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U.S. hospital emergency departments not equipped to care for children

According to a recent IOM report, only 6 percent of U.S. hospital emergency departments are fully equipped to properly care for children. With high rates of novel H1N1 (swine) flu expected this winter, the time to address these deficiencies is immediate.

22 Sep 2009

Medithrive opens medicinal marijuana dispensary

Medithrive, Inc., a licensed medicinal marijuana cooperative, proudly announces the opening of its state of the art dispensary, offering patients a beautiful environment in which to access an outstanding and affordable variety of medicinal marijuana products.

22 Sep 2009

50% jump in electronic claims submission by health care providers

Three out of every four insurance claims from health care providers are being submitted electronically to AmeriHealth New Jersey. That’s an increase of 50 percent over the past three years, the insurer said today.

22 Sep 2009

DataSource partners with Rural Health to help customers secure grants for EHR projects

DataSource Mobility is committed to helping healthcare customers achieve their IT goals. As part of that commitment, they have extended their capabilities by partnering with Rural Health IT Corporation (Rural Health), to provide customers with assistance in securing grant funding for EHR projects up to $1.2 million.

22 Sep 2009

Funding for family planning and reproductive health remains uncertain

Reproductive rights will be "key to the foreign policy of this administration," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said. Research shows that smaller families can boost the economy of developing countries. And policymakers are increasingly recognizing the connections between population and other global issues such as education and the environment.

22 Sep 2009

Health of American workers trending downwards

In the midst of the most vigorous national health care debate in 15 years, and at a time of heightened economic insecurity, new data on employers show that the health of employed American workers is trending downward in a number of important areas. The State of Health in the American Workforce, a report released today by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), finds that only 28% of employees today report that their overall health is "excellent," down from 34% just six years ago.

22 Sep 2009

AHF’s first AIDS treatment center to open in Washington, DC

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US’ largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider, which provides medical care and/or services to more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide, is honored to announce the September 24th grand opening of AHF’s first AIDS treatment center in Washington, DC, where the HIV rate is now reported to be 3%—higher than the rate in Lagos, Nigeria. The health care center, AHF’s first to be named in honor of Hollywood actor and longtime AIDS advocate Blair Underwood, will include a state-of-the-art, full-service HIV/AIDS treatment clinic as well as an on-site AHF Pharmacy. The facility will be known as the AHF Blair Underwood Clinic.

22 Sep 2009

HTA acquires GHS medical office building portfolio

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc., (the "REIT"), a self-managed non-traded real estate investment trust, announced the completed acquisition of a 16-building portfolio from Greenville Hospital System ("GHS") based in Greenville, South Carolina for approximately $162,820,000 on September 18, 2009.

22 Sep 2009

Congress urged to delay pending Medicaid cuts

A diverse coalition of health care industry groups has sent an urgent letter to the bipartisan leadership in Congress seeking to delay pending Medicaid cuts and to enact a more equitable formula to reimburse pharmacies for dispensing generic drugs to Medicaid beneficiaries.

22 Sep 2009

CED urges Senate Finance Committee to adopt "Free Choice" amendment in health bill

The Committee for Economic Development (CED) today urged the Senate Finance Committee to amend the America's Health Future Act (sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT)) by adopting the "Free Choice" amendment submitted Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). The "Free Choice" amendment is a key element of the Healthy Americans Act (S. 391) which was endorsed by CED in June of this year.

22 Sep 2009

Collaborative initiative to address nursing shortage

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) today issued its Call for Proposal for Partners Investing in Nursing's Future (PIN), a collaborative initiative that addresses the nursing shortage at the community level through funding partnerships with local and regional foundations.

22 Sep 2009

Baucus: Bill will change to make premiums more affordable

"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said Monday he intends to ease what he called the financial burden his health bill would impose on middle-income families, making adjustments financed in part by paring back the amount of deficit reduction in the legislation," The Wall Street Journal reports. "In an interview, the Montana Democrat said some $28 billion of the funds now dedicated to deficit reduction could be diverted into proposals that would make the bill more affordable to working-class Americans."

22 Sep 2009

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences launches new academic center

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences today officially opened a new 30,000 square foot, $10M academic center at 40 Foster St. in downtown Worcester. On hand at the event were Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Worcester City Manager Michael O’Brien, Worcester Mayor Konstantina Lukes and MCPHS President Charles F. Monahan Jr.

21 Sep 2009

Seniors worry about Democratic proposals as well as so-called myths spread by opponents

In response to Democratic health reform proposals, seniors are attending town halls, writing letters to lawmakers, showing support for the GOP in polls, and "giving their legislators a piece of their mind that a way of life is slipping away," The Washington Times reports.

21 Sep 2009

More on Massachusetts' reform lessons

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports: "Massachusetts is the only state that has adopted the core elements of the plan outlined by President Obama and congressional Democrats: an individual mandate; an employer mandate; subsidies for the poor; insurance market reforms; and an 'exchange,' under which consumers can shop for coverage."

21 Sep 2009

Millions more in Horn of Africa could face food shortages this year, FAO says

Millions of additional people in the Horn of Africa could face food shortages this year because of poor harvests from a lack of rain, worsening conflicts and the El Nino climatic effect, the U.N. Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) said on Monday, Reuters reports.

21 Sep 2009

Some religious groups seek health care for illegal immigrants

NPR reports: "In the Hispanic community, there are issues in the debate over health care that spill over into the debate over immigration policy."

21 Sep 2009

Obama pushes new message while opposition continues

In his Sunday talk show offensive (related story: Obama Blankets Airwaves To Push For Health Reform) President Barack Obama called for civility, advertised his willingness to consider malpractice reform, said a proposed tax on health benefits would not have a large impact on working people and reiterated that illegal immigrants would not receive government coverage under the plans, the Washington Post reports.

21 Sep 2009

Illinois court to weigh how much charity nonprofit hospitals must perform

Illinois' highest court on Wednesday will consider how much charity care a nonprofit hospital must provide to earn its property tax exemption, the Chicago Tribune reports. Nonprofit hospitals provide charity care in the form of unreimbursed services to low-income people and the uninsured, and in exchange, receive tax benefits.

21 Sep 2009

IRIN examines HIV/AIDS advocates' reaction to U.N. agency for women

IRIN examines how a recent resolution to create an agency to promote women's "rights and wellbeing" by the U.N. General Assembly is being welcomed by international HIV/AIDS advocates. According to IRIN, "[w]omen make up 60 percent of people living with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, a figure that rises to 75 percent in the 15-24 age range. In Asia, nearly 50 million women are at risk of becoming infected with HIV from their partners."

21 Sep 2009