News Archive

News in Public Health - News Archive

May 2008

• National Women's Health Week May 11-17 - 07-MAY-2008 National Women's Health Week empowers women across the country to get healthy by taking action. The nationwide initiative, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health (OWH), encourages women to make their health a top priority and take simple steps for a longer, healthier and happier life.

April 2008

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• Public Health Grand Rounds Webcast: Standards, Accreditation, and Improvement - Raising the Bar of Public Health Performance - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Public Health) - 29-APR-2008 This Public Health Grand Rounds broadcast will examine the relationship between public health agency performance and health status and provide information about national and state efforts in accreditation. The program will broadcast May 29, 2008, 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

• Cover the Uninsured Week: April 27 - May 3 - 28-APR-2008 Cover the Uninsured, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Cover the Uninsured Week 2008 is April 27 through May 3, 2008.

• Invitation for ASTHO-NACCHO 2008 Poster Showcase Proposals - 16-APR-2008 The ASTHO-NACCHO 2008 Joint Program Committee invites Poster Showcase proposals for the upcoming ASTHO-NACCHO 2008 Joint Conference. The Poster Showcase will feature visual presentations of recent program initiatives, research findings, and other information of interest and importance to state and local public health practitioners. Poster Showcase proposals are due Friday, May 16, 2008.

• CDC Report: Pregnancy Rate Drops for U.S. Women Under Age 25 - 16-APR-2008 Pregnancy rates for females under age 25, including teenagers, in the United States declined in 2004 compared to 1990, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report says nearly 38 percent of pregnancies in 2004 were to women under age 25, down from nearly 43 percent in 1990. The proportion of pregnancies among teens under age 20 dropped from 15 percent in 1990 to 12 percent in 2004.

• AHRQ Web Resource Features 100 Examples of Health Care Innovations and Tools - 16-APR-2008 A new Web resource that allows users to learn, share, and adopt innovations in the delivery of health services has been launched by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The resource—called the Health Care Innovations Exchange—is available at www.innovations.ahrq.gov. AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange is the federal government's repository for successful health care innovations. It also includes useful descriptions of attempts at innovation that failed. The Web site is a tool for health care leaders, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who seek to reduce health care disparities and improve health care overall.

• NLM Exhibition: Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health Opens April 17, 2008 - 09-APR-2008 Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health, a new exhibition at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), looks at the revolution in global health that is taking place in towns and cities around the world. Communities, in collaboration with scientists, advocates, governments, and international organizations, are taking up the challenge to prevent disease and improve quality of life. Recognizing the many factors that cause illness, people are working on a wide range of issues—from community health to conflict, disease to discrimination. This exhibition will introduce you to some of individuals who have made a difference—working together, against the odds, for the benefit of all.

• CDC Study: Smoking Early in Pregnancy Raises Risks of Heart Defects in Newborns - 09-APR-2008 Mothers who smoke early in pregnancy are more likely to give birth to infants with heart defects, according to a study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study, published in the April issue of Pediatrics, shows that women who smoked anytime during the month before pregnancy to the end of the first trimester were more likely to give birth to infants with certain congenital heart defects compared to women who did not smoke during this time period.

• ASPH Launches "This is Public Health" Web Site - 09-APR-2008 The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) has launched a micro-web site, www.thisispublichealth.org, on its "What is Public Health?" web site to help celebrate National Public Health Week. The "This Is Public Health" campaign is a way for public health students to demonstrate all the ways in which public health improves our lives.

• CDC Health Advisory: Measles Outbreaks in the United States - 09-APR-2008 A measles outbreak linked to an importation from Switzerland currently is ongoing in Arizona. Because of the severity of the disease, people with measles pose a risk of transmission to other patients and healthcare personnel in physician's offices, emergency rooms, and inpatient hospital settings. Healthcare providers should remain aware that measles cases may occur in their facility and that transmission risks can be minimized by ensuring that all healthcare personnel have evidence of measles immunity and that appropriate infection control practices are followed.

• APHA Unveils Blueprint for Tackling Climate Change - 03-APR-2008 The American Public Health Association (APHA) has unveiled its first-ever blueprint for combating the health impacts of climate change, representing the culmination of a process involving some of the nation's leading public health and climate change experts.

• New Report Finds Midwestern States Receive Least Federal Support for Public Health - 03-APR-2008 Trust for America's Health (TFAH) has released a new study that finds Midwestern states receive less funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) than other states.

• SOPHE Releases New Toolkit to Help Communities Combat Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratories - 03-APR-2008 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), along with partners at the American College of Medical Toxicology and the support of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, has developed a new resource for health care professionals focusing on the public health challenges of clandestine methamphetamine labs.

• Health Workers Urged to Tackle Low Adult Immunization Rates - 03-APR-2008 Despite the proven effectiveness of vaccines and their potential to save thousands of U.S. lives every year, American adults are receiving immunizations at alarmingly low rates (The Nation's Health).

March 2008

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• AHRQ'S 2007 State Snapshots Provide Broader Portraits of State-by-State Health Care Performance - 26-MAR-2008 An annual analysis to help health leaders identify areas of health care delivery that need quality improvement now includes important information such as each State's rate of obesity, health insurance coverage, mental illness and the number of specialist doctors. The measures, called State contextual factors, are part of the 2007 State Snapshots released by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The updated State Snapshots Web tool also tracks States' progress toward reaching government-set health goals for 2010. State Snapshots are available on PHPartners.org: Health Data Tools and Statistics.

• NLM Announces New Web Resource for its Disaster Information Management Research Center - 26-MAR-2008 The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce a new web resource for its Disaster Information Management Research Center (DIMRC) disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov. The aim of the DIMRC web site is to provide access to quality disaster health information to the nation at all stages of preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery. The initial phase of this web site focuses on NLM and NLM-supported resources and activities. The web site will expand to include other sources of authoritative disaster health information.

• PBS Series Broadcast: Unnatural Causes...Is Inequality Making us Sick? - 24-MAR-2008 A documentary series exploring racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health. The series will broadcast on PBS on four consecutive Thursdays, March 27 to April 17, 2008.

• WISER 4.0 Now Available for Download - 24-MAR-2008 The 4.0 version of WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders) is now available for download or via WebWISER. WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. New features in this release include biological substances (category A), radiation unit converter, WMD Response Guidebook, automatic update check capability, a refresh/update of the data, and many more miscellaneous fixes and improvements.

• Results of ASTHO Survey: Workforce Trends Point to a Future with Fewer Public Health Professionals and Increased Public Health Needs - 19-MAR-2008 New data from a survey by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) shows that the public health workforce is shrinking, the pool of new public health professionals is limited, and states are at a disadvantage in competing for the few workers available. As the public health workforce shrinks, state health agencies will face mounting pressures to meet traditional and emerging threats to the public's health.

• HRSA Launches Digital Campaign to Promote Poison Awareness and Prevention - 19-MAR-2008 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced a new poison prevention campaign. The Poison Help Campaign addresses the alarming statistics on poisonings in the United States. This past year, more than 2.4 million poison exposures were reported to the nation's network of Poison Control Centers (PCCs). Unintentional poisoning deaths are the second leading cause of injury death for U.S. adults.

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration - 19-MAR-2008 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled its new Home Page. It was redesigned to help users get to the information they are looking for more quickly. Future changes for the rest of FDA's web pages will take place by late 2008.

• NIH Launches Center to Study Genomics and Health Disparities - 19-MAR-2008 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the establishment of the NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities (NICGHD), a new venue for research about the way populations are impacted by diseases, including obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

• AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Hispanics to Become More Involved in Their Health Care - 12-MAR-2008 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has joined with the Advertising Council to launch a Spanish-language national public service campaign designed to encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care. The campaign urges Hispanics to stay healthy for their loved ones by visiting their doctor for regular screenings.

• NLM and ORWH Announce New NIH Web Site Source for Women's Health Research Information - 12-MAR-2008 A new Web resource providing consumers with the latest information on significant topics in women's health research from scientific journals and other peer-reviewed sources is now available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has partnered with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) to create this one-stop resource.

• Annual APHA Public Health Materials Contest - 06-MAR-2008 The APHA Public Health Education Health Promotion Section is soliciting health education, promotion and communication materials for their 18th annual competition. The contest provides a forum to showcase public health materials during the APHA Annual Meeting and recognizes professionals for their hard work. Entries for the contest are due by March 21, 2008.

• New CDC Study Underscores Impact of Older Adult Falls - 06-MAR-2008 An estimated 5.8 million adults over age 65 reported they fell at least once in the previous three months, and 1.8 million of them sought medical help or restricted their activity for at least a day, said the study in the CDC′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

• ASPH Assessment: More than 250,000 Additional Public Health Workers Needed by 2020 to Avert Public Health Crisis - 06-MAR-2008 The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) has released an assessment that found that more than 250,000 additional public health workers are needed by 2020 to avert a public health crisis. In order to address these significant shortages, ASPH is calling for an increased federal investment in public health education and training in addition to the coordination of a centralized enumeration effort to adequately understand current and future workforce needs.

• Statement by HRSA on Autism and the Vaccine Injury Program - 06-MAR-2008 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has reviewed the scientific information concerning the allegation that vaccines cause autism and has found no credible evidence to support the claim. Accordingly, in every claim submitted under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, HRSA has maintained and continues to maintain the position that vaccines do not cause autism, and has never concluded in any case that autism was caused by vaccination. HRSA and its partner Federal agencies are committed to continuing their efforts to support research that will enable them to understand, treat, and prevent autism and autism spectrum disorders.

• AHRQ Announces New Members to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force - 06-MAR-2008 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has announced new members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The Task Force consists of 16 health care experts in the specialties of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, preventive medicine, public health, behavioral medicine, and nursing. The Task Force, which is supported by AHRQ, conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a broad range of clinical preventive services including screening, counseling, and preventive medications.

February 2008

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• Become a Partner for National Public Health Week, April 7-13, 2008 - 28-FEB-2008 The American Public Health Association (APHA) invites organizations to become a partner for National Public Health Week, April 7-13, 2008. This year's theme is Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance.

• CDC's Advisory Committee Recommends Influenza Vaccination for Children 6 Months through 18 years of Age - 28-FEB-2008 The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to expand the recommended ages for annual influenza vaccination of children to include all children from 6 months through 18 years of age. The previous recommendation was for vaccination of children from 6 months to 59 months of age. The new recommendation increases the number of children recommended for vaccination by approximately 30 million.

• APHA Launches Campaign to Encourage Americans to Check Emergency Preparedness Kits When Clocks Are Set - 28-FEB-2008 The American Public Health Association (APHA) has launched a new campaign aimed at encouraging Americans to make sure their emergency preparedness kits are stocked when they change their clocks for daylight saving time. The Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks campaign aims at raising awareness of the importance of ensuring that each family has a stocked emergency preparedness kit.

• CDC Study Reveals Disparities in Awareness of Heart Attack Warning Signs - 28-FEB-2008 An alarming number of adults fail to recognize heart attack warning signs and symptoms that could, if heeded, save their lives, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study conducted in 14 states.

• CDC State Preparedness Report Highlights Progress and Challenges - 21-FEB-2008 An inaugural report on public health preparedness released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates states have made significant progress with respect to emergency preparedness, but that significant challenges remain. Designed to increase accountability regarding the country's investment in preparedness activities, the report presents national data as well as state-specific snapshots for all 50 states and four directly funded localities: Chicago; Los Angeles County; New York City; and Washington, DC. The report and other resources for public health preparedness can be accessed at PHPartners.org: Bioterrorism Preparedness.

• APHA Adopts Policies on Climate Change, Trans Fat, Abortion Services and More - 20-FEB-2008 The American Public Health Association (APHA) recently adopted 20 policies addressing a broad range of issues in public health from tobacco-free schools and global climate change to including eye care in disaster preparedness and a ban on lead-based paint.

• Report Finds States Advancing Common Approaches to Protecting Electronic Health Information - 20-FEB-2008 Most states have made substantial progress in defining their privacy and security approaches for electronic health information exchange, according to a report released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The report discusses the impact of work among and between participants in five key areas: legislation, executive orders, leadership and governance, stakeholder education and knowledge, and development of health information exchange networks.

• CDC Study Warns of Deaths Due to the Choking Game - 20-FEB-2008 At least 82 youth have died as a result of playing what has been called “the choking game,” according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The choking game involves intentionally trying to choke oneself or another in an effort to obtain a brief euphoric state or “high.” Death or serious injury can result if strangulation is prolonged.

• Call for Abstracts: Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Meeting - 11-FEB-2008 The Call for Abstracts for SOPHE's Annual Meeting, October 23-25, 2008, in San Diego is now open. The submission deadline is March 10, 2008.

• New Resource for Preventing Diabetes in African-Americans - 11-FEB-2008 A new diabetes prevention resource designed to encourage and help faith-based and community organizations get actively involved in deterring preventable diabetes among African-Americans was released by the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a joint venture of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health. This resource and others are available for free download at PHPartners.org: Health Promotion and Health Education.

• NACCHO Soliciting Model and Promising Practices Used by LHDs - 11-FEB-2008 The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is soliciting model and promising practices used by local health departments (LHDs) to facilitate effective and innovative public health practice. To be eligible for the 2008 Model Practice Awards, submissions must be received by March 14, 2008.

• TFAH Says Cuts to HHS Could Leave Americans' Health in Critical Condition; New Poll Shows Americans Believe Disease Prevention is Key to Reducing Healthcare Costs - 05-FEB-2008 Trust for America's Health (TFAH) warns that the proposed 7 percent cut to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the president's fiscal year 2009 budget could harm the health of Americans. Under the proposal, the budget for CDC would fall to a six year low for discretionary funding. TFAH issued a new public opinion survey that finds seven-in-ten Americans want the federal government to invest more in disease prevention and healthy living, with 46 percent saying they want much more spending.

• HHS Announces Members of the Secretary's Advisory Committee On National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 - 05-FEB-2008 The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the members of the advisory committee that will make recommendations for developing and implementing national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for Healthy People 2020. Healthy People sets and monitors national health objectives to meet a broad range of health needs, engage people across the nation to work together, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activity.

• Heart Disease Deaths Continue to Decline in American Women - 05-FEB-2008 Heart disease deaths in American women continued to decline in 2005, and for the first time, have declined six years consecutively, covering the years 2000-2005, according to newly analyzed data from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

January 2008

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• New CDC Study Shows Tobacco Control Programs Cut Adult Smoking Rates - 31-JAN-2008 Greater investments in state tobacco control programs are independently and significantly associated with larger and more rapid declines in adult smoking prevalence, according to a study by researchers at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and RTI International, an independent nonprofit research institute based in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Researchers were able to quantify the link between comprehensive tobacco control programs and a decrease in adult smoking — observing a decline in prevalence from 29.5 percent in 1985 to 18.6 percent in 2003.

• NACCHO Opposes ABC-TV Episode Linking Thimerosal and Autism - 31-JAN-2008 The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently sent a letter to ABC-TV requesting the episode of "Eli Stone" not be aired without correcting its false premise that childhood vaccines cause autism. "Childhood immunization has long been one of the most valuable strategies available globally for preventing unnecessary childhood disability and death. This episode of Eli Stone has great potential to lead parents of young children to conclude erroneously that childhood vaccines are unsafe," the letter states.

• CDC Study Estimates 7,000 Pediatric Emergency Departments Visits Linked to Cough and Cold Medication - 31-JAN-2008 An estimated 7,000 children ages 11 and younger are treated in hospital emergency departments each year because of cough and cold medications, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Approximately two-thirds of those incidents were due to unsupervised ingestion (i.e., children taking the medication without a parent's knowledge). The study was published in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics.

• Free Online CDC Environmental Health Courses Available - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)) - 31-JAN-2008 CDC's Environmental Health Services Branch, in collaboration with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), is providing three free online training courses for EH practitioners and students: Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response, National Environmental Public Health Performance Standards (NEPHPS), and Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents. NEHA is providing automatic continuing education credit to NEHA-credentialed individuals for those successful passing each of the courses and course completion certificates for all others. Additional continuing education courses for EH practitioners are available at PHPartners.org: Environmental Health.

• AMIA 10x10: Public Health Informatics Training - (American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)) - 28-JAN-2008 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a 5-year cooperative agreement with the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) funded by the Office of the National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI) and the Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ODCDC). The purpose of the program is to strengthen the breadth and depth of the public health workforce by providing training in public health informatics. AMIA will be accepting applications from leaders in national, state or local public health agencies interested in participating in informatics training. The applications will be available in early February.

• ASPH Certification in Public Health (CPH) Study Guide Now Available - 24-JAN-2008 The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) Study Guide for the Certification in Public Health (CPH) Exam is now available. Developed with the help of twenty faculty members at schools of public health, the study guide was created over the past year to assist candidates in preparing for the CPH examination. More information about public health jobs and careers is available at PHPartners.org: Jobs and Careers.

• 18th Annual APHA Public Health Materials Contest—Deadline March 21, 2008 - 24-JAN-2008 The American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Education Health Promotion section is soliciting health education, promotion and communication materials for the 18th annual competition. The contest provides a forum to showcase public health materials during the APHA Annual Meeting and recognizes professionals for their hard work.

• Health Department Warns Parents to Keep Camphor Products Away from Children - 24-JAN-2008 The New York Health Department warned New York City parents and caregivers to keep products containing camphor away from children. Some camphor products can be toxic to children when accidentally ingested or excessively applied to skin. Three recent cases of seizures associated with camphor have been confirmed in the Bronx. All three children have recovered. The Health Department is investigating seven additional cases suspected to be associated with camphor.

• FDA Warns Public of Possible Botulism Risk - 24-JAN-2008 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that New Era Canning Company is expanding its product recall because of potential Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) contamination to all canned green beans and garbanzo beans distributed by the company nationwide over the last five years. C. botulinum can cause botulism, a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition. The affected cans are large institutional-sized containers, weighing approximately six and a half pounds.

• CDC to Launch Study on Unexplained Illness - 17-JAN-2008 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente's Northern California Division of Research launched a study to learn about an unexplained skin condition known as Morgellons. Persons who suffer from this condition report a range of symptoms including non-healing skin lesions associated with the emergence of fibers or solid material from the skin, abnormal skin sensations (such as stinging and biting or pins and needles) and non-cutaneous symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and short-term memory loss. Researchers hope to learn more about who might be affected, what symptoms they experience, and factors that may contribute to their illness.

• Health Groups Release 2008 Immunization Schedules - 17-JAN-2008 Updated immunization recommendations for childhood influenza and adolescent meningococcal vaccinations are included in the 2008 Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedules released jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The 2008 immunization schedule can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm.

• NACCHO Seeks Participants for Medical Reserve Corps Workgroup - 17-JAN-2008 The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is seeking members for its Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Workgroup. The charge to the workgroup is to provide guidance, input, and direction on the MRC program activities by ensuring that there is integration of other public health activities and initiatives into the mission of local MRCs. The deadline to express interest is February 15, 2008.

• FDA Releases Recommendations Regarding Use of Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Products - 17-JAN-2008 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Public Health Advisory for parents and caregivers, recommending that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products should not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from such use. OTC cough and cold products include decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines, and antitussives (cough suppressants) for the treatment of colds.

• New International Health Regulations Now in Force - 09-JAN-2008 New International Health Regulations (IHR) designed to halt the international spread of dangerous diseases and other threats-are now in force, with the chief aim of reducing the time it takes to identify an illness or other public health threat-including chemical and radiological hazards-that could have an international impact, in order to mobilize a more timely and effective response.

• New Council on Linkages Website Includes Information on Updating the Core Competencies and Mapping - 09-JAN-2008 For 16 years the Council Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, a coalition of representatives from 17 national organizations, has worked to further academic/practice collaboration to assure a well-trained, competent workforce and a strong, evidence-based public health infrastructure. After a one year hiatus, the Council is back with new funding provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New projects include working to update the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals and mapping the public health workforce pipeline.

December 2007

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• Call for ASTHO-NACCHO 2008 Session Proposals - 31-DEC-2007 The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) 2008 Joint Committee is now accepting session proposals for the upcoming ASTHO-NACCHO Joint Conference set for September 9-12 in Sacramento, California. Proposals are due January 22, 2008.

• ASPH Initiates DrPH Competency Development Project - 31-DEC-2007 The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) is initiating a new project, funded by the CDC, focusing on the development of core Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) competencies.

• Public Access to NIH Funded Research Made Law - 31-DEC-2007 President Bush has signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007 (H.R. 2764), which includes a provision directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide the public with open online access to findings from its funded research. This is the first time the U.S. government has mandated public access to research funded by a major agency. Researchers will now be required to deposit electronic copies of their peer-reviewed manuscripts into the National Library of Medicine's online archive, PubMed Central.

• APHA Calls for Abstracts to 2008 Annual Meeting - 19-DEC-2007 The American Public Health Association (APHA) is now accepting contributed abstracts for the 136th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (October 25-29, 2008), San Diego, CA. The theme of the meeting is: Public Health Without Borders. The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 4-8, 2008.

• States Made Extraordinary Gains in Capability to Respond to Public Health Emergencies According to Report - 19-DEC-2007 If a major public health emergency happened today, state and local health agencies would respond faster and with vastly improved resources and strategies than they could have six years ago. According to a report issued by Trust for America's Health, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health From Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, state public health agencies have made dramatic progress in preparing the nation for public health emergencies. The report and other resources for public health preparedness can be accessed at PHPartners.org: Bioterrorism Preparedness.

• CDC To Begin Testing Trailers For Formaldehyde - 19-DEC-2007 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announce that testing for formaldehyde levels in trailers and mobile homes will begin Friday, December 21, 2007. Testing will take place in Mississippi and Louisiana. The testing comes in response to a request from FEMA for assistance in answering questions related to indoor air quality and health in order to answer concerns raised by residents and community members.

• APHA Dismayed by Bush Second Veto of CHIP - 13-DEC-2007 Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, the Executive Director of the American Public Health Association (APHA) says that APHA is incredibly dismayed and disappointed that the president has once again ignored the health of millions of children in need by vetoing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the second time.

• PH/HA Core Public Health Journals Project Call for Volunteers - 13-DEC-2007 The Public Health/Health Administration Section (PH/HA) of the Medical Library Association (MLA) is seeking health librarians and public health professionals to serve as volunteers in the Core Public Health Journals Project, version 3.0. The current version of the Core Public Health Journals is available at PHPartners.org: Literature and Guidelines.

• New Software To Aid Early Detection of Infectious Disease Outbreaks - 11-DEC-2007 A newly released software program will let health authorities at the site of an infectious disease outbreak quickly analyze data, speeding the detection of new cases and the implementation of effective interventions. The program, called TranStat, was developed by a team of epidemiologists and computer scientists from the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS), an international program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to build computational models for studying disease spread. TranStat and other tools for data collection can be accessed at PHPartners.org: Tools for Data Collection and Planning.

• AHRQ Releases Toolkits to Help Providers and Patients Implement Safer Health Care Practices - 11-DEC-2007 An array of toolkits designed to help doctors, nurses, hospital managers, patients and others reduce medical errors have been released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The 17 toolkits, developed by AHRQ-funded experts who specialize in patient safety research, are free, publicly available, and can be adapted to most health care settings. The toolkits range from checklists to help reconcile medications when patients are discharged from the hospital to processes to enhance effective communication among caregivers and with patients to toolkits to help patients taking medications.

• CDC Annual Report: Nearly One in Five Americans Say They Can't Afford Needed Health Care - 05-DEC-2007 Nearly one in five U.S. adults – more than 40 million people – report they do not have adequate access to the health care they need, according to the annual report on the nation's health released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, "Health, United States," can be accessed at PHPartners.org: Health Data Tools and Statistics.

• NACCHO and California Newsreel Collaborate on Healthy Equity Campaign - 05-DEC-2007 The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is collaborating with California Newsreel on its four hour documentary series for PBS titled, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” on the root causes of health inequity, scheduled for broadcast in Winter 2008.

• NIH Videocast: WHO Director-General to Deliver Lecture on Climate Change and Health on December 10 - 03-DEC-2007 Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), will speak on "Climate Change and Health" for the 2007 David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture at the National Institutes of Health. The event can be viewed by videocast on December 10, 2007, 3:00 PM ET.

November 2007

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• Training Guide from the National Institute on Aging Helps Older Adults Find Health Information Online - 29-NOV-2007 Health issues are a vital concern for older adults, and surveys show that most of those who go online search for health and medical information. However, since only 34 percent of people age 65 and older are online, the majority of older adults are missing out on valuable health information. To broaden the numbers of older adults able to search for and find reliable health information online, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has developed a free training curriculum for those who teach and work with older adults. This Toolkit for Trainers can be accessed from PHPartners.org: Health Promotion and Health Education.

• HRSA Introduces Training Tool to Improve Provider-Patient Communication - 29-NOV-2007 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has launched a new Web-based health communications training tool designed to improve interaction between health care providers and their patients. The interactive training course, “Unified Health Communication: Addressing Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Limited English Proficiency,” aims to raise the quality of provider-patient interactions by teaching providers and their staff how to gauge and respond to their patients' health literacy, cultural background, and language skills. The training tool can be accessed from PHPartners.org: Education and Training.

• Regional Medicine-Public Health Education Centers Call for Proposals - 28-NOV-2007 The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is seeking grant proposals from graduate medical education programs to support the integration of population health, public health, and prevention education and training into residency curricula. Through the AAMC's cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, awards of up to $25,000 are available to at least six graduate medical education programs to improve their training in these content areas through collaborations with public health professionals. Proposals are due December 19, 2007.

• New Database on Dietary Supplement Labels - 14-NOV-2007 The National Library of Medicine has released a new resource focused on dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplements Labels Database, http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov, includes information from the labels of over 2,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace, including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other specialty supplements.

• Nation's Influenza Vaccine Supplies Continue to Increase; CDC Advises Broadening of Vaccination Efforts - 13-NOV-2007 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the nation's influenza vaccine manufacturers report that more than 103 million doses of influenza (flu) vaccine have been distributed as of November 2, an amount that represents more doses than had ever previously been distributed at this date.

• Scientists Identify Factor Key to Severity of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staph Infections - 13-NOV-2007 Newly described proteins in drug-resistant strains of the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium attract and then destroy protective human white blood cells a key process ensuring that S. aureus survives and causes severe disease, according to scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. S. aureus disease is a global public health concern because some strains, including community-associated methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA), have developed resistance to existing antibiotics.

• HHS Unveils Plan to Strengthen, Update Food Safety Efforts - 07-NOV-2007 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a comprehensive initiative by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to bolster efforts to better protect the nation's food supply. The Food Protection Plan proposes the use of science and a risk-based approach to ensure the safety of domestic and imported foods eaten by American consumers. The Food Protection Plan, which focuses on both domestic and imported food, complements the Import Safety Action Plan that recommends how the U.S. can improve the safety of all imported products. The plan calls for enhancing FDA's information systems related to both domestic and imported foods to better respond to food safety threats and communicate during an emergency.

• Public Health Community Announces Major Initiative on Climate Change - 07-NOV-2007 The American Public Health Association (APHA) has announced a major new initiative addressing the connection between climate change and America's health. Between now and April 2008, APHA will coordinate a national conversation among public health experts and policy-makers to develop a list of key recommendations for dealing with the health impacts of climate change.

• Call for Abstracts for SOPHE's Midyear Scientific Conference - 07-NOV-2007 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) invites abstracts submissions for the SOPHE Midyear Scientific Conference to be held May 21-24, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. The deadline for abstract submissions is November 30, 2007.

• 14,000 Public Health Experts to Convene at APHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. - 05-NOV-2007 Thousands of public health professionals are meeting in Washington, DC, Nov. 3-7 to present new research and address the nation's most pressing public health issues at the American Public Health Association's (APHA) 135th Annual Meeting.

• Upcoming Public Health Grand Rounds Webcast November 29, 2007: Cutting-Edge Legal Preparedness for Chronic Disease Prevention - 01-NOV-2007 This Public Health Grand Rounds broadcast will explore how public health law can be used to significantly impact health and will discuss how New York City is using law to address chronic diseases. The program will broadcast November 29, 2007, 2:00-3:15 pm ET.

• USDA Announces New MyPyramid for Pregnant and Nursing Moms - 01-NOV-2007 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the launch of a new MyPyramid web site designed specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. The new interactive guidance, found at MyPyramid.gov, provides unique, individualized nutrition guidance to meet the needs of expectant and new moms.

• New AHRQ Report Recommends Use of Existing Call Centers To Expand Communications in Public Health Emergencies - 01-NOV-2007 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released Adapting Community Call Centers for Crisis Support: A Model for Home-based Care and Monitoring, a new report that recommends expanding the capabilities of poison control centers, nurse advice lines, drug information centers and health agency hotlines to assist persons at home or in public shelters in the event of public health emergencies such as biological attacks or pandemic influenza.

October 2007

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• Public Health Reports Archives to 1878 Now Available on PubMed Central - 24-OCT-2007 Archives of the journal, Public Health Reports, going back to the first issues in 1878, are now available full-text on PubMed Central. The National Library of Medicine scanned back issues and made them publicly available. Public Health Reports archives can be accessed from the Literature and Guidelines page of the PHPartners.org website at http://phpartners.org/guide.html.

• HRSA's Women's Health USA 2007 Reports Sharp Drop in HIV-Positive Newborns - 24-OCT-2007 The number of U.S. children born with HIV/AIDS has declined markedly since the mid-1990s in all demographic groups, according to the latest edition of Women's Health USA from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

• CDC Study Finds U.S. Schools Making Progress in Decreasing Availability of Junk Food and Promoting Physical Activity - 24-OCT-2007 The nation's schools have made considerable improvements in their policies and programs to promote the health and safety of students, particularly in the areas of nutrition, physical activity and tobacco use, says a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, more needs to be done to strengthen school health and wellness policies and programs, according to CDC.

• CDC Estimates 94,000 Invasive Drug-resistant Staph Infections Occurred in the U.S. in 2005 - 17-OCT-2007 Methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) caused more than 94,000 life–threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, most of them associated with health care settings, according to the most thorough study of life-threatening infections caused by these bacteria, experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

• Annual Report to the Nation Finds Cancer Death Rate Decline Doubling - 17-OCT-2007 A new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows cancer death rates decreased on average 2.1 percent per year from 2002 through 2004, nearly twice the annual decrease of 1.1 percent per year from 1993 through 2002.

• New Site Search Engine Allows Easier, More Efficient Navigation of MedlinePlus and NLM Web Site - 17-OCT-2007 The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has released a new search engine for MedlinePlus, MedlinePlus en español, and the NLM Library Web site. NLM has made this change to better meet the expectations and preferences of the millions of people who use NLM Web sites each month.

• FDA Commissioner Meets with Chinese Minister of Health and Other Senior Chinese Government Officials on Import Safety - 17-OCT-2007 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., met with leading officials in China, as part of a series of negotiations launched by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt with Chinese counterparts on the safety of food, feed, drugs and medical devices.

• Smoking Rates Highest Among People with Disabilities - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) - 10-OCT-2007

• October 7-13 is National Fire Prevention Week - 10-OCT-2007

• Employers making room for health promotion in workplace: Incentives, support yield health results - (American Public Health Association (APHA)) - 10-OCT-2007

• SOPHE Launches a Health Promotion Needs Assessment to Determine Emergency Response Capacity - 04-OCT-2007 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and CDC's Community Health Outreach and Education Team (CHET) have launched a web-based needs assessment to gather information about health promotion professionals' interest, experience, knowledge, and training needs in the area of emergency preparedness and response. All health promotion specialists are encouraged to participate, including those in government, community-based organizations, schools, worksites, universities, as well as other settings.

• NIH Launches Extensive Open-Access Dataset of Genetic and Clinical Data - 04-OCT-2007 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is launching one of the most extensive collections of genetic and clinical data ever made freely available to researchers worldwide. Called SHARe (SNP Health Association Resource), the Web-based dataset enables qualified researchers to access a wealth of data from large population-based studies, starting with the landmark Framingham Heart Study.

• APHA Deeply Troubled by Bush Veto of Children's Health Insurance Program - 04-OCT-2007 APHA is deeply troubled that, despite overwhelming support from the general public and congressional leadership of both parties, President Bush vetoed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which would have provided 10 million children access to health care.

September 2007

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• APHA Urges Congress to Pass Children's Health Insurance Program Legislation - 26-SEP-2007 The American Public Health Association (APHA) urges all members of the House and Senate to vote in favor of pending legislation to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

• Immunizations Are Discontinued in Two HIV Vaccine Trials - 26-SEP-2007 An independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) met this week to review interim data from a large, international HIV vaccine clinical trial known as the STEP study — also referred to as the HVTN 502 or Merck V520-023 study. The clinical trial, which began enrolling volunteers in December 2004, is co-sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc., which also developed and supplied the candidate vaccine. Based on a review of interim data, the DSMB concluded that the vaccine cannot be shown in this trial to prevent HIV infection or affect the course of the disease in those who become infected with HIV (the vaccine itself cannot cause HIV infection because it contains only synthetically produced snippets of viral material). Therefore, Merck and NIAID instructed all study sites to cease administering the investigational vaccine but continue scheduled follow-up visits with all volunteers until the data can be more thoroughly evaluated and a course of action is developed.

• Celebrate National Health Education Week: October 15-20, 2007 - 24-SEP-2007 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) will celebrate National Health Education Week (NHEW) October 15-20, 2007 with the theme, Finding the Key: Healthier Homes and Communities. The 2007 NHEW theme address environmental health literacy - awareness that our individual and collective behaviors impact our environments at home and in our communities.

• National Adult Immunization Awareness Week: September 23-29, 2007 - 20-SEP-2007 The California Adult Immunization Coalition (CAIC) and its partners are spearheading National Adult Immunization Awareness Week (NAIAW) to encourage adults to get up-to-date with their immunizations.

• National Public Health Performance Standards Program Instruments Streamlined and Updated for 2007 - 20-SEP-2007 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) partners will launch a fitter and trimmer “Version 2” of the popular NPHPSP instruments. The instruments are used by boards of health and state and local public health system to identify areas for system improvement, strengthen state and local partnerships, and assure that a strong system is in place for effective response to day-to-day public health issues as well as public health emergencies. The revisions modernized and updated areas such as preparedness, informatics, health marketing, public health law, and laboratory issues.

• U.S. Life Expectancy Hits New High of Nearly 78 Years - 12-SEP-2007 A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years (77.9) – a new high – according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2005.

• New NACCHO Report: Federal Cuts Threaten Advances in Public Health Emergency Preparedness - 12-SEP-2007 Federal funding received by local health departments for all-hazards emergency preparedness fell 20 percent last year, according to a new report by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The report says that continued cuts in funding provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) threaten important, hard-won advances made in recent years in response planning to natural disasters, bio-terrorism events, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health emergencies. The report is available at http://www.naccho.org/documents/SurveyReport_Final.pdf.

• Academy Launches Emergency Preparedness Tools to Enable Millions More People to Shelter in Place than is Currently Possible - 12-SEP-2007 The New York Academy of Medicine has released a report and tools that will enable households, work places, schools and early childhood/youth programs, and governments to anticipate and address problems they would face in emergencies. The Academy's main report documents that the emergency preparedness instructions being given to people and organizations do not address many important sheltering-in-place issues and sometimes make matters worse. The report is available at http://www.redefiningreadiness.net.

• Upcoming Public Health Grand Rounds Webcast September 27: Public Health Is Global Health: An Innovative Approach to Fighting Disease in Uganda - 04-SEP-2007 This broadcast of Public Health Grand Rounds explores the basic care package and how the research behind the intervention led to substantial program and policy changes throughout Uganda. The program will broadcast September 27, 2007, 2:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern Time.

• Nation's Childhood Immunization Rates Remain At Or Above Record Levels - 04-SEP-2007 The nation's childhood immunization rates remain at or near record levels for routinely recommended vaccines, according to 2006 estimates released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This continues the trend of more children being protected against vaccine-preventable diseases each year.

August 2007

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• 47 Million Uninsured Americans “Is a Travesty,” Says APHA - 29-AUG-2007 U.S. Census Bureau data recently released show a rise in the number of Americans lacking health insurance. 47 million people did not have health coverage in 2006, up from 44.8 million in 2005.

• New Report Finds U.S. Obesity Epidemic Continues to Grow - 29-AUG-2007 Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). Twenty-two states experienced an increase for the second year in a row; no states decreased.

• HHS Invites Nominations to the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 - 29-AUG-2007 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the establishment of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 and invites nominations for membership for the Committee. The Department seeks nominees with expertise across a broad range of areas related to health promotion, disease prevention, and public health benchmarking. Nominations are due September 20, 2007.

• Registration Opens for the Public Health Certification Exam - 23-AUG-2007 The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) has launched registration for the first public health certification exam. Graduates from schools and programs of public health accredited by the Council on Education of Public Health (CEPH) are encouraged to register and sit for the exam by visiting http://www.publichealthexam.org.

• CDC Researchers Find Possible Animal Source for Marburg Virus - 23-AUG-2007 Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their collaborators have for the first time successfully identified Marburg virus infection in a common species of African fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus).

• WHO Report: International Spread of Disease Threatens Public Health Security - 23-AUG-2007 More than at any previous time in history, global public health security depends on international cooperation and the willingness of all countries to act effectively in tackling new and emerging threats. That is the clear message of this year's World health report entitled A safer future: global public health security in the 21st century.

• New National Institute of Aging Online Publication Features Health and Retirement Study - (National Institute on Aging (NIA)) - 15-AUG-2007 A comprehensive new publication, Growing Older in America: The Health & Retirement Study, is now available online from the National Institute on Aging (NIA)

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Announces Effort to Promote Stroke Awareness in the Hispanic Community - (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH (NINDS) U.S.) - 15-AUG-2007 A new community education program, which broadens the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke(NINDS) national stroke education campaign Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time. to promote stroke awareness among Hispanics in the United States.

• New Study: Boosting Five Preventive Services Would Save 100,000 Lives Each Year - 08-AUG-2007 Increasing the use of just five preventive services would save more than 100,000 lives every year in the U.S., according to a new study released by Partnership for Prevention. That includes 45,000 lives that would be saved each year if more adults took a daily low-dose aspirin to prevent heart disease. The report is available at http://www.prevent.org/content/view/129/72/.

• New Study Finds Community Measures Prevent Deaths During Pandemic - 08-AUG-2007 School closures and other community strategies designed to reduce the possibility of spreading disease between people during an epidemic can save lives, particularly when the measures are used in combination and implemented soon after an outbreak begins in a community, according to a new study based on public records from the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic.

• American Public Health Association Recognizes Contributions of National Health Centers - 08-AUG-2007 The American Public Health Association recognized the contributions of community, migrant and homeless and public housing health centers during National Health Center Week 2007, Aug. 5-11. Launched in 1965, the federal health centers program has dramatically reduced health disparities and infant mortality on a statewide level. They are part of a public health movement that has vastly improved community health while lowering health care costs.

• Public Health Partners Web Site Offers RSS Feeds - 01-AUG-2007 The Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce is now offering RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds for new content and news items posted to its Web site at: http://PHPartners.org. The PHPartners RSS feed will keep you informed about news in public health, upcoming meetings, and new public health online resources.

• CDC Urges Parents to Protect Preteens with Recommended Vaccines - 01-AUG-2007 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign to educate parents about one of the things they can do to protect their children at 11 and 12 years of age and for years to come: make sure they are vaccinated against serious, sometimes life-threatening diseases such as meningitis, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and cervical cancer.

• FDA Announces Program to Enhance States' Food Safety Programs - 01-AUG-2007 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a national program to bring about the adoption of more uniform, equivalent, and high quality regulatory programs by state agencies responsible for regulating facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food under FDA's jurisdiction.

July 2007

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• JMLA Publishes Article on Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce - 27-JUL-2007 The July 2007 issue of the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) offers readers access to a growing body of collective experience in public health information outreach. One article reviews the events and activities related to the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) service to the public health sector in the 1990s. The journal issue is available in full text at PubMed Central at http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/tocrender.fcgi?iid=146158 .

• New AHRQ Resources Can Help States and Local Communities With Disaster Planning and Response Involving Nursing Homes - 27-JUL-2007 The Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released Emergency Preparedness Atlas: U.S. Nursing Home and Hospital Facilities, which is intended to help local communities identify the health care facilities (hospitals and nursing homes) that could be available and prepared to provide assistance under emergency conditions in their communities.

• Scholarships Available: Health Education Workshop on Emergency Risk Communication & Pandemic Flu - 27-JUL-2007 The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is partnering with CDC and DHHS to host a 1 ½ day workshop for health educators on Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication for Pandemic Influenza, on September 20-21, 2007 in Chicago, IL. Travel scholarships will be awarded to health educators to participate in the workshop. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2007.

• WISER - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S., Specialized Information Services Division) - 20-JUL-2007 WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents.

• Four Communities to Pilot New Federal Environmental Health Partnership - (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)) - 19-JUL-2007 Four communities will partner with experts from EPA, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and CDC′s sister agency, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registries (ATSDR) to pilot a new initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of communities to identify and effectively address environmental protection and public health services.

• CDC Travel Health Book Advises Travelers on Hazards Both Ordinary and Extraordinary - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) - 16-JUL-2007 New Edition of CDC′s "Yellow Book" Provides Updated Information on International Travel Health Risks

• Health Officials Gather To Discuss Local Health Departments' Role In Addressing Health Inequities - (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)) - 16-JUL-2007

• APHA Underscores Importance of Qualifications and Independence of and Adequate Resources for Surgeon General - 11-JUL-2007 In a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, the American Public Health Association (APHA) reinforced the importance of the Office of the Surgeon General in helping protect and promote the nation's health and underscored three principles essential to its functioning. The letter includes qualifications essential for any surgeon general nominee and urges Congress to consider the severe lack of funding for the office.

• Updated Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Available - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)) - 09-JUL-2007 The guide, National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2007, provides information on thousands of alcohol and drug treatment programs located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four U.S. territories.

• New plan to contain drug-resistant TB - (World Health Organization (WHO)) - 06-JUL-2007 WHO, Stop TB Partnership release two-year response plan.

• Medicare Enhances Consumer Information On Hospital Care - (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)) - 06-JUL-2007 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced an addition to the Hospital Compare consumer Web site (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov). The revised comparison tool will now give consumers even better insight into the quality of care provided by their local hospitals.

• GlobalHealthReporting.org - 05-JUL-2007 GlobalHealthReporting.org is a project to provide journalists and others, including researchers, policymakers and nongovernmental organizations, with the latest news and information about HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide.

June 2007

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• FDA's Pilot Program to Better Educate Consumers about Recalled Food Products - (Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S.) - 27-JUN-2007

• New CDC Report Documents Percentage of People Without Health Insurance - 25-JUN-2007 CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics has issued a report entitled "Early Release of Health Insurance Estimates Based on Data From the 2006 National Health Interview Survey." The study examines data collected from interviews in over 100,000 households nationwide. In 2006, there were 43.6 million Americans of all ages who did not have health insurance (at the time of the interview), or 14.8 percent of the population.