December 5, 2009 • 7:56 am 0
Stimulating Alaskan Health
Does Federal health funding do the job?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
12 Noon to 2 p.m.
Anchorage Legislative Conference Room
716 West 4th Avenue, Second Floor Room 220
Video Teleconference held in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage. Call for information on video locations as well as the audio statewide teleconference: 1-800-922-3875.
or visit www.akhealthcaucus.org for forum agenda. Read the rest of this entry »
December 5, 2009 • 7:53 am 0
PHISHING SCAM – CDC Sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1
CDC has received reports of fraudulent emails (phishing) referencing a CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1. The messages request that users create a personal H1N1 (swine flu) Vaccination Profile on the CDC.gov web site.
An example of the phishing email is below:
Filed under: General, Of interest
November 2, 2009 • 6:50 pm 0
This information from the ever vigilant Robert Sewell:
This is a GREAT resource, and there is a very decent web-site & maintained data-base behind it:
Health Workforce News http://www.healthworkforceinfo.org/
Health Workforce News is from the Health Workforce Information Center, an entity located in North Dakota & funded by HRSA. You may be interested in signing up to receive the newsletter on an ongoing basis if you haven’t already.
Filed under: General
October 24, 2009 • 5:23 am 0
A Commonwealth Fund report just published analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of the three comprehensive health reform bills passed by key U.S. congressional committees. As explained in the report and an online slide presentation narrated by Karen Davis, Fund president and report coauthor, the Senate and House bills all include provisions that seek to expand and improve health care coverage by building on the strongest aspects of our current private–public insurance system and reorganizing and regulating the individual and small-group insurance markets.
In addition to the report and slide presentation, you can also view interactive tables that provide side-by-side comparisons of the system reform and insurance coverage provisions in the three bills. As health reform legislation evolves, be sure to visit www.commonwealthfund.org for updates to the report and companion resources.
Filed under: General
October 21, 2009 • 9:40 am 1
Steven Woolf, David Satcher, and others estimated that from 1991 to 2000, medical advances averted 176,000 deaths, but equalizing mortality rates between whites and African-Americans would have averted 886,202 deaths. Am J Pul Hlt 2004;94:2078.
The most enlightening new account is Doug Massey’s on the history of how and why the US failed to temper the sharp inequalities and poverty that capitalism brings, while other countries did. European Socio Review 2009:25:9-23. Try http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/GSSW/schram/masseyglobal.pdf.
The term, “health disparities,” pushes clear thinking about inequality, racism, and discrimination into a vague soup. It’s a term we should stop using, like “wellness” which also depoliticizes and beclouds illness, injury and their harsh consequences by focusing on an upper middle class professional view of subjective well-being.
[Source: communique from Donald W. Light]
Filed under: General
October 20, 2009 • 9:38 am 0
Today is soapbox day. I am compelled to stand on the digital soapbox and talk about “personal responsibility.” Among legislators, administrators, commentators, and policy wonks, when the conversation turns to problems in our health care system and the need for health reform, suddenly the conversation is inundated with exhortations of “personal responsibility.” It sounds something like this, “If people would stop smoking, eat less, drink less, get off the couch and exercise more, then they would be healthier and the cost of health care would go down.” Who can argue with that? The implication is this: if people get sick and need health care, it is probably their own fault because they did not take “personal responsibility.” The problem is not in the system, it is in individuals.
Yes and no. In fact, I would say mostly no. Here is an analogy. Someone is driving around town and they accidentally crash their car into a light post. Why did they crash? One could argue that they failed to take “personal responsibility” for safe driving. Blame assigned. Problem solved. No need to look further. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: General, Of interest
October 9, 2009 • 5:07 am 0
HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
Nov 03 Tuesday Anch Lio Conf Rm 1:00 PM
Rescheduled from 09/17/09
Teleconference 1 to 5 pm
+ CMS Moratorium Review
Department of Health and Social Services
Public Testimony Will Also Be Taken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOINT LEGISLATIVE HEALTH CAUCUS
Oct 21 Wednesday Anch Lio Rm 220 12:00 PM
+ Stimulating Health:
The impact of federal spending in Alaska on Alaskans’ health
Filed under: General
