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Health-care reform bills continue to benefit illegal aliens

Assurances that the two health-care reform bills would not benefit illegal aliens are not accurate. A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies examines in detail the immigration-related provisions of both the House-passed HR 3962 and the bill now being debated in the Senate, HR 3590. The report concludes that the bills, in their current form, would indeed give illegal aliens access to taxpayer-funded health care well beyond emergency medical treatment.

3 Dec 2009

Bishop-endorsed healthcare system can undermine medical treatments and preventative measures

If the Catholic bishops have their way, many medical treatments and preventative measures we take for granted may be under threat. The pressure that the US bishops have brought to bear on the debate over healthcare reform has been widely reported.

3 Dec 2009

Uninsured residents of Kansas City can now register for free health clinic

Uninsured residents of the Kansas City area who want to attend a free health clinic at Bartle Hall on Dec. 9-10 should call 877-249-5030 toll-free as soon as possible to schedule appointments.

3 Dec 2009

NIDA funds proposed 'seek and treat' strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Dr. Julio Montaner - Director, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), and President, International AIDS Society - congratulated Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for taking a leadership role in the evaluation of the "Seek and Treat" strategy originally developed at the BC-CfE.

3 Dec 2009

HHS Secretary announces plans to support innovative Beacon Community Program

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS’ National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced today plans to make available $235 million to support an innovative Beacon Community Program.

3 Dec 2009

Hennepin Regional Poison Center receives AAPCC accreditation

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has designated Hennepin Regional Poison Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota as an accredited poison control center - a major milestone for the center. The designation by the AAPCC places the Hennepin Regional Poison Center among 58 accredited poison centers in the United States.

3 Dec 2009

NHLBI approves award of 13 contracts to improve asthma control

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has approved the award of 13 contracts to local organizations across the country to develop, implement, and test science-based approaches to improve asthma control using evidence-based national guidelines for diagnosing and managing asthma.

3 Dec 2009

LSI collaborates with United Healthcare to meet the growing demand for spinal procedures

Laser Spine Institute (LSI), the leader in minimally invasive spinal surgery, is pleased to announce a partnership with United Healthcare and affiliates after an extensive six-month negotiation and clinical review process.

3 Dec 2009

USAID administrator hearing begins

Ahead of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday, Rajiv Shah, President Barack Obama's nominee for USAID administrator, submitted "a long list of detailed answers to questions" and "weighed in on a number of substantive issues while deferring to the ongoing reviews at both State and the [National Security Council] NSC when it came to matters related to the structure of USAID and its relationship with the State Department," Foreign Policy's blog "The Cable" reports.

3 Dec 2009

U.S. unveils 5-year PEPFAR strategy

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby on Tuesday "unveiled a five-year strategy for fighting AIDS worldwide, shifting the focus from emergency response to sustainable programs in countries worldwide," Agence France-Presse reports.

3 Dec 2009

Beta blockers and stress tests before non-cardiac surgeries should be avoided, according to study

Physicians should "throttle back" from routinely ordering stress tests and prescribing beta blockers to patients before non-cardiac surgeries, according to a report by the University of Michigan released online this week.

3 Dec 2009

Spartan Chassis launches new Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport vehicle

Spartan Chassis, Inc., a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPAR), today introduced a new Non-Emergency Ambulance Transport (NEAT) vehicle at the American Ambulance Association annual conference in Las Vegas (Booth #10-11).

3 Dec 2009

The Hill examines push to get more U.S. funding for malaria medicines

The Hill examines Medicines for Malaria Venture's (MMV) efforts to get more U.S. funding for its work. According to the newspaper, the group is "asking USAID and Congress to redirect more money beginning next year to drug research and development from a pot of funds used to cover the range of efforts to treat and prevent malaria, such as providing mosquito nets."

3 Dec 2009

U.S. H1N1 cases decreasing, CDC says; HHS to review approach to health-threat preparedness

The number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the U.S. appears to be decreasing, the CDC said Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. "Flu was widespread in 32 states by the end of the week of Nov. 21, a decrease from 43 states in the prior week and 46 states earlier this fall, according to the CDC," the news service writes. "

3 Dec 2009

Senate debate moving slowly, Reid could extend session

As debate over health care reform legislation continues in the Senate, Democrats are accusing Republicans of delaying votes and strategizing over how the schedule could unfold in the coming weeks.

2 Dec 2009

Leaders respond to World AIDS Day; South Africa to expand HIV treatment program

Marking World AIDS Day on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon "warned ... that new infections are outpacing the gains from treating people with the HIV virus" and that discrimination against HIV-positive people remains "widespread," the Associated Press reports.

2 Dec 2009

Orszag: Current health bills only a first step to controlling health costs

Reuters: "Congressional efforts to revamp the U.S. healthcare system are not enough to stem soaring health costs or close the nation's budget gap, a top Obama administration official said on Wednesday." White House budget director Peter Orszag did not offer specific ideas or changes President Obama might include in his next budget proposal

2 Dec 2009

Vitro Diagnostics files a patent application for its technology related to generation of iPS cells

Vitro Diagnostics, Inc., dba Vitro Biopharma, announced the filing of a new United States patent application entitled “POU5-F1 Expression in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells” and the development of new technology related to generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).

2 Dec 2009

Senators consider women's insurance amendment, Medicare funding issues, with votes likely today

The New York Times: "In a day of desultory debate on sweeping health care legislation, senators appealed to two potent political constituencies ... with Democrats seeking additional medical benefits for women and Republicans vowing to preserve and protect Medicare for older Americans. The Democrats' first amendment, offered by Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland, would require insurers to cover more screenings and preventive care for women, with no co-payments."

2 Dec 2009

Patient enrollment complete in Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' Cotara trial

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported completion of patient enrollment in a dose confirmation and dosimetry trial of Cotara® in patients with relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer. Cotara is a targeted monoclonal antibody linked to a radioisotope being developed as a potential new treatment for GBM.

2 Dec 2009