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Language skills are essential to a child’s ability to communicate and develop. These skills enable children to engage with other people and learn from their surroundings and in the classroom.

Immigrant mothers face hurdles in accessing postpartum assistance in Canada

While Canadian-born and immigrant women have equal access to health care following childbirth, immigrant women are more likely to experience postpartum depression and financial strain, according to a new study published in Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing.

2 Jan 2007

Migrants account for bulk of TB, HIV and malaria cases in the UK

According to a report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in Britain, migrants are far more likely to have HIV, TB or malaria than the rest of the population.

15 Nov 2006

Drug industry concerned about California Law allowing State to seek drug discounts

A new California law set to take effect in January 2007 "provides a glimpse of the type of government price controls the drug industry fears," the Boston Globe reports.

13 Nov 2006

Interpretation services would cost Connecticut Medicaid $4.7 million annually

Reimbursing providers through the Connecticut Medicaid program for interpreting services for patients would cost about $4.7 million annually, half of which could be paid by the state and half of which could be financed through federal matching funds, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Connecticut Health Foundation, the Hartford Courant reports.

26 Oct 2006

Researchers find areas in the brain that indicate bilingualism

The finding sheds new light on decades of debate about how the human brain's language centers may actually be enhanced when faced with two or more languages as opposed to only one.

17 Oct 2006

Los Angeles Times examines Proposition 85

The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday examined Proposition 85, a California ballot measure that would require physicians to notify a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor (Hall, Los Angeles Times, 10/17).

17 Oct 2006

Hospitals lack clearly defined guidelines for medical interpretation services

As the U.S. immigrant population increases, many hospitals are seeking ways to improve their interpreter services, but there is "no clearly identified game plan for hospitals to decide what mix of language services to provide, by whom and how," United Press International reports.

17 Oct 2006

Scans reveal differences in autistic brains

Researchers at the University of Washington's Autism Center have found new evidence that some regions in the brains of people with the developmental disorder autism may not communicate with each other as efficiently as they do in other people.

17 Oct 2006

New York Times examines voter guides emphasizing Christian teachings on abortion, xloning, embryonic stem cell research

The New York Times on Saturday examined five Christian voting guides that emphasize church teachings on issues such as abortion, human cloning and human embryonic stem cell research.

16 Oct 2006

Apple begins selling iPod under product RED label

Apple Computer on Friday began selling a red-colored iPod Nano and $25 iTunes gift cards under the label of Product RED -- a project created by Irish musician Bono and Bobby Shriver that aims to raise money for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by donating a portion of profits from a range of branded products -- the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

16 Oct 2006

Schizophrenia drug to be used to treat autism

A drug normally used to treat schizophrenia has been given approval by the U.S. the Food and Drug Administration for use in treating the symptoms of autism in children and adolescents.

9 Oct 2006

Misconceptions about HIV in Europe

Nearly 50% of people ages 15 years and older living in the European Union continue to have misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted, according to a survey released on Monday by the European Commission, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.

5 Oct 2006

Bono's Product RED raises $10 million in UK

Product RED, a project created by Irish musician Bono and Bobby Shriver that that aims to raise money for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by donating a portion of profits from a range of branded products, raised more than $10 million in the United Kingdom from February through September, according to Global Fund Director Richard Feachem, the New York Times reports

5 Oct 2006

Proposed changes to Ryan White CARE Act would harm treatment efforts among HIV-positive Latinos

Proposed changes to the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides funding for HIV/AIDS programs in the U.S., would result in inadequate funding for treatment efforts among HIV-positive Latinos, members of a panel held by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation said on Wednesday.

5 Oct 2006

Elderly patients in the UK demeaned by hospital staff

Hospital staff in the UK have been accused of demeaning patients by their use of language and choice of words.

5 Oct 2006

CQ's Carey addresses health IT legislation, House approval of HSA expansion, Medicare payment cuts, Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses House and Senate negotiations on legislation that would expand health care information technology, House approval of a measure to expand health savings accounts, Congress' inaction on scheduled Medicare physician payment cuts and Senate Democrats' attempt to block reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

3 Oct 2006

Democrats focus on income gap, health care costs in election campaigns

Many Democratic candidates "see this as the year when the widening gap between the rich and the rest of America will help win them votes" and some have focused on the issue of health care costs for middle-income voters, the Wall Street Journal reports.

3 Oct 2006

Inclusion of prescription drug reimportation provision in delaying action on homeland security appropriations

Provisions that would permit U.S. residents to purchase lower-cost prescription drugs from abroad have become a "major sticking point" to settling negotiations on the House and Senate fiscal year 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bills, CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 9/19).

22 Sep 2006

Low birth weights lower quality of life

Babies with very low birth weights tend to have a much lower quality of life when they are three or four years old, according to a study published in the latest issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

21 Sep 2006

Sen. Kerry says language used by both sides in abortion-rights debate often 'misleading and unconstructive'

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who supports abortion rights, on Monday during a speech at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., said both abortion-rights supporters and abortion-rights opponents sometimes use "misleading and unconstructive" language and urged both sides to find "common ground," on the issue, the Boston Globe reports.

20 Sep 2006