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Opioids can be a safe and effective treatment for pain, shows study

A study published in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) by Dhalla et al. has reviewed opioid-related deaths in Ontario from 1991 to 2004. The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) is very concerned that a small percentage of the population is misusing opioid analgesics, also called narcotic pain killers, resulting in harm and even death.

8 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Clean water in India; cholera in Kenya; Zuma, Gates discuss HIV/AIDS; MDR-TB in Marshall Islands; sanitation in Jakarta

India's Tata Group on Monday "unveiled a new low-cost water purifier, which it hopes will provide safe drinking water for millions and cut the toll of deadly diseases," Agence France-Presse/mysinchew.com reports.

8 Dec 2009

U.S. bishops recommend the Senate to support Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment

The U.S. bishops have voiced support for the Nelson-Hatch-Casey Amendment to the Senate health reform bill and have asked voters to back it.

8 Dec 2009

The big health reform issues bedeviling Harry Reid

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports on the outlook in the Senate during its weekend session and Majority Leader Harry Reid's continuing efforts to advance the cause.

8 Dec 2009

Workforce Alliance receives $134,790 grant to fund workforce training program

Workforce Alliance was awarded a $134,790 grant by the State of Florida to fund a workforce training program aimed at meeting the high need for skilled health care workers in Palm Beach County.

8 Dec 2009

Snowe becomes less prominent in health debate, McCain more partisan

News outlets report on some of the key players in the health care debate, including Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both Democrats, and Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif.

8 Dec 2009

WHO to expand tobacco control efforts in Africa

The WHO announced Friday it was expanding its efforts to control tobacco use in Africa, Reuters/ABC News reports. The agency "said it wanted to stop tobacco from becoming as prevalent in Africa as it is in other parts of the world and would set up a regional hub in 2010 for health experts to work with governments to introduce anti-smoking policies," the news service writes.

8 Dec 2009

New York Times examines cash transfer, other aid to Malawian children

The New York Times looks at how aid is distributed to children who have lost parents in Malawi and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa and examines differing views on orphanages.

8 Dec 2009

Multi-institutional team explores regenerative techniques for injured spinal cords

For more than 400 years, scientists have studied the amazing regenerative power of salamanders, trying to understand how these creatures routinely repair injuries that would usually leave humans and other mammals paralyzed - or worse.

8 Dec 2009

Small businesses recast reform role in hopes of health care cost relief

The small business lobby is retooling its image as it considers how health care reform will affect its standing, CQ Politics reports. For the National Federation of Independent Business the "health care overhaul, more than any other political issue, is how the trade association made its name.

8 Dec 2009

States struggle with budget cuts and Medicaid funding issues

News outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level especially budget cuts and Medicaid funding issues.

7 Dec 2009

Intellectual Property Watch examines WHO working group on drug development financing

Intellectual Property Watch examines the wrap-up of a WHO meeting of experts discussing innovative ways to finance research and development for products to treat diseases in developing countries and reports that recommendations by the group are expected to be released within a few weeks.

7 Dec 2009

Senate Democrats seek agreement on public plan alternative

The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones: "Senate Democrats appear ... closer to reaching agreement on an alternative to a government-run health-insurance plan in health-care overhaul legislation, even as they dealt with disagreement within their party on abortion. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, (D., Mich.) told reporters Monday that Democrats are 'rapidly coming to a conclusion' on language within the bill, including a public-plan alternative."

7 Dec 2009

H1N1 reported in Gaza, Southern Sudan

Two women have become the first to die from H1N1 (swine flu) in Gaza, health officials said Monday, Agence France-Presse/Inquirer.net reports. The announcement came after five patients were confirmed to have H1N1 - the first cases in the region.

7 Dec 2009

Nelson introduces abortion amendment to Senate health bill

The Hill: "The Senate took a crucial step toward a showdown on abortion with the introduction of an amendment by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and nine other anti-abortion rights senators." Nelson has indicated that he will join a Republican filibuster effort "if strict abortion language is not adopted."

7 Dec 2009

Obama urges Senators to seize 'historic opportunity'

In a meeting Sunday with Senate Democrats, President Obama urged "a fractious Democratic caucus to pull together to pass landmark health-care legislation," eschewing any policy particulars such as abortion or the public option, The Washington Post reports. A White House spokesman said Obama reminded senators of their "historic opportunity to provide stability and security for those who have insurance, affordable coverage for those who don't, and bring down the cost of health care for families, small businesses and the government" (Murray and Montgomery, 12/7).

7 Dec 2009

Senators to take on abortion this week

Senate Democrats will begin the new week by taking on one of the most divisive issues for their caucus: abortion. The Associated Press reports Democratic leaders are hoping a pep talk by President Obama Sunday and ongoing negotiations on the topic will buttress their effort to address the issue and move on. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., an anti-abortion centrist, introduced an amendment that would ban private health plans that receive federal subsidies from covering abortions, even if they are paid for by patients' premiums, much as the House has done. Liberals say that language is too restrictive.

7 Dec 2009

Last-ditch public option compromise looks to federal employees' plan

As the health care debate grinds forward, Majority Leader Harry Reid asked a group of ten Democratic senators - five liberals and five centrists - to forge a compromise on a government-operated health insurer, The New York Times reports. Even among Democrats, moderates and liberals differ on this thorny issue. "The push for a deal on the public option indicated the pressure Democrats were feeling to resolve their differences if they hope to pass the bill by their self-imposed deadline of Christmas" (Pear and Herszenhorn, 12/6).

7 Dec 2009

Investigation: Temp firms often employ incompetent nurses

"Firms that supply temporary nurses to the nation's hospitals are taking perilous shortcuts in their screening and supervision, sometimes putting seriously ill patients in the hands of incompetent or impaired caregivers," ProPublica and The Los Angeles Times report. "Emboldened by a chronic nursing shortage and scant regulation, the firms vie for their share of a free-wheeling, $4-billion industry. Some have become havens for nurses who hopscotch from place to place to avoid the consequences of their misconduct."

7 Dec 2009

KHN column: The true costs of reform

In his latest column, a collaboration between Kaiser Health News and the New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes about the ongoing discourse surrounding the cost of reform.

7 Dec 2009