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Kenya to launch MSM survey to help control spread of HIV

TIME examines the Kenyan government's upcoming survey of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the country's "three biggest cities" in an effort to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

10 Nov 2009

U.S., U.N. perspectives on food aid to Somalia examined

Emergency food aid to Somalia has been interrupted, partly because of a recent U.S. decision to delay food contributions to the country out of concern that it would end up in the hands of terrorists, U.N. officials said on Friday, the New York Times reports.

10 Nov 2009

Needle exchanges could be limited under Congressional bill

The New York Times reports on federal legislation that could limit needle exchanges. "A bill working its way through Congress would lift a ban of more than 20 years on using federal money for needle exchange programs.

10 Nov 2009

Military and VA struggle with mental health and other health care issues

The events at Fort Hood highlight the military's struggle to provide mental health care for soldiers, veterans and the therapists who treat them.

10 Nov 2009

House bill abortion deal creates a new set of reform challenges

The New York Times reports that a "restriction on abortion coverage, added late Saturday to the health care bill passed by the House, has energized abortion opponents with their biggest victory in years — emboldening them for a pitched battle in the Senate." The Times notes that "the provision would block the use of federal subsidies for insurance that covers elective abortions" and is a major win -- "the biggest turning point in the battle over the procedure since the ban on so-called partial birth abortions six years ago."

10 Nov 2009

Health bill triggers some complaints from industry, though some will benefit

Health care companies stand to gain from legislation that would expand their market to millions of new consumers, but many are also complaining about specific provisions of the House health care overhaul bill, the New York Times reports.

10 Nov 2009

H1N1 cases increase in China, Japan; Afghanistan attempts to contain virus

The WHO on Friday reported on a rising number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in China and Japan, Reuters/Washington Post reports. "In China, after an earlier wave of mixed influenza activity (seasonal H3N2 and pandemic H1N1), pandemic H1N1 influenza activity now predominates and is increasing," the agency said. "Sharp increases in pandemic flu infections continue to be reported throughout Japan, particularly on the northern island," the news service writes (Nebehay, 11/6).

10 Nov 2009

Employees face rising health care costs during open enrollment season

Employees are facing rising health care costs during this open enrollment season.

10 Nov 2009

VOA News examines conculsion of MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference

The 5th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan-African Conference ended Friday in Nairobi, Kenya, " with scientists expressing optimism about several developments in the works to prevent, treat, and possibly eradicate a disease that kills nearly one million people in Africa each year," VOA News reports.

10 Nov 2009

WHO report calls for improved health care for women, girls

A new WHO report, released Monday, said women tend to "receive poorer quality care throughout their lives, particularly as teenagers and elderly people" even though they live six to eight years longer than men, Reuters reports. The WHO said women worldwide are "'denied a chance to develop their full human potential' because many of their critical medical needs are ignored" (MacInnis, 11/9).

10 Nov 2009

Costly ER bills raise questions, concerns

McClatchy/The Sacramento Bee reports on a the experience of Scott Hawkins, a 23-year old student who received five minutes of ER care at the UC Davis Medical Center before being pronounced dead. McClatchy reports: "Few question the extent to which doctors tried to save the student's life on Oct. 21, but the amount billed for his emergency care has provoked outrage - a further example, critics said, of what is wrong in a health care system that is roundly maligned for its escalating costs."

9 Nov 2009

China seeks its own health reforms

The Chinese are also trying to change their health care system, but as the United States tries to extend insurance to all, "China is simply attempting to provide a modicum of coverage for its people," Reuters reports.

9 Nov 2009

Cao gives Dems lone GOP vote for health overhaul

Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-La., was the only Republican to support the health reform bill, just a year after becoming a minor GOP celebrity for capturing a reliably Democratic congressional district in New Orleans, Politico reports. His defection - not his first since joining the House this year - has now made him "a bit of a cult hero on the left" and a sought-after media star.

9 Nov 2009

Access to health care: Neighboring communities suffer differently

"For people lacking health insurance in the Washington [D.C.] region, where they live can make all the difference in getting affordable health care," The Washington Post reports. In the District of Columbia, the city provides tax-payer funded health insurance to many; though 10 percent of eligible adults remain uninsured, the city is actively seeking them out.

9 Nov 2009

VaxInnate licensed to use 3M Drug Delivery Systems' TLR agonists

3M Drug Delivery Systems has signed an agreement with VaxInnate Corporation under which VaxInnate acquires the use of 3M’s patented toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists for use as vaccine adjuvants. Data suggest that 3M’s TLR agonists could enhance vaccine potency, potentially enabling VaxInnate to develop vaccines that provide faster, more robust protection.

9 Nov 2009

With House hurdle cleared, Democrats reflect on health bill compromises

The Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team won a hard-fought victory on Obama's most critical domestic policy agenda item by neutralizing the most potentially toxic political issue well in advance of the final vote, siding with centrists on their preferred version of the public option. She then publicly dared the progressive wing, with its strong commitment to establishing national health insurance, to take down the entire package because one piece was not to their liking."

9 Nov 2009

Age rating to continue under health care bills

The Los Angeles Times reports that the health care proposals being considered by Congress would prohibit insurers from charging higher premiums based on preexisting conditions, "[b]ut the far reaching clampdown on insurers leaves one highly controversial element untouched: the issue of charging higher premiums to older policyholders than to younger, presumably healthier consumers who are less likely to file costly claims.

9 Nov 2009

Arcadia Resources receives commitments from institutional investors to purchase $11.1 million of securities

Arcadia Resources, Inc., a leading provider of innovative consumer health care services under the Arcadia HealthCare(SM) brand, today announced that it has received commitments from institutional investors to purchase $11.1 million of securities in a registered direct offering.

9 Nov 2009

Survey finds fewer Americans use therapy to manage stress

Results of a recent survey reveal that, despite an increase in stress, fewer Americans use therapy as a way to manage it.

9 Nov 2009

Public health experts urge Congress not to overlook the needs of Americans with "morbid obesity"

As the House of Representatives and the Senate debate companion bills to make health care more affordable and accessible, a coalition of obesity and public health experts today urged Congress not to overlook the needs of the more than 15 million Americans who suffer from severe obesity and are at the greatest risk for chronic disease and death.

9 Nov 2009