News Archive

News in Public Health - News Archive

July 2010

• International Experts Limit Melamine Levels in Food - 07-JUL-2010 The United Nations foods standards body, Codex Alimentarius Commission, has provided new guidance on the maximum amount of melamine allowed in powdered infant formula and in other foods.

• National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council Submits Report on a National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy - 06-JUL-2010 The new National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council which was created by the Affordable Care and is composed of senior government officials across federal departments and agencies, has submitted a report about the development of a National Prevention and Health Promotion strategy.

• SOPHE Calls for Photos from Health Education Specialists - 06-JUL-2010 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) invites photos showing health education specialists in action. Entries are due July 20, 2010.

• HHS Launches New Consumer Focused Health Care Website - 06-JUL-2010 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has unveiled an innovative online tool to connect consumers to both public and private health coverage options and resources to help them access quality, affordable health care coverage.

• NACCHO Hosts Briefing on Capitol Hill: Catastrophe for Public Health in the Making - 06-JUL-2010 The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) hosted a Capitol Hill briefing highlighting the devastating effect of job losses on one of the nation's most important sectors: local health departments.

• CDC Survey Finds 9 in 10 U.S. Adults Consume Too Much Sodium - 06-JUL-2010 A report published in CDC's MMWR finds that less than 10 percent of U.S. adults limit their daily sodium intake to recommended levels and that the majority of sodium in the American diet comes from processed grains such as pizza and cookies, and from meats, including poultry and luncheon meats.

• New TFAH Report: F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010 - 01-JUL-2010 A new report on adult obesity from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) reports that more than two-thirds of states (38) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.

• WHO Launches Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities - 01-JUL-2010 The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities as part of a broader response to the rapid aging of populations.

• New AHRQ Guides Offer Hospitals Advice on Emergency Evacuation, Assessment and Recovery - 01-JUL-2010 Two new guides are now available to help hospital planners and administrators make important decisions about how to protect patients and health care workers and assess the physical components of a hospital when a natural or manmade disaster, terrorist attack, or other catastrophic event threatens the soundness of a facility.

• CDC Reports Top 10 Cancers Among Men - 01-JUL-2010 The 10 most commonly diagnosed cancers among men in the United States in 2006 included cancers of the prostate, lung, colon and rectum, and bladder; melanomas of the skin; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; kidney cancer, mouth and throat cancer, leukemias, and pancreatic cancer.

June 2010

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• AHRQ Calls for Award Nominations - Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare Research - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 30-JUN-2010 To celebrate its 20th year of HCUP data, AHRQ will be honoring researchers who have addressed healthcare research and policy issues using HCUP data, software tools, and products. The call for nominations closes July 16, 2010.

• NALBOH Urges Boards of Health to Enforce New Provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act - 24-JUN-2010 The National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) urges boards of health across the nation to support efforts and community programs related to the enforcement of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

• Tobacco Control Act One Year Anniversary - 23-JUN-2010 FDA's Center for Tobacco Products has implemented several important requirements that expands the FDA's role in protecting the public from tobacco products, in particular children.

• APHA Offers Free CDs on Get Ready Preparedness Materials - 21-JUN-2010 For a limited time, the American Public Health Association (APHA) is offering free CDs containing Get Ready preparedness materials by request. The offer will last only while supplies are available.

• CDC Responds to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill - 21-JUN-2010 CDC is providing information for coastal residents, clinicians, clean up workers, and others.

• HHS Finds School-Based Pandemic Vaccine Clinics Effective - 21-JUN-2010 Federal officials looked to the relatively new model of school-based immunization clinics as an efficient way to deliver the pandemic vaccine to children, and a report from clinic observers detailed that the process worked well, though most schools would need more resources to hold future clinics.

• CDC and SAMHSA Find Sharp Increase in Emergency Department Visits for Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs - 21-JUN-2010 Visits to hospital emergency departments involving nonmedical use of prescription narcotic pain relievers more than doubled, rising 111 percent, between 2004 and 2008, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Men To Take Preventive Steps in Their Health Care - 17-JUN-2010 In an effort to raise awareness among middle-aged men about the importance of preventive medical testing, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has joined with the Ad Council to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) in conjunction with Men's Health Week (June 13-19) and prior to Father's Day (June 20).

• Latest Health Insurance Estimates Released - 17-JUN-2010 Results from the National Health Interview Survey show that the percentage of persons who were uninsured in 2009 among the 20 largest states ranged from 3.7% in Massachusetts to 24.6% in Texas.

• ASTHO Applauds HHS Adoption of New National Standard for Newborn Screening - 17-JUN-2010 The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is pleased that U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has added Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease (SCID) to the core newborn screening panel.

• Public Comment Period Opens on Dietary Guidelines for Americans - Comments Due July 15 - 17-JUN-2010 The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are soliciting comments on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Comments are due July 15, 2010.

• FDA Regulations Restrictions on Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco Protect Children and Adolescents - Effective June 22 - 17-JUN-2010 The FDA rule, Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco to Protect Children and Adolescents, restricts the sale, distribution, and promotion of these products to make them less accessible and less attractive to kids. The new rule becomes effective June 22, 2010, and has the force and effect of law.

• HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Launches Let's Move Cities and Towns - 17-JUN-2010 Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has launched the Let's Move Cities and Towns component of the Let's Move! Campaign.

• APHA Launches New Website on Environmental Public Health - 15-JUN-2010 The American Public Health Association (APHA) had launched a new website that spotlights a range of issues related to health and the environment.

• New ASPH Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities - 15-JUN-2010 The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) announces opportunities for students and recent graduates. The deadline for applications is July 29, 2010.

• CDC Releases the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Results - 15-JUN-2010 Results from the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicate the need for continued improvement in reducing youth health risk behaviors.

• New NLM Online Exhibition of Chinese Public Health Posters - 10-JUN-2010 The National Library of Medicine (NLM) announces "Health for the People," a new web exhibit focusing on Chinese public health posters and other paper ephemera.

• IOM Report Says FDA Should Adopt Risk-Based Approach to Food Safety and Take Steps to Prevent Foodborne Illnesses More Effectively - 09-JUN-2010 A new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council says that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's abilities to discover potential threats to food safety and prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness are hampered by impediments to efficient use of its limited resources and a piecemeal approach to gathering and using information on risks.

• CDC Survey Finds that 1 in 5 U.S. High School Students Have Abused Prescription Drugs - 09-JUN-2010 One in 5 U.S. high school students say they have ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor's prescription, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• NCHS Data on the Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Extreme Obesity Among Adults - 09-JUN-2010 Results from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 34.2% of U.S. adults aged 20 years and over are overweight, 33.8% are obese, and 5.7% are extremely obese.

• AHRQ Unveils New Software to Reduce Costs and Time for States to Report Hospital Quality Information to the Public - 09-JUN-2010 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has unveiled MONAHRQ-My Own Network Powered by AHRQ-a free software application that significantly reduces the cost and time a State, hospital or other organization would need to spend to compile, analyze and post data on quality of hospital care, its cost and how that care is used.

• HHS Launches Community Health Data Initiative to Help Communities and Consumers Improve Health - 02-JUN-2010 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a national initiative to share a wealth of new community health data that will drive innovation and lead to the creation of new applications and tools to improve the health of Americans.

• PHF Explains Use of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals - 02-JUN-2010 The Public Health Foundation (PHF) describes how the new set of Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals can be used to help guide public health workforce development efforts.

• CDC Finds Higher Levels of Cancer Causing Chemicals from U.S. Brand Cigarettes - 02-JUN-2010 The CDC had found that people who smoke certain U.S. cigarette brands are exposed to higher levels of cancer causing chemicals than people who smoke some foreign cigarette brands.

• HHS Releases National Plan to Improve Health Literacy - 01-JUN-2010 The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy that is aimed at making health information and services easier to understand and use.

• ASPH Call for Abstracts: Innovations in Teaching Global Health - Deadline: June 7, 2010 - 01-JUN-2010 The ASPH/Pfizer Public Health Academy of Distinguished Teachers (Academy), under the auspices of the American Public Health Association (APHA) Academic Public Health Caucus, seeks abstracts for an "Innovations in Teaching Global Health" session during the 2010 APHA Annual Meeting.

• New Analysis of Local Health Department Job Losses Survey Demonstrates Depth of Program Cuts - 01-JUN-2010 Results from a survey conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) of local health departments show that from January 2008 to December 2009, local health departments lost 23,000 jobs to layoffs and attrition, roughly 15 percent of the entire local health department workforce.

May 2010

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• WHO: Better Care for Newborns Crucial For Millennium Development Goal on Child Deaths - 18-MAY-2010 The World Health Statistics 2010 report shows that globally about 40% of deaths in children under five years old occur in the first month of life.

• SOPHE Boycotts Arizona for 2011 Midyear Meeting - 18-MAY-2010 Following the recent enactment of Arizona legislation on illegal immigration (SB 1070) and prohibiting ethnic studies in schools (HB 2281), SOPHE has made the decision to relocate its 2011 Midyear Meeting, previously scheduled for Phoenix, Arizona, to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

• Study Finds Food Companies' Marketing Strategies Don't Protect Kids - 18-MAY-2010 Most food and entertainment companies have no protections in place for marketing unhealthy products to children, according to a study from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.