Thursday, August 28, 2008

Health care workers begin one-day strike at O'Connor hospital

Hundreds of health care workers began a 24-hour strike over contract negotiations this morning at five Daughters of Charity Health System hospitals through the state, including in Daly City, San Jose, Moss Beach and Gilroy.

Members of the Service Employees International Union United Health Care Workers-West started the strike at 6 a.m. today, union spokesman Mason Stockstill said. The affected facilities include Seton Medical Center in Daly City, O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, Seton Coastside in Moss Beach and hospitals in Gilroy and Los Angeles.

Julie Hatcher, vice president of human resources at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, estimated that between 50 and 60 workers were striking in front of the hospital this morning, and that 40 percent of union workers crossed the picket line.
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She said an estimated 60 replacement workers were hired at O'Connor Hospital for the strike.Contract negotiations began in March for the five hospitals and Hatcher said there is currently no date set to get back to the bargaining table.

Questions of care, health and our future

For the Scottish Government, Scotland's changing demographics is far from being the taboo subject you suggest in your leader comment of August 27.

We have already committed to providing an additional £40m to further improve care services. In partnership with Cosla, we are working to improve the clarity and delivery of the free personal and nursing care policy, for example on matters such as charging for food preparation and access to services. We are engaged in considering how we can ensure over the coming years that vulnerable older people - our relatives, friends, neighbours and future selves - can continue to receive the care and support they need. All local authorities and their health board partners are engaged with their communities to consider how to restructure services to better meet the needs of our ageing population in the future.

Your story reflects a common misunderstanding: that the total growth in spending on personal and nursing care services for older people arises solely from the free personal and nursing care policy. As Lord Sutherland so clearly outlined in his independent analysis of the policy earlier this year, due to Scotland's ageing population, even without the policy to remove charges from some care services, the demand for and costs of care services would be increasing.

Everyone knows we can afford free personal care if we really want it. In 2006, the Health Select Committee at Westminster had in mind the Scottish example when it stated: "It is clearly for governments to decide their own spending priorities. However, we maintain that, with political will, the resources could be found to fund free personal care".

How true. As a volunteering charity working to practically support older people in the community, WRVS believes we should spend less time fretting with the bean-counters and bureaucrats and more time focusing on the wellbeing of older people that a social care policy such as free personal care secures.

The committee also said: "The question of what is health and what is social care is one to which we can find no satisfactory answer, and which our witnesses were similarly unable to explain in meaningful terms". Perhaps if we all began to accept that free personal care is as much a health question as it is anything else, we'd be more sanguine about rising costs. After all, do any of us want anything other than a healthy, happy old age?

Walgreens Offers Medication Advice Ahead of Potential Hurricane Gustav

As Tropical Storm Gustav moves toward the Gulf of Mexico and threatens to develop into a hurricane, Walgreens is offering Gulf Coast residents tips on refilling their prescription medications should they need to evacuate.

To help pharmacy patients prepare for any potential evacuations, Walgreens suggests the following:
1. If you evacuate, get to a safe location first and refill your medication at a pharmacy there. This allows you to avoid potentially long lines at your local pharmacy, and you won't needlessly delay your evacuation. Walgreens has more than 6,300 locations nationwide, and all pharmacies can access your patient record, making any Walgreens your neighborhood Walgreens. Patients can find the nearest store by calling 1-800-WALGREENS or going to Walgreens.com.

2. Take a waterproof bag with your current medication - even if the bottle is empty. The information on the bottle label will help the pharmacist refill your medicine once you arrive at your destination. Heat, humidity and sunlight can degrade the effectiveness of medicine, so try to protect it from extreme weather conditions.

3. Keep a written record of your current prescriptions in your valuable papers file. If you're taking several prescription drugs, it's an especially good idea to keep a record of your current dosage and doctor's contact information. Walgreens patients can register online at Walgreens.com and print out this information directly from their patient profile.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Summer Institute in Tropical Medicine and Public Health


This eight-week summer program is designed to provide training in tropical medicine and related public health issues through a multidisciplinary approach. It is also designed to prepare participants for working with current and emerging health problems in developing countries and health problems of travelers.

This program focuses broadly on issues of tropical health and on clinical tropical medicine. Toward the program's conclusion, students will have acquired a strong scientific basis for preventing, diagnosing, treating, and controlling tropical health problems. The curriculum will consist of.

The Summer Institute in Tropical Medicine and Public Health will be held from June 23 - August 15, 2008. Courses are available for academic credit and non-credit.

School Of Public Health And Tropical Medicine

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine seeks candidates for the combined position of Chair of the Department of Tropical Medicine and the William G. Vincent Professor of Tropical Diseases.

Tropical Medicine is one of seven departments at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the oldest school of public health in the United States. The department has 8 full-time faculty, 9 associate faculty and offers Ph.D., Sc.D., M.S. and MSPH degrees, as well as degrees for health care professionals (MPH&TM and a clinical diploma in tropical and travel medicine).

The Department has strong research programs in infectious diseases, including vector-borne diseases, AIDS and several other areas with extensive global research and teaching activities in Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere. There are also strong ties and excellent growth opportunities with the Schools of Medicine, and Science and Engineering as well as the Tulane National Primate Research Center.

The candidate is expected to have a nationally and internationally recognized research program. This should include a strong track record in obtaining extramural research funding, publications in quality peer reviewed journals, and the ability to mentor junior faculty as they establish a research program.

In addition to outstanding research credentials, the candidate should have a documented record of leadership, administrative ability, and communication and teaching skills.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Another case of West Nile found in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting another case of human case of West Nile virus this year.

The Montgomery County Health Department says a woman in her 80s fell ill at the end of last month.

Earlier this month, state officials reported the first human case of West Nile virus this year. A woman in her 20s who became ill last month.

Last year Illinois had 101 human cases of the virus, including four deaths.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that pick up the infection from birds. Symptoms include fever, headache and body aches.

Health officials suggest avoiding mosquito bites by not going outside during hours when mosquitoes are most active, wearing insect repellant and making sure doors and windows are screened.

Patients out in cold after Balwyn North clinic closes

HUNDREDS of eastern-suburbs patients will be left without a doctor when a Balwyn North clinic closes its doors this Friday.

The North Balwyn Family Medical Centre, which treats up to 400 patients a week, has been closed by Sydney-based Primary Health Care.

The closure follows Primary Health Care's acquisition and recent closures of former Symbion Health clinics in Box Hill South, Blackburn and Ferntree Gully.

Seven doctors, a nurse and paramedical staff were given redundancies "effective immediately" or told they would have to relocate last week.

Medical co-ordinator Richard Hince said staff were devastated.

"We had no warning," Dr Hince said.

"It's a total lack of concern for patient welfare."

Patient Lynne Jordan, who has taken her family to the centre for 13 years, was appalled.

"Does the corporate Primary Health even care?" Ms Jordan asked.

The Balwyn North resident was told to take her family to the Primary Health Care "supercentre" in Ringwood, almost 20km away, or Mont Albert. "What's going to happen to all the elderly patients who can't travel?" Ms Jordan asked.

Melbourne East General Practice Network deputy chairman Chris Pearce said surrounding doctors would not be able to cope with the influx of patients.

"This is what happens when you treat general practice as a commodity," Dr Pearce said.

He said the concept that the practices were not financially viable was "nonsense". Australian Medical Association Victoria president Doug Travis said the days of solo GPs and small clinics were over.

Patient dies after being left in chair 22 hours

工A mental patient died after workers at a North Carolina hospital left him in a chair for 22 hours without feeding him or helping him use the bathroom, said federal officials who have threatened to cut off the facility's funding.

The state sent a team Tuesday to help Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro draft new procedures to ensure patients receive proper care.

An investigator's report released Monday found that 50-year-old Steven Sabock died in April after he choked on medication and was left sitting in a chair for close to a day at the facility about 50 miles southeast of Raleigh. Surveillance video showed hospital staff watching television and playing cards a few feet away Beauty Health.

Federal officials have threatened to cut off funding because of Sabock's death and a report that a physician punched a patient after the teen bit the doctor.

Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Tom Lawrence said the state team also may investigate what, if any, disciplinary action should be taken after Sabock's death.

Lawrence said the Sabock incident is isolated but that officials are concerned.

"It's not the kind of thing that we in our wildest dreams would expect to happen in our hospitals -- in our wildest nightmares, I guess," Lawrence said.

Sabock's father, Nicholas, declined comment when reached by telephone Tuesday evening. A man who answered the phone listed for Susan Sabock, Steven's wife Travel Health Insurance, hung up without commenting.

The investigation released Monday said Sabock died in April after Cherry Hospital nurses left him unattended in a chair and did not feed him or help him to the bathroom.

The report said Sabock sat, unattended, in the room for four work shifts. The report also found that Sabock, formerly of Roanoke Rapids, ate nothing the day he died and had little food in the three days preceding his death.

The state has until August 23 to file a report with the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services detailing what changes officials are making, Lawrence said.
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Farmer's markets are taking root in Southeast Alaska

The idea of "eating locally" is not new to Southeast Alaskans: nearly everyone's diet includes at least some local fish, game and berries. At the same time, it is difficult to go grocery shopping without buying foods that have traveled hundreds - and often thousands - of miles to the shelves.

Throughout the country, farmer's markets aim to encourage people to eat more locally harvested foods. Along the way, they hope to promote healthier diets and strengthen communities.

Farmer's markets have existed for years in the Anchorage and Fairbanks areas, and they are now beginning to spring up in Southeast Alaska as well. Since 2006, Haines and Gustavus have had regular Saturday farmer's markets. This August Sitka and Juneau are joining the trend and hosting their first community-wide farmer's markets.

Organizers see a number of reasons why farmer's markets are important. Doug Osborne, health educator at the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) in Sitka, named three main ones: health, sustainability and community.

Healthy foods, healthy communities

During the Sitka Health Summit held this spring, the idea of a farmer's market came up in a brainstorming session. A vibrant farmer's market featuring fresh fish and local produce ended up being the most popular idea brought up in the summit, which aimed to create a healthy community and improve the quality of life for Sitkans.

"The quality of produce is just so much better if you can grow it locally," said Linda Wilson, co-coordinator of the Sitka market. "The nutritional quality is higher and (local produce) will stay fresh longer."

Wilson hopes the farmer's markets will encourage everyone, especially young people, to develop healthier diets.

Much of the food found at farmer's markets is organically grown, Family Health but even if it's not, Alaskans-grown produce is less likely to be sprayed with pesticides, said Alison Arians with the South Anchorage farmer's market