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China smoking ban in place

Starting today all bars, restaurants, hospitals and other public places in China are slated to become smoke-free, inside and out. Efforts to ban smoking in public places here have been plagued by false starts and failed campaigns.

1 May 2011

Survey reports 60% of workers feel guilty if they call in sick

Sniff, sniff. Achoo! With cold and flu season in full swing, these sounds are likely to be heard around the office. A new CareerBuilder Canada survey finds that 66 per cent of workers typically go to work when they are sick.

29 Apr 2011

WellPoint offers health coaches for employees to resolve clinical issues

Most of us agree, there have been times we've needed a coach. Our closets are a mess and our bank account(s), even more so. Marital bliss is far from effortless, and our own teenage angst was a walk in the park compared to what we're currently living with.

28 Apr 2011

Five Loyola employees donate kidneys to complete strangers

Loyola University Medical Center is believed to be the first organization in the country, and perhaps the world, in which five employees have each donated kidneys to complete strangers with no strings attached.

28 Apr 2011

U.S. Labor Department campaign to educate workers on heat-related illnesses

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today will announce, from Anaheim, Calif., a national outreach initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.

27 Apr 2011

U.S. President's Malaria Initiative releases fifth annual report

Each year, World Malaria Day is observed to call attention to the disease and to mobilize action to combat it. On this occasion, the President's Malaria Initiative, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, releases its fifth annual report, which describes the role and contributions of the U.S. Government in the effort to reduce the burden of malaria in Africa.

26 Apr 2011

People who travel extensively for business have high rates of health risk factors

People who travel extensively for business have increased rates of poor health and health risk factors, including obesity and high blood pressure, reports a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

26 Apr 2011

Geisinger's Geriatric Assessment Program helps seniors promote good health

Some seniors may need help getting around town, while others may need assistance getting around the house. Regardless of the degree of need, Geisinger Health System utilizes a systematic approach through its Geriatric Assessment Program to identify the medical and social needs of a geriatric patient to design a custom course of treatment to help seniors and their families successfully manage the aging process.

25 Apr 2011

Research roundup: New hips, Medicare & hospital stays; Medicaid update

JAMA: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Medicare Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty, 1991-2008 - "Total hip arthroplasty is a common surgical procedure but little is known about longitudinal trends," according to this study which found that "Between 1991 and 2008, the mean age for patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty increased from 74.1 to 75.1 years and for revision total hip arthroplasty from 75.8 to 77.3 years (P < .001)."

22 Apr 2011

Department of VA to host nationwide employee wellness program

The Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting a nationwide 2K Walk and Roll event at more than 130 VA facilities on June 2 in support of employee wellness month. The event will also encourage employee and local community support of homeless Veterans.

22 Apr 2011

Health Partners earns NCQA accreditation for high quality care

Health Partners announced today that it is the first health plan in the nation to receive the new, "Multicultural Health Care Distinction" from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the nation's most trusted independent source for health care quality accreditation.

22 Apr 2011

State roundup: Michigan tries new strategy on high risk pools

Michigan today announced a new effort to sign up the chronically uninsured onto health plans after the state's first attempt did not attract enough customers.

20 Apr 2011

Colorado: Rural health care gets boost from Service Corps program

In other workforce news, a new law is working its way through the California Senate that would require background checks and "elementary care instruction" for all workers who help out in seniors' homes.

18 Apr 2011

Ascom to add alarm functionality to its i62 Protector for safe working environment

Ascom Wireless Solutions, the leading supplier of on-site wireless communications will add advanced alarm functionality to their VoWiFi handset, the Ascom i62 Protector, enabling personnel to feel secure when working in isolated environments or alone.

18 Apr 2011

Women experience more severe and frequent domestic violence than men

Domestic violence knows no boundaries: cultural, socio-economic, religious, level of education, gender or age. It can occur in any relationship and to anyone, but especially to women. In fact, roughly 25 percent of women will become a victim at one time or another during her lifetime.

16 Apr 2011

Report highlights dangers aid workers face, suggests strategies to ensure their safety

Over the past decade, humanitarian aid worker casualties have tripled, rising to more than 100 deaths per year, according to a report (.pdf) released Tuesday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), the Associated Press reports (Snow, 4/12).

15 Apr 2011

New maternity scheme in Queensland

Queensland Health has introduced a new maternity scheme. The expecting mothers in Dysart, Middlemount, Moranbah, Clermont and Glenden shall now have a wider variety of options to choose from when it comes to choosing how their pregnancy be managed.

11 Apr 2011

State News: N.Y. billing for disabled patients questioned

While the nation's attention has been focused on state worker battles in union strongholds such as Ohio and Wisconsin, quiet but consequential labor battles are breaking out in Kansas, Texas and other states where collective bargaining rights for public workers were weak or non-existent to begin with. The outcome of these confrontations will have a big impact.

8 Apr 2011

NCAJ launches new Web site to inform North Carolinians about workers comp bill

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice has launched a new Web site to inform North Carolinians about potential legislation that will restrict their rights if injured on the job.

8 Apr 2011

State roundup: Report urges Mass. city employees to pay more health costs

Officially, Minnesota doesn't pay for an intensive type of autism therapy. Yet it has -- but only for some families. Two years ago, a single mother in the Twin Cities asked the state Medicaid program to pay for an intensive type of autism therapy for her 2-year-old son. She was turned down. State officials said the treatment -- known as Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA -- is "not now, and never has been,'' a covered service.

6 Apr 2011