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HHS awards $4.8 million grant for Teen Prevention Education Program

The Princeton Center for Leadership Training (PCLT), in collaboration with long-time partner HiTOPS, was awarded a five-year, $4.8 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to replicate and evaluate a teen sexual health peer education program, known as the Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP), in 16 high schools in rural North Carolina communities with high teen birth rates.

18 Oct 2010

Possibilities of genetics research, personalized medicine, and behavioral intervention

Personalized medicine - improving the fit between patient and treatment - has become a major focus of research in fields from cancer treatment to the psychopharmacology of mental disorders. Genetic studies have suggested that an individual's genetic makeup renders him either more or less sensitive to stressful social environments - but can an individual's unique genotype also determine the effectiveness of preventative or therapeutic behavioral interventions?

18 Oct 2010

Health law's new patient-centered outcomes board takes shape; More insurance waiver requests expected

The Washington Post reports on a new entity: the Board of Governors of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. "If you're not familiar with the board, you're not alone. Created by the health-care overhaul law, it's one of the newest and least known panels in government. But the work of its 21 members, if successful, could increase the public's knowledge of medical treatments for everything from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder to cancer.

18 Oct 2010

Oseltamivir reduces mortality in influenza A/H5N1 patients

A study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases indicates that treatment with oseltamivir significantly reduces mortality in patients with influenza A/H5N1, or 'bird flu', even when given late in the course of illness.

15 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to expand substance abuse treatment in offender reentry programs

Nearly 650,000 people are released from state and federal prison yearly and arrive on the doorsteps of communities nationwide. A far greater number reenter communities from local jails.

15 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to provide integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is awarding up to $52.5 million for up to five years in cooperative agreements (grants) to provide integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services to at-risk, traditionally underserved populations.

15 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 14, 2010

Today's headlines examine the Obama administration's efforts to work with insurers to keep coverage options for children, the latest campaign news on the health overhaul and a major government crackdown on a Medicare fraud ring.

14 Oct 2010

Center for Global Health faculty to participate in consortium to enhance medical knowledge in Nigeria

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is among the U.S. medical schools and universities involved in an initiative to invest $130 million over five years to transform African medical education and dramatically increase the number of health workers.

14 Oct 2010

White House will delay W-2 insurance reporting requirement, other health reform news

CongressDaily reports that the Obama administration announced Tuesday it will delay for one year a provision of the health law that requires employers to report the value of an employee's health plan on tax forms. The White House says the extra time is necessary to give employers time to prepare to comply with the requirement. "Under the overhaul law, all employers who provide health insurance are required to include the information on workers' tax forms after 2010.

14 Oct 2010

Planned Parenthood launches campaign for free contraceptives as part of health law

NPR's Shots blog reports that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is joining Planned Parenthood on a campaign to allow free prescription contraceptives as part of the health reform law.

14 Oct 2010

Federal guidance aims to reduce misuse of synthetic DNA to create dangerous organisms

Federal guidance issued today aims to reduce the risk that synthetic DNA will be misused deliberately to create dangerous organisms. Screening Framework Guidance for Providers of Synthetic Double-Stranded DNA, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supports national biosecurity goals and balances the promise of synthetic DNA with its potential biosecurity risks.

14 Oct 2010

10% of children have serious mental health condition, but only one-third receive treatment

One in ten children has a mental health condition that causes significant impairment and more than half of all lifetime cases begin by age 14, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reported today, but only one-third get the help they need..

13 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards State Incentive Grants for substance abuse prevention

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it is awarding up to $53.4 million in new State Incentive Grants for up to five years. These grants are used by states or tribes to implement a strategic approach in communities across the state for substance abuse prevention.

13 Oct 2010

In tight budgets, states cutting back on Medicaid programs for disabled

More than 1.1 million people in Wisconsin depend on Medicaid health programs for the poor. Medicaid provides health care for one in five Wisconsin residents; the group of programs has expanded faster here over the past nine years than in any state except Arizona.

13 Oct 2010

Health care politics: Republican messages examined, how state propositions evolved

PolitiFact/St. Petersburg Times evaluated Republican claims in campaign ads about Medicare and the new health law that are "targeting older voters who may be worried their Medicare benefits will be harmed." Such ads are airing in Florida, Pennsylvania and California. "PolitiFact found each of those attacks to be Barely True. In these attacks and many others, PolitiFact found the ads have taken a small amount of truth — the Democratic incumbent's vote in favor of the health care law — and exaggerated the impact.

13 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 12, 2010

Today's early morning highlights from major news organizations look at a probe of a California hospital chain, the effect that the governors' races around the country will have on the federal health law and a review of prescription purchases that shows more Americans are foregoing their medicines.

12 Oct 2010

DHHS awards Medicare fraud contract to TerraMedica

Healthcare Technology firm TerraMedica LLC announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. TerraMedica will conduct an assessment of fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare claims utilizing a pre-payment predictive scoring system.

12 Oct 2010

Healthy lifestyle can reduce breast cancer risk in women with family history

Having a family history of breast cancer can lead some people to wonder if their risk is out of their control. However, a study of more than 85,000 postmenopausal women observed that regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and drinking less alcohol lowers breast cancer risk for women with, and without a family history of the disease.

12 Oct 2010

HHS awards $727 million to community health centers as part of new law

The Obama administration late last week announced it is awarding $727 million to community health centers around the nation to help them build new clinics and improve the safety net, The Washington Post reports.

12 Oct 2010

Arizona struggles with severe Medicaid cuts; Medicaid fraud task force targets abuse in Iowa

Doctors and health advocates are up in arms over significant cuts to Arizona's Medicaid program to save $27 million, but the worst is yet to come: A $1 billion budget shortfall is expected next year.

12 Oct 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

HHS awards $4.8 million grant for Teen Prevention Education Program

Possibilities of genetics research, personalized medicine, and behavioral intervention

Health law's new patient-centered outcomes board takes shape; More insurance waiver requests expected

Oseltamivir reduces mortality in influenza A/H5N1 patients

SAMHSA awards grants to expand substance abuse treatment in offender reentry programs

SAMHSA awards grants to provide integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services

First Edition: October 14, 2010

Center for Global Health faculty to participate in consortium to enhance medical knowledge in Nigeria

White House will delay W-2 insurance reporting requirement, other health reform news

Planned Parenthood launches campaign for free contraceptives as part of health law

Federal guidance aims to reduce misuse of synthetic DNA to create dangerous organisms

10% of children have serious mental health condition, but only one-third receive treatment

SAMHSA awards State Incentive Grants for substance abuse prevention

In tight budgets, states cutting back on Medicaid programs for disabled

Health care politics: Republican messages examined, how state propositions evolved

First Edition: October 12, 2010

DHHS awards Medicare fraud contract to TerraMedica

Healthy lifestyle can reduce breast cancer risk in women with family history

HHS awards $727 million to community health centers as part of new law

Arizona struggles with severe Medicaid cuts; Medicaid fraud task force targets abuse in Iowa

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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