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Haiti uses 'peanut butter medicine' to battle malnutrition

CNN/Global Health Frontline News examines how "ready-to-use therapeutic foods" are being used in Haiti to help children with severe malnutrition. U.S. nonprofit organization Meds and Food for Kids makes "Medika Mamba, which means 'peanut butter medicine' in Creole. It's a ready-to-eat paste packed with nutritious ingredients that -- over a period of weeks -- gives a jolt to the system and puts children back on track," the news agency writes.

13 Oct 2011

SWHR hosts Capitol Hill briefing, The War Within: Women and Autoimmunity

50:1, 9:1, 2:1 these are just some ratios of autoimmune disease disparities between women and men. The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) hosted the Capitol Hill briefing, The War Within: Women and Autoimmunity, on Tuesday, October 11 to address these concerns.

13 Oct 2011

Roundup: N.Y. health insurers seek to keep premium memos secret

Major health insurance companies seeking steep premium increases in New York have submitted memos to state officials to justify the higher rates. Now they are fighting to keep the memos from the public, saying they include trade secrets that competitors could use against them.

13 Oct 2011

Mass. Medicaid waiver hits roadblock; N.Y. enrollment reaches 5 million

Politico reports that despite its health reform efforts, Massachusetts is having trouble getting the federal government to issue a waiver for Medicaid programs. The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing needs in New York.

13 Oct 2011

37 states, D.C. advance plans to improve health outcomes for dual eligibles

The states and D.C. are proposing demonstration projects to better coordinate and therefore improve care for an estimated 9 million people who fall into this category. States would receive a share of any resulting savings.

13 Oct 2011

Abortion legislation scheduled for House consideration this week

Some observers say Republicans may have been better off trying to stay focused on this week's series of votes on "coveted trade deals," but an abortion-related bill is scheduled for a vote on Thursday.

13 Oct 2011

At debate, Romney offers spirited defense of Mass. health plan

At Tuesday night's GOP presidential hopeful face-off, former Mass. governor Mitt Romney was the focus of the other candidates, who criticized his economic policies and his state's health overhaul. But, having earned the endorsement of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie earlier in the day, he appears to be gaining momentum.

13 Oct 2011

Differences between LGBTQ and straight-identified youth in health outcomes, educational equity

New research findings reported in the October 2011 issue of Educational Researcher highlight differences between LGBTQ- and straight-identified youth in health outcomes and educational equity.

13 Oct 2011

Physicians continue press to fix payment formula

Physicians are turning to a formulaic but effective routine to persuade lawmakers to change a Medicare payment formula: The American Medical Association dispatched doctors from 23 states on Tuesday for Capitol Hill visits, four days after a two-week national ad campaign launched.

13 Oct 2011

Escalating sexual violence amid famine in Horn of Africa is 'going largely ignored'

In this Guardian opinion piece, Lisa Shannon, founder of A Thousand Sisters, Run for Congo Women, and co-founder of Sister Somalia, examines how, in the context of famine, sexual violence in the Horn of Africa, and particularly in Somalia, "is being de-prioritized as primarily a psychosocial issue," and asserts that grassroots international organizations offer a solution "outside the traditional big-aid model."

13 Oct 2011

Kenya to increase public investment in mental health, Medical Services Minister says

"Kenyans marked the World Mental Health Day Monday with a pledge to increase public investments in the treatment of mental illnesses, which affects at least 10 million people in the East African nation," Afrique en ligne reports, adding, "Kenya's Medical Services Minister Anyang Nyong'o said estimates show that at least one in every four Kenyans suffer from one form of mental-health related ailment."

13 Oct 2011

University of Cape Town, UT Southwestern sign affiliation agreement

UT Southwestern Medical Center and the faculty of health sciences of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, signed a five-year affiliation agreement today to collaborate on faculty and student exchanges, joint research and training activities and other educational opportunities.

13 Oct 2011

Mental health services are 'critical' to comprehensive approach for people living with HIV

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Melissa Sharer, AIDSTAR-One senior care and support officer at John Snow, Inc., writes, "Although treatment is now widely available and people living with HIV (PLHIV) are able to live normal and active lives for many years, their mental health needs are often overlooked in care, treatment, and support programs." Sharer highlights the success of programs in Vietnam and in Uganda that "combine mental health and existing health services."

13 Oct 2011

Three key steps to prevent asthma attacks in children during winter

For most people, the word "autumn" conjures up images of honey crisp apples, pumpkin patches and Halloween. But for many pediatricians, fall also means more patients with asthma flare-ups.

13 Oct 2011

'Building Sustainable Surgical Systems' conference to be held in San Diego

Today, around the world, more than two billion world citizens do not have access to emergency and essential surgical care. The results are devastating, leading to more than 500,000 maternal deaths and more than 5 million fatalities associated with everyday injuries such as road traffic accidents and burns. This lack of surgical care is arguably a top killer around the world but mostly ignored by organizations that can affect positive change.

13 Oct 2011

Berwick upbeat as ACO reg moves through review

CQ HealthBeat reports on the progress of the much-anticipated final rule for accountable care organizations. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Mirror reports on state progress regarding its state-based health exchange.

13 Oct 2011

SAMHSA, BJA announce 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) at the U.S. Department of Justice today announced 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services, coordination and treatment. Drug courts provide an alternative to incarceration for people involved with the criminal justice system and in need of substance abuse treatment services.

13 Oct 2011

October is designated as Lewy Body Dementia month

The month of October is designated as Lewy Body Dementia month. Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a degenerative brain disease that progressively impairs thinking and movement, while impacting behavior and sleep. Although it affects an estimated 1.3 million people in the U.S., LBD is under-recognized, under-diagnosed and under-treated. It is most often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

13 Oct 2011

VOA News examines how a public-private partnership will combat cancer among women in the developing world

This VOA News editorial examines how a public-private partnership between PEPFAR, the George W. Bush Institute, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, as well as private sector partners will launch a program called Pink Ribbon, Red Ribbon to "combat cervical and breast cancer for women in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America."

13 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Screening for prostate cancer, stem cell research and free coverage for Iowa lawmakers

As a practicing internist, I need all the help I can get in diagnosing the many diseases that threaten the life and well-being of my patients. So perhaps you'll understand why I'm angered by the reckless new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (a panel of primary care experts) that I don't use the prostate-specific antigen to screen men older than 40 for prostate cancer.

13 Oct 2011