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5-year global cooperative agreement awarded to IntraHealth International

IntraHealth International has been awarded a new 5-year global cooperative agreement, with a $300 million ceiling, by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the quality of health services in the developing world by strengthening the health care workforce.

21 Oct 2009

World Medical Association adopts climate change, task shifting resolutions

At its general assembly in New Delhi, India, the World Medical Association (WMA), "a conglomerate of medical associations around the world," approved a plan that aims "to minimise the risk of increased malnutrition deaths, diseases and injuries due to climate change," IANS/Thaindian News reports (10/17).

20 Oct 2009

Website answers questions about 'end of life'

Questions about end of life are as old as humanity, yet they can be new and overwhelming when someone we care about is dying.

19 Oct 2009

Workers to pay more for health care next year, consultants say

Co-pays and deductibles are likely to increase in 2010 for employees, Hewitt Associates, a consulting group, says.

19 Oct 2009

Wellness programs may face regulations to protect genetic information

Some employers using wellness and disease management programs to lower costs may soon face a new regulatory obstacle, the Wall Street Journal reports.

15 Oct 2009

SHEA urges CDC to remove the use of N95 respirators from its recommendations for routine care

Today's announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it is modifying its guidance regarding measures that should be taken by healthcare workers who are in contact with either confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 was met with concern by the scientific community that had submitted its recommendations to CDC.

15 Oct 2009

Federal money for COBRA has helped many but may soon end

Keeping health care after being laid off from a job is a serious concern for many people. COBRA is a health insurance program that allows people to temporarily continue their coverage, although the worker must pick up the cost of the plan. "That price, however, is one that all but a fraction of laid-off workers find much too high.

15 Oct 2009

Caregivers to be honored by Shield Healthcare, announces its 9th annual story contest

Shield Healthcare, a leading provider of medical supplies for care at home, is pleased to announce its 9th annual story contest on "What Makes Caregiving Rewarding?" designed to recognize and hear the voice of caregivers and home healthcare professionals, featuring celebrity contest judge, Sandra Mitchell of KCAL 9/CBS 2 News. Shield Healthcare understands that caregiving is a demanding job. A significant number of our customers are family caregivers at home, tending to a loved one with a chronic medical condition.

14 Oct 2009

States eye budget cuts and health reform

Pennsylvania's hospitals got a small piece of good news when an overdue budget came with smaller than expected cuts. But there and in other states, programs continue to find programs and budgets on the chopping block.

14 Oct 2009

Sandata Technologies and Allscripts sign agreement to implement Santrax

Sandata Technologies, Inc., a leading nationwide provider of information technology solutions to the home healthcare and social services communities, today announced an agreement with Allscripts the leader in software, services, information, and connectivity solutions for physicians, hospitals and post-acute providers, making Santrax the preferred electronic time and attendance provider for current and future home care agency clients of Allscripts.

13 Oct 2009

Wake Forest University School of Medicine honours researchers

Wake Forest University School of Medicine honored eight of its researchers with awards for excellence at the 13th Annual Research Awards Day Oct. 1.

12 Oct 2009

Mentalympians announces its inaugural Advisory Group

Mentalympians(TM) announced today, on this World Mental Health Day, its inaugural Advisory Group, consisting of twelve advisors based in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States of America. Profiles of the advisors are found on www.mentalympians.org.

12 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet comment examines an Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm) program to help countries procure subsidized artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs).

9 Oct 2009

Needlestick injuries in home care nursing can also affect patients

Patients continue to enter home healthcare ''sicker and quicker," often with complex health problems that may require extensive nursing care. This increases the risk of needlestick injuries in home healthcare nurses.

8 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health News: U.S. aid to Somalia; Nigerian health workers strike; male circumcision in Swaziland; PEPFAR in Uganda

The U.S. State and Treasury departments together with USAID have reached an agreement that will allow several aid agencies in Somalia to receive humanitarian grants upon meeting several conditions, "unlock[ing] millions of dollars in relief resources that had been on hold due to US anti-terrorism rules," IRIN reports.

7 Oct 2009

Health reform may open employment opportunities

Health reform could open new opportunities for workers and employers, according to U.S. News and World Report. "If healthcare reform makes insurance much more affordable to individuals and businesses, it could result in a greater variety of career options for workers. For one thing, it would reduce barriers to entrepreneurship.

6 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 6, 2009

Kathy Young, the veteran benefits administrator for a large plumbing supply company headquartered in Madison, Wis., is well versed in the often fiendish complexities of medical bills (Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post).

6 Oct 2009

Center for Health Value Innovation aligns with ACOEM and IBI to launch HPM Clinics

The Center for Health Value Innovation (www.vbhealth.org), the nation’s premier information exchange for value-based design, today announced an alignment with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Integrated Benefits Institute, creating a powerful triumvirate to better articulate the value of health and productivity management (HPM).

6 Oct 2009

Patient and caregiver tools available in Spanish and French translations

Today, the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) released Spanish and French translations of patient/caregiver tools, Taking Care of MY Health Care and My Medicine List. The tools, originally developed in English, provide a resource which patients and their caregivers can use to improve outcomes and satisfaction with the health care they receive.

6 Oct 2009

New York health workers protest H1N1 vaccine mandate

The first doses of H1N1 vaccines are expected to be released this week and a controversy brews as health workers protest a flu vaccine mandate. CBS News reports that health care workers in New York's capital "vowed to fight an unprecedented order from state health officials: a requirement for every health care worker to get seasonal and H1N1 flu shots or face the possibility of being fired."

6 Oct 2009