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Sebelius: No talks with Obama about health post

admin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:24:55 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius says she has had no conversations with President Barack Obama about possibly joining his Cabinet as health secretary.
Sebelius (seh-BEEL’-yuhs) was in Washington on Sunday for the winter meetings of the National Governors Association.
Administration officials have said she is near the top of the list of people being considered to run the Health and Human Service Department. But Sebelius tells The Associated Press that “there’s really nothing to tell” about the prospects of her getting the job.
The two-term Democratic governor also is deflecting questions about whether she’ll run for the Senate next year.

Obama calls for health-care reform in 2009

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:42:50 +0000

– President Obama pledged Tuesday night to cure Americans from what he called “the crushing cost of health costs,” saying the country could not afford to put health-care reform on hold.
“This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes,” Obama said in his speech to a joint session of Congress.
Obama pointed to the increasing number of uninsured and rapidly rising health-care premiums, which he said was one reason small business closed their doors and corporations moved overseas.
Obama’s prescription for health-care reform included making “the largest investment ever” in preventive care, rooting out Medicare fraud and investing in electronic health records and new technology in an effort to reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy and save lives.
“I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process,” the president said, adding that he was scheduling a gathering next week of “businesses and workers, doctors and health-care providers, Democrats and Republicans.”
“The cost of health care has weighed down our economy and our conscience long enough. So let there be no doubt, health-care reform cannot wait, it must not wait and it will not wait another year,” Obama said to a standing ovation.
The president also said Americans would see a cure for cancer “in our time.” Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, died of ovarian and uterine cancer at 52.
Obama made health-care reform a central theme of his presidential campaign and promised not only to achieve universal health care in his first term, but also to cut the average family’s health care health-care costs by $2,500.
In his speech Tuesday, he placed health-care reform alongside education and energy reforms as central pillars of his recovery plan.
An estimated 45.7 million Americans are uninsured, and for those with coverage, and
have been rising four times faster than wages, Obama said.
The average cost of family health-care coverage more than doubled from 1999 to 2008, from $1,543 to $3,354, according to a report by the Institute on Medicine released Tuesday.
During his speech, Obama touted changes in the health-care system already passed in his month-old administration as part of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“Already, we have done more to advance the cause of health-care reform in the last 30 days than we have in the last decade,” he said. “When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for 11 million American children whose parents work full-time.”
Signed into law on February 17, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also includes $87 billion to bolster state Medicaid programs and offers a 65 percent subsidy for nine months to help the unemployed pay for their COBRA coverage.
COBRA allows the unemployed to pick up the payments and continue the health insurance coverage they had with their former employer. The subsidy would help an estimated seven million Americans, according to a congressional estimate.
The president’s health-care message was applauded by Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, a national organization for health care consumers.
is absolutely correct that the nation’s economy and the federal budget deficit cannot be fixed without meaningful health-care reform,” Pollack said in a statement.

City Health Center great resource for families

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:27:38 +0000

Established in October, the Gloucester Family Health Center at 302 Washington St. offers a broad scope of services uniquely tailored to care for the local community.
The new Gloucester center is the fourth site of its parent company, North Shore Community Health Inc., which operates three other locations in Salem and Peabody. The non-profit organizations receive both Medicaid and Medicare funding and are overseen by a board of directors, half of whom are consumers. “It’s a beautiful facility,” says Dr. Robert Hendershott, Ed. D. who oversees all four practices. “It’s the kind of spot people can come to and feel comfortable.”
The Cape Ann site has become one of a network of 1,200 Federally-qualified health centers that serve up to 18 million persons throughout the country. These companies have been designated by the government as “their healthcare system” and are situated in underserved and rural regions, Hendershott said. He added that one of the first centers in the country was founded in nearby Boston, and that President John F. Kennedy signed in the first Family Health Center that served migrant workers.
Locally, “there has been a need in Gloucester for a long time,” Hendershott continued. “There’s a large uninsured population that’s medically underserved in this area. We are trying to grow this system and become a more vital organization.” Family Nurse Practitioner Christine Malagrida agrees “the Center has been much anticipated and we are here now to serve anyone.”
The Center cares for persons of all ages and incomes, from newborns to elders, and accepts most insurance policies, including MassHealth, Health Safety Net and CommonHealth products. In addition, the Center has benefit specialists on staff to guide uninsured persons through the application process for these programs. “Our financial counseling is one thing that makes us unique,” Malagrida said.
Another special service that reflects the Center’s commitment to its new community is that it is “linguistically competent,” Malagrida pointed out. Most of the staff is multi-lingual, and can converse in English, Portuguese and Spanish, so there are no language difficulties to overcome.
The Center focuses on primary care, and the supervising physician and nurse practitioner are skilled in family medicine. The facility also hosts a full service dental clinic. “It is huge for any community to have more dental services,” Malagrida said.
Another distinctive facet of care is the Center pilot program that integrates primary care and behavioral health, which encompasses mental health and substance abuse concerns. Behavioral Health Consultant Lisa Schott, LICSW, works exclusively with Center clients and provides immediate, on-site support, which eliminates any waiting periods for appointments and transportation barriers. “It’s a great resource,” Malagrida said. “We’re bringing her in to primary care visits right when the patient is being seen to address behavioral health issues of our clients.” She said the patients have been very receptive to this service, because “in general in primary care, behavioral health issues account for a large number of visits.” Anxiety, depression and sleep disorders are the most common complaints, she related.
“We are very mission oriented, work hard, and have a really good staff that really wants to serve the people,” Hendershott said. He said that the community and local partners such as Northeast Health Systems, the Gloucester Health Department, Health and Education Services and the Mayor’s office have been very supportive of the Center and put in a great effort to help launch the project. An open house was held last fall and was well attended by local citizens and professional partners, he said.
The Center hopes to expand the availability of primary care throughout Gloucester and contribute to better health region wide. It offers same day sick appointments on a walk-in basis, but the staff also emphasize that the Center will strive to serve as a “medical home” for patients. “When you come here, you are choosing us to be your primary care provider,” Malagrida says. The Center offers 24 hour call service as well.
The group works with area pharmacies for prescription needs, and has already cemented a partnership with Eaton Apothecary to offer low-cost prescriptions to those who subscribe to Health Safety Net. The Center hosts a laboratory for blood work, and also works with next door neighbor Addison Gilbert Hospital to process x-rays and other diagnostic tests.
“We’re very proud of our facility and those who work there,” Hendershott said. “We are very excited and will continue to grow and expand.” For an appointment at the Gloucester Family Health Center, please call 978-282-8899.
This article is part of a regular health education series provided by the Gloucester Health Department and Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Care in Maryland is improving, but loss of jobs, health benefits …

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:15:34 +0000

With February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month upon them, academic, industry and government leaders can point to improvements. They formed a Dental Action Committee that has won aid for local health centers; streamlined the Medicaid program; and sent hygienists into the community to provide screenings. They’ve been gaining commitments from dentists to treat poor children. They worry, however, that the bad economy will set back efforts and that there will be less money for care at a time when people are losing their jobs and private health care.
“The problem is huge,” said Rosemary Fetter, executive director of the Baltimore dental museum, where about 60 kids got some hands-on education as well as dental screenings this month as part of an annual event. “Problems with teeth keep kids out of school, some statistics say, more than anything else.”
Student volunteers from the nearby University of Maryland Dental School said the children’s mouths didn’t look too bad during the recent visit. Many had been to dentists, as evidenced by work done on their baby teeth. The volunteers also thought they were keeping the kids’ attention during the oral-hygiene lessons by using props and computers.
“This is much better than a video,” said Gloria Gillian, one of the kindergarteners’ teachers. “It’ll stick with them. They’ll go home and tell their parents. And when they’re in the store, they’ll remind them to get floss.”
Kiniya Coleman, who was missing her front teeth, said she’d brush the ones she has. Classmate Nia Thompson said her mother had already taught her “everything” about brushing.
“Up and down, up and down,” she said. Then, while demonstrating on those giant teeth, she told her classmates, “You got to get in the back.”
Such events are also reaching children who aren’t seeing dentists regularly, said Dr. Marc Nuger, president of the Maryland State Dental Association. And Nuger and others on the Dental Action Committee, including Dr. Norman Tinanoff, chair of the UM Dental School’s Department of Health Promotion and Policy, said they can point to other successes:
•The state was able to simplify its Medicaid system by reducing the number of companies serving patients to one from seven or eight. Patients and dentists will call only one number as of July 1.
•Reimbursements for dentists taking Medicaid patients are increasing, which is luring more professionals to treat the poor. The first raise came in July, and two more are planned, though the recession is causing a delay.
•State health workers received an extra $1.5 million to bolster care in community centers.
•Dental hygienists received permission to screen more children in public health settings.
•Dentists were offered training in pediatric dentistry so they could more confidently treat children.
•Doctors who treat Medicaid patients will soon be compensated for providing fluoride treatments in their offices after they complete a training course.
Nuger said the changes, including the single-payer system for Medicaid, have already netted almost 100 new dentists in the Medicaid system in the past two years, bringing the total to about 400. The group is looking for about 200 more. There are about 4,000 dentists in Maryland.
“The new system is going to be a big plus,” Nuger said. “There are some 400,000 on the Medicaid roles in Maryland, and we’d like to get more to see a dentist regularly.”
Nationwide, despite fluoridated water and toothpaste and increased dental visits, dental disease and cavities among preschoolers are rising, largely among poor children, according to data from the American Dental Association and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Asian Health Officials Warn That Without Intervention, HIV Cases …

admin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:58:59 +0000

conference in Hong Kong said that the region is facing a resurgence of HIV cases among men who have sex with men that will not subside without increased government efforts, the
reports (Freeda,
, 2/19). The conference was organized in partnership with Hong Kong’s
, the
and included about 50 government officials responsible for HIV/AIDS and MSM programs, as well as other experts.
According to officials at the conference, discriminatory laws, stigma, low condom use, multiple sex partners and limited health care access are contributing to the spread of HIV among MSM in the region (Chui,
, 2/19). WHO regional adviser Massimo Ghidinelli said, “Studies show that at present, the proportion of HIV infections being transmitted among men who have sex with men is larger and more significant than we had originally believed” (
, 2/19). Shivananda Khan, a representative with the
, said, “We are facing an emerging catastrophe. Unless we intervene now, the level of infection over the next 20 years will double every year and the number of the (affected) MSM and transgender people will be more than any other population in this region.” York Chow Yat-ngok, Hong Kong’s secretary for food and health, said that there has been a “rapid rise” of HIV cases among MSM and that HIV prevalence among this population is 10 times that of other high-risk groups, including sex workers and injection drug users. He added that a lack of knowledge and limited access to treatment also increases the risk of HIV among MSM. Director of Health Lam Ping Yan attributed the rise in HIV cases among MSM in part to the increased use of online dating services and psychotropic substances.
Edmund Settle, an HIV/AIDS policy specialist, said “Discriminatory laws, attitude and behavior are undermining effective programming and limiting access to health services,” adding that they must be “challenged and revised” at the earliest opportunity (
, 2/19). Ghidinelli said that improving surveillance and providing HIV prevention and care to MSM should be prioritized to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS (
, 2/19).”>
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Women's health declines in 40s: StatsCan

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:32:33 +0000

OTTAWA â Canadian women experience a significant decline in health and quality of life between the ages of 40 and 50, compared to men during the same period of life, suggests a Statistics Canada study.
The study, released Wednesday, suggests women in their 40s experience more health problems â for example, illness linked to emotional stress â that lead to a poorer quality of life than their male counterparts during that particular decade, says one of the study’s authors, Heather Orpana.
The findings are no surprise to women’s health experts, who say many in this age group are worn out emotionally and physically from so-called “time-hunger” issues, or trying to juggle careers, family and other caregiving responsibilities.
“They’re absorbing all of this in a very different way than from generations ago,” said Madeline Boscoe, executive director of the Canadian Women’s Health Network. “So much so that if you were to ask them questions about the quality of their life they would say they had lots of anxiety of some kind or another.”
According to the report’s data, from ages 40 to 50, women’s average health-related quality of life index fell by the equivalent of six percentage points (.06 on the index), which is twice the threshold considered clinically important. The data for men in their 40s, on the other hand, did not drop significantly and instead the numbers stabilized, indicating a period of relative good health for men, but not for women.
“The numbers look like a really small decrease, but in actual fact it’s quite large in terms of the impact on one’s daily living,” said Orpana. “It’s going from a state where you have pain or vision problems, for example, but you can still function to going to a state where you have pain or a vision problem that you can’t correct.”
Scott Schieman, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto, says men in their 40s may perceive a better quality of life because they are confident in their careers and have more senior positions.
“Men in that age group are hitting their stride in their work careers,” he said. “They are also more likely (than women) to get the resources and rewards from the work role and that could be bolstering their sense of well-being.”
While women and men may have equally demanding jobs, men may not have the stress of child-bearing and child rearing, he said, adding that men may be less anxious about their jobs.
“There’s more sharing of responsibilities going on but if the burden of childcare is falling more on women and they are trying to work at the same time that’s probably taking a major toll as well.”
Another reason why men might perceive their health-related quality of life as good is because they tend to ignore their health more than women, suggests Dr. Tom Freeman, chair of family medicine at the University of Western Ontario.
“Our socialization is different that way. Women are worrying about birth control and pap smears and regularly visit physicians but it isn’t until around age 50 that men take any action,” he said.
“There is lots of speculation about why they don’t live as long as women and you know you wonder if they paid more attention to their health they would perhaps live longer?”
The study measured eight attributes: vision, hearing, speech, ambulation, dexterity, emotion, cognition, and pain and discomfort. Participants were asked to grade each attribute ranging from severely impaired to no impairment.
Orpana said one of the reasons for this drop among women could be attributed to the emotional domain.
For example, of the women studied, those who said they went from being “somewhat happy” in their 30s to “somewhat unhappy” in their 40s would experience that decline in quality of life.
The reasons could be linked to emotional stress including relationship problems, problems with children, job stress or financial problems, said Orpana.
“We know that women are more likely to experience depression than men,” she said.
“So that really implies that we need to look further at women in that decade to see why their health quality of life is decreasing so much.”
Boscoe said women in their 40s make up a larger percentage of those who are poor and are coming into middle age with lower expectations than when they were younger, which could cause some anxiety or depression.
“They’re suddenly understanding that this is the life they are going to live. You know, you’re not on a trajectory to make oodles of dollars. You’re just coping,” she said.
Boscoe pointed to the need for a national daycare program as an example of women calling on the government for some relief from the juggling act.
Orpana said the findings were significant enough to warrant further study of women during that decade, adding that a report is expected to be published later this year.
“It was a result that was unexpected and quite interesting and so we really want to look at the explanations now for that decline,” she said. “Hopefully that will help us better understand women’s health.”
Researchers will look at behavioural factors, such as smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption, as well as social factors such as stress and access to health care, she said.
After 50, the report suggests, the rate of health does not improve, but the rate of decline stabilizes until the age of 70.
Data for the study came from 7,915 community-dwelling adults aged 40 and older in 1994 and 1995.
Overall, excluding people who were institutionalized, the study found the health-related quality of life for all Canadians remained generally stable until about 70, when it began to decline.

Health Mgmt says 4Q profit grows 17 percent

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:41:28 +0000

Hospital operator
Health Management Associates Inc.
said Monday its profit climbed 17 percent in the fourth quarter, aided by a large gain from early debt retirement.
The company reported net income of $14.5 million, or 6 cents per share. That compares with $12.5 million, or 5 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, Health Management Associates
) said it earned 7 cents per share from continuing operations. Revenue grew 3 percent, to $1.11 billion from $1.08 billion.
The results matched Wall Street estimates. Thomson Reuters said analysts expected a profit of 7 cents per share and $1.11 billion in revenue.
One-time items during the quarter included a $26.4 million gain on the early extinguishment of debt, and a $6.2 million investment impairment.
Health Management Associates operates 56 hospitals, and during the quarter, admissions fell 0.2 percent to 76,562. Including both inpatient and outpatient admissions, adjusted admissions increased 1.1 percent, reaching 132,965. Revenue per adjusted admission grew 2.1 percent. Surgical procedures decreased 2.3 percent to 67,898.
For the year, Health Management Associates’ profit rose 39 percent, to $167.2 million, or 68 cents per share, from $119.9 million, or 49 cents per share. Revenue grew 4 percent, to $4.45 billion from $4.29 billion.
In aftermarket trading, Health Management Associates shares jumped 24 cents, or 14.6 percent, to $1.89. In the regular session, the stock fell 1 cent to $1.65.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Health Care Connect aims to assist in finding family docs

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:01:20 +0000

It just got a little easier to find health-care services closer to home.
On Thursday, the Ontario government launched two new initiatives to improve access to health care, and hopefully relieve stress on the province’s emergency rooms.
Health Care Connect aims to help people find a family health-care provider.
Dr. Mark Mensour, emergency department lead with the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), said the program aims to keep patients with less urgent needs out of emergency, by referring them to a family health-care provider in their community.
“This program looks at improving the care to the 891,000 Ontario residents who don’t have access to a family physician,” he said. “The program will refer them to other options. Those most in need will be assisted first.”
Patients call a special Telehealth Ontario number to sign up for the patient database, where they will be prioritized based on their health needs. Local nurses, called Care Connectors, will review a patient’s information and find them a place in a provider’s practice.
Care Connect is only for people without a family doctor. The program does not guarantee it will find someone a doctor, so patients are encouraged to keep looking on their own.
The government also made local health services online at a new one-stop website.
By typing in your postal code, residents can get information on the nearest after-hours and walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, family health teams and emergency rooms.
.
To register for Health Care Connect, call 1-800-445-1822.

Swelling ranks of US jobless yearn for health insurance

admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:55:08 +0000

FORT WAYNE, Indiana (AFP) — For many among the growing ranks of unemployed workers in the United States, the scariest part of losing their job is losing their health insurance.
Even before the current economic crisis, 45 million Americans were uninsured. That number is expected to rise to 54 million by 2019 if changes aren’t made to the system, according to the director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
One of the swelling ranks, Amy Newlin, has been getting by on her savings and unemployment benefits after she and her husband lost their jobs last fall.
But while they can cut back on dinners out, new clothes or other inessentials, the costs of treating her diabetes, high blood pressure and thyroid difficulties have risen dramatically.
“I need insulin strips to test my blood, and medicine for my high blood pressure,” Newlin told AFP.
“My insulin is 80 dollars a bottle without insurance and the strips are expensive, too. It’s not easy to keep up.”
The Indiana woman was one of dozens who attended a meeting Thursday for uninsured people to register for government-funded health care.
Health officials held the clinic in the basement of an elementary school to deal with a surging number of applicants as a flood of layoffs forced scores of area residents off their employer-provided plans and into the peril of being uninsured in America.
Newlin arrived prepared with a folder jammed with old pay stubs, her birth certificate and all the other necessary documents to ensure she would be signed up.
But even if she qualifies, it will be some time before she’s insured and any serious illness or accident could still bankrupt her family.
Health care has long been a contentious issue in American social and political life.
High costs, the exclusion of patients with pre-existing conditions and bureaucratic snafus plague the private system, which is unattainable for a growing number of Americans.
The federal government manages two health care systems: Medicaid — for the poor — and Medicare — for the elderly. They currently amount to 5 percent of America’s gross domestic product.
But the costs will more than double to 12 percent by 2050, under the Congressional Budget Office’s current estimates.
Indiana launched a plan at the start of 2008 to cover some — the working poor, single parents, the moderately disabled — who are not protected by Medicaid.
Residents aren’t eligible until they’ve gone six months uninsured, and there’s a small pay-in for participants, helping to hold down costs.
President Barack Obama made health care reform a central plank in his populist platform when he ran for the White House.
And the massive stimulus package he signed Tuesday included plans to help cover the cost of temporary coverage for scores of displaced workers and possibly extend Medicaid coverage to other uninsured Americans who would not normally be eligible.
Yet comprehensive reform has been hampered by the distraction and cost of the current economic crisis, along with the loss of Obama’s first pick for health secretary, Tom Daschle, who withdrew from consideration amid questions about his tax history.
Washington’s political wrangling is a far way from those gathered in the colorful basement cafeteria of Indiana’s Fairfield Elementary School.
Newlin, for one, doesn’t hold out much hope for the government to solve anything soon.
“I don’t even know if they know where half that money is going,” she said of the stimulus.
Jerome and Brenda Lewis, a couple in their mid-50s, have been without insurance since October when she lost her job — and their coverage.
They are hopeful Obama will bring change and are thankful for the work of people who organized the clinic, but turn to a greater power for balance in these unsteady times.
“Right now, by the grace of God, everything is all right for us. We keep praying that everything will be all right,” Jerome Lewis said.

Studies find numerous health benefits of Mediterranean diet

admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:49:55 +0000

Two separate studies have linked Mediterranean diet to a lower risk of heart disease in women and prostate cancer in men.
Researchers from Simmons College in Boston found that women whose diets most closely resembled the Mediterranean diet were 29 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease, and 13 percent less likely to have a stroke compared with those whose diets least resembled it.
This type of diet is includes monounsaturated fats, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and moderate consumption of alcohol while limiting red meat, refined grains, and sweets intake.
.
Meanwhile, according to two doctors writing for UroToday.com, a urology news website, a type of Mediterranean diet called the Cretan diet may be helpful in reducing prostate cancer risk.
This type of diet is based on plant foods – fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals, nuts and legumes – olive oil as the main source of fat, low consumption of red meat, moderate intake of dairy foods, high intake of fish and moderate use of wine.
According to CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men in the United States. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and the second leading cause of death in that group.