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Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

Americans United for Life CEO's statement on the new House health care bill

"Just as Americans United for Life had expected, the new House health care bill unveiled this morning includes the Capps Amendment language added during the Energy and Commerce Committee mark-up. This bill will explicitly allow federal funding of abortion through the public option and permits federal subsidies to go to private insurance plans that cover abortion. The bill also ensures that at least one health insurance plan must cover abortion in every area of the country."

30 Oct 2009

All Canadians need to be immunized against H1N1: CPHA

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) announced today that it is encouraging Canadians to get the H1N1 vaccination. To help people make an informed choice, it is launching a new online portal of information.

30 Oct 2009

Study shows how differing Asian cultures and attitudes impact cancer screening rates

The Asian continent has nearly four billion people living in 47 different countries, and each of these groups has their own unique set of health issues. But when they come to the United States, they're often lumped into one large demographic: "Asian/Pacific Islander."

30 Oct 2009

Reading levels of kidney transplant consent forms can make it difficult for patients to make informed decisions

Kidney transplant consent forms are often written at a level that makes it difficult for many kidney patients to fully understand them, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego, CA. The study findings indicate that consent forms are written on average at a 12th-grade reading level, but to ensure all patients fully comprehend treatment options should be prepared at a 5th - 8th grade reading level.

30 Oct 2009

Pelosi chooses compromise approach to public option in reform bill

A health care reform bill set to be unveiled this morning will include a government-run public option for health insurance that will negotiate rates with insurers, much like private insurers operate.

29 Oct 2009

Study on quality of health care for US-born Latinos and undocumented Latinos

Where Latinos are born and their immigration status affect the quality of health care they receive in the US, according to Professor Michael Rodr-guez and colleagues from the UCLA Department of Family Medicine and the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare based in Los Angeles, California.

29 Oct 2009

CDC says U.S. H1N1 vaccine supplies on the rise; Senators question government's handling of H1N1 vaccination program

Supplies of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine are steadily increasing in the U.S. and should soon be more widely accessible in the next two weeks, the CDC said on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. During a press briefing, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said that 22.4 million vaccine doses are now available for states to order (Norman, 10/27). "We're beginning to get to significant increases in the availability," Frieden said.

28 Oct 2009

PureWellness announces enhancements to the PureWellness platform

PureWellness, Inc., a leading provider of online wellness solutions, announced the release of fourteen product additions and enhancements to the PureWellness platform.

28 Oct 2009

Two-year trial to test effectiveness of behavioral psychotherapy for young adolescents with autism

The USF Health Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry in St. Petersburg, FL, is conducting a two-year federal trial testing the effectiveness of behavioral psychotherapy in treating anxiety among young adolescents with autism.

28 Oct 2009

HealthEdge launches Benefit Predictor enterprise-class software platform

HealthEdge, provider of the only modern, enterprise-class software platform for healthcare payors, today announced the availability of Benefit Predictor, a revolutionary new capability that is now a standard part of its HealthRules Payor application. This new functionality provides HealthEdge clients with a significant competitive advantage related to both transparency and customer service, as it enables them to quickly and easily answer the most complex benefit questions from their members and providers.

28 Oct 2009

Reid's end game? Senate bill will have public option with 'opt out'

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced yesterday that he will include a public insurance plan in the final Senate health overhaul legislation.

27 Oct 2009

Climate change and public health: only fives states have published public health response plans, says study

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) released a new report today that finds only five states have published a strategic climate change plan that includes a public health response. This includes planning for health challenges and emergencies expected to develop from natural disasters, pollution, and infectious diseases as temperatures and sea levels rise.

27 Oct 2009

New guidebook for long term care planning

The good news is that Americans are living longer. The bad news is that millions are outliving their money; and when they need long term care, they face bleak prospects. According to a new guidebook from LTC Financial Partners, LLC (LTCFP), the unprepared are either forced to move into a nursing home funded by Medicaid, or to live with relatives who must disrupt their lives to care for them.

27 Oct 2009

Public lecture on "swearing as a response to pain"

Dr Richard Stephens and his colleagues John Atkins and Andrew Kingston found that swearing can increase pain tolerance. Sixty-four undergraduate volunteers were asked to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water for as long as possible while repeating a swear word of their choice; they were then asked to repeat the experiment, this time using a more commonplace word that they would use to describe a table.

27 Oct 2009

Amedisys announces its financial results for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009

Amedisys, Inc., one of America’s leading home health nursing companies, today reported its financial results for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2009. We posted record financial performance with net service revenue and net income attributable to Amedisys, Inc., increasing 20.7% and 53.0%, respectively, over the three-month period ended September 30, 2008.

27 Oct 2009

Music can increase memory and language skills

Regularly playing a musical instrument changes the anatomy and function of the brain and may be used in therapy to improve cognitive skills.

27 Oct 2009

In the House, Democrats opposed to abortion threaten reform bill

Some House Democrats opposed to abortion are threatening to thwart health care reform legislation if it does not clearly steer away from funding abortions. Congress Daily reports: "With Republicans likely to try to use the emotional issue to draw support and money for 2010 contests, Democrats tried to make the bill 'abortion neutral' -- maintaining existing federal policy without further restricting abortion rights.

26 Oct 2009

AAO-PAAO meeting discusses tougher challenges of treating premature babies' vision

Highlights of today's Scientific Program of the 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting include: John T. Flynn, MD, Columbia University School of Medicine, discussing the ever-tougher challenges Eye M.D.s face in caring for the vision of the tiniest premature babies; and a report by Bradford W. Lee, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, on barriers to glaucoma follow-up as perceived by patients in an urban, culturally diverse clinic.

26 Oct 2009

Saving sight in premature babies: The past, present and future of ROP treatment

26 Oct 2009

Internet training can improve brain activity in older adults

You can teach an old dog new tricks, say UCLA scientists who found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience were able to trigger key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning after just one week of surfing the Web.

26 Oct 2009