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New home for children's emergency care opens in upper Manhattan

The new Alexandra and Steven Cohen Pediatric Emergency Department at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center opens tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, significantly expanding access to the highest level of emergency pediatric care for families in the region.

22 Jun 2011

IPS examines initiative to provide free health care in Sierra Leone

Inter Press Service examines the challenges associated with Sierra Leone's plan to provide free health care for some members of the population.

22 Jun 2011

G20 must uphold previous agriculture pledges, invest more

"In the last few years, funding of agriculture has slowly been increasing after a generation of decline in investment in the sector, but not fast enough. In the L'Aquila pledge, the G8 made commitments to food security in 2009 of $20 billion.

22 Jun 2011

Pace picks up in budget talks but 'big ticket items' still in play

The key stumbling blocks in the ongoing negotiations being led by Vice President Joe Biden are Medicare changes and fresh revenue demands.

22 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 22, 2011

Today's headlines include an exclusive AP report detailing a "twist" in the health law that would allow millions of middle class Americans -- mainly early retirees -- access to Medicaid.

22 Jun 2011

Anthem Blue Cross agrees to limit rate hikes

Settling a class-action lawsuit, California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to limit rate increases for 122,000 policyholders whose plans have been closed to new customers.

22 Jun 2011

Elsevier introduces new open-access journal on parasitology

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions, in association with the Australian Society for Parasitology, is pleased to announce the launch of a new journal, International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance.

22 Jun 2011

Only 10% of patients with heart attack transferred to another hospital for PCI in recommended time

Only about 10 percent of patients with a certain type of heart attack who need to be transferred to another hospital for a PCI are transferred within the recommended time of 30 minutes, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Jun 2011

Ghana's vice president discusses country's efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

John Dramani Mahama, vice president of the Republic of Ghana, recently spoke with NPR's "Tell Me More" about how Ghana has made significant gains against HIV/AIDS, bringing the prevalence rate down to 1.5 percent from nearly 4 percent.

22 Jun 2011

Upgraded midwifery services could save up to 3.6M lives in developing countries

Up to 3.6 million lives could be saved every year if midwifery services were upgraded in 58 developing countries by 2015, according to a major new report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with the University of Southampton and 28 other organisations worldwide.

22 Jun 2011

'Steadfast focus' needed in fight against HIV/AIDS

Recapping the 30-year history of HIV/AIDS from an USAID perspective, Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in this "Impact blog" post, "Our work is far from done. We have a shared responsibility as a global partner to save lives by focusing on smart investments. The generosity of the American people has made sustained progress against this deadly disease possible. Closing the chapter on HIV/AIDS will require a steadfast focus on remaining gaps and challenges as we chart the way forward".

22 Jun 2011

Sanofi, Medco and UBC to use real-world evidence for quality patient care

Sanofi, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, United BioSource Corporation (UBC), announced they have entered into a global, multi-year agreement to support the real-world evidence assessments during Sanofi product development and pre-/post-approval processes that support improvements in the overall quality of patient care.

22 Jun 2011

Controversy surrounding McKinsey insurance survey continues

Though the consulting firm released its methodology, its findings continue to draw debate and criticism. Meanwhile, Avalere released a study of its own, which seems to contradict the McKinsey report.

22 Jun 2011

WHO releases first-ever HIV guidelines for MSM and transgender people

The WHO on Tuesday released its first-ever HIV guidelines on men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people, which "urges governments to ensure gay men get equal access to HIV prevention and treatment services," the Associated Press reports.

22 Jun 2011

Doctors stick with support for individual mandate

The American Medical Association's House of Delegates — after a lengthy debate — voted to maintain its support for the health law's individual mandate.

22 Jun 2011

NJIT research professor's work on sugar-based chemicals tops ACS must-read list

NJIT Research Professor Mike Jaffe's recent book chapter about sugar-based chemicals is topping the American Chemical Society (ACS) book series' must-read list.

22 Jun 2011

Boehringer Ingelheim, Ashoka to launch three-year global health initiative

Ashoka and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that they will launch a three-year global initiative to improve health in communities around the world. The "Making More Health" initiative will promote healthy individuals, families and communities by identifying and supporting the most promising solutions to challenging health problems.

22 Jun 2011

State-level Medicaid cuts could have impact beyond federal reductions

In related news, Minnesota Public Radio reports on how the well-being of rural health providers is linked to Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement.

22 Jun 2011

Poor governance is no excuse for withholding aid

Recent improvements in health indicators in the Democratic Republic of Congo, "in no small part, … are connected to the rollout of basic health services," even at a time when the country's economy is shrinking and its population is growing, Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, writes in his Foreign Policy column.

22 Jun 2011

Twelve institutions receive NPCRC and American Cancer Society grants for palliative care research

The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $2 million in research grants to researchers at 12 institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers.

22 Jun 2011