LOS ANGELES—A Ventura County taxpayers group has filed a federal lawsuit in a bid to halt a 1,500-bed Camarillo prison hospital.
The nonprofit Taxpayers for a Safe Ventura County, which includes high profile officials including Sheriff Bob Brooks and District Attorney Greg Totten, filed the suit Thursday in Los Angeles federal court.
The suit against federal receiver J. Clark Kelso claims the federal Prison Litigation Reform Act doesn’t Read the rest of this entry »

The health of people who stop smoking starts to improve almost as soon as they stub out their last cigarette, a large study has found. Within five years the risk of having a heart attack is halved.
After 20 years people who quit smoking appear to have no traces of the damaging effects of smoking; they are no more likely to die early from smoking-related diseases than someone who never took up the habit.
What do we know already?
Smoking is one Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON — Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal
,
, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate.
Many of the parties, from big insurance companies to lobbyists for consumers, doctors,
and pharmaceutical companies, Read the rest of this entry »

By 10 a.m. on the first day of the new semester there were already 22 appointments scheduled at the Hammond Health Center. It would be a typical day, according to David Newman, director of the health center, which has 20,000 visits every year.
On the Ithaca College campus, all 20,000 of those visits are covered by health insurance, either offered by the college or private, but Newman said that figure is not representative of the health care industry Read the rest of this entry »

TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) — High levels of lipoprotein particles may increase the risk of high blood pressure in women who currently have normal blood pressure.
That’s the conclusion of a new study by U.S. researchers who analyzed data from thousands of participants in the Women’s Health Study.
Lipoprotein particles carry cholesterol and triglycerides throughout the body. The particles travel into artery walls where they deposit the cholesterol, Read the rest of this entry »

On Oct. 22, 2008 Johnson & Johnson announced that its HIV drug Prezista (darunavir) has received US approval for patients just beginning treatment. Prezista was already approved for use in treatment-experienced patients with drug-resistant HIV.
The firm said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also finalized its 2006 initial approval of Prezista, which had been contingent on follow-up studies. Additional studies verified the drug’s benefits, Read the rest of this entry »

“This is the largest event that provides free cardiac screenings, demonstrations, medical experts and service providers all in one place for a complete, pro-active experience,” said Allison Buchalter, campaign director for Sister to Sister Baltimore.
Last year’s fair attracted 3,000 women, a turnout that Buchalter attributed to support from the business community and local government. Sister to Sister is hoping for a turnout tomorrow like last Read the rest of this entry »

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Those on the front lines have said that jobs are still being posted and that salaries are still relatively competitive. One phrase to watch for is “green-collar jobs,” and it doesn’t matter if you work in construction or on a computer.
Job-seeker Amy Cadish doesn’t need a reality check; she knows finding a job in today’s environment is tough.
“It’s very competitive at this point in time,” said Cadish. “Friends of family are Read the rest of this entry »

Pfizer and Eli Lilly, both of which now have drugs approved to treat fibromyalgia, are spending heavily on marketing to raise awareness of the disorder, whose very existence is debated in medical circles.
before, fibromyalgia is controversial. Despite being recognized as a disease by the FDA and insurers, the pain that marks the condition tends to be long-standing and vague. The cause is unknown, and there’s no lab test to guide diagnosis.
Read the rest of this entry »

Red dresses, red ties and red hearts will have their day in the sun this Sunday, February 8. Approximately 100 churches across Maryland will participate in Red Dress Sunday, raising awareness about heart health and decorating their congregations with the color of life, love and vitality.
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Baltimore was one of the first churches to participate when the annual awareness day began five years ago. Speaking for the Mt. Pleasant Read the rest of this entry »