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2009 ASH Visitor Training Program to build hematologic capacity in developing countries

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is proud to announce the participants in the 2009 ASH Visitor Training Program, which builds hematologic capacity in developing countries. Through this program, hematologists and medical professionals from developing countries receive valuable clinical, laboratory, or technological training on a specific topic at a host institution under the mentorship of an ASH member anywhere in the world.

12 Oct 2009

Public plan - or something like it - still on the table in health reform debate

Some news outlets looked beyond the Senate Finance Committee vote on health reform to what may be in the final package considered by the full Senate.

12 Oct 2009

NIH awards Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center $38.2M in grants

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been awarded $38.2 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

12 Oct 2009

New law lets injured or ill college students keep parents' health insurance

A new federal law took effect Friday, allowing seriously ill or injured college students to keep their parents' insurance for up to a year while they take time off from school.

12 Oct 2009

CBO: Medical malpractice reform would save $54 billion over 10 years

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that reforming some aspects of medical malpractice law would reduce the federal deficit by $54 billion over a decade.

12 Oct 2009

Critical moments ahead for health reform legislation

News outlets looked ahead as the President and Capitol Hill lawmakers prepare for Tuesday's vote in the Senate Finance Committee on health overhaul legislation.

12 Oct 2009

Dems get boost from another Republican supporting health reform

Former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Thomas Scully is the latest Republican to throw his support behind health care reform.

12 Oct 2009

WCMC-Q program highlights the importance of mental health to overall physical health

Mental health professionals from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and the community highlighted the importance of mental health to overall physical health during a presentation Sunday as part of the medical college's recognition of World Mental Health Day.

12 Oct 2009

NIH launches trial for the determination of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine for asthma patients

The National Institutes of Health is preparing to launch the first government-sponsored clinical trial to determine what dose of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is needed to induce a protective immune response in people with asthma, especially those with severe disease.

12 Oct 2009

News media examine health reform roles of Snowe, Voinovich, Gregg

Newspapers focus on a few of the major players in health care reform: Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; George Voinovich, R-Ohio; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and Judd Gregg, R-N.H.

9 Oct 2009

Nursing homes and adult care centers deal with mental health issues

Families with mentally ill members have "mixed feelings" about a New York court decision on adult homes. Meanwhile, Illinois officials admit to errors in mixing mentally ill criminals with seniors in nursing homes.

9 Oct 2009

Haiti, Dominican Republic leaders aim to eradicate malaria, lymphatic filariasis by 2020, funding unclear

Leaders from Haiti and the Dominican Republic "agreed Thursday to cooperate in a campaign aimed at eradicating the last vestiges of malaria from the islands of the Caribbean by 2020," but funding sources for the estimated $250 million effort are "uncertain," the Associated Press reports.

9 Oct 2009

House Dems seek health bill support from liberals, women, and even Republicans

House Democrats are enjoying a feeling of momentum on health care, despite divisions within their own party, and rigid partisan battle lines. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, told The Hill, "I'm encouraged that we're as far along as we have come and I think we're going to make it." Another senior lawmaker said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "has held dozens of meetings to assuage the concerns of liberal and centrist Democratic colleagues" (Bolton and Young, 10/8).

9 Oct 2009

Caring for Alzheimer's patients proves costly

Newsday reports that the high cost of caring for Alzheimer's patients "can easily deplete even the deepest bank account. Because the disease lasts so long - anywhere from two to 20 years, depending on the stage at diagnosis - and because the type of care needed often falls beyond the scope of government health care programs, families find themselves scrambling to find the money needed to maintain care for their loved one."

9 Oct 2009

OMNI Health Care and Diversicare Canada receive awards for leadership and excellence

The Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) is delighted to congratulate two of its members on being nationally recognized for the levels of excellence they have achieved in developing quality relationships and processes within their organizations.

9 Oct 2009

Clinical trial reveals cholera vaccine is safe, offers protection for up to 2 years

A clinical trial of an Indian-made "modified killed-whole-cell" oral cholera vaccine "that meets WHO standards" has found that the vaccine is safe and effective in children living in parts of India where the disease is endemic, Reuters reports. The researchers, who reported their findings in the journal Lancet, hope to soon introduce the vaccine into other cholera endemic settings.

9 Oct 2009

AP examines H1N1 surveillance by U.S., WHO

The Associated Press examines how the decision by U.S. health officials to stop counting new cases of H1N1 (swine flu) in July has complicated the government's ability to assess groups particularly hard hit by the virus.

9 Oct 2009

Lawmakers renew demands for public option in health bill

Senate and House Democrats are renewing their calls for a strong government-run public option in their respective chambers.

9 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet comment examines an Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm) program to help countries procure subsidized artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs).

9 Oct 2009

The 'Turbocharged' health IT industry

Allscripts, the Chicago-based electronic medical records company, has more than doubled its profits since last year, Forbes reports in a special report. Its stock doubled, too, and it attracted nearly 50 percent more business. It's been a "sweet year" for Glen Tullman, the company's chief. That's due in part to a $19 billion infusion into the health information technology industry from the federal stimulus package.

9 Oct 2009