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Iowa State University researchers awarded 30 ARRA grants worth $16.38M

Iowa State University researchers have so far won 30 grants worth a total $16.38 million from federal agencies awarding money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

17 Feb 2010

Budget cuts hit health care services in Minnesota, Oklahoma and California

Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal to cut a net of $347 million from programs for sick, aged, disabled and jobless people is akin to the advice an ailing George Washington got from his doctors 210 years ago, one critic said Monday: Bleed him, in hope of a cure. Pawlenty would eliminate the General Assistance program in which about 20,000 disabled and very-low-income people receive an average of $175 a month.

16 Feb 2010

Contraceptive sex education and 'empowerment' for ten-year-old children

International Planned Parenthood Foundation's recently released report, "Stand and Deliver: Sex, Health and Young People in the 21st Century," advocates policies that jeopardize the well-being of children's health, the importance of parents and the moral values of our society, Family Research Council said today.

10 Feb 2010

APA releases proposed draft diagnostic criteria for DSM-5

The American Psychiatric Association today released the proposed draft diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The draft criteria represent content changes under consideration for DSM, which is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health and other health professionals, and is used for diagnostic and research purposes.

10 Feb 2010

Insurers bringing plans into compliance with new mental health rules

The Wall Street Journal reports that insurers are bringing their insurance plans in compliance with new rules and laws that make mental health and substance abuse insurance coverage available to millions of Americans.

8 Feb 2010

Substance use disorder treatment for workers without health insurance promotes safe and productive workplaces

An estimated 3 million full-time workers in America without health insurance (16.3 percent of all full-time workers without health care insurance) needed substance use treatment in the past year according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Levels of need were particularly high among those in this category who were aged 18 to 25 (24.4 percent) and males (19.2 percent).

5 Feb 2010

"Knowledge deficit" about methadone responsible for resulting deaths

In a unique and comprehensive literature review of poisoning deaths involving opioids from 1999 -- 2009, the deaths involving methadone were found to be disproportionately high. Methadone represented less than five percent of all opioid prescriptions but is responsible for a third of the deaths. After four years of investigation, the major underlying cause was found to be fundamental misunderstandings about the properties of the medicine -- a "knowledge deficit" -- especially when converting patients from other opioids.

4 Feb 2010

Regular physical activity prevents chronic illness: Surgeon General urged to make outdoor time a health priority

National Wildlife Federation (NWF), more than 200 health, conservation, youth, and other organizations, and 16,300 Americans are urging the new surgeon general to make time outdoors a health priority for children.

4 Feb 2010

Inverness Medical Innovations to acquire Kroll's Substance Abuse Testing division

Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., a global leader in enabling individuals to take charge of their health at home through the merger of rapid diagnostics and health management, announced today that it has entered into a binding agreement with Kroll Inc., a subsidiary of Marsh and McLennan Companies, Inc. to purchase its Substance Abuse Testing division (Kroll Laboratory Specialists, Inc.), its business unit providing forensic quality substance abuse testing products and services across the United States.

4 Feb 2010

Dopamine plays a critical role in behavioral processes

People have typically viewed the benefits that accrue with social status primarily from the perspective of external rewards. A new paper in the February 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier suggests that there are internal rewards as well.

3 Feb 2010

HHS appoints new members to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the appointment of 24 new members to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The PACHA’s chair, Dr. Helene Gayle, was appointed in August 2009.

2 Feb 2010

Millennium Laboratories supports CLIA certification for Florida clinical laboratories

Millennium Laboratories, Inc., a leading provider of therapeutic drug monitoring and education to physicians and staff treating chronic pain patients, today announced the company’s support for a recent decision by the Florida Pain Management Clinic Standards of Practice Joint Committee to amend draft regulatory language related to the certification of clinical laboratories providing services to pain physicians operating in the state.

2 Feb 2010

New mental health coverage rules promise to end some discrimination

Reuters: Employer-provided group health plans must offer the same level of coverage for mental illness and drug abuse treatment as for other ailments, according to federal regulations issued on Friday.

31 Jan 2010

New rules providing parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans for treatment of mental disorders issued

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury today jointly issued new rules providing parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans who need treatment for mental health or substance use disorders.

30 Jan 2010

New research suggests lead may trigger attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is among the costliest of behavioral disorders. Its combination of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity leads to accidental injuries, school failure, substance abuse, antisocial behavior and more. Yet despite nearly a century of study, the disorder's roots remain mysterious.

29 Jan 2010

Ecstasy-related death rates in young users is a major public health issue

A paper by a University of Hertfordshire academic due to be published tomorrow (29 January 2010), reports that excess ecstasy-related death rates in young users is a cause for concern.

29 Jan 2010

NIDA supports Omeros' Addiction program

Omeros Corporation today announced that the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is providing support for the Company's Addiction program. NIDA will fund substantially all of the costs of a Phase 2 clinical study to be conducted by New York State Psychiatric Institute researchers.

28 Jan 2010

NINR provides $1.27M in grant to improve end-of-life care in prison

Improved delivery of end-of-life care in prison is the focus of a $1.27-million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research that has Penn State researchers working with employees from six Pennsylvania prisons and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

28 Jan 2010

NET acquires Riverside Care; preserves patient services and employee jobs

NorthEast Treatment Centers (NET), a community-based provider of behavioral health and social services, announced its acquisition of Riverside Care, Inc., formerly an affiliate of Eagleville Foundation, Eagleville, PA.

27 Jan 2010

ACF and SAMHSA notify that TANF funds can be used to help families treat short term mental health

In the face of growing need for mental health and substance abuse treatment, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are notifying states about how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds can be used to help families in their communities in need of short term mental health or substance use treatment services.

23 Jan 2010