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New GHI research examines conflicts between donor and recipient countries

In the early 2000s, the international aid community started to fund health programs through Global Health Initiatives (GHIs) which provide aid and support for tackling infectious diseases, and for implementing immunization programs against childhood diseases. However priorities set by GHIs and by governments are not always the same.

4 Jul 2011

Grim truth about underage drinking during July 4 weekend

Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking double for males during the Fourth of July holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

2 Jul 2011

Virus-tested sweetpotato foundation seeds proven to increase yields

Sweetpotato is gaining popularity in the United States, where health-conscious consumers have created increased demand for the tasty, versatile food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of the crop increased over 24% from 1998-2008 and the value of the U.S. sweetpotato crop in 2009 exceeded $400 million.

2 Jul 2011

HEI names CPMC as 2011 leader in LGBT healthcare equality

California Pacific Medical Center - part of the Sutter Health network - achieved a perfect score for its non-discrimination policies in creating a welcoming environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients.

2 Jul 2011

Science should inform global AIDS policy

Thirty years have passed since the first reported case of AIDS, and "we now have an unprecedented opportunity, based on solid scientific data, to control and ultimately end the AIDS pandemic," after decades of the idea being "a distant aspiration because we lacked sufficient evidence-based tools to convert the hope to reality," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, writes in a Science editorial.

2 Jul 2011

We must do more to monitor aid spending abroad

In a Washington Times opinion piece, Rep. Jason Chaffetz points to recent developments and experiences that have led him to conclude that "vast amounts of U.S. aid money is being spent with little documentation or verification of quantifiable results."

2 Jul 2011

Patients to get satisfaction survey when they leave hospitals

A provision of the 2010 health care law that seeks patient feedback on hospital stays goes into effect today. Also, federal officials issued a new rule designed to streamline paperwork requirements for the health care industry.

2 Jul 2011

IRIN reports on concerns over poor midwife training in Senegal

IRIN reports on concerns about the low level of training midwives in Senegal undergo, a topic that was discussed at the launch of the U.N. Population Fund's (UNFPA) State of the World's Midwives report in Senegal.

2 Jul 2011

Study finds two reasons behind racial disparities in stroke treatment care

African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive critical stroke treatment primarily because they do not get to a hospital soon enough for time-sensitive treatment and because of preexisting medical conditions. For patients who are eligible for treatment, no racial disparity was found.

2 Jul 2011

State insurance officials' panel seeks protection for insurance brokers

By voice vote, the task force called on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to endorse legislation by Rep. Mike Rogers that would exclude fees paid to agents and brokers when calculating how much health plans are spending on administrative costs versus medical care.

2 Jul 2011

CDC helping to detect and control disease outbreaks in other countries

"The Atlanta-based CDC is expanding its involvement in cases of illness overseas, from helping track the source of the highly toxic E. coli outbreak in Germany to homing in on the cause of cholera in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake," in an effort "to stop epidemics before they can reach the United States," Reuters/MSNBC.com reports.

2 Jul 2011

Analysis of appeals court ruling on health law focuses on Bush appointee

Ever since the early days of the health-care reform law, its supporters have argued that there is a "conservative" argument to be made for the constitutionality of the law.

2 Jul 2011

Minn. government shuts down; new Calif., Iowa and Ill. budgets take effect

Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders in the final hours before a midnight deadline, and Minnesota began a historic government shutdown. ... Even before the shutdown, Minnesotans got an early peek at the inconvenience from the mothballing of many state services.

2 Jul 2011

Significant gap exists in emergency care services for stroke patients

citywide study published online in today's issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association demonstrates racial disparities in the use of clot-busting drugs to treat acute ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.

2 Jul 2011

TB fight must break from status quo

"As WHO prepares for reform, it is also adjusting to a new financially constrained environment. WHO's STOP TB department, like others, has to downsize and refocus its activities. With increasing demand for guidance, technical support, and capacity-building in countries, the STOP TB department and partnership will have to do more with less in the future," a Lancet editorial states.

2 Jul 2011

Senate to keep working next week on debt talks

The Senate abandoned plans for a July 4 break as time dwindled for lawmakers to strike a compromise on avoiding a government default and reducing mammoth federal deficits. In a challenge to President Barack Obama, the chamber's top Republican invited him to the Capitol to discuss the impasse with GOP lawmakers.

2 Jul 2011

Study confirms link between delayed access to tertiary care for IPF, higher risk of death

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)―scarring and thickening of the lungs from unknown causes―is the predominant condition leading to lung transplantation nationwide. Columbia University Medical Center researchers confirmed that delayed access to a tertiary care center for IPF is associated with a higher risk of death.

2 Jul 2011

Al Jazeera examines how war has affected Iraq's health system and physicians

Al Jazeera examines how Iraq's public health system has been affected by the war and the challenges doctors in the country currently face. Iraq had 34,000 registered physicians before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and it is estimated that 20,000 of them have left the country, according to the Brookings Institution.

2 Jul 2011

DHS S&T develops personal dosimeter to measure radiation exposure

No matter how many plastic cards currently crowd your wallet, one day you may wish to make room for one more. The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate has developed a miniaturized version of a dosimeter, a portable device used for measuring exposure to ionizing radiation, which can provide life-saving early detection in the unlikely event of a nuclear accident or dirty bomb.

2 Jul 2011

Global health funding should not create 'winners' and 'losers'

Andrew Harmer, a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in this globalhealthpolicy.net blog post lays out the global health "winners" and "losers" in terms of funding.

2 Jul 2011