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Text4baby messaging program wins HHSinnovates award

Text4baby, a program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, has been honored with a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHSinnovates award, presented by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a ceremony in Washington, DC. This week, Representatives from HMHB, Voxiva, Health Resources and Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the HHS Office on Women's Health accepted the award on behalf of the text4baby team.

7 Aug 2010

Private firms take up torch of health IT push

Health insurance companies, doctors' professional associations and provider organizations are taking efforts to move hospitals and physicians towards 'meaningful use' of information technology into their own hands, The Hill reports.

7 Aug 2010

Obama Administration awards $159.1 million in grants for nurses, geriatric care workers

"The grants, which include new and continuing funding, build on multimillion dollar investments called for under the new health-care overhaul law in order to address a growing shortage of primary care workers." A 2008 report by the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply said schools would need to produce 30,000 nurses annually to offset the shortfall and the looming mass retirement of nurses, 45 percent of whom are 50 or older" (Aizenman, 8/5).

7 Aug 2010

Walgreens launches Pharmacy Chat for 24/7 online access

With 20 percent of Walgreens 7,500-plus pharmacies open 24 hours daily, Walgreens patients nationwide rely on the round-the-clock convenience and accessibility of Walgreens pharmacy. Now, Walgreens is making its trusted pharmacy staff even more accessible - available any time online - with Walgreens Pharmacy Chat. Pharmacy Chat is a live, one-on-one, online chat with a pharmacy staff member available 24/7

7 Aug 2010

Blue Cross of Massachusetts agrees to reduce dramatic rate increases

In Massachusetts, the state's largest health insurer has agreed to reduce dramatic rate increases for individuals and small businesses.

7 Aug 2010

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

The Hill reports that Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced legislation Thursday "designed to eliminate a controversial provision of the Democrats' new healthcare reform law that allows subsidized plans to offer abortion coverage if patients pay separately, and with their own money, for that portion of the coverage.

7 Aug 2010

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

This Kaiser Health News story by David Gulliver, produced in partnership with Health News Florida, explores how the impact of changes to Medicare Advantage will differ from place to place across the country.

7 Aug 2010

Funk Out Cancer to raise money, awareness for research at University of Wisconsin

Funk Out Cancer is back for the second annual concert and silent auction to raise money and awareness for cancer research at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. Funk Out Cancer will feature music by international recording artists funk/jazz trio SOULIVE along with special guests Madison's own Phat Phunktion and Mama Digdown's Brass Band. The event will be held on Saturday, November 20 at 7:00 PM at the Orpheum Theatre, Madison.

7 Aug 2010

College of Nursing awarded $753,817 grant to provide education in nursing leadership

The University of Colorado College of Nursing has been awarded a $753,817 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, to prepare advanced practice nurses with the expertise to provide leadership for high quality healthcare in rural and medically underserved urban areas.

7 Aug 2010

BCF publishes two new patient publications

The Bone and Cancer Foundation is announcing the publishing of two new patient publications on Pain Management and Physical Therapy and other Rehabilitation Therapies. Other publication topics include: Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, Vitamin D, Surgery, Myeloma and Osteosarcoma.

7 Aug 2010

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who is running for governor, "faced new questions Thursday about joining fellow congressional Republicans in opposing legislation that would prop up state budgets as his Democratic opponent in the race for governor criticized him. Brownback said he is against a plan that includes extra Medicaid dollars for states because it wasn't drafted in a fiscally responsible way. Kansas' share is $131 million, and its current $13.7 billion budget won't balance without the money, which covers health care for the poor and disabled" (Hanna, 8/5).

7 Aug 2010

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Health Affairs: Little Evidence Of Correlation Between Growth In Health Care Spending And Reduced Mortality - This study examines differences in hospital mortality and cost between 2000 and 2004 for patients at 122 U.S. hospitals, with seven common medical diagnoses: acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident (also called ischemic stroke), sepsis, or urinary tract infection.

7 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

According to a Lancet Comment, "alcohol remains conspicuously absent from the larger field of research and programming in HIV and substance use. ... Patterns of hazardous alcohol consumption prevail in countries with the most severe HIV epidemics, notably eastern and southern Africa." In addition, "hazardous drinking patterns also dominate in the concentrated epidemics of eastern Europe and Asia, where alcohol use by injecting drug users and other marginalised groups might be an additional barrier to effective efforts to prevent HIV infection."

7 Aug 2010

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

In its rush to blunt public opposition to the newly enacted health reform law, the Obama administration is on a collision course with Republicans as the November midterm elections loom. On behalf of his reform agenda, President Barack Obama in recent weeks bypassed the Senate to make a "recess" appointment of a new Medicare and Medicaid administrator, Donald Berwick, while Congress was adjourned for the Independence Day holiday.

7 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 6, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, news reports about the Senate's passage of a state aid package that includes an extension of Medicaid enhanced funding, and the latest report from the Medicare Trustees.

6 Aug 2010

State Department employees face 'stigma' for seeking mental health help

The State Department is attempting to change how it handles mental health services for employees with high-stress jobs, "but there's still a great deal of stigma attached to seeking this kind of help," an internal report says.

6 Aug 2010

Study uncovers leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China

Falls are the most common injury for both urban and rural elderly in China, responsible for more than two-thirds of all injuries in people 65 and older, according to a new study by researchers from China and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy. This is the first study to uncover the leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China, who make up 9 percent of the total population.

6 Aug 2010

VA commits last of its Recovery Act funds to increase access to health care, services to Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs committed the last of its $1.8 billion in Recovery Act funds July 31, one of the first federal agencies to achieve that milestone. Projects at more than 1,200 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will increase access to health care and services to Veterans, while creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

6 Aug 2010

Select Medical teams up with Baylor, joint venture to provide quality health care

Baylor Health Care System and Select Medical Corporation announced today a proposed partnership between Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Select that is designed to create a regional rehabilitation network to serve the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This joint venture is subject to governmental approvals and it is anticipated that the joint venture will be approved and finalized within the normal process for governmental review.

6 Aug 2010

Recession pushes cancer patients to forego treatment

In 2009 and 2010, as the economic collapse shuddered across the globe, oncologists in California noticed a troubling trend: Three patients who had had serious tumors under control for as long as eight years reappeared in the clinic with massive cancer regrowth which, in one case, required emergency surgery.

6 Aug 2010

Healthcare News

Text4baby messaging program wins HHSinnovates award

Private firms take up torch of health IT push

Obama Administration awards $159.1 million in grants for nurses, geriatric care workers

Walgreens launches Pharmacy Chat for 24/7 online access

Blue Cross of Massachusetts agrees to reduce dramatic rate increases

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

Funk Out Cancer to raise money, awareness for research at University of Wisconsin

College of Nursing awarded $753,817 grant to provide education in nursing leadership

BCF publishes two new patient publications

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Recent releases in Global Health

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

First Edition: August 6, 2010

State Department employees face 'stigma' for seeking mental health help

Study uncovers leading causes of non-fatal injuries among older adults in China

VA commits last of its Recovery Act funds to increase access to health care, services to Veterans

Select Medical teams up with Baylor, joint venture to provide quality health care

Recession pushes cancer patients to forego treatment

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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