repellent to prevent bites from insects and mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, dengue, and other infections. If you are visiting an area with malaria, take your malaria prevention medicine.
- Use sunscreen (at least SPF 15). Be sure to apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
- Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury-related deaths worldwide, so it is important to take precautions. Don't drink and drive. Always wear a seatbelt when traveling in a moving vehicle and a helmet when you ride bicycles and motorcycles.
- Follow local laws and customs.
- Be careful and stay alert in crowds.
After Your Trip
- Pay very close attention to how you feel for at least 10 days after you get home. Go to the doctor right away if you--
- have a fever with a cough or sore throat, or have trouble breathing.
- have a fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, or flu-like illness and visited an area with a risk for malaria.
- When you go to the doctor, tell your doctor about your recent travel.
- Avoid traveling if you are sick, unless it is to go to the doctor.
- Malaria can develop up to 1 year after travel, so stay alert for fever or other signs of illness. Make sure you continue to take your malaria pills until your prescription is finished.
Additional Information
To learn more about 2009 H1N1 flu, visit these websites:
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national observance that was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season into January and beyond. This year's NIVW (originally scheduled for December 6-10, 2009) is now rescheduled for January 10-16, 2010.
Presidential Proclamation- National Influenza Vaccination Week.
Every year, certain days of NIVW are designated to highlight the importance for different groups like health care workers and children to get vaccinated. This year's national schedule includes:
| Day |
Focus |
| Sunday, January 10 |
Kickoff |
| Monday, January 11 |
General audience and health care workers |
| Tuesday, January 12 |
People with chronic health conditions that put them at high-risk of serious influenza-related complications |
| Wednesday, January 13 |
Children, pregnant women, and caregivers of infants less than 6 months old |
| Thursday, January 14 |
Young adults (19 through 24 years old) |
| Friday, January 15 |
Seniors |
| Saturday, January 16 |
Wrap up |
NIVW Activities
National, regional, & state & territorial calendar of events...
NIVW Daily Materials
Posters, brochures, fact sheets, etc. for use during NIVW...
NIVW Media Toolkit
Information on how to develop key messages, press materials, train spokespersons, etc...
NIVW Web Tools
Podcasts, ecards, buttons, banners, & badges for download...
Resources for Health Professionals & Partners
Media toolkits, print materials, PSAs, & audio/video tools for download...
Influenza Campaign Matte Articles
Ready-to-use influenza articles for placement in local newspapers, magazines, or other publications...
Related Links
Every Child By Two (ECBT) seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of influenza and the importance for all parents to have their children vaccinated beginning at six months of age. See the ECBT web site for more information about flu vaccinations or vaccination centers.
Families Fighting Flu, Inc. (FFF) is a non-profit, volunteer-based corporation made up of families and healthcare practitioners who have experienced first-hand the death of a child due to the flu, or have had a child experience severe medical complications from the flu. Through education and advocacy, FFF hopes to improve the rates of annual childhood influenza vaccinations and help reduce the number of childhood illnesses and deaths caused by the flu each year.
 FDA Approves New Drug for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Actemra (tocilizumab) on Friday to treat adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who have not adequately responded to or cannot tolerate other approved drug classes for rheumatoid arthritis.
Actemra recommended use is limited to patients who have failed other approved therapies because of serious safety concerns that were noted in clinical studies. These safety concerns include elevated liver enzymes, elevated Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol, hypertension, and gastrointestinal perforations.
"Physicians and patients need to be aware of the risk of serious adverse effects of Actemra and make informed decisions regarding its benefits and risks in the treatment of individual patients," said Bob Rappaport, M.D., director of the Division of Analgesics, Anesthetics and Rheumatology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
The FDA is requiring the sponsor to conduct a post-marketing clinical trial to further evaluate the long-term safety of Actemra. Specifically, the FDA wants to evaluate the impact of elevated LDL cholesterol and blood pressure seen in some patients in shorter-term trials on the cardiovascular health of patients treated with Actemra.
In addition, a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) will require the drug sponsor to implement a Communication Plan for physicians informing them how to appropriately monitor their patients for liver and/or gastrointestinal side effects. The REMS will include a Medication Guide to ensure that patients are informed of the benefits and risks of Actemra.
Actemra works by blocking the action of interleukin-6, an immune system protein that is overabundant in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
The effectiveness and safety of Actemra was determined in five clinical trials in adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. In all of the trials, patients treated with Actemra experienced greater improvement in their tender or swollen joints than patients treated with a placebo.
The most common adverse reactions in clinical trials were upper respiratory tract infections, headache, inflammation of the nose or nasal passage, high blood pressure and increased liver enzymes. Elevations in the LDL or bad cholesterol were also seen in some patients, some of whom required the addition of lipid lowering agents.
Patients treated with Actemra are at increased risk for developing serious infections. Most patients who developed these infections in clinical trials were also taking other drugs that suppress the immune system such as methotrexate or corticosteroids.
Actemra is marketed by San Francisco-based Genentech Inc., a subsidiary of the Roche Group.
 Health Department Warns that Influenza Season Isn't Over, Urges New Yorkers to Get Vaccinated
New report on hospitalized patients in New York City underscores the importance of vaccination for those with underlying medical conditions
Influenza is still circulating in New York City, and the season is still young, the Health Department reminded New Yorkers today. The H1N1 virus is likely to persist in the coming months, and seasonal influenza could increase as well, as it often does during the winter months. Fortunately, there is still time to get vaccinated - and vaccines to prevent both types of influenza are widely available.
This reminder comes on the eve of National Influenza Vaccination Week, a nationwide effort sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It also coincides with the publication of a new study by the CDC and the Health Department appearing today in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which provides the fullest analysis yet of the first 99 patients hospitalized for H1N1 influenza in New York City last spring.
The report, available at www.cdc.gov/mmwr, summarizes the first hospitalized patients' demographic and medical features. It finds that more than half (59%) of the hospitalized patients were under the age of 18, and 74% had one of the known underlying medical conditions that can cause more severe cases of influenza. The most common underlying health condition was asthma, found in 48% of hospitalized cases. Obesity was observed in 60% of adults and 18% of children for whom height and weight were available. The study emphasizes the importance of vaccination for people with these and other risk factors for severe illness or complications from influenza. "The best way to protect yourself or your loved ones from becoming very ill is to get vaccinated," said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. "People in priority groups are at higher risk of hospitalization and death if they get sick. So don't take the risk - get the vaccine today."
Last month, the Health Department lifted any remaining restrictions on H1N1 vaccine eligibility, while continuing to target those in high-priority groups. Those groups include pregnant women, anyone between 6 months and 24 years old, and adults with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, or immune deficiency. Health care workers and people in close contact with infants are also on the priority list, because of the risk they pose to others when infected themselves. But because H1N1 vaccine is now widely available, the agency has advised health care providers to vaccinate anyone over 6 months of age who wants protection from H1N1 influenza.
Mounting evidence suggests that people who are obese, and especially those who are extremely obese, face increased risk of severe illness or complications from influenza, so the Health Department is urging them to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The H1N1 vaccine is now available from health care providers and at many pharmacies throughout the City. Anyone can find the nearest source of vaccine by using the vaccine locator at nyc.gov/flu.
The Health Department is also urging people who have not received the seasonal influenza vaccine to do so now. Seasonal influenza, together with pneumonia, claims more than 1,000 lives in New York City each year. Besides safeguarding people from days or weeks of debilitating sickness, the vaccine can prevent unnecessary school absences, doctor visits and hospitalizations. Anyone over 6 months of age can now get vaccinated against seasonal influenza, but the vaccine is especially important for people in these groups:
- Children between 6 months and 18 years of age
- Adults 50 and older - especially those over 65
- Pregnant women
- People with chronic health conditions
- People in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- Health care workers
- Anyone in close daily contact with children under 5 years old - especially those in contact with infants younger than 6 months
- Anyone in close daily contact with people who are over 50 years old or living with chronic health conditions
For more information about seasonal and H1N1 influenza, and for help getting vaccinated, please visit nyc.gov/flu or call 311.
###
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
32% Confident Congress Represents Their Best Interests
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Voters remain highly skeptical about incumbents from both political parties which helps to explain why a number of longtime members of Congress are not seeking reelection in November.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 32% of likely U.S. voters are even somewhat confident that their representatives in Congress are actually representing their best interests. That figure includes just eight percent (8%) who are very confident of that fact.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) are not confident that their congressional representatives are guided by what's best for their constituents, including 31% who are not very confident and 36% who are not at all confident.
Voters are more skeptical about the congressional election process, too. Just 16% say members of Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents, a seven-point drop since April of last year.
Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters say congressmen are reelected because election rules are "rigged" to benefit the incumbents, up six points form the previous survey. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are undecided. It is worth noting that the word "rigged" is a strong term included in this survey question. The fact that more than half the nation's voters believe the election rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.
When asked specifically about economic issues, voters express even less confidence in their elected representatives to Congress. Twenty-four percent (24%) are at least somewhat confident that Congress knows what it's doing when it comes to addressing the country's economic problems. Seventy-four percent (74%) disagree.
Those figures include just 4% who are Very Confident that Congress knows what it's doing and 43% who are not at all confident.
The new numbers about Congress and the economy are virtually identical to findings in early October 2008 following the meltdown on Wall Street. By August 2009, voters were only slightly more supportive of Congress, with 29% expressing confidence in its handling of the economy versus 67% who were not very or not at all confident.
With Democrats in majority control of both the House and Senate, it's not surprising to find that 79% of Republicans are not confident that their congressional representatives are actually presenting their best interests, but 74% of voters not affiliated with either party agree. Democratic voters are evenly divided on the question.
Male voters are more skeptical of Congress than female voters. Conservatives and moderates are more critical than liberals.
Most GOP voters and 56% of unaffiliateds think members of Congress are reelected because the rules are rigged, a view shared by a plurality (46%) of Democrats.
There's a sharper divided on this question between Mainstream American and the Political Class. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the Political Class say members of Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Mainstream voters disagree and say the rules are rigged.
As for the economy, 84% of the Political Class are confident that Congress knows what it's doing. Eighty-five percent (85%) of Mainstream American voters don't share that confidence.
Voters feel more strongly than ever that Congress is performing poorly and that most of its members are in it for themselves.
Only four percent (4%) of voters say most politicians keep their campaign promises.
Voters have been unhappy with a number of Congress' initiatives over the past year, including the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler and of the financial industry.
A plurality (38%) of voters nationwide say the $787-billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress last February has actually hurt the economy rather than helped it.
Congress also continues to push ahead on a national health care plan, even though most voters have opposed it for months.
But Republicans come in third in a three-way Generic Ballot test when a Tea Party candidate is added to the mix. So-called tax parties around the country have been held to protest many of the policies prompted by Congress and President Obama.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans say their party's representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters nationwide say they're at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government. That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry.
Rasmussen Reports has released Senate polls for Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, Illinois, Connecticut, Missouri, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, and California. Collectively, these polls define a difficult political environment for Democrats as 2010 begins. But there's still a long way to go until November.
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
What Voters Like About The Health Care Plan
Monday, January 4, 2010
While most Americans continue to oppose the overall health care plan working its way through Congress, two reforms in the plan are supported by more than 70% of the public - creating a new national insurance exchange and requiring health insurance companies to accept applicants with pre-existing conditions.
New Rasmussen Reports national telephone polling finds that support for many other specifics in the plan ranges from just under to just over the 50% mark. But options about how to pay for the plan are less popular.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) favor the creation of an insurance exchange where people can shop for competing insurance plans. That figure includes 45% who Strongly Favor the exchange and is consistent with earlier polling showing that people tend to see competition as the best way to bring down the cost of health care.
Seventy-four percent (74%) favor imposing new rules on insurance companies and forcing them to accept all applicants without regard to pre-existing conditions. Fifty-two percent (52%) Strongly Favor this aspect of the reform plan.
Three other provisions of the plan attract majority support. Fifty-seven percent (57%) favor providing subsidies to help low-income people buy health insurance and expanding Medicaid to help the poorest get insurance. Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies. Finally, 51% are in favor of requiring nearly all employers to provide health insurance for their employees or pay a penalty.
The abortion issue is unique in that most who Strongly Favor the health care plan oppose the abortion ban. On every other aspect of the plan, there is more support among those who favor the overall legislation than among those who oppose it.
Just under half (49%) favor creating an independent board to carry out cost-control reforms within Medicare. Forty-six percent (46%) favor spending several hundred billion dollars over the coming decade to expand coverage of the uninsured, and 44% support requiring every American to buy or obtain health insurance. However, only 24% favor prohibiting people from choosing insurance plans with lower premiums and higher deductibles.
Data released last week shows that voters have a good understanding of what's in the health care legislation.Reminding voters of what's included has virtually no impact on support for the overall plan. This suggests that there are not major surprises in the legislation that will cause people to change their opinion of it.
One popular reform that's not included in the proposals before Congress is tort reform. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide favor limiting the amount of money a jury can award a plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit. A plurality (47%) believes restricting jury awards for medical malpractice lawsuits will significantly reduce the cost of health care in the United States.
Better on cholesterol?
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Americans seem to be doing better about controlling their cholesterol - but some who know they should do more don't act on what they know. Researcher Elena Kuklina of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saw that in data on more than 7,000 people ages 20 and older.
Kuklina says the proportion with high levels of LDL cholesterol fell from about 32 percent in 1999-2000 to about 21 percent in 2005-2006. And she says more people had been screened for cholesterol problems than researchers had expected.
But she says:
[Elena Kuklina speaks] "We were surprised to find out 40 percent of them had been screened, diagnosed - but were untreated or inadequately treated."
The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES 12 NEW LAWS TO TAKE EFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2010
Laws Will Enact New Tier V Pension, Institute Consumer Protections and Make Election Law Changes
Last week, Governor David A. Paterson announced that 12 new laws would take effect on January 1, 2010.
"2010 will bring with it new laws on the books in New York State. Among them, the enactment of the new Tier V pension plan - the first substantive pension reform in a quarter century that takes a critical step toward making our government more accountable to taxpayers," Governor Paterson said. "With the New Year, we also increase protections for our State's consumers, and strengthen the laws against identity theft that will help make New York safer and healthier for a prosperous 2010."
In addition to pension reform, two significant legislative initiatives proposed by and signed into law by Governor Paterson will go into effect in the New Year: provisions of an identity theft protection bill placing significant restrictions on governmental disclosure of social security numbers; and a wholesale reform of the manner in which workers' compensation benefits are paid to livery drivers, which removes perennial difficulties with provision of such benefits that have led to extensive litigation and long delays in payment.
The laws going into effect include:
S.66026/ A.40026: Provides retirement benefits for new entrants to certain public retirement systems; makes the coordinated-escalator retirement plan and coordinated retirement plan permanent; extends the expiration of public arbitration of disputes between public employers and employee organizations.
S.5472-A/A.8402-A: Enhances consumer and provider protections by instituting a series of managed care reforms through limitations on denial of claims for pre-authorized health care services; relates to grievance procedures; relates to managed care health insurance contracts; relates to determinations involving urgent care by utilization review agents.
S.8376-A/A.11752: Relates to identity theft, protection of sensitive personal information, employee personal identifying information and crime of unlawful possession of a skimmer device. This bill strengthens New York State's identity theft laws and helps protect the State's residents from the fraudulent use of their personal information. (All of this bill is already in effect except for restrictions on state and local government disclosure of social security numbers, which will go into effect on January 1.)
S.8715/A.11759: Establishes clear rules for determining when livery drivers in New York City, Westchester and Nassau Counties are employees or independent contractors of livery bases, and creates a fund to give independent contractor livery drivers workers' compensation benefits in certain circumstances where no-fault automobile insurance does not provide any or sufficient coverage.
S.2810/A.1001: Authorizes the use of titles, initials or abbreviations of names as signatures on absentee ballots.
S.56-B /A.156-B: Enacts Part QQ, Sections 1 and 2: To amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to calculation of assessments.
S.57-B/A.157-B: Enacts Part Z, Sections 2-a and 3-a: To amend the social service law, in relation to the pass-through, disregard and assignment of support for persons applying for or in receipt of public assistance, and collection of a twenty-five dollar annual service fee for child support enforcement services furnished to certain persons receiving such services.
S.58-B/A.158-B: Enacts Part C, Section 27: To amend the public health law, in relation to payment by governmental agencies for general hospital inpatient services, inpatient medical assistance rates for non-public general hospitals, grants to public general hospitals, tobacco control and insurance initiatives pool distributions, health care initiatives pool distributions and payment made on behalf of persons enrolled in Medicaid managed care or family health plus.
S.522/A.1559: Requires a board of elections in a city of over one million to provide the same information in Russian that it provides in languages other than English.
S.3330/A.8088: Adds providers of voice over internet protocol service (VOIP) to current standards. Currently, voice over internet protocol service providers are not required to contribute to the enhanced emergency telephone systems surcharge. This act would add VOIP providers to the current law, so that they may begin to contribute to the emergency system network (E-911) in their respective counties.
S.4135-A/A.6718-B: Removes excess barriers to dental residencies and permit dental residents to take the mandated dental ethics training course during the period of their residency.
S.8122/A.10979: Exempts State-chartered credit unions from the special additional mortgage recording tax. This bill will encourage federal credit unions to convert to the State charter by allowing them to retain their exemption from the special additional mortgage recording tax, thereby removing one of the last remaining financial obstacles to operating as a State credit union. The bill will also exempt State credit unions from this tax, thereby encouraging the few remaining State-chartered credit unions to retain their State charter.
Practicing prevention
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
By 2015, about 1 in 5 Americans will be between the ages of 50 and 64, which means they'll be at a higher risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease or cancer. But a study indicates people now in this age range are not doing what they should to control their risks.
The study found only about 1 in 4 regularly take advantage of preventive services such as screenings and immunizations. And at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lynda Anderson says smoking is still a problem:
[Lynda Anderson speaks] "Only one state has met the target of 12 percent or less of adults being current smokers."
That's Utah, at 9 percent.
The study was done by the CDC in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON
Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement regarding the Senate's passage of federal health care reform.
"Today the Senate passed a landmark health care reform bill, an historic accomplishment in the long-standing effort to improve the health care system to better serve more Americans. This bill, and the version passed earlier this month in the House of Representatives, make important progress for the 2.5 million uninsured New Yorkers and for uninsured Americans in every state.
"However, I am deeply troubled that the Senate version of the bill worsens what was already an inequitable situation for New York and I will continue to be an advocate on behalf of New Yorkers to ensure we are treated fairly by this critical federal legislation. The Senate bill adds close to an additional $ 1 billion annually in new State Medicaid costs to New York. This could result in a 15 percent reduction in payments to providers, meaning hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies and community clinics could ultimately face these reductions because of strained State and City budgets.
"To avoid this outcome, the House and Senate must convene a real Conference Committee to fairly merge these bills and allow our delegation to fight for equitable legislation for New York State."
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Budget Priorities
Voters Still Put Health Care Second to Deficit Cutting As Top Obama Priority
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Voters, as they have all year, rate cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term as President Obama's number one budget priority.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% put deficit cutting in first place, followed by 22% who say health care reform is most important. These numbers are virtually unchanged from a month ago and have been voters' top two concerns - in that order - since the president listed his priorities earlier this year.
However, voters also continue to believe that cutting the deficit in half is the goal Obama is least likely to achieve and say health care reform is the one he is most likely to accomplish.
As for the president's other budget priorities detailed in a speech to Congress in February, 17% of voters say ensuring that every child has access to a complete and competitive education is most important, while 12% think development of new sources of energy ranks highest.
Seventy percent (70%) of voters say cutting the deficit in half is the goal the president is least likely to achieve. Just 10% believe that to be true of new energy development, while eight percent (8%) say the same of improving education. Only six percent (6%) say health care reform is the president's least achievable goal.
In fact, 47% view health care reform as the goal the president is most likely to accomplish. Fifteen percent (15%) view education reform as the most achievable, and nearly as many (13%) believe the same of new energy development.
Just six percent (6%) say the deficit cutting that voters rate number one is the goal the president is most likely to achieve.
Most Republicans (52%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (58%) say cutting the deficit in half is the president's highest budget priority. Just 22% of Democrats agree. A plurality of the president's party (40%) place health care reform at the top of the list. These partisan views also have not changed throughout the year which helps to explain the continuing Democratic push for health care legislation despite strong overall voter opposition.
Forty-one percent (41%) of voters nationwide now favor the health care bill, but 55% are opposed. This is the fifth straight week with support for the legislation between 38% and 41%.
Sixty percent (60%) believe passage of the health care legislation will increase the deficit. That's likely to be one reason why 57% say it would be better to pass no health care reform bill this year than to pass the plan currently being considered by Congress.
But 51% say America's economic problems are due to the recession which began under President Bush, a view that has generally held steady for months. Forty-one percent (41%) put more blame on Obama's policies.
Sixty-six percent (66%) of voters prefer a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes over a more active government with more services and higher taxes, the second highest finding of the year.
Fifty-five percent (55%) think finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. This view also has changed little over the year.
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: What Are Obama's Priorities?
Got this e-mail late yesterday:
December 21, 2009
*** ACTION ALERT ***
After months of deliberation, the Senate leadership is ready to vote and pass its version of health care reform. This current version contains important reforms that will help provide better and more affordable coverage options for many Americans.
However, we are deeply concerned that it does not contain some key elements necessary to increase access to care and make health care more affordable for millions of Hispanic Americans. Namely, it does not eliminate the current five-year waiting period for legal residents to access Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, and fails to include Puerto Rico in the health insurance exchange and fails to increase Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates to the territories.
Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has proposed two amendments to address these shortcomings:
The first amendment, which is being co-sponsored by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), would give states the option of removing the five-year waiting period for legal immigrants.
The second would include Puerto Rico in the insurance exchange and bring greater health parity for the territories in terms of Medicaid and Medicare funding. This amendment is being co-sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Christopher Dodd (D-Ct), John Kerry (D-MA) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).
Over the next two days, the Senate leadership will decide the fate of these critical amendments. It's our job to make sure they hear quickly and loudly how incredibly important these amendments are to our community.
Please call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as well as your Senator TODAY! Tell them to "prioritize the Menendez amendments and ensure they are included in the final reform package so that health care reform is significant and real for millions of Hispanic Americans". You can count on our full support in this fight."
Please call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to locate your Senator and also call Senator Harry Reid at 202-224-3542. Thank you.
To learn more about LUH, please visit our website at www.latinosunitedforhealthcare.org <http://www.latinosunitedforhealthcare.org/> .
Latinos United for Healthcare (LUH) is a nonpartisan coalition of national, state and local Hispanic leaders and organizations that support the passage of significant healthcare reform that increases access to affordable, quality health coverage for all.
Soy Infant Formula Information
On December 18, an independent scientific panel that advises the National Toxicology Program released its evaluation of research on soy infant formula.
Over the next few months, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program will review the outside panel's conclusions which expressed "minimal concern" for adverse development effects in infants fed soy infant formula.
In the meantime we know that some parents may have questions regarding soy infant formula. The best place parents can get advice about their child's specific nutritional needs is by speaking with their child's health care provider.
General Information
- What is soy infant formula?
Soy formula is an infant food made using soy protein and other components. It is fed to infants as a supplement or replacement for human milk or cow milk.
- Are infants affected differently than toddlers or adults who eat soy?
An infant's diet is virtually 100% milk and/or formula. Infants who are fed only soy formula, have a much higher soy exposure level than do toddlers or adults who consume a variety of foods and less soy as a percentage of their diets.
- What should concerned parents do?
The best place parents can get advice about their child's specific nutritional needs is by speaking to their doctor.
- Are there alternatives to soy formula if infants cannot tolerate animal milk?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the alternatives are amino acid formulations. Amino acids are the building blocks of pure protein, and these formulas omit all the other ingredients that are components of animal milk.
The AAP promotes the use of human milk as the ideal source of infant nutrition. The 2008 AAP revised clinical report states there are few indications for the use of soy protein-based formula in place of cow milk-based formula in infants. The only real indications for soy formula use are for infants with congenital galactosemia, for use by families who are strict vegans, or infants who are truly lactose intolerant.
For more information, read AAP's May 2008 statement on the Use of Soy Protein-Based Formulas in Infant Feeding.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/5/1062
- What portion of U.S. infants consumes soy formula?
Based on 2009 market data, sales of soy formula in the United States represent about 12 percent of the total dollar sales for infant formula - almost a 50 percent decrease from 1999.
Alternatives
- Breastfeeding is not only an alternative, but an important health choice with many benefits for mothers and babies.
- Parents can also get advice from their doctor about alternatives to soy formula.
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Women, Infant and Children's Program (WIC)
- The USDA's Women, Infant and Children's (WIC) Program provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk
- WIC promotes and supports breastfeeding as the optimal source of nutrition for infants.
- When breastfeeding is not an option for a woman, iron-fortified infant formula is provided as the next best source of nutrition for infants.
- For more information on WIC: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/
Conclusions of the Independent Panel's Evaluation of Soy Infant Formula
- During December 16 - 18, 2009, a 14-member, independent, scientific panel reviewed and evaluated the available scientific data on the consumption of soy infant formula as a risk to human development and identified research needs and data gaps.
- The expert panel, whose role it is to advise the National Toxicology Program, was convened by the Department of Health and Human Services National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
- The expert panel expressed "minimal concern" for adverse development effects in infants fed soy infant formula.
- The National Toxicology Program will review the expert panel's conclusions and solicit public comment. The NTP will use the expert panel report, public comments, and any new scientific literature deemed to relevant to the evaluation to prepare its report. The NTP anticipates issuing its final report by early summer 2010.
- To read the expert panel's conclusions and get more information on soy infant formula, visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/sya-soy-formula.cfm
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Health Care Reform
Health Care Legislation Advancing In Senate, Stalled in Public Opinion
Monday, December 21, 2009
Over the past week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a way to collect 60 votes and move health care reform legislation forward in the U.S. Senate. However, his negotiating and the ongoing debate did nothing to improve public opinion of the legislation.
The latest Rasmussen Reports weekly tracking update shows that 41% of voters nationwide favor the bill and 55% are opposed. Those figures are essentially unchanged from a week ago. This the fifth straight week with support for the legislation between 38% and 41%.
Among senior citizens, the group most likely to use the health care system, just 33% are in favor while 60% are opposed. Most adults under 30 favor the plan, but majorities of every other age group take the opposite view.
The intensity remains with those who oppose the legislation. Just 19% Strongly Favor the plan while 45% are Strongly Opposed.
Polling released last week showed that 57% of voters say passing nothing would be preferable to passing the current legislation. Most voters (54%) believe they personally will be worse off if the legislation passes.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters believe that passage of the legislation will lead to a lower quality of care, and 58% say it will drive the cost of care up.
Despite the unpopularity of the legislation, 49% of voters think it is at least somewhat likely to become law this year.
The health care bill is one factor creating a challenging mid-term election cycle for Democrats. Several Democrats in the House have announced that they are retiring rather than running again next year, and the bill seems to be taking an early toll on Reid's chances for reelection. The Nevada Democrat now trails three potential GOP challengers in a state where opposition to the plan has been stronger than in other parts of the country.
Democratic incumbents also trail in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Colorado. Other states featuring potentially competitive races include Illinois, Ohio and Missouri.
Republicans enjoy a modest lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
The debate over health care reform also has dragged down President Obama's ratings in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
Democrats, whose legislators control both the House and Senate, continue to be the big supporters of the health care plan. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of those in the president's party favor it. Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans and 64% of voters not affiliated with either party oppose the plan.
Democrats consistently have rated health care reform as the most important of the priorities listed by the president early in his term. Republicans and unaffiliateds say cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term is the president's highest priority.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters nationwide trust the private sector more than government to keep health care costs down and the quality of care up. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in free market competition will do more than government regulation to reduce health care costs.
Forty-seven percent (47%) also believe that restricting jury awards for medical malpractice lawsuits will significantly reduce the cost of health care in the United States, but the plan working its way through Congress does not include limits on such lawsuits.
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO ANNOUNCES $24 MILLION MEDICAID FRAUD SETTLEMENT WITH THREE HOME HEALTH AGENCIES
Companies to Pay for Employing Untrained Home Health Aides
Case Part of AG Cuomo's 'Operation Home Alone'
 NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 17, 2009) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell today announced a settlement with three home health agencies resolving Cuomo's lawsuit against one of them and three whistleblower lawsuits that alleged the agencies defrauded the Medicaid program. This is the largest settlement Cuomo's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has reached with the home health industry in New York State.
The settlement arises from the agencies' use of hundreds of home health aides who had received little or no required training. The agencies sent these aides daily into the homes of New York's elderly, frail and indigent to provide sensitive medical care. As a result, these aides caused Medicaid to be billed for millions of dollars for services they were not qualified to provide.
Under the terms of the settlement, B&H Health Care Services, Inc., known as Nursing Personnel Home Care ("Nursing Personnel"), a Brooklyn-based licensed home care service agency, along with Excellent Home Care Services, LLC ("Excellent") of Brooklyn, and Extended Nursing Personnel CHHA, LLC ("Extended") of Manhattan, both certified home health agencies, will return $23,963,100 to Medicaid, a program jointly funded by the state and federal governments. Of this amount, the State of New York will receive a total of $14,377,860.
"The size of this settlement underscores the seriousness of the allegations and the importance of vigorous oversight of the Medicaid program and the medical care of our loved ones," said Attorney General Cuomo. "Being treated at home is an important option for many New Yorkers, and the companies that provide this service at taxpayer expense have an obligation to ensure that the health care workers they employ are qualified for the job."
"This settlement reflects this Office's commitment to investigate allegations of fraud committed on the Medicare or Medicaid programs, especially when the alleged fraud could impact the standard of care received by New Yorkers in need of medical assistance," said Benton J. Campbell, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
"Our nation's Medicare and Medicaid patients deserve nothing less than quality health care they can depend on," said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. "When home health agencies cut corners to avoid compliance with legal training standards, they seriously undermine the integrity of the care they provide."
Medicaid requires home health aides - who primarily care for elderly patients, administer medication, and provide services such as catheter care, colostomy care and wound care - to successfully complete a training program licensed by the Department of Health or the State Education Department. All such aides must receive a minimum of 75 hours of training, including sixteen hours of supervised practical training conducted by a registered nurse.
Attorney General Cuomo's "Operation Home Alone" has exposed a statewide range of fraudulent practices and schemes in the home health care industry by home health and personal care aides, the schools that train them, and the agencies that recruit and employ them. During the course of Cuomo's industry-wide investigation, MFCU uncovered certain HHA training schools that sold fraudulent HHA certificates to individuals who had not received the required training. The investigation revealed that Nursing Personnel employed hundreds of HHAs with fraudulent certificates from the bad training schools. These HHAs were then assigned to work for Extended and Excellent and were sent daily into the homes of New York's elderly, frail and indigent to provide sensitive medical care. The services provided were paid for by the Medicaid program.
The settlement is the result of a joint investigation led by Attorney General Cuomo's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and the Office of Investigations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General. The investigation included allegations from two
whistleblowers, who filed "whistleblower" complaints under the New York State and federal False Claims Acts, which authorize persons who have uncovered fraud against the government to file a civil action against the alleged wrongdoer and come forward with information about the false claims to the Attorney General's Office or the Department of Justice. The False Claims Acts provide an incentive to whistleblowers, who may share in a portion of money recovered by the government on their claims. The Acts also provide protection against job retaliation for whistleblowing.
To date, the investigation has resulted in the convictions of aides operating with false credentials, schools that sell the false credentials, and licensed agencies that employ these unqualified aides. Other prosecutions are pending.
The settlement resolves allegations that Nursing Personnel, Extended and Excellent knowingly presented, or caused to be presented, false claims to Medicaid for reimbursement for home health care services provided by home health aides who had obtained HHA certificates without obtaining the requisite training. In addition to the payment of the settlement amount, all three agencies will be subject to the terms of a corporate integrity agreement entered into with the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General on their continuing efforts to employ policies and procedures to ensure that all future home health aides ("HHAs") are properly certified. Nursing Personnel must also employ an outside monitor who will report to OMIG and Cuomo's office.
Today's settlements were initiated by lawsuits filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens to file suit on behalf of the United States for fraud and share in any recovery. Maurice Keshner will receive approximately $1,693,343 from New York's recovery from Nursing Personnel. Deborah Yannicelli will receive approximately $994,080 from New York's recovery from Extended and Excellent.
Along with the rigorous enforcement of current laws through initiatives like "Operation Home Alone," Attorney General Cuomo succeeded in persuading the legislature to pass legislation creating a statewide registry of certified home health aides to be developed and maintained by the state Department of Health. The registry will enhance the State's ability to oversee the industry, provide potential employers with the ability to screen home health aides, and help to detect and deter fraud. A registry already exists for nurse aides that work in nursing homes. By creating a registry for home health aides, the state extends the same protections that exist in the nursing homes to care-dependent persons being cared for in their homes.
New Yorkers are urged to report cases of suspected fraud to the Attorney General's toll-free Medicaid Fraud Hotline, at 1-866-NYS-FIGHT (697-3444).
Attachment:
Give the gift of science and take a stand against AIDS.
Research is our best hope to find a cure for AIDS. This holiday season, you can give the gift of science and help fund vital HIV/AIDS research by supporting amfAR's dedicated scientists.
Visit Adopt-A-Scientist.com to find out what some of our researchers are working on, what inspires them, and how their work is helping to conquer this deadly disease. Then "adopt" your favorite with a donation of as little as 10 dollars.
Or better still, adopt a scientist as a holiday gift in honor of a friend or family member. Adopting a scientist is the perfect way to put heart, soul--and brainpower!--into the season of giving. You can read updates, track progress, and take pride in knowing that your gift is helping amfAR and its researchers work toward a world without AIDS.
So be a brainiac benefactor! Adopt a scientist today.
Well-belted kids
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Kids don't like to sit still. But in a car, they not only have to stay in the seat, it has to be the right seat. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Arlene Greenspan says buckling a child into an adult seat belt isn't good enough.
Greenspan says that child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. Compared with adult seat belts, booster seats reduce the risk of injury by 59 percent for 4- to 7-year-olds.
Placement counts, too:
[Dr. Arlene Greenspan speaks] "Your child is safest when placed in the back seat and positioned in the middle of the car if possible. All children younger than 13 should sit in the back seat."
And in a safety seat that's installed properly.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
New York Autopsies Show 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus Damages Entire Airway
In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. The scientists reviewed autopsy reports, hospital records and other clinical data from 34 people who died of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection between May 15 and July 9, 2009. All but two of the deaths occurred in New York City. A microscopic examination of tissues throughout the airways revealed that the virus caused damage primarily to the upper airway--the trachea and bronchial tubes--but tissue damage in the lower airway, including deep in the lungs, was present as well. Evidence of secondary bacterial infection was seen in more than half of the victims.
The team was led by James R. Gill, M.D., of the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and New York University School of Medicine, and Jeffery K. Taubenberger, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at NIH. The findings are reported in the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, now available online and scheduled to appear in the February 2010 print issue.
"This study provides clinicians with a clear and detailed picture of the disease caused by 2009 H1N1 influenza virus that will help inform patient management," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, it appears the novel pandemic influenza virus produces pulmonary damage that looks very much like that seen in earlier influenza pandemics."
The new report also underscores the impact 2009 H1N1 influenza is having on younger people. While most deaths from seasonal influenza occur in adults over 65 years old, deaths from 2009 H1N1 influenza occur predominately among younger people. The majority of deaths (62 percent) in the 34 cases studied were among those 25 to 49 years old; two infants were also among the fatal cases.
Ninety-one percent of those autopsied had underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease or respiratory disease, including asthma, before becoming ill with 2009 H1N1 influenza. Seventy-two percent of the adults and adolescents who died were obese. This finding agrees with earlier reports, based on hospital records, linking obesity with an increased risk of death from 2009 H1N1 influenza.
The researchers examined tissue samples from the 34 deceased individuals to assess how 2009 H1N1 influenza virus damaged various parts of the respiratory system. "We saw a spectrum of damage to tissue in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts," says Dr. Taubenberger. In all cases, the uppermost regions of the respiratory tract--the trachea and bronchial tubes--were inflamed, with severe damage in some cases. In 18 cases, evidence of damage lower down in the finer branches of the bronchial tubes, or bronchioles, was noted. In 25 cases, the researchers found damage to the small globular air sacs, or alveoli, of the lungs.
"This pattern of pathology in the airway tissues is similar to that reported in autopsy findings of victims of both the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics," notes Dr. Taubenberger.
The researchers also examined 33 of the 34 cases for evidence of pulmonary bacterial infections. Of these cases, 18 (55 percent) were positive for such infections. Not all of those individuals who had bacterial pneumonia along with 2009 H1N1 virus infection had been hospitalized, however, indicating that some had acquired their bacterial infections outside of a health-care setting. This raises the possibility, say the authors, that community-acquired bacterial pneumonia is playing a role in the current pandemic. "Even in an era of widespread and early antibiotic use," write the authors, "bacterial pneumonia remains an important factor for severe or fatal influenza."
Computerized tomography (CT) lung images were available in four cases of pulmonary bacterial infection. In all four cases, the CT scans showed an abnormality known as ground-glass opacity, which are patches of rounded haze not seen in normal lung images. It is not known, say the researchers, whether the abnormalities detected by CT in the four cases also occur in people who have milder H1N1 infections. They call for additional investigation into the utility of CT scans as a tool to help clinicians identify and better treat severe H1N1 infections.
Visit www.flu.gov for one-stop access to U.S. government information on avian and pandemic influenza. Also, visit NIAID's flu Web portal at http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Flu/.
NIAID conducts and supports research--at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide--to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)--The Nation's Medical Research Agency--includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
###
Reference:
JR Gill et al. Pulmonary pathological findings of fatal 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 viral infections. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. Published online Dec. 7, 2009. {Note: Full text of the paper is available at www.archivesofpathology.org}
Flu and the high-risk kids
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Children with high-risk medical conditions can also face worse problems if they get the flu. That's especially something to be concerned about this year, because we face 2009 H1N1 as well as seasonal influenza.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgina Peacock says kids with conditions such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes, are more likely to develop severe complications if they get the flu.
Seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations are important. And children are in the high-risk group for H1N1 infection. So Dr. Peacock says:
[Dr. Georgina Peacock speaks] "The most important thing you can do is to make sure your child receives the 2009 H1N1 vaccine."
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 Although Kimberly L. Thomas claimed her surgeon, Dr. Sharon Samuels, committed malpractice -- "cutting or burning her long thoracic nerve" -- during surgery, Dr. Samuels countered that Thomas incurred a "stretch injury" while undergoing the procedure.
At the end of the trial, the Schenectady County Supreme Court (over Thomas's objection) instructed the jury as to the doctor's "habit in performing surgeries." When the jury returned a verdict in the surgeon's favor, an appeal to the Appellate Division, Third Department, followed.
While no evidence of Samuels' surgical "habits" was introduced at trial, and no mention of same was made in either the physician's opening or closing arguments, the AD3 didn't think the jury was confused or influenced by the trial court's error -- particularly since expert testimony established that, based on the incision's location, it wouldn't have been possible for Samuels to reach the area where the damaged nerve was located.
You can't get more cutting than that.
 To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Thomas v. Samuels
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
62% Oppose Single-Payer Health Care System
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Only 27% of voters nationwide favor a single-payer health care system where the federal government provides coverage for everyone. That's down five points from August.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% are opposed to a single-payer system and another 12% are undecided.
Most Democrats (54%) favor this type of system, though 37% are opposed. Most Republicans (87%) and voters not affiliated with either party (64%) are opposed to the idea.
There is little difference in opinion between those voters who currently have health insurance and those who do not.
Voters who are not married are slightly more supportive than married voters of a single payer system.
Lack of support for the single-payer system may stem from the fact that 59% of voters believe it would lead to higher health care costs. Just 16% say health care costs would be lower under the system, and another 16% say costs would remain about the same.
When it comes to quality, 55% of voters say a single payer health care system would lower the overall quality of health care. One in four voters (25%) believes the quality of health care would remain about the same, while just 16% believe the system would increase the quality of care.
Most voters believe that cost is the biggest problem with our nation's health care system and getting costs down is the key to reform. Overall, 49% rate the current system as good or excellent. At the same time, however, 53% say major changes are needed.
Overall, just over half the nation's voters have consistently opposed the health care plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide favor limiting the amount of money a jury can award a plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Forty-eight percent (48%) believe it is too easy to sue for medical malpractice while 19% believe it is too hard.
Other popular reform items include removing the anti-trust exemption enjoyed by health insurance companies and allowing people to purchase policies across state lines. Two-out-of three Americans believe that free market competition is better than government regulation when it comes to controlling costs.
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: I Ain't Paying for That!
 MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND HEALTH AND HOSPITALS PRESIDENT AVILES ANNOUNCE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATION'S FIRST COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL SIMULATION CENTER TO TRAIN HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation is the First Public Hospital System in the Nation to Feature Leading-Edge Training Technology to Improve Clinical Learning, Patient Care and Patient Safety
Yesterday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) President Alan D. Aviles announced the start of construction of the nation's first, and New York City's largest, most advanced medical training technology center, which will offer hands-on simulation and training to improve clinical learning, patient care and patient safety. The HHC Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning, a $10-million, 10,000 square foot facility, will replicate emergency rooms, operating rooms and other patient care settings to help healthcare provider teams and individuals learn, practice and master skills, making the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation the first public hospital system in the nation to have such a high-tech training center. Mayor Bloomberg and HHC President Aviles were joined for the announcement at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs; the Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning Director Dr. Haru Okuda; Elmhurst Hospital Executive Director Chris Constantino; Health and Hospitals Corporation's Queens Health Network Senior Vice President Dr. Ann Sullivan; and a team of doctors and nurses who demonstrated a simulated cardiac arrest on a high- tech mannequin.
"There's been a truly remarkable turnaround in New York City's public hospitals in recent years, and this Center represents the latest in a number of major advancements in patient safety, technology and innovation we've brought to our public healthcare system," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The long list of citations and awards for the quality of patient care that New York City's public hospitals have received from their fellow medical professionals is a testament to the progress we've made. And, today we're taking a major step toward making patient care even better and safer."
The Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning's program and curriculum will be modeled after similar medical learning centers at Harvard University, the Mayo Clinic and North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System. The facility, expected to be completed by fall 2010, will be located on the campus of Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. In recent years, the Health and Hospitals Corporation has received numerous awards and recognitions for quality and patient safety achievements from leading national safety organizations, the American Hospital Association, the National Quality Forum, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the National Patient Safety Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Commonwealth Fund, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
"This medical training institute is another concrete demonstration of excellence and innovation in our public hospital system and of the Health and Hospital Corporation's commitment to being at the forefront of patient safety," said Deputy Mayor Gibbs. "The investments that we have made in our public hospitals are helping position the agency as a national model in the post-health reform environment and as a leader in safety, technology, and effective preventive healthcare."
"Clinical teams often confront emergency situations requiring quick and precise communication, expert coordination and a high degree of technical skill," said HHC President Aviles. "Just as pilots master complexity through cockpit simulators, HHC's new medical simulation center will better train our staff to function as high-performing clinical team members in a wide variety of highly realistic, demanding medical scenarios."
The Center will be equipped with numerous technological features, which include:
- Eleven high-fidelity, computer operated mannequins that have heartbeats, breathe, and sweat, and which can simulate a wide range of medical conditions and biological responses to treatment;
- The use of "standardized" patients - specially trained actors who role-play as patients and family members to help healthcare providers refine communication and interpersonal skills;
- "Part-task" trainers which are smaller simulation equipment that mimics parts of the human body used to practice central line placements, difficult airway interventions like inserting tubes to inject oxygen into lungs, and managing complications in pregnancy and childbirth;
- A digital audio-visual system that transmits and records practice scenarios in Operating Room care, Emergency Room code response and other simulated environments to facilitate learning
- Control rooms for each of the simulation rooms where instructors can remotely operate the mannequins;
- Classroom space where instructors can debrief and review the recorded practice scenarios with learners.
The Center, which will be run by 14 medical and training professionals once it is fully operational, will train more than 14,000 medical, nursing and other HHC staff during the first 3 years. The Health and Hospitals Corporation also plans to make the Center available to clinical teams outside the public hospitals system. While the Center is under construction, the Health and Hospitals Corporation will conduct a mobile skills-training program that offers on site courses at each of its 11 public hospitals. Classes to refresh and master skills in central line placement, emergency airway management, and shoulder dystocia management will be offered to residents, attending physicians, and nurses from Emergency, Surgical, Obstetrical and Medical Services.
"I am excited at the opportunity to run the City's first comprehensive medical simulation center and the only one of its kind among public hospitals across the country," said HHC Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning Director Dr. Haru Okuda. "I look forward to helping thousands of our clinical and nursing staff to practice the skills they already have, to learn new ones, and to master the latest innovative techniques in health care."
"The creation of this sophisticated training Institute places this leading public healthcare system in the forefront of patient safety and education methods," said Harvard Medical School Center for Medical Simulation Executive Director Jeffrey B. Cooper, Ph.D. "The newly developing capability will provide a platform for teaching critical patient safety skills, especially in those areas where adverse events are most likely to occur. We at the Center for Medical Simulation, one of the world's leading and most innovative healthcare simulation organizations, are proud to be working with the HHC team to build this outstanding and exciting foundation for education and patient safety."
"I have seen first hand the power of simulation-based training methods to hone providers' technical and teamwork skills without risk to patients and its benefits in interdisciplinary simulation to reproduce hospital environments and teams," said North Shore LIJ Patient Safety Institute Medical Director Thomas Kwiatkowski, M.D. "We look forward to partnering with HHC to further harness this power and drive patient safety and quality improvement initiatives within the New York City metropolitan area through collaboration and research."
"The HHC Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning promises to directly impact the quality and safety of healthcare. In the emergency department, successful patient care depends upon critical teamwork and medical decision making under extreme time pressure," said Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Simulation Academy Chair Rosemarie Fernandez, M.D. "Simulation-based training will allow emergency healthcare teams to practice providing the highest level of care under the most difficult circumstances without risk to patients. HHC is clearly poised to be a leader in healthcare simulation on regional and national levels."
About the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation is a $6.3 billion integrated healthcare delivery system and the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.3 million New Yorkers every year and nearly 450,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 80 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides health services at home for New Yorkers.
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
60% Say Passage of Health Care Reform Will Increase Deficit
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Members of Congress may rely upon the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), but voters are skeptical. The CBO has projected that the health care legislation now being considered by Congress would make the federal budget deficit a bit smaller over the coming decade, but only 17% of voters believe that's true.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 60% of voters believe passage of the health care legislation will have the opposite impact and increase the deficit. Nine percent (9%) say it will have no impact, and 14% are not sure.
Seventy-five percent (75%) also believe it is at least somewhat likely that middle class taxes will have to be hiked to cover the cost of health care reform. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say such a tax increase is Very Likely.
Fears of a middle-class tax hike are highest among those who earn $40,000 to $75,000 a year.
Bleak as these numbers are for advocates of reform, they actually represent an improvement since September. As summer came to an end, 68% said the legislation would increase the deficit, and 80% said it was likely to mean higher taxes for the middle class.
These fiscal concerns are one reason that most voters continue to oppose the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
Even among those in the president's party, there is skepticism about the fiscal impact. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Democrats say passage of the plan will increase the deficit. Just 29% think it will reduce the deficit.
Ninety-two percent (92%) of Republicans believe the health care plan will lead to higher deficits, and 98% say passage of the plan is likely to mean higher taxes for the middle class. Most unaffiliated voters share both concerns.
Overall, voters believe that of the four budget priorities listed by Obama early in his presidency, cutting the deficit in half by the end of his first term is the most important. Additionally, 54% favor middle class tax cuts over new health care spending. That may be because voters believe cutting taxes and stopping government spending is likely to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
Currently, 48% of voters expect their own taxes to go up during the Obama administration. That's up significantly since Obama first took office, following a campaign in which he repeatedly promised to cut taxes for 95% of Americans.
As the health care debate has played out in Congress, confidence in the U.S. health care system has grown among the general public. Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters now rate the system as good or excellent, a 20-point increase in the past 18 months.
Public anger toward their leaders is growing as well. Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters are angry at the policies of the federal government.
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: It's Gotta Cost More!
GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION OF ANTIVIRAL MEDICATIONS TO HELP PROTECT NEW YORKERS AGAINST H1N1 FLU
Free Medications Targeted to Uninsured, Underinsured
Governor David A. Paterson announced yesterday that New York State, in partnership with pharmacies, is making antiviral medications available to New Yorkers who need the medications to combat the H1N1 flu but lack prescription health insurance or the ability to pay.
"A normal course of treatment with antiviral medications costs approximately $100, a financial hurdle that could prevent thousands of New Yorkers with limited or no health insurance from obtaining these potentially life-saving medications," Governor Paterson said. "I commend the pharmacies involved in this collaborative effort. Their decision will help thousands of New Yorkers access antiviral medications if they should become ill from H1N1 influenza."
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) is distributing approximately 125,000 treatment courses of the antiviral medications Tamiflu and Relenza from the State emergency stockpile this week to more than 1,200 participating pharmacies outside of New York City. Antiviral medications are prescription drugs that help prevent and treat the flu, reducing the risk of serious complications and death.
Beginning the week of December 7, participating pharmacies will make the medications available by prescription at a maximum cost of $5 per treatment course for uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene coordinates the distribution of antiviral medications in New York City.
The distribution of antiviral medications represents a portion of the public health emergency supplies deployed to New York State from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Strategic National Stockpile. DOH officials previously distributed a much smaller amount of antiviral medications to county health departments in May for use by hospitals and other health care providers.
State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., said: "I encourage those at highest risk of complications from flu to contact their health care providers at the first sign of flu to see if it is appropriate for them to be prescribed an antiviral medicine, which will reduce the risk of serious illness. Individuals in high-risk groups, especially pregnant women, should also contact their health care providers if they have been in close contact with someone sick with flu, as they may be prescribed antiviral medicine as a precaution to help prevent the flu. Vaccination continues to be the most effective protection against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu, but there is a shortage of seasonal flu vaccine this year and continued delays in the production of H1N1 flu vaccine."
Steve Weingarten, Executive Director of the Chain Pharmacy Association of New York State, said: "Pharmacists across the state are eager to help people who are fighting the flu by providing beneficial medication to our customers, particularly those who are uninsured or underinsured."
Craig Burridge, Executive Director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, said: "Our pharmacists recognize the critical importance of getting the antiviral Tamiflu out to those individuals who do not have prescription drug coverage at a price all can afford. On behalf of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, we want to thank our participating pharmacies for agreeing to the limited dispensing fee and to our wholesalers who played a critical role in the distribution of the state's stockpile."
Those at highest risk of serious illness and complications from the flu for whom healthcare providers might prescribe antiviral medications are:
- Pregnant women, as well as women who have given birth in the past two weeks;
- Children younger than 5 years of age, especially children younger than 2 years of age;
- Individuals 65 years and older;
- Individuals with respiratory conditions, including asthma, chronic lung disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
- Individuals with other underlying health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, blood disorders, kidney disorders, liver disorders, neurological disorders or neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis);
- Individuals with weakened immune systems (including those with HIV/AIDS); and
- Individuals under 19 years who are on long-term aspirin therapy.
To receive the State stockpile antiviral medications at a participating pharmacy, patients must obtain a prescription from a qualified health care provider. A pharmacy may charge patients a maximum of $5 for the cost incurred in processing the prescription; however, the fee will be waived for those without health insurance who cannot afford the cost. Governor Paterson urged health care providers to make their uninsured and underinsured patients aware of the free antiviral medications.
Lack of financial means should not be a barrier to obtaining recommended vaccination or treatment of H1N1 health care," Governor Paterson said. "We have made flu vaccines available at no cost to those who lack health insurance, and the distribution of free antiviral medications builds on this."
Local health departments and health care providers continue to provide H1N1 vaccinations to New Yorkers. More than 85 percent of county health departments outside of New York City have either conducted H1N1 flu clinics or will hold clinics in the coming weeks.
Additional information about the free antiviral medications, including a list of participating pharmacies, will be available beginning December 7 on the DOH website at www.nyhealth.gov.
Here's the text of an e-mail circulated (over the weekend) by Scott Noren, a dentist who wants to extract Kris Gillibrand's United States Senate seat:
The Senate passed it's version of a health care bill.
They say it will save $130 billion in the first 10 years; $650 billion in the following ten years; there are numbers they are not talking about.
We spend $147 billion per year in obesity/overweight complications (CDC);
$157 billion per year in smoking complications/health care costs (ACS);
$700 billion per year in unnecessary medical tests (CBO figure).
Nothing in the bill addresses these costs in a realistic way and they add up to $1.004 Trillion dollars per year.
This also does not include the medical costs of substance abuse or alcoholism.
The bill also does cap private monthly health insurance premiums; businesses are still laying folks off due to these high costs and people keep dropping out of coverage.
It does nothing virtually significant until 2014 and we are still losing over a Trillion/year as above.
The above figures are per the Congressional Budget Office, Center for Disease Control, American Cancer Society.
There are ways to address these unsustainable costs but they are not pretty.
Dr. Scott Noren, US Senate candidate, NY
 Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a retrovirus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk. Within these body fluids HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The three major routes of transmission are sexual intercourse, contaminated needles and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth or through breast milk.
The Act against AIDS campaign states that every nine and a half minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. This campaign seeks to spark awareness about this deadly disease and to teach citizens how to prevent infection.
You may wish to locate an HIV/AIDS testing site near you.
For more information on HIV/AIDS, please visit the following links:
Free HIV/AIDS publications are available on the CDC's website.
You may contact the CDC's general information line at 1.800.CDC.INFO (1.800.232.4636). TTY users may dial 1.888.232.6348.
Please note: On October 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, which will lift the ban on allowing people infected with the HIV virus into the United States after January 1, 2010. Currently, under section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), people with HIV are ineligible for visas or admission to the United States unless specifically admitted for medical treatment, or are otherwise granted a waiver of ineligibility. For more information, please consult the list of ineligibility factors published by the Department of State (DOS) for more information.
HIV/AIDS Health Observances:
- March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, designated to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls and encourage women and girls to take action.
- May 18 is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, set aside to recognize and thank the many individuals who are working together to find a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
- June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, an opportunity for people nationwide to learn their HIV status and to gain knowledge to take control of their health and their lives.
- December 1 is World AIDS Day, designated to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.
 Weekly Address: President Obama Delivers Thanksgiving Greeting
WASHINGTON - In the midst of these challenging times for our nation, President Barack Obama used his weekly address to express gratitude to America's military men and women and their families, and give thanks for our nation's many blessings. He also discussed the steps his administration is taking to repair the damaged economy, so that next Thanksgiving, Americans across the country can give thanks for a brighter and stronger economy.
The audio and video will be available at 6:00am Thursday, November 26, 2009 at www.whitehouse.gov.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Thursday, November 26, 2009
For centuries, in peace and in war, in prosperity and in adversity, Americans have paused at this time of year to gather with loved ones and give thanks for life's blessings. This week, we carry on this distinctly American tradition. All across our country, folks are coming together to spend time with family, to catch up with old friends, to cook and enjoy a big dinner - and maybe to watch a little football in between.
As always, we give thanks for the kindness of loved ones, for the joys of the previous year, and for the pride we feel in our communities and country. We keep in our thoughts and prayers the many families marking this Thanksgiving with an empty seat - saved for a son or daughter, or husband or wife, stationed in harm's way. And we say a special thanks for the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are making for our safety and freedom, and for all those Americans who enrich the lives of our communities through acts of kindness, generosity and service.
But as much as we all have to be thankful for, we also know that this year millions of Americans are facing very difficult economic times. Many have lost jobs in this recession - the worst in generations. Many more are struggling to afford health care premiums and house payments, let alone to save for an education or retirement. Too many are wondering if the dream of a middle class life - that American Dream - is slipping away. It's the worry I hear from folks across the country; good, hard-working people doing the best they can for their families - but fearing that their best just isn't good enough. These are not strangers. They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Their struggles must be our concern.
That's why we passed the Recovery Act that cut taxes for 95 percent of working people and for small businesses - and that extended unemployment benefits and health coverage for millions of Americans who lost their jobs in this turmoil. That's why we are reforming the health care system so that middle-class families have affordable insurance that cannot be denied because of a pre-existing condition or taken away because you happen to get sick. We've worked to stem the tide of foreclosures and to stop the decline in home values. We're making it easier to save for retirement and more affordable to send a son or daughter to college.
The investments we have made and tough steps we have taken have helped break the back of the recession, and now our economy is finally growing again. But as I said when I took office, job recovery from this crisis would not come easily or quickly. Though the job losses we were experiencing earlier this year have slowed dramatically, we're still not creating enough new jobs each month to make up for the ones we're losing. And no matter what the economists say, for families and communities across the country, this recession will not end until we completely turn that tide.
So we've made progress. But we cannot rest - and my administration will not rest - until we have revived this economy and rebuilt it stronger than before; until we are creating jobs and opportunities for middle class families; until we have moved beyond the cycles of boom and bust - of reckless risk and speculation - that led us to so much crisis and pain these past few years.
Next week, I'll be meeting with owners of large and small businesses, labor leaders, and non-for-profits from across the country, to talk about the additional steps we can take to help spur job creation. I will work with the Congress to enact them quickly. And it is my fervent hope - and my heartfelt expectation - that next Thanksgiving we will be able to celebrate the fact that many of those who have lost their jobs are back at work, and that as a nation we will have come through these difficult storms stronger and wiser and grateful to have reached a brighter day.
Thank you, God bless you, and from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.
Surgeon General Declares Thanksgiving as "Family Health History Day"
Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, today declared Thanksgiving Day 2009 to be the nation's sixth annual "Family Health History Day," when families can make plans for gathering their health history, with the aid of the My Family Health Portrait Web site.
"An important first step in preventing illness is learning about health conditions in our families that may put us at risk for inheriting diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, mental illness, and many others," said Dr. Benjamin. "Discussing family health information with each other can often uncover things you never knew, simply because no one ever asked."
Your family health history can help direct your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner to specific tests or treatment plans you may need to take to prevent or delay disease. For example, you can be tested for a heart condition or cancer because it's in your family history.
You can find the Office of the Surgeon General's My Family Health Portrait Web site at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov. Once you have entered family health information, the on-line portal assembles the information into a medical "family tree" format that is useful for health care clinicians. This tool is free for anyone to use.
Filling out the "My Family Health Portrait" usually takes about 20 minutes. You can share the Web portal with your family members to help fill in missing information. The portal also allows relatives to create their own family health history by adding to information already entered by another family member.
After filling in the information, you can save the information to your computer and -- if you want to -- share it with your doctor. The Surgeon General's Web site does not retain the information once the tool has been used to assemble it.
"On this Thanksgiving holiday, I hope you and your family will take a few minutes to create a family health portrait," Dr. Benjamin said. "Learning your family's health history is a valuable investment to make in your health and your family's health."
###
 Neuro-Procedure Succeeds in Treating Depression
Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are using an electrical stimulation device that looks like a high-tech dentist's chair to successfully treat some of their patients with depression. Doctors around the world are following the research on the pioneering medical treatment to determine its full potential.
The device, called a repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) system, utilizes a phenomenon known as electromagnetic induction - the rapid changing of magnetic fields - to create small electric currents that essentially jump-start the brain.
Magnetic pulses are aimed at the prefrontal cortex of a patient's brain, where mood regulation is controlled, at rates faster than one pulse per second. As these pulses penetrate brain tissue, they create electric currents that excite neurons and ultimately stimulate nerve cells to trigger brain activity.
Lt. Col. Geoffrey Grammer, M.D., who is chief of inpatient psychiatry at Walter Reed, said rTMS offers him a new line of treatment for some of his patients with the worst cases of depression.
"TMS offers hope to the men and women in the armed forces who have tried a multitude of treatment options with little success," Grammer said. "It's not a cure-all, but for the patients that it works on, it's simply amazing."
Grammer said that 24 patients have been treated with TMS at Walter Reed so far, and that 500 TMS procedures have taken place.
A New Kind of Therapy
Grammer says that when successful, the results can be astounding.
"I watched one patient go through the process from beginning to end," Grammer said. "By the time she completed therapy she literally began looking and acting like a new woman."
Although many patients see phenomenal results, about half require a follow-up phase within six months of the therapy. If symptoms return, Grammer will offer a three-week "maintenance phase."
TMS therapy was originally developed, tested and cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 to treat depression, but Grammer thinks there are other applications for the technology. He is currently compiling a team of researchers to develop new uses for the system and continue his research on the therapy, which is not widely available in hospitals.
For example, Grammer thinks the treatment could also be used to "exercise the brain" of traumatic brain injury patients, much in the same way physical therapists exercise damaged limbs.
He also believes the stimulation could have applications for post-traumatic stress disorder patients and service members with post-amputee pain syndrome. The potential benefits, he speculates, could forever change the way mental health issues in the military and the civilian sectors are addressed.
While other applications are in the process of being developed, there are many service members who might greatly benefit from getting rTMS treatment now, according to Grammer.
With practically no side effects, no risk of long-term health concerns and high efficacy ratings, rTMS could potentially extinguish the remaining barriers that inhibit service members from seeking mental health treatment, Grammer said.
Knowing but not acting
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Jeff Levine with HHS HealthBeat.
Whatever I'm feeling, it can't be a heart attack. A lot of people think that way - while they are having a heart attack. One researcher found that even people who had a heart attack and got special training in how to respond to another got to the hospital no faster than people without the training.
Kathleen Dracup, dean of the School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco says it's dangerous:
[Kathleen Dracup speaks] "Patients need to act right away - get to the hospital within 30 minutes. And the ideal is to be treated within an hour. Our patients took 2 hours to decide and get themselves to the hospital."
She says it's vital to call 9-1-1.
The study in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Jeff Levine.
Highest Rates of Obesity, Diabetes in the South, Appalachia,
and Some Tribal Lands
Estimates of Obesity Now Available for all U.S. Counties
| |
 |
| |
|
Wide sections of the Southeast, Appalachia, and some tribal lands in the West and Northern Plains have the nation's highest rates of obesity and diabetes, according to estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many counties in those regions, rates of diagnosed diabetes exceed 10 percent and obesity prevalence is more than 30 percent.
The estimates, in this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, are the first to provide county-level snapshots of obesity across the United States. They also update diabetes county-level estimates released in 2008. To view the County-level estimates of obesity and diagnosed diabetes visit Diabetes Data and Trends.
Eighty-one percent of counties in the Appalachian region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia have high rates of diabetes and obesity. So do three-quarters of counties in the southern region that includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
"Diabetes is costly in human and economic terms, and it's urgent that we take action to prevent and control this serious disease," said Dr. Ann Albright, director of CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation. "The study shows strong regional patterns of diabetes and can help focus prevention efforts where they are most needed."
The proportion of U.S. adults who are obese was 26.1 percent in 2008, according to Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, (BRFSS) data. CDC estimates that nearly 8 percent of the population, or about 24 million people, have diabetes. Of these, 5.7 million are undiagnosed.
"The small-area estimates for obesity will be an important tool to help communities better understand and battle this serious public health problem. Communities are in the best position to prevent and reduce obesity among their citizens through innovative programs," said Dr. William H. Dietz, director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.
The medical costs of obesity reached an estimated $147 billion in 2008, and the medical costs of diabetes were $116 billion. People with diagnosed diabetes have medical costs that are 2.3 times higher than those without the disease.
Obesity is one of several factors linked to type 2 diabetes. Where people live, how much money they earn, their culture and their family history also play a role. An unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and socioeconomic factors contribute to both obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as to complications of diabetes. Some population groups also are at higher risk, including a number of racial and ethnic minorities.
CDC and its partners are working on a variety of initiatives to prevent type 2 diabetes and to reduce obesity. CDC has recommended 24 community strategies to prevent obesity, from providing greater access to healthy foods to redesigning communities to encourage more physical activity. The agency is also in a new partnership with state, federal, and nonprofit agencies targeting health disparities in Mississippi, which has the nation's highest obesity rate and one of the highest rates of diabetes. CDC's national diabetes prevention and control program provides resources and technical assistance to state health departments, national organizations, and communities.
For More Information
November 18, 2008 - As part of a continued effort to prepare for the peak of influenza season, the city will launch the NYC FluLine on Thursday, November 19, the Health Department announced today. Through this service, 311 operators will provide concerned New Yorkers with information on what to do if they or a family member feels sick with flu-like illness (fever with cough or sore throat). Callers with symptoms of influenza will be connected to registered nurses, who will provide information and advice on whether to seek care. For concerned patients who don't have or can't reach a regular health care provider, NYC FluLine is an alternative to standing in line at a hospital emergency department. The call-center nurses will not make diagnoses or prescribe treatments, but they will advise callers about whether to see a doctor or stay home. When necessary, on-call nurses will refer people to clinics, facilitating timely treatment while preventing unnecessary visits to emergency departments. Operators at 311 will not direct emergency calls to NYC FluLine.
"The city is activating the NYC FluLine to help New Yorkers decide if they need medical care for symptoms that might be a sign of influenza," said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. "If you think you might have influenza, and you can't reach a regular health care provider, try calling NYC FluLine before going to an emergency room. It may save you the time and cost."
 New York City is currently experiencing less influenza activity than the rest of the northeast region, and levels of reported illness are far below those seen during the H1N1 outbreak of spring 2009. But the H1N1 virus is circulating, and the Health Department's surveillance systems show that influenza-like illness has increased steadily since early September. Though the current rate doesn't approach that seen in May and June, it is well above normal for this time of year. The number of hospitalizations and deaths has also risen since September (though both numbers are still low), and prescriptions for antiviral medication have risen sharply in recent weeks.
Despite the signs of increased H1N1 activity, the Health Department has yet to see any uptick in seasonal influenza this fall. Vaccination is the best way to prevent either infection. Each virus requires a different vaccine, and each vaccine is recommended for different people. Here are the priority groups for H1N1 vaccination:
- Pregnant women
- Anyone 6 months through 24 years old
- People 25 through 64 who have chronic health conditions that make influenza more dangerous
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months
- Health care and emergency medical workers
For more information about influenza - and New York City's influenza-related services - please visit nyc.gov/flu. Information is also available in all languages through the City's 311 system.
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
45% Say Passage of Health Care Plan Will Drive Up Cost of Drugs
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans say the cost of prescription drugs will go up if the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats becomes law.
New Rasmussen Reports national telephone polling finds that just 18% think the cost of prescription drugs will go down if the health care plan passes. Twenty percent (20%) say the cost will remain about the same, and 17% are not sure.
Thirty-five percent (35%) of adults already say they are paying more for prescription drugs than they were six months ago. Fifty-two percent (52%) say they are not paying more for prescription drugs, and 13% are not sure.
Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they have decided not to fill a prescription in the past six months because the cost was too high. Sixty-four percent (64%) say cost has not kept them from filling a prescription. Those figures are little changed since June.
Among adults who currently have health insurance, 26% say they have not filled a prescription in the last six months because of the high cost, compared to 44% of those without insurance.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that the wholesale price of brand-name prescription drugs has risen roughly nine percent in the past year. "By at least one analysis, it is the highest annual rate of inflation for drug prices since 1992," the newspaper said.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats. With the exception of bounces following nationally televised presidential appeals, that's the highest level of support measured all year. Forty-nine percent (49%) remain opposed to the plan.
Americans who currently have health insurance are more likely to expect drug prices to rise if the health care plan becomes law than are those who are uninsured. This once again highlights the point made by Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, in the Wall Street Journal: "The most important fundamental is that 68% of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent. ... Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain."
Fifty percent (50%) of married voters say drug prices will increase if the health care plan becomes law, but just 36% of unmarrieds agree.
Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major political party continue to be more skeptical of the health care plan than members of the president's party are. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Republicans and a plurality (48%) of unaffiliateds say the cost of prescription drugs will go up if the plan becomes law.
Democrats are more narrowly divided on the question but a plurality(31%) believe prescription drug prices will go down.
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: Drugs Will Cost More?
Secretary Sebelius Statement on New Breast Cancer Recommendations
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued the following statement today on new breast cancer screening recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force:
"There is no question that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations have caused a great deal of confusion and worry among women and their families across this country. I want to address that confusion head on. The U.S. Preventive Task Force is an outside independent panel of doctors and scientists who make recommendations. They do not set federal policy and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government.
"There has been debate in this country for years about the age at which routine screening mammograms should begin, and how often they should be given. The Task Force has presented some new evidence for consideration but our policies remain unchanged. Indeed, I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action.
"What is clear is that there is a great need for more evidence, more research and more scientific innovation to help women prevent, detect, and fight breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women.
"My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years -- talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you."
###
The Military Health System Blog
Infectious Disease on Display
Posted by: Health.mil Staff
Infectious disease is on display this fall at the nation's medical museum, with the recent installation of "OUTBREAK: Plagues That Changed History," an exhibit of artwork depicting the impact of disease on human history.
OUTBREAK will be featured in a limited engagement through Jan. 22, 2010, at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, a Department of Defense museum located on the campus at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. NMHM is open to the public and admission is free.
The OUTBREAK exhibition is based on a book of the same name by Bryn Barnard, who writes in the book's introduction, "whether fast or slow, epidemic, pandemic, or endemic, these infectious diseases can force enormous, sometimes cataclysmic changes on societies. They can reshuffle power, serve the greater good, or solidify the status of the ruling class. They can determine not just who lives and who dies, but who wins and who loses, who gets wealthy and who stays poor, which ideas become popular and which ones wither away. Without epidemics, ours would be a very different world indeed. OUTBREAK is the story of epidemics that have transformed human society."
The exhibit features paintings that illustrate key moments in world history by educating the visitor on the impact certain epidemiological disasters have had on shaping human population and world civilization. The exhibit includes original paintings partnered with maps and text from the book, as well as several unique artifacts from the Museum's national medical collections.
OUTBREAK focuses on the medical and social impact of six epidemics: how the Black Death in the 14th century created ideal conditions for the rise of capitalism; how smallpox stacked the deck in favor of nascent European colonialism; how yellow fever helped end the trans-Atlantic slave trade and how wave after wave of 19th century cholera epidemics created the modern city; how tuberculosis catalyzed the development of the welfare state; and how the H1N1 Spanish Influenza of 1918 shaped the outcome and aftermath of the first World War.
The National Museum of Health and Medicine is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), which collaborated with the museum in 1998 to highlight AFIP's work to recreate the genetic structure of the 1918 influenza virus. A virtual exhibit features the story of the team of scientists whose efforts improved our understanding of that devastating pandemic and provide useful tools for further tools to combat influenza today.
Reservations are not required to visit the museum. The National Museum of Health and Medicine is open daily (except Dec. 25) from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and limited parking is available. Adults seeking to visit the museum are required to present valid government-issued photo identification to gain entry to Walter Reed, and will be asked to present identification again at the museum. Vehicles are subject to search when visiting Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
For more information, use the links below.
National Museum of Health and Medicine Web site: nmhm.washingtondc.museum
Information about OUTBREAK at NMHM: nmhm.washingtondc.museum/exhibits/outbreak/outbreak.html
OUTBREAK news release: nmhm.washingtondc.museum/news/infectious_disease.html
NMHM virtual exhibit: "Closing in on a Killer: Scientists Unlock Clues to the Spanish Influenza Virus": nmhm.washingtondc.museum/exhibits/1918killerflu/1918_killer_flu1.html
Profile of Maj. Walter Reed: nmhm.washingtondc.museum/about/curator-reed.html
ATTORNEY GENERAL CUOMO CHARGES ROCHESTER NURSING HOME AIDE WITH STEALING 90-YEAR-OLD RESIDENT'S CREDIT CARD AND FORGING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS APPLICATION
Former Blossom South Nurse Aide allegedly stole credit card from elderly nursing home patient and then submitted a forged application for public benefits to Monroe County
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (November 13, 2009) - Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced his office has filed charges against a former Rochester-area nursing home aide who allegedly stole a patient's credit card to purchase personal items, pay bills and make multiple ATM withdrawals. After she was fired from the nursing home, she then allegedly filed a forged and false application with the Monroe County Department of Human Services in order to obtain public benefits.
Certified nurse aide Latoya Harding, 28, of Grafton St. in Rochester, formerly employed at the Blossom South Nursing Home, allegedly took a credit card from a 90 year-old patient suffering from dementia to pay her cable, cell phone and utility bills. She also allegedly purchased items from Wal-Mart and made several cash withdrawals. The felony complaint alleges that between June and August 2009, Harding stole a total of $2,434.57 from the resident.
"Nursing home employees are entrusted with the care of our loved ones," said Attorney General Cuomo. "We will aggressively pursue anyone who violates that trust and takes advantage of vulnerable patients in their care."
Harding was arraigned in Rochester City Court before Judge Stephen T. Miller on charges of Grand Larceny in the 4th Degree (class E felony), Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the 1st Degree (class E Felony) and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd Degree (Class D felony). The maximum penalty for Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the 2nd Degree is 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison. Harding was released on her own recognizance pending a November 17 court date.
After Harding was fired from Blossom South in mid-August because of the theft allegation, she allegedly applied for unemployment benefits to the Monroe County Department of Human Services Temporary Assistance Program. According to the complaint, Harding submitted an application with a forged signature of a Blossom South employee and falsely claimed that she was laid off from Blossom South. Further, the application clearly stated that only employers can complete and submit the form.
The Attorney General's Office thanked the administration and staff of the Blossom South Nursing Home, Bank of America, Time Warner Cable, Rochester Gas and Electric, T-Mobile, Aarons Furniture Store, and Wal-Mart for their cooperation in this investigation. Special Assistant Attorney General Timothy McFarland of Attorney General Cuomo's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit's Rochester Regional Office is prosecuting the case. Special Investigator Douglas Hinchey assisted in the investigation.
The charges against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NIAID Announces New Award to Study the Effects of Radiation and Aging on the Human Immune System
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded nearly $9.7 million over five years to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), Japan, to study the effects of atomic bomb radiation and aging on the human immune system. For the first time, experts in both the United States and Japan will systematically analyze biological samples from the unique population of elderly Japanese atomic bomb survivors to better understand the health consequences of exposure to ionizing radiation on the natural aging process.
As people grow older, their immune systems also age, leading to a gradual decline in the body's ability to fight infections, respond to vaccinations and prevent the development of cancer. The aging of the immune system, known as immunosenescence, is a major contributing factor to disease and death among the elderly. Radiation exposure appears to accelerate immunosenescence, although the molecular events that cause immunosenescence are not well understood.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2000 there were approximately 600 million people worldwide 60 years and older; WHO estimates that this number will jump to 1.2 billion by 2025 and 2 billion by 2050.
"Understanding how the immune system ages will help us find better ways to care for this growing population," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
This study will take advantage of the unique cohort of atomic bomb survivors who were exposed to varying levels of radiation in 1945. Using state-of-the-art technology, investigators will analyze blood samples from survivors to determine how radiation exposure alters the normal age-related decline of the immune system and identify the cellular and molecular changes that occur. They also will determine how the observed immune changes are related to disease and infection. One goal is to understand how exposure to ionizing radiation and aging affect a person's ability to respond to vaccination.
"We will gain valuable information that will benefit not only the general public but also patients undergoing radiation for cancer treatment and those who could be exposed to radiation from an industrial accident or even a terrorist attack," says Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of NIAI's Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation, which oversees this award. "This collaboration complements NIAID's program to develop medical countermeasures against radiological and nuclear threats."
Yoichiro Kosunoki, Ph.D., Kei Nakachi, Ph.D., and Tomonori Hayashi, Ph.D., of the Department of Radiobiology/Molecular Epidemiology at RERF, will lead a team of nine experts in Japan and in the United States: Yoko Hirabayashi, M.D., National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
- Atsushi Iwama, M.D., Chiba University, Japan
- Shigeo Koyasu, Ph.D., Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
- Nancy Manley, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Athens
- Janko Nikolich-Zugich, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson
- Gregory Sempowski, Ph.D., Duke University, Durham, N.C.
- Marcel van den Brink, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City
- Nan-ping Weng, M.D., Ph.D., National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore
- Koji Yasutomo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Tokushima, Japan
RERF, formerly known as the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, is a cooperative Japan-U.S. scientific organization that has been in existence for 62 years and is based in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The foundation performs research to evaluate and document the long-term health effects of acute radiation exposure on survivors of the atomic bomb. For more information about RERF, visit www.rerf.or.jp.
The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on the biomedical, social and behavioral issues of older people. For more information on aging-related research and the NIA, go to www.nia.nih.gov.
NIAID conducts and supports research -- at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide -- to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at www.niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
News from STATE SENATOR
Liz Krueger
 New York State Senate, 26th District
Dear Friends,
As most of you already know, the debate on health care reform is moving ahead in Washington. This issue represents one of the most important discussions of our generation. Unfortunately, the current health care reform bill has moved forward with an amendment which severely diminishes the progress we've made toward ensuring women's basic reproductive rights. We must not allow this amendment to be part of the final bill.
I am therefore asking that you join me in sending a letter to your representatives and senators urging them to strip the unacceptable language of the Stupak-Pitt amendment from the final version of any health care reform bill. Below is the text of the letter I have sent to New York's representatives and senators. Please feel free to use the same letter, or change the letter as you see fit.
Sincerely,
Liz Krueger
State Senator
November 12, 2009
Members of the New York Congressional Delegation
Washington DC 20515
Dear Senators and Representatives:
I write as a strong supporters of health care reform who is deeply disappointed with the inclusion of anti-choice language in the house version of this legislation that passed on November 7th. I urge you to ensure that the final health care reform package ensures that women are not denied access to basic reproductive services, including abortion.
The Stupak-Pitt amendment that was adopted and included in the house bill would make it virtually impossible for private insurers participating in any new health care system to offer abortion coverage to women. In effect, this would mean a reduction of access to reproductive choice for women across the country. Presently more than 85 percent of private insurers offer abortion coverage. Under the Stupak amendment, women would lose benefits, and President Obama has assured the American people, time and again, that no one who kept their present insurance would lose benefits with health care reform.
I agree that reforming the nation's health care system is essential to the health of all Americans, as well as the future financial stability of the nation. It would be tragic if we should gain this necessary reform at the cost of women's basic reproductive rights. This cynical political manipulation by anti-choice activists must be challenged in the days ahead to ensure that health care reform does not come at the expense of women's lives.
I therefore urge you to act to ensure that the final version of health care reform legislation is stripped of the unacceptable language of the Stupak-Pitt amendment. Thank you for your hard work to achieve health care reform, and I am happy to provide any assistance you need in working toward a final bill that meets the goals of reform while protecting a woman's right to choose.
Dying by drugs
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Researchers are seeing a troubling trend in deaths involving opioid analgesics - drugs like methadone, oxycodone, and fentanyl. At the National Center for Health Statistics in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Margaret Warner looked over national mortality data:
[Margaret Warner speaks] "The number of poisoning deaths from opioid analgesics nearly tripled in the period from 1999 to 2006. And this is quite a large increase - from about 4,000 deaths to about 13,800 deaths."
Warner's data don't explain why more people are dying - for instance, whether there was an increase in recreational use of these powerful prescription drugs. But the study found that in at least half the deaths, more than one drug was involved.
The report is in an NCHS Data Brief.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
 Patient Deaths in Hospitals Cost Nearly $20 Billion
One of every three people who died in 2007 in the United States was in the hospital for treatment at the time of death, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The cost of their hospital stays was about $20 billion.
The Federal agency's analysis of 765,651 hospital patient deaths in 2007 found that the average cost of hospital stays in which patients died was $26,035, versus an average of $9,447 for patients who were discharged alive. The costs were higher for patients who died because their hospitals stays were longer than those of patients who lived (8.8 days vs. 4.5 days).
The study also found that:
- Medicare patients accounted for 67 percent of in-hospital deaths and $12 billion in hospital costs, while privately insured patients accounted for 20 percent of deaths and $4 billion. Medicaid patients accounted for 2 percent of deaths and $2.4 billion, and uninsured patients, 3 percent and $630 million.
- The average cost for each Medicaid patient who died was $38,939--roughly $15,000 more than the average cost of a Medicare or uninsured patient who died, and about $10,000 more than a privately insured patient who died.
- About 12 percent of patients who died had been admitted for an elective procedure or other non-urgent reason and 72 percent were emergency admissions. Roughly 7 percent of patients who died were admitted for accidents or intentional injury and about 2 percent were newborn infants.
- Septicemia, a life-threatening blood infection, was the major cause of death, accounting for 15 percent of all deaths, followed by respiratory failure (8 percent); stroke (6 percent); pneumonia (5 percent); heart attack (5 percent); and congestive heart failure (4 percent). Other leading causes of death included cancer, aspiration pneumonia, and kidney failure.
This AHRQ News and Numbers is based on data in The Costs of End-of-Life Hospitalizations, 2007. The report uses statistics from the 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well as the uninsured.
FDA Approves Drug Treatment for Rare Cancer
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma affects about 1,500 Americans annually
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Istodax (romidepsin), an injectable medication, for treatment of patients with a rare form of cancer known as Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTCL).
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a slow-growing cancer of infection-fighting white blood cells called T-lymphocytes. Most cases start with dry skin, red rash, and itching that can become severe. The skin may develop tumors that can become ulcerated, causing infection. In some cases, CTCL spreads to the blood, lymph nodes, or internal organs. There are about 1,500 new cases of CTCL every year in the United States.
Patients with localized CTCL on the skin are treated with topical agents or phototherapy, but chemotherapy may be used if the cancer advances.
Istodax interferes with processes required for cell replication. It is intended to be used in patients when CTCL gets worse or comes back after at least one other type of chemotherapy has been used.
"This approval demonstrates FDA's commitment to the development and approval of drugs for rare and uncommon diseases," said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The FDA approved Istodax on Nov. 6, 2009.
Previous approvals for CTCL included Zolinza (vorinostat), Ontak (denileukin difitox), and Targretin (bexarotene).
Istodax was evaluated based on two clinical studies involving a total of 167 patients. About 35 percent of patients in both of the trials experienced tumor responses, indicating a reduction of the size of tumors. Responses lasted a median of 15 months in one study and 11 months in the other study. Six percent of those studied had complete responses, indicating no apparent evidence of the tumor on physical, laboratory, and X-ray examinations.
Common side effects include nausea, fatigue, infections, vomiting, decreased appetite, decreased red blood cell count, decreased platelet count, and decreases in the components of white blood cells.
Istodax may cause changes in an electrocardiogram (ECG). Periodic blood tests should be done to monitor electrolytes, and periodic ECG monitoring should be considered in patients at risk for certain heart rhythm abnormalities. Istodax may harm a fetus and women should not become pregnant while taking the drug.
Istodax is marketed by Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Cambridge, Mass.
Health Care Reform: How Real and at What Cost?
TOMORROW! Tuesday, November 10
 7PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)
New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street (at Central Park West)
with
ANTHONY WEINER, US Congressman
SINSI HERNANDEZ-CANCIO, JD, Healthcare Equality Project, SEIU
LAURA S. BOYLAN, MD, Physicians for a National Health Program
CHERYL MATHEIS, AARP
Admission is Free - Donations Accepted
|
Co-sponsored by New York Society for Ethical Culture
and 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
|
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Although House Passes Health Care, Most Voters Still Oppose the Legislation
Monday, November 9, 2009
Over the weekend, Democratic leaders spoke of an historic moment as health care reform legislation passed the House of Representatives. But that legislative victory failed to significantly move public opinion.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Most (52%) remain opposed.
Only 25% Strongly Support the plan while 42% are Strongly Opposed.
Support for the plan has remained essentially unchanged for months. Last week, it was supported by 42% and two weeks ago support was at 45%. It has generally stayed between 41% and 46% since July, and support has bounced above that level only in the wake of nationally televised appeals by the president.
As has been the case for months, Democrats favor the plan while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party are opposed. The latest numbers show support from 81% of those in the president's party. The plan is opposed by 90% of Republicans and 58% of unaffiliated voters.
Rasmussen Reports continues to track public opinion on the health care plan on a weekly basis.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters now say passage of the legislation will increase health care costs while 53% say it will hurt the quality of care.
Still, 56% now say the reform plan is at least somewhat likely to become law. That figure includes 20% who say passage is Very Likely. The debate now moves to the Senate where a different version of the legislation is expected to emerge.
Roughly half the interviews for the current survey were completed before Saturday's House vote on the health care bill. However, there was not a significant difference in polling before or after the vote.
Over the weekend, the abortion issue divided Democrats and created challenges for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Earlier polling showed that 48% nationwide favored the abortion ban but most supporters of health care reform didn't want to address the issue. Just 13% of all voters wanted abortion coverage mandated in the legislation.
Another issue that arose during the debate was immigration. Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters say that proof of citizenship should be required before anyone can get health care assistance from a government program.
Voters also favor competition and 65% would like to remove the existing anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in free market competition will do more than government regulation to reduce health care costs.
While voters are skeptical of the plan working its way through Congress, 54% say major changes are needed in the health care system. Sixty-one percent (61%) say it's important for Congress to pass some reform.
But most fear that the plan might encourage companies to drop coverage for employees and shift their workers on to the government health care plan. A plurality of Democrats believe this would be good for workers, but most Republicans and unaffiliated voters disagree. As Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal: "The most important fundamental is that 68% of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent. ... Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain."
Health care reform remains the top priority for Democratic voters. However, it ranks fourth on a list of four among Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Overall, 38% of voters see deficit reduction as most important among the four priorities listed by the president earlier this year, while 23% cite health care reform as tops.
Polling on the health care topic by many firms has created some confusion. In particular, polls on the "public option" show a wide variety of results. A recent poll in The Washington Post found that 57% support a government-run health insurance company to compete with private insurers, but Rasmussen Reports polling shows that support is very soft. In fact, people are strongly opposed to a public option if they think it could lead employers to drop the existing coverage they provide employees. The fact that results are so subject to change based upon minor differences in question wording suggests that voters do not have firm opinions on the public option.
Virtually all polling shows a plurality or majority opposed to the current plan in Congress. The poll in The Washington Post found just 45% support for the congressional plan among all adults. Additionally, support for the current plan has remained stable suggesting that public opinion is firmly established at this time.
Other recent polling shows that 49% would rather see no health care legislation passed this year than see the current bill become law. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in competition is more likely than increased government regulation to reduce the cost of health care. That's one reason there is strong support for removing the exemption from anti-trust laws currently enjoyed by insurance companies.
Only 31% believe Congress has a good understanding of the proposed health care reform.
HHS Secretary Calls on States and Communities to Get Health Coverage to Uninsured Children
Conference Kicks Off National Outreach Campaign
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today called on states and communities to join with HHS to redouble efforts to find and enroll the 5 million children who are currently eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but are not yet covered. The Secretary issued this call to action as she opened the National Children's Health Insurance Summit in Chicago, kicking off the nation's largest campaign to find and enroll uninsured children in over a decade.
Much progress has been made in recent years, but the enactment of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) creates new opportunities to move forward. At the same time, given the economic downturn, the need among families for affordable coverage for their children could not be greater. Not since the creation of CHIP in 1997 has the federal government, in conjunction with states, concentrated so many resources on the effort to find and enroll children who are needlessly going without health insurance coverage.
"As a society and as parents, we have no greater responsibility than to provide quality health care for our children," Secretary Sebelius said. "Our charge here today is to get all eligible children covered to ensure they are healthy throughout their childhood. A healthy child is the block upon which all other successes are built, not just for the child, but for the nation they will lead in the future."
In February, President Obama signed CHIPRA into law. The legislation fully funds CHIP over the next four years and devotes an unprecedented amount of federal funding to support outreach and enrollment efforts for both CHIP and Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid serves more than 32 million low-income American children while CHIP has over 7 million beneficiaries.
Today's speech launched the three-day conference in Chicago sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that has brought together state Medicaid and CHIP officials, local government, community-based organizations, safety net providers and others who are working to promote enrollment in children's health programs. These experts will exchange proven strategies for finding and enrolling children in health programs as well as removing program barriers that sometimes prevent children from staying in these programs despite continued eligibility.
Participants in the conference will also hear from experts on a wide range of specialized topics, such as reaching diverse or isolated populations, the usefulness of online applications and how to best work with managed care plans and other health care providers.
Also attending today's conference are grantees from 69 organizations across the country that were awarded $40 million by HHS to fund outreach projects in their local communities. Over the next four years, HHS will award a total of $90 million in outreach grants.
"With the nation's unemployment rate at a staggering 9.8 percent and families losing their job-related health care, finding and enrolling eligible children could never be more important," said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations within CMS. "Bringing together government officials, tribal leaders, community organizations and policy experts, we hope, will build on the successes achieved in recent years and lead to fresh, innovative and successful strategies to deliver quality health care to every eligible child in America."
For more information about free or low-cost children's health insurance, visit the newly updated and redesigned Web site www.insurekidsnow.gov or call toll-free 1-877-KIDS-NOW (1-877-543-7669). The site gives parents and caregivers information on connecting their children to health coverage through Medicaid or CHIP and also provides program information and federal guidance for states and health policy professionals. It will be available in both English and Spanish. National Children's Health Insurance Summit presentations and other conference materials can be downloaded at www.childrenshealthinsurancesummit.com.
###
Navigating the Health Care System
Advice Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy
|
AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D., has prepared brief, easy-to-understand advice columns for consumers to help navigate the health care system. They will address important issues such as how to recognize high-quality health care, how to be an informed health care consumer, and how to choose a hospital, doctor, and health plan. Check back regularly for new columns.
Dr. Clancy, a general internist and researcher, is an expert in engaging consumers in their health care. |
Does Your Hospital Do A Good Job?
By Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D.
November 3, 2009
What if you bought a used car and it broke down just a few days after you drove it home? That would be frustrating and costly, at the very least.
Now, imagine if just days after you were sent home after a hospital stay you ended up right back there. Unfortunately, this situation happens more often than it should.
Thanks to an easy-to-use Web site called Hospital Compare, you can now find out how often patients treated at your hospital end up returning within 30 days of going home.
Why is this important?
These "readmission rates" are good clues for the hospital's overall care quality. Low readmission rates typically mean that good patient care was given during the first hospital stay, and that important information for post-hospital care was communicated effectively. Low rates also may mean that patients got the right care at the right time from doctors, nurses, and other providers based on the latest knowledge in treating the condition. Checking these rates on Hospital Compare, a tool from Medicare, is a bit like kicking the tires of your local hospital.
That's important, because readmissions are too common and costly. A recent study found that one in five Medicare patients goes back into the hospital within a month of his or her first stay. Only 10 percent of those return visits were planned.
Readmissions carry high price tags, too. For instance, in 2004 Medicare paid $17 billion for unplanned return hospital stays. Your health and wallet also pay a price when you repeat a trip to the hospital.
Many readmissions can be prevented, according to research from my Agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). We found that hospitals can cut their readmission rates if they do a good job of explaining medical information and the next steps to expect before patients go home. My agency supported development of a checklist for hospitals that helps deliver that essential information to patients.
There are also steps you can take to prevent an unnecessary return to the hospital.
You can check your hospital's performance. Hospital Compare provides you with information on more than 4,000 hospitals. Based on standards used to measure quality, the Web site tells you how well a hospital cares for patients with certain medical problems or who need certain surgeries. It also contains patients' ratings on the care they received during their hospital stay.
The site recently added information on how many patients with heart failure, heart attack, and pneumonia end up back in the hospital within 30 days of being sent home. This information tells you how your hospital stacks up against the national rate.
You can also help prevent an unnecessary hospital return by:
- Asking questions about your condition and knowing what procedures and tests will be performed.
- Making an appointment with your primary care doctor for follow-up care after you leave the hospital.
- Asking questions about your medicines and their side effects, including which medicines you should take and which ones you should stop taking. Often hospital admissions lead to changes in medications you were taking before the admission. Making sure you understand the changes is really important.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers a useful hospital discharge planner checklist (PDF file, 463 KB; PDF Help) for patients and their caregivers. Don't assume your hospital will give you this information before you leave. My Agency found that one in five patients leaving a hospital never got written information about which health problems to watch for.
Knowing how your hospital performs is important for you to make good decisions about the health care you need. It also helps you to understand whether you are getting good value for your money. That's information worth having.
I'm Dr. Carolyn Clancy, and that's my advice on how to navigate the health care system. |
Dear Lucas,
We are writing to ask for your support for Callen-Lorde Community Health Center and hope that you will attend the Community Health Awards on November 16th.
This year, we will be honoring:
Antonio E. Urbina, M.D.
Medical Director of HIV/AIDS Education and Training at
Saint Vincent's Comprehensive HIV Center
The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
of the United States House of Representatives, and
The New York State Health Foundation
for its efforts to improve the healthcare available to New Yorkers.
Each is an outstanding leader who has had a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and we are so proud to recognize their work.
We are living in momentous times and there are huge changes happening on the national stage, in state legislatures and in localities that have the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for LGBT people. We hope that you will remember that each day for 40 years, Callen-Lorde has provided quality, respectful and dignified healthcare to all who seek our services, regardless of their ability to pay. For this reason, we are proud to support this organization that has quite literally been a life-saver for thousands and thousands of LGBT New Yorkers and people living with HIV . . . many of whom had nowhere else to turn.
Please mark the date in your calendar now and purchase a ticket to the event or make a donation to Callen-Lorde is you are unable to attend.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the 2009 Community Health Awards online.
For more information, call Ed Galloway in Callen-Lorde's Development Office, 212-271-7263.
Thanks!
http://www.callen-lorde.org/
Remarks by the President at Signing of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009
Diplomatic Reception Room
11:58 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody.
AUDIENCE: Good morning.
THE PRESIDENT: We often speak about AIDS as if it's going on somewhere else. And for good reason -- this is a virus that has touched lives and decimated communities around the world, particularly in Africa. But often overlooked is the fact that we face a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic of our own -- right here in Washington, D.C., and right here in the United States of America. And today, we are taking two important steps forward in the fight that we face here at home.
It has been nearly three decades since this virus first became known. But for years, we refused to recognize it for what it was. It was coined a "gay disease." Those who had it were viewed with suspicion. There was a sense among some that people afflicted by AIDS somehow deserved their fate and that it was acceptable for our nation to look the other way.
A number of events and advances over the years have broadened our understanding of this cruel illness. One of them came in 1984, when a 13-year-old boy from central Indiana contracted HIV/AIDS from a transfusion. Doctors assured people that Ryan White posed no risk to his classmates or his community. But ignorance was still widespread. People didn't yet understand or believe that the virus couldn't be spread by casual contact. Parents protested Ryan's attendance in class. Some even pulled their kids out of school. Things got so bad that the White family had to ultimately move to another town.
It would have been easy for Ryan and his family to stay quiet and to fight the illness in private. But what Ryan showed was the same courage and strength that so many HIV-positive activists have shown over the years and shown around -- show around the world today. And because he did, we didn't just become more informed about HIV/AIDS, we began to take action to fight it.
In 1990, the year Ryan passed away, two great friends and unlikely political allies, Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch, came together and introduced the Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act -- the CARE Act -- which was later named after Ryan.
In a few minutes, I'm going to sign the fourth reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act. Now, in the past, policy differences have made reauthorizations of this program divisive and controversial. But that didn't happen this year. And for that, the members of Congress that are here today deserve extraordinary credit for passing this bill in the bipartisan manner that it deserves: Tom Harkin and Mike Enzi in the Senate, we are grateful to you for your extraordinary work; Speaker Pelosi, who's always leading the charge on so many issues; Frank Pallone, Jr., Joe Barton, Barbara Lee and Donna Christensen in the House, thank you for your extraordinary work -- oh don't worry, I'm getting to Henry. (Laughter.) Nancy is always looking out for members, but we've got a special section for Henry.
And Chairman Henry Waxman, who began holding hearings on AIDS in 1982, before there was even a name for AIDS, was leading here in Washington to make sure that this got the informed attention that it deserved and who led the House in passing the original Ryan White legislation in 1990.
I also want to acknowledge the HIV community for crafting a consensus document that did so much to help move this process forward. Some of the advocates so important to this legislation are with us here today: Ernest Hopkins from Cities Advocating for Emergency AIDS Relief; Frank Oldham, Jr., President and CEO of the National Association of People with AIDS; and Julie Scofield, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.
And I'm especially honored that Ryan's mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, is here today. For 25 years, Jeanne had an immeasurable impact in helping ramp up America's response to this epidemic. While we lost Ryan at too young an age, Jeanne's efforts have extended the lives and saved the lives of so many others. We are so appreciative to you. Thank you. (Applause.)
You know, over the past 19 years this legislation has evolved from an emergency response into a comprehensive national program for the care and support of Americans living with HIV/AIDS. It helps communities that are most severely affected by this epidemic and often least served by our health care system, including minority communities, the LGBT community, rural communities, and the homeless. It's often the only option for the uninsured and the underinsured. And it provides life-saving medical services to more than half a million Americans every year, in every corner of the country.
It's helped us to open a critical front on the ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS. But let me be clear: This is a battle that's far from over, and it's a battle that all of us need to do our part to join. AIDS may no longer be the leading killer of Americans ages 25 to 44, as it once was. But there are still 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and more than 56,000 new infections occur every single year.
Some communities still experience unacceptably high rates of infection. Gay men make up 2 or 3 percent of the population, but more than half of all new cases. African Americans make up roughly half of all new cases. Nearly half of all new cases now occur in the South. And a staggering 7 percent of Washington, D.C.'s residents between the ages of 40 and 49 live with HIV/AIDS -- and the epidemic here isn't as severe as it is in several other U.S. cities.
So tackling this epidemic will take far more aggressive approaches than we've seen in the past -- not only from our federal government, but also state and local governments, from local community organizations, and from places of worship.
But it will also take an effort to end the stigma that has stopped people from getting tested; that has stopped people from facing their own illness; and that has sped the spread of this disease for far too long. A couple of years ago Michelle and I were in Africa and we tried to combat the stigma when we were in Kenya by taking a public HIV/AIDS test. And I'm proud to announce today we're about to take another step towards ending that stigma.
Twenty-two years ago, in a decision rooted in fear rather than fact, the United States instituted a travel ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV/AIDS. Now, we talk about reducing the stigma of this disease -- yet we've treated a visitor living with it as a threat. We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDS pandemic -- yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people from HIV from entering our own country.
If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it. And that's why, on Monday my administration will publish a final rule that eliminates the travel ban effective just after the New Year. Congress and President Bush began this process last year, and they ought to be commended for it. We are finishing the job. It's a step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment, it's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives. (Applause.)
We are continuing the work of crafting a coordinated, measurable national HIV/AIDS strategy to stem and suppress this epidemic. I'm pleased to report that the Office of National AIDS Policy, led by Jeffrey Crowley, has already held eight in a series of 14 community discussions in cities across the country. They've brought together faith-based organizations and businesses, schools and research institutions, people living with HIV and concerned citizens, gathering ideas on how to target a national response that effectively reduces HIV infections, improves access to treatment, and eliminates health disparities. And we are encouraged by the energy, the enthusiasm, and great ideas that we've collected so far.
We can't give Ryan White back to Jeanne, back to his mom. But what we can do -- what the legislation that I'm about to sign has done for nearly 20 years -- is honor the courage that he and his family showed. What we can do is to take more action and educate more people. What we can do is keep fighting each and every day until we eliminate this disease from the face of the Earth.
So with that, let me sign this bill. (Applause.)
(The Act is signed.) (Applause.)
END
12:07 P.M. EDT
# # #
PR- 478-09
October 30, 2009
STATEMENT OF MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS TREATMENT EXTENSION ACT OF 2009
More than 100,000 New Yorkers Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS Rely on the Program
"Today, President Obama signed into law the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. More than 100,000 New Yorkers are living with diagnosed HIV/AIDS and rely on the lifesaving medications, health care, and other supportive services provided through the Ryan White program. This law passed because dedicated, caring individuals from New York City and around the country spoke for all who fight the disease first-hand and worked to bring us to this day. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the President and Congress for taking this important stand, and in particular the New York Congressional delegation which supported it unanimously. The bipartisan action by Congress to continue this program underscores its important role in providing critical services to low-income people living with HIV and AIDS."
Military Will Have Enough H1N1 Vaccine, Officials Say
By Judith Snyderman
As shipments of some 3.7 million doses of H1N1 vaccine ordered by the Defense Department continue to arrive from the manufacturer, more than enough will be available for all military personnel and their beneficiaries, military medical experts say.
Navy Cmdr. Danny Shiau, division chief for the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery's force health protection, and Dr. Robert Morrow, the bureau's preventive medicine programs and policy officer, took questions about the military's seasonal flu and H1N1 preparedness efforts during an Oct. 29 DoDLive bloggers roundtable.
Morrow explained why it has taken the primary manufacturer, Novartis, longer than expected to produce the vaccine.
"This is a tough little virus to grow," he said. "It's pretty nasty when it gets in the eggs, so they haven't been able to grow it quite as fast as they had hoped, and everybody's supplies are linked to each other since we're are all getting it from the same manufacturer."
Immunization for both seasonal flu and H1N1 is mandatory for all military personnel and it is highly recommended for beneficiaries. When the first cases of H1N1 were diagnosed in April, Morrow said, the department bought 2.7 million doses of the vaccine for mission assurance purposes.
At the time, it was unclear how many doses, per person, would be needed. But a single dose has been determined to be effective, Morrow said. The Health and Human Services Department donated 1 million doses of the vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur, to the department, "so that's a total of 3.7 million individuals for [Defense Department] active duty, reservists, civilians and essential contractors," he said.
First priority for the vaccine will go to deployed forces, Shiau said, first in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, then to ships, trainees and health care workers based on prioritizations.
Priorities for beneficiaries in the United States will follow federal and state guidelines, whether beneficiaries opt to get the H1N1 vaccine at military treatment facilities or at non-military clinics, Shiau said. In either case, since the vaccine is free, and there will be plenty of it, it will not matter whether they get their shot from the military or civilian supply.
Overseas, civilian defense workers and beneficiaries will be able to get the H1N1 vaccine at military treatment facilities.
Shiau added that so far, the general severity of cases seen has been mild to moderate and there's been no operational effect on defense. But, he said, those with symptoms should contact their doctor or treatment facility before heading to an emergency room, because some facilities have special procedures. "The bottom line is, you don't want to spread it in the ER," he said.
The extra care being taken may be because "this is the first time that we've had two different kinds of influenza going around at the same time and two different kinds of influenza shots going around at the same time, and it's very confusing, even to those who do this day in and day out," Morrow said.
His best advice is that when you have questions, "ask and clarify." Shiau added that to help prevent spreading seasonal and H1N1 flu, people should wash their hands thoroughly, cover their mouths when coughing and, when possible, do not go to work sick.
(Judith Snyderman works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
 An Evening of Conversation about the State of Healthcare
in support of
Assembly Member Jonathan L. Bing
Hosted by Seth Ginsberg & Louis Tharp,
President and Executive Director, Global Healthy Living Foundation*
Thursday, November 19, 2009
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
New York Friar's Club
57 East 55th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)
Guest: $75
Sponsor: $250
Please RSVP to (212) 628-BING (2464) or Campaign@JonathanBing.com.
To view the invitation, click here.
For more information about Jonathan, please visit www.JonathanBing.com.
Contributions may be made payable to "People for Bing" and mailed to 132 East 43rd Street, #243, New York, NY 10017-4019 or may be made online by Visa or MasterCard by clicking here or going to www.JonathanBing.com.
*for informational purposes only
Health Care Reform:
How Real and at What Price?
New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street (at Central Park West)
with
ANTHONY WEINER, US Congressman
SINSI HERNANDEZ-CANCIO, JD, Healthcare Equality Project, SEIU
LAURA S. BOYLAN, MD, Physicians for a National Health Program
CHERYL MATHEIS, AARP
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
7:00 PM
Auditorium
While Congress moves closer to a pivotal vote on health care reform, there is still confusion and tension around what reform will actually mean. Join us for Health Care Reform: How Real and at What Price? with U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York's 9th District; Dr. Laura S. Boylan, Board Member, Physicians for a National Health Program; Cheryl Mathias, Senior Vice President for Health Strategies, AARP; and Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, National Campaign Coordinator, Healthcare Equality Project, SEIU. The conversation will focus on the many questions that surround this complex issue. What will it cost? Will coverage be universal? Will there be a negative effect on current programs like Medicare? Will there be a private option? Are we merely tweaking a bad system? How do we go forward when there isn't even a consensus about the most basic question of all: Is health care a fundamental right?
Doors open at 6:30pm. Arrive early. For more information contact Julie Blutstein via email or at 212.874-5210 x 144.
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 29, 2009 |
|
New Report Highlights How Health Insurance Reform Will Reduce Costs for Small Businesses
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Lower Premiums, Stronger Businesses: How Health Insurance Reform Will Bring Down Costs for Small Businesses. The report outlines the many ways health insurance reform will lower health care costs for small businesses and is available now at www.HealthReform.gov.
"Small businesses drive our economy and create jobs, but they are struggling as health care costs continue to rise," Secretary Sebelius said. "The high cost of care is making it difficult or impossible for these businesses to offer care or grow their business. Health insurance reform will bring costs down and give small businesses the relief they need."
The report notes:
- Small businesses, the backbone of job creation in our economy, are disproportionately burdened by the financial strains caused by rising health care costs. On average, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more than large firms for the same health insurance policy. This difference is due in part to high broker fees (which can be up to 10 percent of premiums), and health plan administrative costs that are three times those in the large group market.
- In a recent national survey, nearly three-quarters of small businesses that did not offer benefits cited high premiums as the reason.
- Nearly half of workers covered by a small business employer have insurance that limits the total amount the plan will pay for medical care and nearly one in ten small business workers have a health plan that does not offer prescription drug coverage.
- Workers in small firms are more likely to shoulder burdensome out-of-pocket health care costs. Thirty-six percent spent more than 10 percent of their household income on out-of-pocket medical expenses in 2007, compared with 27 percent of workers in larger firms.
Health insurance reform will bring down costs for small businesses by creating a health insurance exchange, providing a small business tax credit, ending the "hidden tax" on small businesses that provide health insurance and preventing arbitrary premium hikes. Reform will also ensure Americans have stable, secure insurance coverage, limit out-of-pocket spending and eliminate caps on benefits.
To learn more about how health insurance reform will benefit small businesses and read the complete report, visit www.HealthReform.gov.
###
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Americans In No Rush for Flu Shots Despite Swine Flu Outbreak
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
President Obama may have declared swine flu a national emergency, but the number of Americans who plan to get a flu shot is virtually unchanged from a year ago.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of adults plan to get a flu shot this year, compared to 54% in 2008, despite the much-publicized outbreak of swine flu.
Forty percent (40%) do not intend to get a flu shot. In October of last year, 44% said they weren't getting one.
In similar surveys in 2006 and 2007, Americans were more evenly divided when asked whether they intended to get a flu shot or not.
Just 25% say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the outbreak of swine flu, but 21% say that outbreak makes them less likely to do so. Most adults (51%) say swine flu has no impact on their decision whether to get a shot.
The new survey was taken Friday and Saturday nights. The president declared the national emergency on Saturday to give the government and medical facilities greater flexibility if there is an unusually large number of swine flu patients. It is important to note, too, that Rasmussen Reports' survey questions asked about "flu" shots, not "swine flu" shots.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans believe flu shots are at least somewhat effective in preventing flu outbreaks. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say they are very effective. Only 13% say the shots are not very or not at all effective. These numbers, too, are virtually identical to the findings a year ago.
But one-in-three Americans (33%) have concerns about the shot itself: That's the percentage who say it is possible to get the flu from a flu shot. Forty-five percent (45%) disagree and say it is not possible. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren't sure.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says it is not possible to get the flu from the shot because the virus in the shot has been inactivated.
Seventy-two percent (72%) of adults 65 and older plan to get a flu shot this year. Those ages 30 to 49 are more likely not to get a shot.
Most married Americans (56%) intend to get a shot, while unmarrieds are evenly divided. Only 44% of those with children living with them plan to get a flu shot, compared to 61% of those without children.
Perhaps not surprisingly since swine flu has an unusually high incidence rate among young people, 32% of those ages 18 to 29 say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the swine flu outbreak. This is higher than in any other age group.
In a survey in April, 44% of all adults said they get a flu shot every year.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans are at least somewhat confident that enough testing has been done on the swine flu vaccine for it to be safely offered this fall. But just 14% are very confident of that fact.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of all Americans say they are at least somewhat likely to get the swine flu vaccine if it becomes available
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: No One Wants to Get Shot!
HHS and Sesame Workshop Release 13 New Flu Prevention Radio PSAs Featuring Governors and Elmo
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of thirteen new 30-second flu radio public service announcements (PSA). These new radio messages feature 13 of America's governors and Elmo from Sesame Street. The messages, which will be promoted to radio stations across the country, promote key flu prevention messages to parents and children.
Children and young adults continue to be disproportionately effected by H1N1. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of the hospitalizations from 2009 H1N1 flu reported recently were people age 24 and younger. That's why HHS has teamed up with Sesame Workshop and other partners to promote flu prevention PSAs aimed at educating children and their parents about the importance of getting vaccinated.
"Elmo has emerged as one of our best partners in fighting the flu this year," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "That's why we are excited for Elmo to join some of the nation's governors in promoting important flu prevention tips. We know that kids are especially vulnerable against H1N1, and we hope that hearing flu prevention tips from Elmo will help them stay healthy and flu free."
These new 30-second radio ads are designed for broadcast in states around the country. All of the new ads are available for download at http://www.flu.gov/psa/psacongress.html.
All of the latest flu PSAs are available on www.flu.gov/psa/. The new radio PSAs include recordings from:
Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut, Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa, Gov. Mark Parkinson of Kansas, Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Gov. Jay Nixon of Missouri, Gov. Bev Perdue of North Carolina, Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota, Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, Gov. Brad Henry of Oklahoma, Gov. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont, Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington, and Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming.
###
Keeping up with the family
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
When doctors ask you how your family is doing, they're not looking for an answer along the lines of, "Fine. And yours?"
The doctors are looking for specifics about disease, as Dr. Alfred Berg of the University of Washington notes:
[Dr. Alfred Berg speaks] "Of course, many common disease have genetic, environmental and lifestyle causes that family members share."
So knowing the medical problems of your family gives a doctor insight into what might affect you. That's why doctors consider the family health history so important.
As health information technology advances, doctors want to get better information. Dr. Berg chaired a meeting at the National Institutes of Health about how to improve the standard family history. But one step people can take now is to keep track of how their families are doing.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.
Last revised: October, 26 2009
Improper Use of Decorative Contact Lenses May Haunt You
Every year, the approach of Halloween heightens fears at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that consumers will harm their eyes with unapproved decorative contact lenses. These are contact lenses that some people use to temporarily change their eye color or to make their eyes look weird--for example, giving them an "eye-of-the-tiger" look.
"Although unauthorized use of decorative contact lenses is a concern year-round, Halloween is the time when people may be inclined to use them, perhaps as costume accessories," says James Saviola, the Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices network leader in FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
The problem is not that people use decorative, non-corrective contact lenses. It's that many go about it the wrong way, which is dangerous.
Prescription Required
Just like their corrective counterparts, decorative contact lenses--sometimes called plano, zero-powered, or non-corrective contact lenses--are regulated by FDA.
Recent legislation has made it illegal to market decorative contact lenses as over-the-counter products. Still, FDA is aware that consumers without valid prescriptions have bought decorative contact lenses from beauty salons, record stores, video stores, flea markets, convenience stores, beach shops, and the Internet.
"What troubles us is when they are bought and used without a valid prescription, without the involvement of a qualified eye care professional, or without appropriate follow-up care," says Saviola. "This can lead to significant risks of eye injuries, including blindness."
Unauthorized contact lenses of all types present risks to the eye that include corneal ulcers, corneal abrasion, vision impairment, and blindness.
If You Want Decorative Contacts
- Get an eye exam from a licensed eye care professional, even if you feel your vision is perfect.
- Get a valid prescription that includes the brand and lens dimensions.
- Buy the lenses from an eye care professional or from a vendor who requires that you provide prescription information for the lenses.
- Follow directions for cleaning, disinfecting, and wearing the lenses, and visit your eye care professional for follow-up eye exams.
Consumers should report any problems with decorative contact lenses to their local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. Any adverse reactions experienced with the use of these products, and/or quality problems should also be reported to FDA's MedWatch Program.
This article appears on FDA's Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.
Updated: October 22, 2009
These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
49% Say No Health Care Reform Better Than Current Plan
Friday, October 23, 2009
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters nationwide say that passing no health care reform bill this year would be better than passing the plan currently working its way through Congress.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% disagree and say the current effort is better than doing nothing.
For advocates of reform, this is a bit of an improvement. In August, 54% said doing nothing was the better approach.
Democrats strongly prefer to pass the congressional legislation while Republican voters overwhelmingly say it's better to do nothing. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, 62% say it would be better to do nothing rather than pass the current plan.
The new survey also shows that voters are skeptical that anything will be able to reduce the amount we spend on health care. If the cost of health care services comes down, 42% believe consumers will simply buy more services. Just 31% say reducing the cost of service would actually lead to less spending on health care. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure.
Cost, not universal coverage, is the top priority for most voters, and 54% favor middle class tax cuts over new spending on health care.
These results come at a time when most voters say our health care system needs major changes, but only 42% favor the plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
Rasmussen Reports is tracking support for the health care proposal on a weekly basis and will have updated results on Monday morning.
But then 65% of voters say the health care reform plan that emerges from Congress will be mostly what Democrats want. Just 18% of voters disagree and think the plan will be a bipartisan effort.
Sixty-six percent (66%) say free market competition between insurance companies will do more than government regulation to reduce health care costs.
A congressional consensus on health care reform was reported earlier this year, but it received mixed reviews from the public. The consensus hasn't changed over the past several months, and neither have the views of voters. One reason is skepticism about Congress itself. By a two-to-one margin, voters believe that no matter how bad things are Congress could always make it worse.
Voters also still believe strongly that they understand the overall health care reform proposal better than Congress does.
One reason that Democrats have been careful to distinguish between their reform plan and a single-payer system is that just 32% favor single-payer health care while 57% are opposed.
# # #
To view the original report, please use this link: Gotta Plan?
Earlier today, we received this e-mail from the White House:
 Our broken health care system that is. That's right -- it's not working for many women and their families.
In many states, insurance companies can still discriminate on the basis of gender -- and not just on costs. In some states, maternity care is not covered because pregnancy can be seen as a "pre-existing condition." It's even legal in some states to deny a woman coverage because she's been a victim of domestic violence!
That's not right. Nobody in America should be treated that way. That's why First Lady Michelle Obama is standing up for women and families in this newest video. Take a look:
With health insurance reform, the days of discrimination based on gender will be over. Insurance companies will be banned from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition, or dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. They will have to cover preventive care like mammograms and pap smears. And they will be forced to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge you for out-of-pocket expenses.
But we can't make health insurance reform a reality without your help. As the First Lady says, talk to your family, your friends, your neighbors. Share this video with them and help get the word out about what's at stake. It'll take all of us working together to deliver the change we need on health care.
Thanks,
Nancy-Ann
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Director, White House Office of Health Reform
 DOT OFFICE OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY AND COMPLIANCE NOTICE
Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidelines for Federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of "medical marijuana." http://www.justice.gov/opa/documents/medical-marijuana.pdf.
We have had several inquiries about whether the DOJ advice to Federal prosecutors regarding pursuing criminal cases will have an impact upon the Department of Transportation's longstanding regulation about the use of marijuana by safety-sensitive transportation employees - pilots, school bus drivers, truck drivers, train engineers, subway operators, aircraft maintenance personnel, transit fire-armed security personnel, ship captains, and pipeline emergency response personnel, among others.
We want to make it perfectly clear that the DOJ guidelines will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation's regulated drug testing program. We will not change our regulated drug testing program based upon these guidelines to Federal prosecutors.
The Department of Transportation's Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation - 49 CFR Part 40, at 40.151(e) - does not authorize "medical marijuana" under a state law to be a valid medical explanation for a transportation employee's positive drug test result.
That section states:
§ 40.151 What are MROs prohibited from doing as part of the verification process?
As an MRO, you are prohibited from doing the following as part of the verification process:
(e) You must not verify a test negative based on information that a physician recommended that the employee use a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. (e.g., under a state law that purports to authorize such recommendations, such as the "medical marijuana" laws that some states have adopted.)
Therefore, Medical Review Officers will not verify a drug test as negative based upon information that a physician recommended that the employee use "medical marijuana." Please note that marijuana remains a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. It remains unacceptable for any safety-sensitive employee subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation's drug testing regulations to use marijuana.
We want to assure the traveling public that our transportation system is the safest it can possibly be.
Jim L. Swart
Director
Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Office of Drug and Alcohol
Policy and Compliance
Department of Transportation
October 22, 2009
| | |
