Justmeans's blogshttp://www.justmeans.com/editorials/health/210.htmlTue, 21 May 2013 02:16:47 GMThttp://www.justmeans.com en hourly 1http://www.justmeans.com/AOL-Partners-with-TOMS-One-Day-Without-Shoes-Challenge/58802.htmlWed, 10 Apr 2013 08:37:56 GMTVikas Vij AOL has joined up with TOMS "One Day Without Shoes" as a corporate partner for the third year in a row. The unique movement by TOMS "One Day Without Shoes" involves a pledge to go barefoot for a day on April 16, and enter a chance to win TOMS gear."One Day Without Shoes" is a day to raise awareness about the impact that a pair of shoes can have on a child's future. The event spreads global awareness about children's health and education by encouraging participants to go without shoes for a day.A Read Full Article ]]> AOL has joined up with TOMS "One Day Without Shoes" as a corporate partner for the third year in a row. The unique movement by TOMS "One Day Without Shoes" involves a pledge to go barefoot for a day on April 16, and enter a chance to win TOMS gear."One Day Without Shoes" is a day to raise awareness about the impact that a pair of shoes can have on a child's future. The event spreads global awareness about children's health and education by encouraging participants to go without shoes for a day.Apart from spreading awareness around the world about the importance of shoes, TOMS initiates conversations about various causes it is closely associated with. Blake Mycoskie, the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, believes that the curiosity about "why you are going barefoot" prompts conversations that lead to real action and ultimately bring positive change.AOL has been involved with "One Day" to help spread the message to millions of people. The company starts the campaign with its own employees to stay true to its values. People who wish to take a pledge to go barefoot on April 16 can become a part of the Barefoot Challenge team of AOL and The Huffington Post by joining them on OneDayWithoutShoes.com.Barefoot children in less developed parts of the world suffer from hookworm disease that may lead to long-term physical effects such as stunted growth, reduced cognitive development, anemia and chronic fatigue. Children impacted by hookworm are 20 percent less likely to go to school and earn 40 percent less in adult life. Shoes can protect children from the ill effects of the hookworm disease and help them lead a healthier, happier and more prosperous life.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Treating-the-Indonesian-Diabetes-Pandemic--A-Case-Study-from-Novo-Nordisk/58794.htmlTue, 09 Apr 2013 13:43:16 GMTHarry Stevens Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has released a new case study that examines the challenges for diabetes care in Indonesia. The study reflects the company's work to provide diabetes care across Indonesia, a country where millions of people have diabetes but less than one per cent receives proper treatment."If action is not taken, demand for healthcare will outstrip Indonesia's ability to provide it," said Charlotte Ersbll, a corporate vice president at Novo Nordisk in charge of global Read Full Article ]]> Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has released a new case study that examines the challenges for diabetes care in Indonesia. The study reflects the company's work to provide diabetes care across Indonesia, a country where millions of people have diabetes but less than one per cent receives proper treatment."If action is not taken, demand for healthcare will outstrip Indonesia's ability to provide it," said Charlotte Ersbll, a corporate vice president at Novo Nordisk in charge of global stakeholder engagement. "In the end, it will be people with diabetes and their families that will carry the highest cost."Last year, Novo Nordisk sold more than $60 billion worth of diabetes products worldwide, all while achieving some of the most prestigious corporate social responsibility accolades, including earning the top ranking on Corporate Knight's list of Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations.The case study, published last week as the fifth installment of Novo Nordisk's Blueprint for Change series, examines the barriers that limit the accessibility of quality diabetes care and identifies opportunities to address them.According to the analysis, Indonesia suffers from a lack of awareness about diabetes. Many of the 7.6 million Indonesians who have diabetes are unaware that the disease exists, and 59 percent of cases go undiagnosed. Only one in eight of those suffering from diabetes receive insulin treatment.Indonesia is a country in transition. The economy has grown by nearly 6 percent for the last decade, and economic opportunity is expected to bring some 32 million rural Indonesians to the city by 2030. City life often means less exercise and poorer diet, both of which can contribute to higher rates of diabetes.To meet this challenge, the Novo Nordisk study recommends across-the-board investments in diabetes awareness and training, both for the general population and health care professionals. Novo Nordisk estimates that if its recommendations were adopted, more than 400,000 diabetes-related kidney failures could be prevented and nearly $6 billion USD could be saved in treatment costs."Novo Nordisk is committed to working together with local authorities, investors and NGOs to build trust and confidence among patients, healthcare practitioners and policy makers," said Sandeep Sur, general manager of Novo Nordisk Indonesia. "We must leverage all our joint capabilities and competences if we want to improve knowledge, treatment and better care."To that end, Novo Nordisk launched its INSPIRE program in 2010 to train Indonesian internists about diagnosing and treating diabetes. By the end of 2012, Novo Nordisk trained 1,200 internists, and the company hopes to train another 1,280 during 2013.In 2012, Novo Nordisk expanded its INSPIRE program to begin training general practitioners. The company estimates that the average Indonesian general practitioner receives only two hours of diabetes education during medical training, hardly enough to provide the skills necessary to screen for diabetes, manage its complications, or advise patients on proper nutrition. Novo Nordisk has found that its training of general practitioners has been even more effective than its training of internists.Sidartawan Soegondo, President of the Indonesian Diabetes Association, lauded the investments Novo Nordisk has made to bring diabetes education to his country."Everything started with Novo Nordisk," said Seogondo. "We would not have existed without the partnership from Novo Nordisk. Their first investment was the salary of a nurse, and thereafter the ball got rolling."]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Vaccinations-Not-Linked-to-Autism--Says-New-Study/58678.htmlThu, 04 Apr 2013 13:57:46 GMTHarry Stevens A new study shows that children who receive several vaccines at an early age do not run higher risks of developing autism, a finding that contradicts many of U.S. parents who believe that "too many vaccines too soon" increases the chances their children will develop autism.The study, soon to be released in The Journal of Pediatrics, concludes that children who receive several vaccines on a single day or within the first two years of their lives are just as likely to develop autism as children wh Read Full Article ]]> A new study shows that children who receive several vaccines at an early age do not run higher risks of developing autism, a finding that contradicts many of U.S. parents who believe that "too many vaccines too soon" increases the chances their children will develop autism.The study, soon to be released in The Journal of Pediatrics, concludes that children who receive several vaccines on a single day or within the first two years of their lives are just as likely to develop autism as children who receive fewer vaccines.According to the authors, "The possibility that immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first 1 or 2 years of life could be related to the development of [autism] is not well-supported by what is known about the neurobiology of [autism]." This finding confirms the results of a similar study conducted by the Institute of Medicine in 2004.Despite such evidence, one-third of U.S. parents continue to express concern that vaccines cause autism and nearly one in ten refuse or delay vaccinations for their children.Autism is not the only perceived vaccine safety issue. Parents have expressed fear over links between vaccines and attention deficit disorder, seizures and epilepsy, even though research has failed to confirm any such associations."In fact," reports National Public Radio's Patti Neighmond, "all scientific studies show vaccines to be highly effective and safe, with only rare, moderate, adverse side effects."The risks posed to public health by parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are myriad and severe, not only for unimmunized children, but for more vulnerable sections of society such as the elderly and people living with HIV/AIDS, whose immune systems can crumble upon exposure to even the slightest trace of disease.Take whooping cough, for example, a highly contagious and potentially fatal bacterial disease that health experts once believed had been eradicated from the United States. Since the dawn of the third millennium, whooping cough has re-emerged, killing over one hundred Americans between 2000 and 2005.Dozens of unimmunized infants perished from the disease in 2012. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research recently found that children of parents who refused a whooping cough vaccine are 23 times more likely to contract the disease compared with fully immunized children.Last December, the Examiner reported that cases of whooping cough in the United States were higher in 2012 than any year since 1948. The tragedy of this, of course, is that a highly effective vaccine was not yet widely available in 1948, as it is now."Vaccines are one of the great public health achievements of the last couple of centuries," said Alison Buttenheim, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, in a recent interview. "They protect us from diseases that used to routinely kill hundreds of thousands of kids in the United States and still kill hundreds of thousands globally."It's not just important for your child to be vaccinated, it's important at a population level to have high rates of coverage."If the results of the upcoming study in The Journal of Pediatrics help reassure parents that their children do not risk developing autism as the result of vaccinations, several lives could be saved.Image credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District, Flickr]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Sir-Richard-Branson-Provides-South-Africans-with-Free-Hearing-Aids/58664.htmlTue, 02 Apr 2013 14:51:57 GMTHarry Stevens Entrepreneur billionaire Sir Richard Branson has returned from a mission to South Africa, where he and partners at the Starkey Hearing Foundation provided hundreds patients with hearing aids.The mission, held at the Bhubezi Community Health Care Centre, is the latest in a series of annual missions that have been held for several years. This year, 300 people between the ages of 9 and 89 were fitted with free hearing aids.In South Africa, deafness is a virtual guarantee of unemployment, as 93 perc Read Full Article ]]> Entrepreneur billionaire Sir Richard Branson has returned from a mission to South Africa, where he and partners at the Starkey Hearing Foundation provided hundreds patients with hearing aids.The mission, held at the Bhubezi Community Health Care Centre, is the latest in a series of annual missions that have been held for several years. This year, 300 people between the ages of 9 and 89 were fitted with free hearing aids.In South Africa, deafness is a virtual guarantee of unemployment, as 93 percent of the country's estimated four million deaf citizens are out of work.With between 500,000 and 600,000 speakers, South African Sign Language constitutes the country's fifth-largest language community. Still, it is not officially recognized by the government, as it is in a range of countries including Austria, Brazil, Iceland, New Zealand, Uganda and Venezuela."There is an enormous amount of work to be done [for people with hearing problems], and Starkey is leading the way," said Branson of the charitable arm of Starkey Hearing Technologies, a leading hearing aid manufacturer.Bill Austin, founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, lauded Branson's partnership with his organization."At the Starkey Hearing Foundation we are only as good as our partners, and we have a great one in Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite," he said. "Together we are reflecting caring to the people of South Africa and have empowered thousands toward a better life through the gift of hearing."Branson and the Virgin Unite team helped build the Bhubezi Center, located in northeastern South Africa, in 2006 to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic the afflicts the region. The project also received millions of dollars in funding from the United States government and Anglo American, a mining conglomerate that created an anti-retroviral program in South Africa in 2002."There was no clinic for people in this area with HIV, so we created one," said Branson. "Thousands of people from the area come here to get their antiretroviral drugs and malaria and tuberculosis tablets."Since opening its doors in April 2007, the clinic has had more than 145,000 patient visits. Bhubezi has put more than 5,900 patients on Anti-Retroviral Treatment, which helps people infected with HIV/AIDS manage the illness and reclaim a better quality of life."Now, thanks to the Starkey Hearing Foundation," added Branson, "there are hundreds of people in this area suffering from hearing loss who are able to hear again."Branson also spoke highly of the partnership between Virgin Unite and the foundation."As an entrepreneur, I partner with people all the time; likewise, so should NGOs partner with each other, like the partnership between the Bhubezi Centre and Starkey," said Branson. "There needs to be more entrepreneurial forces like the Starkey Hearing Foundation."After a record year of fitting more than 131,000 hearing aids to people in need, the Starkey Hearing Foundation is ahead of schedule to fit one million people with hearing aids by the close of the decade. The foundation also set a fundraising record in 2012, raising more than $7.6 million at a single event in August.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Menu-Changes-Serve-Up-a-Healthier-Diet-for-U-S--Military/58566.htmlTue, 26 Mar 2013 14:27:04 GMTHarry Stevens "Although intakes of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains continue to be problematic, reductions in energy and fat intake may prove effective over the long term in combating the obesity problem," he added.Steps are already being taken to improve the nutritional content of military food. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has actively sought corporate support to combat childhood obesity, has turned her attention to the food served in military mess halls. Her efforts have helped bring more fruits, vege Read Full Article ]]> "Although intakes of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains continue to be problematic, reductions in energy and fat intake may prove effective over the long term in combating the obesity problem," he added.Steps are already being taken to improve the nutritional content of military food. First Lady Michelle Obama, who has actively sought corporate support to combat childhood obesity, has turned her attention to the food served in military mess halls. Her efforts have helped bring more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dishes to military cafeterias under the first program in 20 years to improve military nutrition standards."When you make healthy eating a priority in your lives, the rest of us are more likely to make it a priority in our lives," Obama told airmen stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas.Several companies that contract with the Defense Department to supply food, including Shamrock Foods and Food Services, Inc., did not respond to requests to comment for this article.Image credit: 316th ESC, Flickr]]>http://www.justmeans.com/-BellLetsTalk-Trends-Worldwide/57896.htmlWed, 13 Feb 2013 10:39:50 GMTRobyn Hall With #BellLetsTalk trending worldwide yesterday, Canadians added their support in large numbers to Bell's Let's Talk campaign on mental health. Bell, Canada's largest telecommunications company, is supporting mental health causes through this five-year charitable program. Tackling this stigmatized issue seems to be resonating with customers and non-customers alike. Bell will be donating 5 for every tweet with #BellLetsTalk, Facebook share, and customer text and long-distance call made on Februar Read Full Article ]]> With #BellLetsTalk trending worldwide yesterday, Canadians added their support in large numbers to Bell's Let's Talk campaign on mental health. Bell, Canada's largest telecommunications company, is supporting mental health causes through this five-year charitable program. Tackling this stigmatized issue seems to be resonating with customers and non-customers alike. Bell will be donating 5 for every tweet with #BellLetsTalk, Facebook share, and customer text and long-distance call made on February 12. Final numbers are not yet posted, but with an over 80,000,000 number tweeted at 9pm EST last night by Bell, the amount raised will be in the millions of dollars. This is a great example of company/cause/customer fit--bringing greater awareness and funding to an issue affecting many but often hidden.For more information:http://letstalk.bell.ca/en/http://letstalk.bell.ca/pdf/press/2013/02-11-2013.pdfhttp://www.ctvnews.ca/health/millions-of-messages-and-tweets-sent-during-bell-let-s-talk-day-1.1154801]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Big-Pharma-Improves-Access-to-Medicine-in-Developing-World/56980.htmlFri, 30 Nov 2012 11:27:18 GMTHarry Stevens The Access to Medicine Foundation has released its 2012 Access to Medic Index (ATM Index). The ATM Index is designed to provide independent, unbiased and credible information regarding individual pharmaceutical companies' progress on making drugs and other medical products more available and affordable in developing countries."We are publishing the Index for the third time," said Wim Leereveld, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation, "and it has matured to the point that we are now able to pro Read Full Article ]]> The Access to Medicine Foundation has released its 2012 Access to Medic Index (ATM Index). The ATM Index is designed to provide independent, unbiased and credible information regarding individual pharmaceutical companies' progress on making drugs and other medical products more available and affordable in developing countries."We are publishing the Index for the third time," said Wim Leereveld, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation, "and it has matured to the point that we are now able to provide some robust trend analysis on how individual companies, and the industry as a whole, are evolving their approach to access to medicine."The ATM Index ranks the top 20 pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to provide greater access to medicine. Topping the list this year is London-based GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), which also led the rankings the previous two times they were published, in 2008 and 2010.GSK also scored highest in four of seven subcategories: general access to medicine management; research and development; capability advancement in product development & distribution; and product donations and philanthropic activities."GSK's ranking in the ATM Index is a great acknowledgement of our commitment and to the work and dedication of people throughout GSK," said Sir Andrew Whitty, CEO of GSK, "whether the people working to manufacture the millions of doses of vaccines we ship to developing countries, those researching new treatments for diseases such as malaria, dengue and TB or our staff on the ground in Africa who help deliver greater access to medicines every day."In the other three subcategories -- public policy and market influence; pricing, manufacturing and distribution; and patents & licensing -- GSK ranked among the top three."Enabling greater access to medicines is firmly at the heart of our business," added Whitty. "We are determined to do all we can to use our resources, knowledge and expertise to help improve people's health and well-being no matter where in the world they live. We aim to do this while generating the returns we need to sustain our business and invest in further research."The Access to Medicine Foundation noted that while GSK achieved marginal improvement in its performance since 2010, there has been a marked trend towards improving access to medicine across the industry as a whole. Seventeen out of the 20 pharmaceutical companies ranked on the index have made their products and services more accessible since 2010.Of the companies making impressive improvement was Paris-based Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), which rose from fifth to third place this year, ranking just behind Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and GSK.The Access to Medicine Foundation acknowledged Sanofi's efforts to improve access to medicines for multi-resistant bacterial infections, malaria, tuberculosis and "neglected tropical diseases." Sanofi recently renewed its partnership with the World Health Organization to fight neglected tropical diseases like sleeping sickness and Chagas disease."This third ranking on the 2012 Access to Medicine Index is a recognition of Sanofi's efforts to act with all our partners to protect health and raise the hopes of patients," said Gilles Lhernould, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Sanofi. "The key challenge in the future will be to eliminate the north-south divide in access to health care. As a global health care leader, we are the right partner to achieve this goal."The Access to Medicine Foundation also commented that the positions of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) at the top of the rankings "illustrates that companies don't necessarily need to have scale to perform well in access to medicine."Novo Nordisk, headquartered in Bagsvrd, Denmark, was acclaimed for its Changing Diabetes program, a comprehensive initiative to not only create diabetes medicine but also to advocate for the adoption of policies to address diabetes around the globe."Improving access to medicine and availability of care is an integral part of our way of doing business. We are pleased with our new ranking and will continuously strive to do more to meet the unmet global health needs," said Charlotte Ersbll, corporate vice president of Global Stakeholder Engagement at Novo Nordisk.The ATM Index is available in its entirety on the Access to Medicine Foundation's website.Image credit: epSos.de, Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons License 3.0]]>http://www.justmeans.com/American-Cancer-Society-Receives--100-000-for-Cancer-Research/56479.htmlWed, 17 Oct 2012 15:47:04 GMTHarry Stevens Health Opportunity through Partnership in Education (HOPE), a nonprofit organization supporting scientific research and dissemination of cancer information, has announced a gift of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society (ACS) to support cancer research.HOPE, along with its partner Washington National Insurance Company, worked with ACS as part of their 2012 matching gift program. HOPE promised to match donations up to $100,000 in gifts received."The HOPE contribution will enable the American Can Read Full Article ]]> Health Opportunity through Partnership in Education (HOPE), a nonprofit organization supporting scientific research and dissemination of cancer information, has announced a gift of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society (ACS) to support cancer research.HOPE, along with its partner Washington National Insurance Company, worked with ACS as part of their 2012 matching gift program. HOPE promised to match donations up to $100,000 in gifts received."The HOPE contribution will enable the American Cancer Society to continue to fund lifesaving cancer research programs," said Roshini George, national vice president of health promotions for ACS. "The donation goes a long way toward helping the society continue its fight for every birthday threatened by cancer."Founded in 1913, ACS has invested more money in cancer research than any other nongovernmental, nonprofit organization in the U.S. To date, ACS has funded 46 Nobel Laureates, including two of the three scientists that received the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology.According to National Center for Charitable Statistics, ACS is by far the largest cancer-focused public charity in the U.S. The organization has total assets of more than $1.5 billion, amounting to more than half the total assets of all U.S. cancer-focused public charities.A recent analysis by ACS showed that more than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 turned to the organization for free information and services. ACS is currently funding over 240 breast cancer grants totaling $88 million.HOPE has donated $250,000 to ACS to date. Last year, HOPE's donation to ACS provided $50,000 to support the work of Dr. Michael Verneris, MD, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and member of the pediatric bone marrow transplant group at the University of Minnesota.Dr. Verneris is researching Natural Killer (NK) cells, immune cells that arise from bone marrow transplantation and are known to be effective in killing tumor cells, particularly tumors that originate in the blood, such as leukemia.The grant from ACS has helped Dr. Verneris study the development of two different populations of NK cells in order to identify the subtype most effective at fighting leukemia. The research also seeks to understand how to best stimulate NK growth and anti-tumor activity to benefit patients."We're going to create these molecules to not only kill the cancer but then also to train the immune system to recognize that cancer and eradicate it," Dr. Verneris told the Twin Cities' KSTP.com.His research has also discovered that other NK cells, called NK22 cells, might be used to ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy in bone marrow transplantation patients by decreasing damage to the lymph nodes and intestines.Dr. Verneris hopes to take his laboratory research to a clinic with real patients within three years."We're proud to join the fight against cancer and are pleased to make this donation on behalf of HOPE," said HOPE's president, Barbara Stewart. "Once again, the generous contributions made by Washington National certificate holders and HOPE will further support the American Cancer Society's efforts to fund life saving research and programs to help people stay well, get well, and find cures for cancer."Image credit: Research Development and Engineering Command]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Campbell-Makes-Good-on-Commitments-to-One-of-America-s-Most-Violent-Cities/56371.htmlThu, 11 Oct 2012 09:22:20 GMTHarry Stevens Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) today announced the first year results of its 10-year program to improve the health of young people in Camden, N.J.The program, called Healthy Communities, focuses on providing access to affordable, healthy food; expanding the availability of and participation in physical activity; increasing education about nutrition and health; and promoting public demand for a safe and healthy Camden.Once a thriving industrial center, Camden has seen a precipitous decline in r Read Full Article ]]> Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) today announced the first year results of its 10-year program to improve the health of young people in Camden, N.J.The program, called Healthy Communities, focuses on providing access to affordable, healthy food; expanding the availability of and participation in physical activity; increasing education about nutrition and health; and promoting public demand for a safe and healthy Camden.Once a thriving industrial center, Camden has seen a precipitous decline in recent decades. Three of the city's mayors have been jailed for corruption since 1981, and Camden has consistently ranked at or near the top of the Congressional Quarterly's annual list of most violent cities in America. Camden was second on the most recent list behind Flint, Mich.Campbell has been headquartered in Camden since 1869 and remains committed to the community. "We're beginning to make a difference to Camden's residents, and are only at the beginning of a 10-year commitment to the health of the city's children," said Kim Fortunato, Director of the Healthy Communities program.In the first year of the $10-million program, Campbell funded approximately 108,000 hours of physical activity for 1,400 Camden youth. The company also created 28 new healthy food access sites, like mobile farmer's markets and fresh produce displays in corner stores, that served over 12,700 Camden residents in their neighborhoods.Additionally, Campbell provided cooking classes for teachers and families, created a group pre-natal mentoring and nutrition education program, and started "Community Conversations at Campbell," a series of discussions with community members and employees to improve healthy food access in Camden."There's still much to do," said Fortunato, "especially since Camden's 40 percent child obesity rate tops the national average of 32 percent. We can't solve the problem overnight, but we're giving Camden residents some better choices and knowledge about healthy decisions. In fact, we hope our Healthy Communities work will lay the foundation for similar programs in other Campbell hometown communities."Access to healthy food is an increasingly pressing issue in the United States. Obesity rates have spiked in the U.S. since 1980. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said this year that the United States has the highest obesity rate in the world, and a recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projected that half of American adults could be clinically obese by 2030.The situation is often worse in violent urban areas, where fresh produce is scare and safe playgrounds are scarcer.Campbell said that it will add two new sites to the Healthy Communities program next year. The company will also continue to invest The Food Trust's nutrition education curriculum and Healthy Corner Store Initiative.Campbell has been recognized as a global corporate social responsibility (CSR) leader. This year, the company was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for a fourth consecutive year and the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for a third consecutive year. Campell has issued a CSR report using Global Reporting Initiative G3 guidelines since 2010.Image Credit: Campbell Soup Company]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Half-of-U-S--Adults-May-Be-Obese-by-2030/56093.htmlThu, 20 Sep 2012 10:01:34 GMTHarry Stevens A new report released Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projects that by 2030 half of U.S. adults will be obese. The report, titled "F as in Fat," comes on the heels of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study earlier this year that reported that 35.7 percent of U.S. adults are clinically obese.Clinical obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of above 30, and is more serious that "overweight," which is defined as having Read Full Article ]]> A new report released Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projects that by 2030 half of U.S. adults will be obese. The report, titled "F as in Fat," comes on the heels of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study earlier this year that reported that 35.7 percent of U.S. adults are clinically obese.Clinical obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of above 30, and is more serious that "overweight," which is defined as having a BMI of above 25. In other words, far more than half of Americans will be overweight by 2030, according to the study.The increasingly serious obesity epidemic offers negative repercussions for healthy Americans too, who will have to help pay for the higher medical costs associated with obesity related diseases like type 2 diabetes. "F as in Fat" projects additional annual health care costs of $66 billion on top of the $147 billion to $210 billion that Americans pay now. A similar report, published earlier this year in the American Journal of Preventive Health, predicts that increased obesity rates will add over half a trillion dollars to healthcare costs from now until 2030.The U.S. has seen obesity rates rise sharply since 1980, when just 15 percent of U.S. adults were obese. A number of factors, including obvious ones like increased portion size, decreased access to nutritional food products, and less time for exercise, as well as less obvious ones like inadequate sleep, women giving birth at an older age, and demographic changes, have been linked to the rise in obesity among adult Americans.Fortunately, nearly every factor contributing to the rise in obesity in the U.S. can be mitigated by altering Americans' behavior. "We know a lot more about how to prevent obesity than we did 10 years ago," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health. "This report outlines how policies like increasing physical activity time in schools and making fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable can help make healthier choices easier. Small changes can add up to a big difference."Startled by the growing obesity trend, some U.S. corporations have initiated efforts to promote health among Americans.ING U.S., the U.S.-based retirement, investment and insurance operations of Netherlands-based ING Groep N.V. (NYSE: ING), announced on Tuesday $125,000 in grants to combat childhood obesity. Through the 2012 ING Run For Something Better School Awards, ING will award 50 schools from 27 states across the U.S. with up to $2,500 in grant money to support school based running programs."ING U.S. is committed to supporting education and offering a solution to educators who are dedicated to helping their students get active and reduce childhood obesity," said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and head of the ING U.S. Office of Corporate Responsibility.Likewise, Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI), the restaurant company that operates brands like Red Lobster and Olive Garden, has committed to reducing the overall calorie and sodium footprint of its core menu by 10 percent by 2016 and 20 percent by 2021.In a recent blog post, Cheryl L. Dolven, Director of Health and Wellness at Darden, revealed that the company uses sophisticated software during the recipe development process so that chefs can calculate the nutritional content of meals as they create them.Image credit: Tony Alter]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Healthcare-Leaders-Convene-at-White-House-to-Focus-on-Sustainability/55345.htmlFri, 03 Aug 2012 13:50:47 GMTHarry Stevens Last week, top Obama administration officials joined representatives from leading health systems at a White House event to discuss advances in sustainability across the health care sector.The event's attendees represented organizations and companies that are blazing a path to sustainability in the healthcare sector - a sector that has been criticized for its lack of effort on the sustainability front in the past.For example, a 2010 survey conducted by the Corporate Realty, Design & Management In Read Full Article ]]> Last week, top Obama administration officials joined representatives from leading health systems at a White House event to discuss advances in sustainability across the health care sector.The event's attendees represented organizations and companies that are blazing a path to sustainability in the healthcare sector - a sector that has been criticized for its lack of effort on the sustainability front in the past.For example, a 2010 survey conducted by the Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute found that the majority of healthcare professionals believe hospitals are in dire need of sustainability managers. The survey also found that hospitals were neglecting energy and water efficiency programs, lagging behind other industries where sustainability was becoming a core competency of facility professionals.Moreover, an overwhelming majority - 94% - of the healthcare professionals surveyed said that green washing in the healthcare sector was worse than ever.Last week's White House event was hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality to highlight the work of the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), an organization that is pushing for meaningful improvement in the sustainability of the healthcare sector. HHI is a coalition of major health systems and organizations committed to increasing energy efficiency, producing less waste, using safer chemicals, purchasing environmentally preferable products, and serving healthier food at hospitals and health care facilities across the country.HHI also seeks to engage the healthcare sector's leadership on sustainability. HHI has enlisted over 600 hospitals to date, including those of Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans. "Kaiser Permanente is honored to join this important gathering of health and environmental leaders," said Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente's vice president for Employee Safety, Health and Wellness and environmental stewardship officer.Under Gerwig's leadership, Kaiser Permanente has become widely recognized as an environmental leader in the health care sector. "As health care providers, we believe we have an obligation to our patients, staff and communities to improve health by using less energy, creating less waste, choosing safer chemicals and serving healthier sustainable food," said Gerwig.HHI also counts Johnson & Johnson, the world's largest healthcare company by market capitalization, among its members. Attending the White House event was Al Ianuzzi, Johnson & Johnson's Senior Director of Product Stewardship.Iannuzzi is the author of the recent book Green Products: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands. He heads up Johnson & Johnson's EARTHWARDSTM greener product design process. He also leads the "Healthy Future 2015," the company's five-year strategy for achieving sustainability objectives."We have created a roadmap for hospitals to embed sustainability into their core business model and are providing technical assistance to offer every hospital in America the chance to participate for free," wrote HHI Founder Gary Cohen in a blog post. "This Initiative is about accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices across the spectrum of American healthcare...and also building a global learning community so hospitals around the world can learn from each other as they travel on the path toward healthier people, healthier communities and a healthier planet."HHI aims to recruit 2,000 hospitals across the country. Those interested in joining can enroll at http://healthierhospitals.org/get-involved/enroll-now.Photo credit: Salim Fadhley]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Information-Technology-for-Health-Advocacy--American-Cancer-Society-s-Social-Media-Strategy/48848.htmlSun, 01 May 2011 15:42:46 GMTAno Lobb One constantly voiced theme for marketing or advocacy in social media: Listen, don't just talk. (Also, perhaps not coincidently, good advice in effective leadership circles as well.)So one crude rule of thumb for assessing whether an organization "gets it" is how much their social media strategy emphasizes listening. Interactivity naturally implies responding to what is heard, and advocacy requires some degree of broadcasting information. But listeningwhile arguably the most importantis often th Read Full Article ]]> One constantly voiced theme for marketing or advocacy in social media: Listen, don't just talk. (Also, perhaps not coincidently, good advice in effective leadership circles as well.)So one crude rule of thumb for assessing whether an organization "gets it" is how much their social media strategy emphasizes listening. Interactivity naturally implies responding to what is heard, and advocacy requires some degree of broadcasting information. But listeningwhile arguably the most importantis often the least intuitive.To get a sense of how the American Cancer Society (ACS) approaches information technology and social media for anti-cancer advocacy, Justmeans asked them several questions on the matter. David Balcom, Managing Director of Digital Activation, provided the following answers:Justmeans: What is ACS' view of social media as an advocacy or awareness tool?A: "Social media is one channel of many to reach our audience, but it's an effective one for both advocacy and awareness. We maintain a presence on several social media networks, primarily Facebook and Twitter, and use these concentrated networks to listen and to talk. We talk about our programs and our initiatives, we ask our audience to take action, and we listen to what our patients say to us. Since our mission is delivered in a highly distributed way geographically, we employ both local and national social media outlets to deliver and monitor content."Justmeans: What Role does ACS see for cancer patient-focused information technologies, such as social media, advocacy and support, informed patient decision making? A: "Our goal is to serve our patients at their point of need, wherever that point of need is. We're hard at work building and designing digital tools and services to extend our ability to care for our patients. An example includes the creation of a new diagnostic social network that puts cancer patients in touch with others who've shared their experiences. We're also extending our cancer information services to mobile devices, to better deliver where our patients need cancer information. We've aggressively delivered our advocacy calls to action via social media outlets, again to reach our audience where they live and act. All of these examples illustrate an approach that takes advantage of the available channels -- web, social, mobile -- to deliver our core mission."Talk, Ask, Listen.Deliver, monitor. Sort of like a socially engaged conversation.They are using tools for what they are good for, for the value it provides to their core mission, rather than just "because its there." Clearly their strategy seeks to harness digital technology's ability to bring social support and information support to where the patient is, in terms of geographic location, preferred device or favorite social media platform (twitter vs. facebook).As you might expect, ACS has a large social media following: 235,400 Facebook likes, 142,000 followers on Twitter (@americancancer). Does that translate into effectiveness? Lacking reliable objective metrics for social media effectiveness, or whether such efforts result in better health, that's likely open to interpretation. ACS has a klout score of 62, if you value that metric, which is in the ballpark of some other large advocacy organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and AARP-as well as Justmeans.Among health journalists, ACS is a go-to organization for cancer information, and their publications are some of the most common sources for data on cancer incidence, prevalence, as well as screening strategies.Technology, including information technology, also has the potential to produces unintended consequence and challenges for health advocates, but more on that in the next installment of this story.(Furthering public health mission, ACS' upcoming Corporate Impact Conference will explore workplace solutions for building a healthy workforce.)Photo credit: Facebook, Twitter, ACS]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Women-s-Health--Tsunamis--Natural-Disasters--Resilience-and-Coping-Revisited---A-Little-Help-is-Good/48703.htmlTue, 26 Apr 2011 21:08:14 GMTJohn Pospisil A few weeks ago, I posted an article that largely agreed with a researcher's findings that people are naturally resilient and many coping interventions are minimally useful or potentially harmful. A reader responded, and I promised to go back and look at my sources. This article summarizes some positive aspects of coping interventions following natural disasters.Psychosocial support and professional care can be a strong, effective intervention after disasters. In the case of natural disasters, s Read Full Article ]]> A few weeks ago, I posted an article that largely agreed with a researcher's findings that people are naturally resilient and many coping interventions are minimally useful or potentially harmful. A reader responded, and I promised to go back and look at my sources. This article summarizes some positive aspects of coping interventions following natural disasters.Psychosocial support and professional care can be a strong, effective intervention after disasters. In the case of natural disasters, such as the Orissa cyclone of 1999 and the 2004 tsunami that affected many areas including India, psychological support after the event was crucial in recovery and constitutes a meaningful public health intervention in the final stage of disaster response.Cyclone 05B, the Orissa supercyclone, struck many areas in the North Indian basin. It made landfall in India on October 29, 1999. Approximately 16,000 human deaths were directly attributed to the cyclone. Of course, millions were affected in ways ranging from homes destroyed, critical livestock killed and the sanitation and supply problems as aftermath of such events. One positive (and resilient) event to come from the disaster was a training program to assist in providing psychosocial support to survivors of natural disasters. Individuals were taught how to provide support, but also how to train others as well. For better or worse, that program was useful in 2004, when the so-named Indonesian Tsunami struck many places, including India. The presence of trained workers skilled in rebuilding social support allowed for scientific testing of the hypothesis regarding the usefulness of support programs as public health interventions.What does effective psychosocial care in disasters involve? The treatment paradigm revolves around not labeling emotional reactions as mental diseases. Rather than focusing on the potential for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome, a strong treatment program views such emotional reactions as normal responses to the worst-case abnormal events possible.Humans are social beings, and accordingly a focus on social relations after disaster is important. A primary aspect is reliance on community, especially trained community workers skilled in providing emotional support and helping survivors who may have lost many important connections re-establish social connections that are accessible and available. The next most important aspect, according to Dr. Susan Becker, is providing skills to mitigate the potential for adverse, long-term psychological damage. Relaxation techniques might sound impossible to somebody mired in loss and destruction, but they apparently work and are recommended.How does one know this works? Dr. Susan Becker's peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Public Health (April 2009, Vol. 99, No. 4) compared a control group of 100 Indian women who did not receive psychosocial care after the 2004 tsunami with 100 women who did receive such care. All women were recruited volunteers. Women were chosen as opposed to a cohort consisting of both men and women as previous research indicates that women are approximately three times as likely to report more depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress responses in response to negative life events than men. This does not mean men are unaffected. For any public health intervention, one has to target individuals most likely to be affected by a given condition whether that is influenza or psychological responses.The intervention by mental health teams lasted three months. Based on self-report scores on a valid and reliable scale (the Impact of Events scale), women who received the psychosocial treatment showed statistically meaningful less emotional distress than women who did not receive such trained support. Subscale measures included hypervigilance, avoidant behavior and intrusive thoughts relative to the disaster, and women receiving treatment had lower scores on the respective subscales than their control group counterparts.Research shows that up to one-third of individuals can show negative psychological symptoms up to one year after a disastrous event. While there may be equivocal research surrounding long-term coping, it is clear that whether through their own means or with skilled assistance, people have the capability to recover from disasters. By itself, that is both impressive and admirable.Image courtesy of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Pharmaceutical-Data-Mining--Health-Care-Privacy-and--Free--Speech--Sorrell-vs--IMS-Health/48673.htmlTue, 26 Apr 2011 08:12:07 GMTAno Lobb Today the US Supreme Court is due to hear arguments in Sorrell vs. IMS Health, a pharmaceutical data-mining case that has potentially far reaching implications for health care privacy, as well as how pharmaceutical companies detail (or market to) doctors.A previous blog post outlines the crux of the practice at the center of the lawsuit, sometimes called "prescriber identifiable prescription tracking." And here's an abstract from a presentation at the American Public Health Association meeting a Read Full Article ]]> Today the US Supreme Court is due to hear arguments in Sorrell vs. IMS Health, a pharmaceutical data-mining case that has potentially far reaching implications for health care privacy, as well as how pharmaceutical companies detail (or market to) doctors.A previous blog post outlines the crux of the practice at the center of the lawsuit, sometimes called "prescriber identifiable prescription tracking." And here's an abstract from a presentation at the American Public Health Association meeting about the potential impacts of the practice.The legal case hinges on a Vermont law ("Sorrell" in the Supreme's case refers to Bill Sorrell, the Vermont State Attorney General) that sought to ban the practice. More details on the case itself can be read and heard here, and a very informative interview with AG Sorrell that includes some of the wider implications of the suit can be heard here. Interested in amicus briefs and more legal details? Try the NLARx website.Predicting how the Supreme Court might rule is of course a bit like reading tea-leaves, which is why most wise folks refrain from making such predictions. But this writer lacks such wisdom, so here goes. Supreme Court Likely to Side With IndustryThe industry's case is based on free speech. It is notable that they do not make any claims that what they are doing has positive health or social value, only that it is protected by their first amendment rights. The current Supreme Court's attitude that corporations should have similar constitutional protections as individuals might hint towards their support for IMS Health and the coterie of pharmaceutical industry heavy weights that support them. But their support is likely to be much more fundamental than even that.Here's how the majority might read the case: The privacy at stake here is not patient privacy, which we all hold to be sacrosanct and worthy of protection, but the privacy of your doctor's prescribing records. These records are currently not private in that regulators such as the DEA and state Medicaid officials and private insurance have access to them for compliance and quality reasons. Plus, doctors are highly trained professionals, so they are capable of hearing a sales pitch and ignoring it if the information they are presented with is not in the best interests of their patients.Here're Three Reasons why They are Wrong1. Drug marketing is about selling more higher-priced drugs. It is not about improving health. That's why the drugs that are most commonly advertised are the most expensive, and the newest, not the most effective. In fact, by being so new, we know the least about their safety so they often end up being some of the most dangerous in real world settings. Direct-to-consumer drug advertising is currently allowed in large part because of the "learned intermediary" principle: I can't simply see an ad for a potent atypical antipsychotic, then go out and buy it. I have to go to a doctor first, a learned intermediary who will determine whether it is appropriate for me based on her clinical knowledge, experience and training.Unfortunately the type of targeted physician profiling that occurs with the data in question allows pharmaceutical marketers to corrupt the learned intermediary who is supposed to bring rational, evidenced-based analysis to my desire to buy that potent drug. And all evidence suggests that marketing to doctors, which is closely tied to marketing to consumers so that both parties are "educated" about the same drug, increases prescription of marketed drugs, increases prescription costs, but doesn't improve health.2. Because of the above effect, prescriber-identifiable prescription tracking does infringe on patient health and patient privacy. Anything that adversely affects my doctor's judgment when she reaches for a prescription pad influences my health. Its as if a drug rep were allowed to sit in the exam room, minding his own business (even wiggling his fingers in his ear when my name is mentioned) until he hears that I have high cholesterol, at which point he hands glossy informational brochures and a few minor gifts to my doctor to help make the prescribing decision. This s not a free speech issue, it is a patient health issue.3. Despite the industry's claims of free speech there is the persistent irony that once they've compiled the data on specific identified prescribers, that information is no longer free. To begin with, it is priced so prohibitively high that it is generally well-beyond the reach of even the most well-funded academic, objective researchers. Secondly, in at least one instance a company such as IMS Health would not allow researchers from a very prestigious institution to purchase their data for a research project that essentially was aimed at exposing some of the negative public health risks associated with the industry practice. Finally, the fact that everyone in the chain of information stands to potentially benefit EXCEPT the patient is reprehensible: Pharmacies get paid to provide raw data, health information organizations like IMS Health get paid by pharma for their reports, pharma gets more money from increased drug sales, and doctors get sometimes significant gifts. The patient get prescribed a higher priced drug whose safety and effectiveness amy not be as well known as a competitor drug.So what to do? First, lets hope this prediction is dead wrong. Second, lets hope that the Global 1000 pharmaceutical industry heavy weights such as Pfizer, Merck, and Glaxosmithkline extend CSR to their marketing practice and reform their behavior. Without their financial support, this practice would wither and die. Finally, there's a clear need for regulators and advocates for evidence-based medicine, patient care, and health care privacy to be as innovative as industry is wealthy to fight back against the overwhelmingly negative patient health effects of prescriber-identifiable prescription tracking. This is an information struggle, and perhaps social media and information technology can give health-concerned Davids some ammunition to battle drug slinging Goliaths?Photo credit: The Author]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Who-Can-Fix-Health-Care-TEDx-Talk--Dartmouth/48573.htmlThu, 21 Apr 2011 10:11:24 GMTAno Lobb Who Can Fix Health Care? - That's the question posed by Dr. Al Mulley. director of the Center for Health Care Delivery Science at Dartmouth College. Its also the title of the TEDx Talk he just gave, and its the kind of talk that you can't help but want everyone to see.For those of you who have followed this column, Al Mulley, the Center and Dartmouth are familiar. This author works for the masters degree program associated with the center, the Master of Health Care Delivery Science Program.Al's Read Full Article ]]> Who Can Fix Health Care? - That's the question posed by Dr. Al Mulley. director of the Center for Health Care Delivery Science at Dartmouth College. Its also the title of the TEDx Talk he just gave, and its the kind of talk that you can't help but want everyone to see.For those of you who have followed this column, Al Mulley, the Center and Dartmouth are familiar. This author works for the masters degree program associated with the center, the Master of Health Care Delivery Science Program.Al's talk is worth watching for a number of reasons. To begin with he has had a distinguished clinical career, most recently heading the internal medicine department at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently he leads the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science, a new department in a new discipline that will soon be emulated at institutions around the globe. He's a great speaker. And he's also a smart guy who really cares; a consummate intellectual in the best sense of the word.Among the concepts covered are what might be called Mulley's Four Goals For Quality Healthcare:1. Provide patients with the care they need and no less and the care they want and no more2.No decision about health and health careshould be made in the face of avoidable ignorance3.Every decision about health and health careshould be informed by both professional and personal knowledge4.Patients must shape the capacity of the health caresystem by revealing their preferencesIt wouldn't be an overstatement to pronounce the talk a must-see for those interested in healthcare reform, or who believe that healthcare needs some, well, caring-for. And also for those wondering what the heck they can do to help. The audience was Dartmouth College students, but it might as well have been the entire country. With that in mind, do yourself a favor and watch it. Here' I've made it easy:]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Modern-Drug-Marketing--An-Unsustainable-Model/48518.htmlWed, 20 Apr 2011 18:24:03 GMTJohn Pospisil Cymbalta. Abilify. Lunesta, Chantix and that drug for "when the time might be right." As a consumer and especially as a psychologist, it unsettles me when I see television ads exhorting potential clients to ask a doctor about a specific drug. Even if I do not believe general practitioners or specialists know best, I do not believe consumers should ask for specific drugs. To me, without any science behind my opinion, that seems like patients are being turned into marketing agents for pharmaceutic Read Full Article ]]> Cymbalta. Abilify. Lunesta, Chantix and that drug for "when the time might be right." As a consumer and especially as a psychologist, it unsettles me when I see television ads exhorting potential clients to ask a doctor about a specific drug. Even if I do not believe general practitioners or specialists know best, I do not believe consumers should ask for specific drugs. To me, without any science behind my opinion, that seems like patients are being turned into marketing agents for pharmaceutical companies. The next observation is based solely on my television viewing habits: it seems the number of diseases treatable by drugs, even if used off-label, has grown.According to an article published in the American Journal of Public Health, my unscientific beliefs may really have a scientific basis. Howard Brody, MD, PhD and his colleague, Donald W. Light, PhD identified several trends and cite examples supporting the idea that physicians are pressured to prescribe drugs to a larger population than they were originally intended to treat. As an experimental psychologist, it especially disturbed me to read that 60% of prescriptions for antipsychotics - not trivial drugs with potentially severe and permanent side effect - are for off-label use. Meaning, they are being prescribed for conditions they were not originally meant to treat. The article claims that in 75% of those cases, there was not strong evidence of a positive effect to warrant exposing patients to harm.The authors do cite drug demand being driven by marketing towards consumers as a factor. They also cite "disease-mongering", or reducing the threshold for an existing condition to being diagnosed as a disease as a contributing factor as well. They call the process "the inverse benefit law." According to Brody and Light, the way to look at the "law" is that the more heavily a drug is marketed, the greater chance of harm to the patient rather than good occurs.As thrilled as I was to discover I was not merely paranoid, I had to look up the inverse benefit law. There is dissenting opinion. Not dissenting, exactly, but more complications. Naturally, in the form of how regulatory bodies handle the entire process. Specifically, the dynamic between marketing and the benefit-to-harm ratio may also be affected by a combination of regulation of the pharmaceutical companies and the difference in knowledge about drugs between the manufacturers on one hand and the doctors and their patients on the other.This implies that the effect of the "inverse benefit law" is modified by a combination of regulation designed to prevent abusive marketing and exaggerated claims about product efficacy and safety with increased public awareness of the problem in the first place. This is a classic modern model of a public health approach to solving health problems, for better or worse.If there really is a health problem associated with fabrication of disease states, convincing both the public and physicians to use drugs in unsafe ways, then it constitutes a menace to the public health. Personally, I am quite aware of the financial and scientific difficulties with drug development, clinical trials and getting drugs approved for use and sale. I know a large number of people involved in drug development, and I truly believe not a one of them sets out to create a drug that will be misused or do more harm than good. To me, it is another example of a process that has become so complex with tension created at so many points it may be impossible to ever control.Image provided by a U.S. Army soldier or employee.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/What-the-Budget-Cuts-Mean-for-Health-Care/48554.htmlWed, 20 Apr 2011 06:08:00 GMTEricka Foster If you have trouble managing a few thousand dollars in your bank account, you may be sympathetic to Congressional politicians who finally reached an agreement on the budget minutes (not even hours) before the federal government would have shut down. Congress and the White House agreed to trim $38 billion off of a trillion-plus budget. It may sound like a lot, but there are twelve zeroes in a trillion and nine zeroes in a billion. That puts the percentage of cuts in the single digits. That includ Read Full Article ]]> If you have trouble managing a few thousand dollars in your bank account, you may be sympathetic to Congressional politicians who finally reached an agreement on the budget minutes (not even hours) before the federal government would have shut down. Congress and the White House agreed to trim $38 billion off of a trillion-plus budget. It may sound like a lot, but there are twelve zeroes in a trillion and nine zeroes in a billion. That puts the percentage of cuts in the single digits. That includes $13 billion in funding for education, health and labor programs.Women's Health dodged a bulletAt the center of this budget fight was the nonprofit Planned Parenthood. The organization provides sexual health counseling, contraception services, STI's education and prevention and abortion services. Although abortion services constitute 3% of the organization's services, (according to the organization's records) some politicians wanted to eradicate $317 million of funding to any organization that offers any sort of family planning services (covered by Title X). It is already illegal to fund abortions with federal dollars. While other organizations would be affected by the cut, Planned Parenthood is most well-known organization in the legislation. In addition, House Republicans proposed to eradicate all funding for Planned Parenthood, and instead Congress will send a block grant to individual states for divvy up. Planned Parenthood and other women's health organizations were saved in the final budget. Because Washington D.C. is not a state and is governed by Congress, they were able to maintain a law already on the books that prevents the District of Columbia from using locally generated taxes to provide financial help to poor women for abortions (the law already prohibits the federal funding of abortions).Medicare and MedicaidMedicare is the government program design to assist senior citizens over the age of 65 with health care costs. Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) proposed to subsidize program, giving patients the option to choose from insurance plans, and the government will foot the bill for the difference. That proposal is still up for debate, as politicians seek to come to an agreement regarding the debt ceiling. Medicare is a sensitive subject as the baby boomer generation gets older and will require more medical care. Medicaid is the health care program designed to assist America's poorest citizens with health care costs. The proposed plan would cut more than $700 billion dollars from the program over 10 years. Similar to the Planned Parenthood bill, the organization would send block grants to the states to late them determine how the money is spent. Those block grants would be less than the current funds.Universal health care and community health centersThe legislation proposed by Senator Ryan would also eliminate funding for the health care plan championed by President Obama which has yet to fully take effect. Additionally, the amended budget will cut $600 million from community health centers. Low-income Americans take advantage of community health centers for illness as well as managing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.As politicians continue to hammer out the final details of the proposed budget, programs for education, health and labor are cut in a recovering economy. While people are are still trying to get back on their feet, the very programs designed to help them get axed.Photo by At.morey.tota]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Sustainable-Health-IT--A-Plan-for-Healthcare-Generated-e-Waste/48532.htmlTue, 19 Apr 2011 14:19:36 GMTAno Lobb As American and world health care systems move towards increased reliance on health information technology, there's a corresponding need arising for responsible, sustainable and safe methods of managing the growing tide of e-waste that inevitably follows. Paying attention to the twilight period of IT's life cycle also provide opportunities for innovation. While Global 1000 companies such as GE churn out high value, yet toxin-rich hardware, innovators such as Redemtech find responsible ways of re Read Full Article ]]> As American and world health care systems move towards increased reliance on health information technology, there's a corresponding need arising for responsible, sustainable and safe methods of managing the growing tide of e-waste that inevitably follows. Paying attention to the twilight period of IT's life cycle also provide opportunities for innovation. While Global 1000 companies such as GE churn out high value, yet toxin-rich hardware, innovators such as Redemtech find responsible ways of recycling such equipment.A new paper in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives, meanwhile, spells out the growing health concerns from e-waste, specifically around the potent neurotoxicants often associated.The primary producers of e-waste are the US and China (each produce around 2.5 million tons per year), the EU (9 million tons). While high tech recycling plants produce little environmental or associated human dangers, large scale primitive recycling practices release vast amounts of toxins. Such recycling occurs primarily in China, India, Nigeria and Vietnam, with smaller operations in Morroco, Senegal, Peru, South Africa and Uganda. This produces a noxious flow of neurotixns from the developed to less developed world, with the possible exception of China who are both large producers of waste, and large contaminators through unsustainable recycling practices.Menu of MenaceThe primary pollutants of concerns released from e-waste include the following:Lead from monitors and old circuit boards is a potent, well studied neurotoxin. Children aged 1-6 who live in communities engaging in primitive e-waste recycling have blood lead levels 50% higher on average than neighboring communities. Poisoned children face a number of developmental challenges.Mercury is found in tiny amounts in monitors, circuit boards, cell phone and various types of lamp bulbs. But when combined in mass recycling sites, the amounts released can reach troublesome levels. Inorganic mercury is transformed into organic mercury, which then accumulates in the food chain, with fish being the primary source of exposure in humans. While mercury toxicity has developmental effects in children, little research has looked at the effects of e-waste on children's blood levels.Cadmium from batteries and chips results in substantially increased exposure among children living nearby, though the precise health effects are not known. Numerous studies have linked higher cadmium levels to increased neurological deficits in children.Hexavalent hromium is a metal coating used to prevent corrosion in many components. While a known human carcinogen, effects on children from environmental exposure is unclear.A veritable salad of other chemicals including PBDE flame retardants, PCBs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons round out the rogues lists. Some of these are the result not only of the components being recycled, but also the process: Using heat that creates toxic smoke, for example.Challenges of e-WasteIn addition to the large amounts, and currently dubious business model for competitively addressing the problem, several other challenges exist. These include the fact that e-waste enters the waste stream as a completely mixed source of toxicants that varies in toxicity, may contaminate for long periods of time and through multiple media: air pollution, water contamination and the food stream, for example. Further conflating the challenge: A general lack of scholarship regarding the true extent of the hazard, how much harm it is causing and how best to mitigate that harm.First Do No HarmWill the irony that health information technology meant to save lives in the developed world might end up poisoning children elsewhere compel resourceful social innovators to develop large scale sustainability efforts to manage health care related e-waste?Should health IT plans on the organizational, as well as state and national level also be tied to sustainable management practices over the complete lifecycle of the technologies?Should "meaningful use" also be linked to "responsible reuse & recycling?"Photo credit: The author, and EHP: Chen A, Dietrich KN, Huo X, Ho S]]>http://www.justmeans.com/How-Much-Does-Your-Insurance-Pay-Your-Doctor--Do-You-Care/48423.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2011 18:55:16 GMTAno Lobb There are a few cost comparisons we are familiar with when comparing health insurance options, while choosing an insurance option from your employer's benefits package, for example. Generally you'll see the different plan options laid out, with column showing what's covered and at what percentage, out-of-pocket costs such as your portion of the premium costs, deductibles and co-pays.As healthcare costs grow, there's been a commensurate growth in interest about increasing patient/ consumer cost a Read Full Article ]]> There are a few cost comparisons we are familiar with when comparing health insurance options, while choosing an insurance option from your employer's benefits package, for example. Generally you'll see the different plan options laid out, with column showing what's covered and at what percentage, out-of-pocket costs such as your portion of the premium costs, deductibles and co-pays.As healthcare costs grow, there's been a commensurate growth in interest about increasing patient/ consumer cost awareness. In some cases by 'cost sharing'- shifting more costs to the consumer- and in other cases providing actual prices for medical services. The great moral hazard of health finance generally arises from the fact that neither the provider nor the patient (if insured) bears the brunt of costs, and in many cases neither of those parties is even aware of how much a service will cost.Now imagine if two other columns where added to that table you were using to compare health plans. One of the new columns has quality information, either some measure of how in-plan providers rate compared to all doctors in the state, or some indication of what type of quality data might be available to help you choose a primary care provider, specialist or if you are lucky enough to have a choice, a hospital for non-emergency procedures. Those types of measures have long been hoped for, but are not the main focus of this discussion.The next column provides information I've not heard widely discussed. This would be some ballpark measure of the average or median amount that the plan in question pays providers relative to other public and private payees and the cost of providing services. Why would you want to know this? A couple of possibilities come to mind:--Are plans charging more in premiums, etc.. paying providers better?--Maybe I feel that I'll get better care and more time with providers who are getting reimbursed more for the care they provide me.One arena where this might come into play: State such as Vermont that are looking to provide some form of single -payer plan to cover all their citizens will be tempted to essentially expand Medicaid to cover everyone. The trouble is that Medicaid pays providers far less than it costs to provide care, rendering the program somewhat unsustainable. Private payers and uninsured persons not covered by Medicaid essentially subsidize the state program.So what might happen if consumers able to opt into Medicaid were empowered with knowledge about how much their insurance was paying providers relative to the costs of providing services? If choosing between a free state plan and more costly private one, would patients avoid an expanded Medicaid-like insurer who reimburses at low rates, for fear it would impact the care their doctor provides? Do consumers covered by such a plan have a right to know how much their doctor is being paid to provide care for them?All other things being equal, would knowledge of how much your doctor will be paid on your behalf influence your health insurance choice? Why?And while we are on the path towards cost transparency, let's add a third new column that tells us what percentage of premiums are spent on administrative overhead. Perhaps I'd like to reward a more efficient company with my business.What about you?Photo credit: The author]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Feds-Aren-t-the-Only-One-Struggling-with-Budgets/48420.htmlWed, 13 Apr 2011 15:29:37 GMTEricka Foster As the Congress and the President hammer out the final details of the budget, states are facing their own difficulties. Leaders struggle to find a way to fund transportation, health and education programs (among others) with limited funds. Health care programs that depend on government funding face cuts that limit the quality and quantity of care for patients requiring health care services such as prenatal care, mental health care, and regular care for chronic diseases, including seniors on Medi Read Full Article ]]> As the Congress and the President hammer out the final details of the budget, states are facing their own difficulties. Leaders struggle to find a way to fund transportation, health and education programs (among others) with limited funds. Health care programs that depend on government funding face cuts that limit the quality and quantity of care for patients requiring health care services such as prenatal care, mental health care, and regular care for chronic diseases, including seniors on Medicare, and poor people on Medicaid. With unemployment still at a high rate, the very programs designed to assist people who cannot afford health care are seeing their budgets slashed.Earlier this year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced a budget that would restructure Medicaid and cut $250 from the state budget. He also proposed a 15 percent cut to the state's Department of Health and Senior Services.In February, low-income residents in Pennsylvania learned that their health insurance under adultBasic insurance would be canceled. The program that was previously totally funded by the state ran out of money. As a result, close to 42,000 people will move to subsidized insurance, or lose coverage altogether until 2014 when the health care reform law takes effect.In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker proposed a 4.2 million dollar budget cut. Amidst the protests from union workers, the budget proposed $500 million in Medicaid, primarily by requiring some participants to pay a portion of their premiums and medical services.In Texas, tempers flare as legislators cut $23 billion from the state budget. Officials say that the governor's proposed budget will create a $4 billion shortfall, force nursing homes out of business, hitting rural communities the hardest. The governor has proposed a budget that cuts expenses without raising tax revenues. According to the Austin Statesman budget cuts would cause 4000 adults and 320 children to lose mental health care services including counseling, diagnosis, medication monitoring and family assistance.Most organizations receive funding from a variety of sources, some federal, some state and some local. In addition, organizations may also receive funding from private donors. Private organizations that receive funding from donors and other sources will face an additional strain as they try to meet public health demands as government funding dries up. Patients may see longer times in hospital emergency rooms as preventative care and facilities are closed.Some governors have raised taxes or reallocated funds to protect healthcare funds, while others including have slashed budgets without raising taxes.Photo by Heidi Elliott]]>