Latest KFF Health News Stories
In this article in PLoS Medicine’s “Policy Forum,” Peter Bloland of the Division of Public Health Systems and Workforce Development at the CDC Center for Global Health, and colleagues “set out the U.S. CDC’s perspective on the role of public health institutions in global health system strengthening efforts,” according to the article summary. “To guide its support of public health in low- and middle-income countries around the world, the [CDC] proposes to prioritize its investments on strengthening six key public health functions that would contribute the most towards health systems strengthening efforts as a whole and have the greatest impact on improving the public’s health,” the summary states (4/3).
Researchers, Advocates Meet In Sydney To Discuss State Of Microbicide, HIV Prevention Research
“Three decades after the full onset of the global HIV tragedy, science appears to finally be developing preventative measures, including microbicides that would thwart infections in the first place, according to individuals at” the biennial International Microbicides Conference in Sydney, the Asia Sentinel writes. “Now, however, the challenge is to put the solution into the hands of those most susceptible to the disease,” the news service adds (Ramakant, 4/17). Researchers, advocates and funders met this week at the conference “to discuss the state of HIV prevention research,” a conference press release states.
G8 Foreign Ministers Highlight Global Health, Agriculture, Nutrition In Statement
The ONE blog examines how G8 foreign ministers “will additionally prioritize smart and effective global health, agriculture and nutrition plans at this year’s [s]ummit.” According to a statement from the G8 ministers, they reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, called for an AIDS-free generation, and stated investments in agricultural development show progress, particularly when focused on nutrition and women, the blog notes (4/17).
Trust, Invest In African Ministries Of Health To Create Sustainable Health Care Solutions
“During the 1990s it had taken a while for the rest of the world to wake up to the tragedy of AIDS in Africa, but belatedly the alarm call had come,” John Wright, a consultant in clinical epidemiology at Bradford Royal Infirmary in England, writes in a BMJ opinion piece. “Global funding and international action achieved something quite miraculous, bringing the most expensive and innovative drugs in the world to the poorest people on the planet; a triumph of science and health policy that made the discovery of penicillin look quaint,” he says. “The new health colonialists have come from across the globe with admirable intentions and boundless energy in a new scramble for Africa. Dozens of well meaning health providers are falling over each other to help — but crucially also to justify their efforts to their sponsors back home,” he writes.
White House Science Adviser Responds To Inquiry Regarding Handling Of H5N1 Research Controversy
“White House science adviser John Holdren has replied [.pdf] to questions asked last month by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) about how the Obama Administration has handled the controversy surrounding two studies that showed how to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible between mammals,” ScienceInsider reports. On March 1, “Sensenbrenner — a former head of the House of Representatives committees on science and the judiciary, and currently vice chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, sent a ‘fact-finding letter’ [.pdf] to Holdren” asking a “number of questions about how the government reviews potential ‘dual-use research of concern’ (DURC) that might be used for good or evil,” the news service writes.
State Roundup: Mass. Seeks To Improve Medical Malpractice System
News outlets also report on health policy developments from a number of states including Nebraska, Florida, Minnesota, Kansas and California.
Report: More Patients Turning To Social Media For Medical Advice
According to a new report, a third of consumers use social media to seek medical information, leading some to say that providers and insurers should utilize the media more to better interact with patients about their conditions.
Texas Asks Feds To Fund Women’s Health Program Through October
Texas is asking the federal government to continue funding its Women’s Health Program for five more months — through October — to allow the state to better prepare to fully take over the program.
Poll Explores Women’s Presidential Election Concerns
A new Reuters/Ipsos Poll found that 52 percent of women surveyed viewed President Barack Obama as stronger on health care, which was the second most pressing election concern. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama makes a pitch to women at a fundraiser.
Supreme Court Ruling Gives Generic Drug Makers A Victory
The Supreme Court handed generic drug companies a victory with its Tuesday decision.
Doughnut Hole Is Trouble Spot For Seniors On Heart Drugs, Researchers Find
A study documents that beneficiaries with cardiovascular conditions who reach the annual gap in coverage for prescription drugs, known as the doughnut hole, are more likely to stop taking their drugs because of the costs.
Official Provides Details, Dates For PCORI’s Research Priorities
The COO of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute offered insights into what appears to be a busy agenda.
A selection of health care opinions and editorials from around the United States.
Perspectives: What Is The Role For Comparative Effectiveness Research?
The Journal of the American Medical Association devoted this week’s issue to the topic of comparative effectiveness and how it should be used in medicine.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the latest Capitol Hill developments related to the budget.
Video: Georgia Clinic Seeks To Meet Health Needs Of Many
Providing adequate primary care at Oakhurst Medical Center, a community health center in Georgia, is often hampered by language and cultural barriers that separate immigrants seeking care at the center from the doctors who care for them.
To determine the quality of care the nearly 1,200 federally funded health centers provide to more than 20 million people, Kaiser Health News used the U.S. Freedom of Information Act to obtain data showing how individual health centers performed in 2010 based on six patient care measures: controlling blood sugar of diabetics and blood pressure […]
Community Health Centers Under Pressure to Improve Care
Quality is uneven at federally funded clinics that treat millions of poor people.
Rural Georgia Center Relies on Educators, Electronic Records To Boost Patients’ Health
But some patients still struggle to find specialists.
Interactive Chart: Quality Of Care At Community Health Centers
Look up how your local community health center scores on six measures of clinical performance, as evaluated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.