Health Care


SAMHSA Offers Substance Abuse Resources for Employers

Employers now have free access to a series of 14 two-page briefs outlining the benefits (including financial) of helping their employees receive treatment for substance abuse.

Study: Employer-sponsored Workouts Increase Physical Activity

"The biggest surprise was the steady and sustained progress. That can probably be explained by the social incentives and support from personal goals and achievements that had direct impact on team success," said lead researcher Rod Dishman, a professor of exercise science in the UGA College of Education.

Poll: Occupational Stability, Health Reform Rated among Top Priorities

When offered a list of potential taxes that could be used to pay for expanding health insurance for the uninsured, the only options in the national survey with majority support were those likely to impact the fewest people, in particular, smokers and the wealthy.

FDA Issues Public Health Advisory Alert on Skin Numbing Products

The Food and Drug Administration recently issued a Public Health Advisory to alert consumers, patients, health care professionals, and caregivers about potentially serious and life-threatening side effects from the improper use of skin numbing products. The products, also known as topical anesthetics, are available in over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription forms.

DOL Payments to Former Atomic Workers Exceed $4.5 Billion

Workers who became ill with silicosis, cancers, and beryllium disease through exposures as they manufactured atomic weapons have been assisted by the Labor Department-administered program since 2001.

Act Now Against Cancer, New ACS President Urges

The American Cancer Society's new president, Elizabeth T.H. Fontham, dean of the LSU Health and Sciences Center's School of Public Health, says projected growth of the world's older population will strain "fragile medical, public health, and economic systems of countries that can least afford it."

EPA Proposes Lowering 'Code Orange' Particle Pollution Level

The proposal also would set a “significant harm” level, which states use in developing emergency episode plans

Surgical Safety Checklist Drops Deaths, Complications

An international pilot study involving the Toronto General Hospital (TGH), a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto, and other hospitals from around the world, has found that using a Surgical Patient Safety Checklist significantly reduces surgical complications and mortality.



Diacetyl Regs on Occupational Exposure Reach Pre-Rule Stage

OMB has 90 days to review and approve OSHA's proposal before publication in the Federal Register.

FDA Launches Pilot Program To Improve Drug Import Safety

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the launch of a voluntary pilot program that would help promote the safety of drugs and active drug ingredients produced outside the United States.

Study Connects Worker Lead Exposure to Later Cognitive Problems

Both the developing brain and the aging brain can suffer from lead exposure, according to a report that appears in the January issue of Neuropsychology, titled "Association of Cumulative Lead and Neurocognitive Function in An Occupational Cohort" and published by the American Psychological Association. For older people, a buildup of lead from earlier exposure may be enough to result in greater cognitive problems after age 55, according to a follow-up study of adults exposed to lead at work.

Tobacco Foe Picked for HHS Deputy Director

William V. Corr, currently executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, has worked for Tom Daschle and Henry Waxman, who will lead the new administration's health care reform efforts.

a health clinic

Big Changes Coming in NFPA Health Facilities Standard

A major rewrite of NFPA 99 is under way, with proposed changes in the 2010 edition to be up for adoption this June at the NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago.

NSF Launches Revamped Web Site Devoted to Sleep Health

The new site's broader focus helps highlight all aspects of sleep medicine including sleep and women, sleep and children, and sleep and workplace issues and not just sleep problems, according to NSF CEO David Cloud.

Pa. Safety Authority Launches New Web Resource

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority launched its new Web site and design featuring an enhanced search engine with easier navigation and features allowing users to share patient safety information more easily.

HHS Releases Action Plan to Prevent HAIs

The plan includes a set of five-year targets, including a 50 percent reduction in the incidence rate for health care-associated MRSA infections. Soon the agency will announce dates and locations of public meetings about the plan. Comments are due by Feb. 6.

an older worker

Healthy Aging Conference Aims to Help Key Sectors

The Feb. 17-18 conference at the National Labor College will examine challenges of the nation's aging workforce and begin developing approaches to help workers maintain good health as they age. Construction workers and others who perform taxing physical labor are a special focus of the conference.

Image of someone getting a flu vaccination

APIC: Unsafe Needle Practices Causing Unnecessary Risks

"With an increasing amount of care being delivered in outpatient settings, more patients will be put at risk unless clinicians are adequately educated and consistently adhere to infection prevention measures," said Kathy Warye, CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

DOL Finds American Airlines Retaliated Against Sick Pilot

The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered American Airlines Inc. to reimburse a pilot who was retaliated against for reporting that he was too sick to fly. American Airlines rejected medical documentation that the pilot provided in accordance with American's internal policy, and later deducted sick pay that had already been paid from the pilot's paycheck.

FDA Approves HIV Blood, Tissue Screen Test

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the cobas TaqScreen MPX Test, the first nucleic acid test that screens for the presence of two divergent types of HIV in donated blood plasma and tissue.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars