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Emphasis on 'How' missing from 'IF campaign' against global hunger

The "Enough Food for Everyone If" campaign (IF campaign), "supported by a coalition of more than 100 development organizations, has identified four priorities on aid, land, tax avoidance and market transparency," Zahid Torres-Rahman, founder of Business Fights Poverty, writes in the Guardian Sustainable Business blog.

9 Feb 2013

Education and response programs reduce opioid overdose deaths

Results from a US study suggest that a state-supported program of overdose education and nasal naloxone distribution for potential bystanders can help reduce opioid-related overdose deaths.

8 Feb 2013

Fifth GOP governor backs Medicaid expansion

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced Monday that he will push to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income Ohioans, as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pledged to fund such expansions longterm.

6 Feb 2013

Demand for family planning services growing in Malawi despite challenges

IRIN examines access to family planning services in Malawi, where women have an average of 5.8 children and the population is expected to grow from 15 million in 2010 to 50 million in 2050, according to the news service.

6 Feb 2013

High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda wraps up second meeting

The U.N. Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda wrapped up its second meeting on Friday in Monrovia, Liberia, with British Prime Minister David Cameron, a co-chair of the panel, "saying it is possible to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide within our generation," Liberia's The Inquirer reports.

6 Feb 2013

Women in developed countries survive roughly 10 years longer after breast cancer diagnosis

Women in developed countries survive roughly 10 years longer after a breast cancer diagnosis compared to women in poor-to-middle-income countries, a new University of Michigan study suggests.

6 Feb 2013

Blog examines U.S. commitment to ending global hunger

"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been a champion of the fight to end global hunger and undernutrition, making the case for increased investments in food security and nutrition to help move people out of poverty, create stronger communities, and build a more stable world," Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for global food security, writes in a post in the State Department's "DipNote" blog.

5 Feb 2013

Debate about health law's Medicaid expansion is hot topic in state Capitols

Lawmakers, officials and health advocates continue to press their policy positions on the pros and cons of expanding the Medicaid program.

2 Feb 2013

Medicaid news: Minn. effort to expand program praised

Officials in Texas, Oregon, Minnesota and California consider a myriad of changes to their Medicaid programs -- including fitting maintenance or expansion of coverage for the poor into tightening budgets.

1 Feb 2013

Longer looks: Dr. Oz, deconstructed; Malpractice and apology

Oprah Winfrey first referred to Mehmet Oz as "America's doctor" in 2004, during one of his earliest appearances on her television show. The label stuck. Oz was a rare find: so eloquent and telegenic that people are often surprised to learn that he is a highly credentialled member of the medical establishment. ... "The Dr. Oz Show" frequently focusses on essential health issues: the proper ways to eat, relax, exercise, and sleep, and how to maintain a healthy heart. Much of the advice Oz offers is sensible, and is rooted solidly in scientific literature.

1 Feb 2013

Opinion pieces address Bill Gates' annual letter

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Wednesday released his annual letter.

1 Feb 2013

States and the Medicaid expansion: This year's big choice

One of the biggest decisions governors and legislatures will wrestle with in 2013 is whether to pursue the health law's Medicaid expansion.

30 Jan 2013

Study shows high stress levels among rural pregnant women

Stress during pregnancy puts mothers' and their babies' health at risk, previous research has shown. Now, a University of Missouri study indicates low-income pregnant women in rural areas experience high levels of stress yet lack appropriate means to manage their emotional and physical well-being. Health providers should serve as facilitators and link rural women with resources.

30 Jan 2013

Post-2015 development goals should address shortcomings of current MDGs

"Later this week, a group of 26 people will meet in Liberia to discuss how the world should tackle global development challenges over the next decade or two," Ben Leo, global policy director of the ONE Campaign, writes in a TrustLaw opinion piece.

30 Jan 2013

How the Medicaid expansion is playing in certain states

In New Jersey, advocates are making a case for the state to pursue this part of the health law, but Wisconsin's governor is pointing to its complexity as an argument against it. The Washington state legislature is also giving an expansion a long look.

29 Jan 2013

In fight against hunger, 6 principles to increase resilience in food-insecure communities

"As we grow more interconnected, a range of complex risks, including climate change, environmental degradation, population growth, conﬂict, and food and fuel price volatility, are exacerbating the challenges faced by vulnerable communities," Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP); José Graziano da Silva, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); and Kanayo Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), write in the Huffington Post's "World Economic Forum" blog.

29 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Debating P4P; ‘Tactical retreat' by GOP; The virtues of across-the-board spending cuts

Instead of granting automatic pay increases, N.Y. City's public hospital system will pay them based on how well they reduce costs, increase patient satisfaction and improve the quality of care. The Health and Hospitals Corporation, which runs the city's 11 public hospitals, deserves praise for an ambitious proposal that will need to be refined as it is put into practice.

28 Jan 2013

Bill Gates's annual letter to focus on measurement to fight poverty, disease

Writing in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation, discusses his annual letter, which will be sent on January 30, according to the blog.

28 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Medicare obligation is heavy future obligation; Mental health's 'elephant in the room'

A growing body of empirical evidence points to increasing dependency on state largess. The evidence documents as well a number of perverse and disturbing changes that this entitlement state is imposing on society. ... Social Security and Medicare have already made tens of trillions of dollars in future promises that are not covered by their expected funding streams. If and when outside resources are required to honor their promises, these entitlements become transfer programs, not insurance programs.

28 Jan 2013

Research roundup: Does higher Rx drug spending lower Medicare costs?; Price transparency doesn't affect radiological decisions

Researchers aimed to find a relationship between geographic variation in Medicare Part D spending and medication-taking behavior among patients with diabetes or heart failure.

28 Jan 2013