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NSU receives grant to improve geriatrics care

Nova Southeastern University recently received a $2.1-million federal grant to provide training to improve care for South Florida's large geriatric population now and for the future.

3 Sep 2010

Employers push higher health insurance costs onto workers

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Workers nationwide, on average, are paying nearly $4,000 toward the cost of family coverage. That's a hefty 14 percent, or $482, more for family health insurance in 2010 than in 2009.

3 Sep 2010

National Drug Control Policy announces $22 million grant in DFC program

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), today announced $22 million in new Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFC) grants to 169 communities and 16 new DFC Mentoring grants across the country.

3 Sep 2010

Botox maker agrees to pay $600 million for misbranding

The Associated Press: "Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug. The Justice Department and the company said Wednesday in a statement it will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of 'misbranding,' in which the company's marketing led physicians to use Botox for unapproved uses. Those included the treatment of headache, pain, spasticity and cerebral palsy in children.

3 Sep 2010

Egg recall raises questions about FDA

The recent salmonella outbreak/egg recall is raising questions about whether the FDA is fulfilling its regulatory role, PBS' NewsHour reports. "For the past few years, it's been one food safety scare after another. There was E. coli-laced spinach, salmonella-tainted peppers. ... There have also been problems with drugs. The ingredients in a contaminated blood thinner came from China.

3 Sep 2010

Greater Cincinnati receives award to improve health care system

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the Greater Cincinnati community was awarded a $13.8 million Beacon Community cooperative agreement.

3 Sep 2010

USA Today: Unprecedented drop in medical spending

The growth rate of health spending is at its slowest in a half-century, "a sign that people are forgoing medical care during the recession," according to an "analysis of government data" by USA Today.

3 Sep 2010

Opinions: Pakistan's rebuilding; Kenya's constitution; Development financing; Africa's black market for malaria drugs

A Washington Post editorial encouraging the U.S. to generously support Pakistan as it recovers from major flooding, states: the "humanitarian interest is heightened by Pakistan's centrality to America's national security interests. The Obama administration must seize this chance to deepen and broaden what is already a large commitment, lest Pakistan become even more of a breeding ground for terrorism."

3 Sep 2010

Parents tend to underreport their children's weight, find researchers

As the U.S. launches its first-ever National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month today, scientists say the problem may be even more widespread than was thought. Researchers have found that parents tend to underreport their children's weight. Estimates of obesity and body mass index based on parent-supplied data may miss one in five obese children.

2 Sep 2010

SXC Health Solutions declares nominal dividend on common shares

SXC Health Solutions Corp., a leading provider of pharmacy benefits management (PBM) services and Health Care Information Technology (HCIT) solutions to the healthcare benefits management industry, announced today that its board of directors has declared a nominal dividend on the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company to effect a two-for-one stock split.

2 Sep 2010

OptimumCare Corporation reports increase in net revenue for second quarter 2010

OptimumCare Corporation, a behavioral healthcare and temporary staffing services provider, today reported that the company achieved profitability in the second three months of 2010, as well as the first six months of 2010.

2 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 2, 2010

Today's headlines include reports about a new study examining the impact of the health overhaul on the small business workforce.

2 Sep 2010

Agent Orange cases expanded; Added costs raise fiscal concerns

Hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War veterans are receiving disability compensation for diseases normally associated with aging - not combat - because of the possibility of a link Agent Orange exposure. The diseases in question range from diabetes, for which 270,000 veterans receive Agent Orange-related checks, to erectile dysfunction.

2 Sep 2010

More patients research their own diseases, seek to manage chronic conditions

News outlets report on how the delivery of health care is being changed by empowered patients.

2 Sep 2010

Skills for Health publishes English regional briefings on skills and labour market environment

New resources to help health sector employers understand and respond to the fast-changing regional skills and labour market environment have been published by Skills for Health, the UK's Skills Council for healthcare.

2 Sep 2010

Study: Preemptive surgery may help prevent cancer for some women

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that women with a gene mutation linked to breast and ovarian cancer face lower risks of developing such cancer after receiving mastectomies or having their ovaries removed, The Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Sep 2010

Anvil Group receives contract to safeguard health care in Sierra Leone

UK based security company, The Anvil Group, has been awarded a contract by a long-standing client to safeguard the health and security of its international workforce during a construction project in Sierra Leone.

2 Sep 2010

WHO proposes creation of African Public Health Emergency Fund, strategy to reduce alcohol use in Africa

During the 60th session of the Africa Committee of the WHO on Monday, Luis Sambo, regional director of the WHO for Africa, proposed the creation of a public health emergency fund to provide financial support to African countries in emergency situations, Agencia AngolaPress reports (8/30).

2 Sep 2010

WFP, UNICEF heads appeal for more flood aid for Pakistan

After touring flood-hit areas in Pakistan on Tuesday, the executive directors of UNICEF and the World Food Program appealed for more flood relief aid, VOA News reports (Maroney, 8/31).

2 Sep 2010

Consulting community pharmacists by patients helps national healthcare systems save millions of euros

Hundreds of millions of euros are being saved each year for national healthcare systems by patients consulting community pharmacists rather than going straight to their doctors, says a survey to be presented today (Wednesday 1 September) at the annual conference of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

2 Sep 2010