Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Public Health News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/public_health/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 09 May 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106875.php "Safety Net Hospital Emergency Departments: Creating Safety Valves for Non-Urgent Care," Center for Studying Health System Change: According to the brief, hospital emergency departments are treating more patients, including those with non-urgent health needs, and safety net hospitals are looking for ways to meet those non-urgent needs more efficiently. Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106882.php A dispute between Children's Hospital Central California and Anthem Blue Cross has caused Hmong immigrant children enrolled in government health insurance programs in Fresno County, Calif. Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106865.php The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider appeals by two men whose partners were forced to undergo abortions in China, the AP/Google.com reports. According to the AP/Google.com, U.S. courts have taken "varying approaches" to petitions for asylum by Chinese men who argue that they have suffered from the country's one-child-per-family policy. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106871.php The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday by voice vote approved a bill (HR 1343) that would reauthorize the federal community health centers program through fiscal year 2012, CQ Today reports (Mattingly [1], CQ Today, 5/7).The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106945.php "I am pleased that the President has designated Tom as this Department's Acting General Counsel. Tom has served HHS in a variety of capacities for more than seven years and has an extraordinary understanding of our nation's health care policies and priorities."As General Counsel, Tom will lead the cadre of more than 400 attorneys who provide legal services within HHS. His breadth and depth of experience are a valuable asset to this Department. Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106924.php Wichita Falls businessman Patrick Hearn was elected president of the Texas Medical Association Alliance (TMAA). TMAA is the volunteer service organization of TMA physicians and physicians' spouses. He is married to Yvonne Hearn, MD, a TMA member physician who is a pathologist in Wichita Falls.Mr. Hearn is the 91st president of the organization. Until now, all TMAA presidents have been female. Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106902.php When cleaning out the medicine cabinet, medication and drugs should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet, says a Purdue University expert. Patricia Darbishire, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, recommends that before disposing of any medication people contact a local pharmacist, the Solid Waste Management District or a law enforcement agency to learn the proper disposal technique for your geographic area. Fri, 09 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106899.php Five pledges on NHS reform in England announced by health minister Lord Darzi today (Friday 9 May, 2008) are positive in principle, but there are signs that they are so far not being met in practice, the BMA says. Fri, 09 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106810.php Five pledges will ensure that change is transparent and driven by the best evidence Leading clinician and Health Minister Lord Darzi today issued five pledges to the public and staff on how the NHS will handle changes to services. He set out a rigorous process requiring any change to be transparent, clinically evidenced, locally led and for the benefit of patients. Thu, 08 May 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106702.php House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced that she has introduced a bill (HR 5950) to establish mandatory standards for medical care for immigrants in detention centers, the Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106709.php U.S. manufacturers that offer health insurance to employees spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on health care, substantially more than the amount spent by foreign competitors, according to a report released on Tuesday by the New America Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reports. Thu, 08 May 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106708.php Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on Tuesday won the North Carolina primary with 56% of the vote, compared with 42% for opponent Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), CNN.com reports. In the Indiana primary, Clinton won with 51% of the vote, compared with 49% for Obama (CNN.com, 5/7). Thu, 08 May 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106700.php The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday hold the first of at least eight congressional hearings focusing on strategies to reform the U.S. health care system, featuring testimony by former HHS secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala, CQ HealthBeat reports. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106706.php Hospitals and other medical settings are becoming a "hunting ground for identity thieves" who "use medical information to get credit card numbers, drain bank accounts or falsely bill Medicare and other insurers," according to some experts, USA Today reports. Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106705.php The "boom" of walk-in health clinics at pharmacies, supermarkets and retailers "is showing signs of slowing," the Wall Street Journal reports. As of May 1, there were 963 retail clinics in the U.S., compared with 125 three years ago. However, some retail clinic operators recently have closed 69 clinics in 15 states, and others, including Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106800.php The National Geographic Society and the international polling firm GlobeScan has unveiled a new mechanism for measuring and comparing individual consumer behavior as it relates to the environment. "Greendex™ 2008: Consumer Choice and the Environment - A Worldwide Tracking Survey" looks at environmentally sustainable consumption and behavior among consumers in 14 countries. Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106725.php The following summarizes recent news coverage of language interpretation services at hospitals in Connecticut and Oklahoma.Connecticut: The Connecticut Department of Social Services has sent letters to state hospitals requesting information about each facility's use of interpretation services, the Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106714.php AARP CEO William Novelli has extended his contract for one year but will resign from his position in January 2010, the Washington Post reports. Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106704.php Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Director Ira Katz on Tuesday during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing denied that he was intentionally vague during a committee hearing last year about the high rates of suicide among VA patients, Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106696.php Senate Democrats have added language to a "must-pass" supplemental war spending measure that would prevent seven new Medicaid regulations from taking effect until April 1, 2009, CQ Today reports. This same language is included in a Medicaid bill (HR 5613) approved by the House. Although a majority of House Republicans voted for the Medicaid bill in the House, Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106703.php Democrats have attached a bill (HR 5613) that would block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations to "must-pass" supplemental war appropriations legislation, CQ Today reports (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/6). The Medicaid legislation would delay implementation of the regulations until April 1, 2009. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106695.php Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) failed to mention Roe v. Wade in a speech Tuesday outlining his judicial philosophy at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Miami Herald reports. The speech led some abortion-rights advocates to criticize the senator for his lack of "straight talk. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106781.php The Australian Medical Association rejected a think tank report that labels efforts to prevent obesity and chronic diseases a waste of money. The Centre for Independent Studies claims that there is no convincing evidence that preventative health measures work, and Australia's 40-year track record of public health education campaigns have not achieved outcomes. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106780.php Add university research to the long list of human activities contributing to global warming.Hervé Philippe, a Université de Montréal professor of biochemistry, is a committed environmentalist who found that his own research produces 44 tonnes of CO2 per year. The average American citizen produces 20 tonnes. Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106774.php TV's Aggie MacKenzie will be swapping her skates for a bike when she competes in a gruelling ride through the Scottish Highlands for national health charity Action Medical Research this month.Having recovered from her recent appearance on ITV1's Dancing on Ice, Aggie, who is best known for the show 'How Clean is Your House?', is now taking on a new challenge.