Worker News and Research

RSS

State roundup: Mo. bill would outlaw federal health law; Texas docs got unwarranted Medicare bonuses

The Missouri House thinks the dreaded federal health care reform law is a crime. Or at least a misdemeanor. Going even further than other state legislatures fighting the law, the Missouri state House has passed a bill declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional and therefore "altogether void and of no force." Any federal worker who tries to implement it would be committing a misdemeanor.

24 Apr 2012

FDA clears Smiths Medical's ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter

Smiths Medical, a leading global medical device manufacturer, today announced that its ViaValve Safety I.V. Catheter has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and can be marketed in the United States.

23 Apr 2012

ACOEM releases 10 point Agenda for Change

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) has released its 10 point Agenda for Change - an advocacy plan intended to improve the health of America's workers and at the same time integrate workplace health more closely with the nation's overall health improvement strategies.

21 Apr 2012

First Edition: June 20, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that the Veterans' Administration will increase its mental health staffing.

20 Apr 2012

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, alleging that it was violating patients' rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment. The state settled, agreeing to an extensive court-supervised improvement plan at four hospitals with more than 4,000 patients. But a Times investigation found that the plan has failed to achieve the Justice Department's main objective: to raise the level of care so patients could control their violent tendencies and would not be institutionalized any longer than necessary.

17 Apr 2012

HHS report finds nursing homes not prepared for natural disasters

The authors suggest that the federal government mandate better planning. At the same time, many nursing home officials are arguing that as the economy improves, states should increase their funding of Medicaid.

16 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 16, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about what the future might look like when Medicare doctors' pay will be tied to quality and cost of care, as well as how consumer advocates are anxious about a key aspect of the health law.

16 Apr 2012

Report: 88 American youths died from work-related injuries in 2010

Dozens of American youth under the age of 20 die on the job each year while thousands more are injured, often due to poorly regulated work environments, according to a new report released by the Colorado School of Public Health.

10 Apr 2012

Health reform means ER use jumps in Colo.; Calif. insurance premiums rise; Ore. waits to see who wants in on coordinated care

Even people who just got health insurance use the emergency departments to access their care, according to a new study by University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers. It's not just people who lost insurance or people living long without it, the researchers note -- any change in health insurance status, whether positive or negative, tends to send people to the ER because they don't know where else to go.

3 Apr 2012

Regulatory fight could turn ugly as Congress seeks to overhaul cosmetics regulations

In response to public pressure from recent scandals including mercury in face cream, lead in lipstick and formaldehyde in hair products, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee yesterday convened the first Congressional hearing in 30 years on the safety of cosmetics and personal care products.

29 Mar 2012

DaVita thanks nearly 1,500 renal social workers during NASW

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services that is committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today thanks its nearly 1,500 social workers for the value and care they provide to patients and their families.

29 Mar 2012

States continue epic struggle over what the health law means for them

Minnesota GOP lawmakers are being criticized by their Democratic governor for how they are trying to create a health insurance exchange. Elsewhere, California insurance rates are increasing as the Supreme Court hears arguments on the health law and a pair of protests targets the health law and unions in Missouri.

28 Mar 2012

Sinai coordinator chosen as one of 50 Social Work Heroes for Justice

Carine Chen-McLaughlin, coordinator of Case Management Operations at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, has been selected as one of 50 Social Work Heroes for Justice by the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

22 Mar 2012

State budget burdens, cost-cutting efforts focus on health programs

Burdened by budget deficits, states are cutting health programs to the chagrin of some. But others say the economic downturn has allowed states to take up long-term economic problems they wouldn't have addressed otherwise.

14 Mar 2012

Foreign HCWs make decisions to emigrate based on information

Michael Clemens, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), addresses a recent New York Times article on "medical brain drain" in this CGD "Global Development: Views From The Center" blog post, saying the article's approval of "a horrific proposal to put recruiters of health workers on trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity ... is breathtakingly misguided."

14 Mar 2012

Kenya, Tanzania face ongoing health worker strikes

About 2,000 Kenyan health workers attended a demonstration outside the Ministry of Health on Friday, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports, noting, "Some 40,000 health workers nationwide went on strike on March 1 to protest low pay and poor working conditions."

14 Mar 2012

New work describes communities of active bacteria harbored by honey bee colonies

A novel study of honey bee genetic diversity co-authored by an Indiana University biologist has for the first time found that greater diversity in worker bees leads to colonies with fewer pathogens and more abundant helpful bacteria like probiotic species.

13 Mar 2012

Bioethicist calls on Congress to protect physicians in war zones

Greater leadership is needed from the U.S. government to protect physicians and health facilities from increased attacks in armed conflict zones like Syria, experts told members of Congress in a special briefing today.

8 Mar 2012

Foreign Affairs examines how push for financial austerity is threatening global health advances

"Global health programs now teeter on the edge of disaster," Foreign Affairs writes in this feature article, adding, "The world economic crisis and the politics of debt reduction are threatening everything from malaria control and AIDS treatment to well-baby programs and health care worker training efforts." The article provides a historical overview of global health programming and funding.

8 Mar 2012

GVDI develops PERCUGUARD needlestick prevention device

Golden Valley Development, Inc. is pleased to announce the development of the PERCUGUARD needlestick prevention device, a tool currently unavailable in the medical and dental industries, exceeding 1 billion potential annual applications worldwide.

5 Mar 2012