Health and Medical Resources

Articles Index - page 2

SCHIP Provides Health Coverage to 5.8 Million Kids
About 5.8 million children who otherwise would not have health coverage were enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at some point during fiscal year 2003 -- a 9 percent increase from the previous year, according to HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.

Drunk Drivers Killing Child Passengers
The CDC reports that 68 percent of children killed in alcohol-related crashes in the United States between 1997 and 2002 were riding in the same vehicle as the drinking driver. Sixty-eight percent of the drinking drivers involved in these crashes survived, suggesting that many of the children might also have survived had they been properly restrained.

FDA Warns of Internet-offered Baby Formula
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that a product, Better Than Formula Ultra Infant Immune Booster 117, sold over the internet as a dietary supplement should not be fed to infants.

FDA Warns of OTC Pain Relief Use
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a national education campaign to provide advice on the safe use of over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief products.

HHS Says Agency Helping Uninsured Americans
What is the Bush Administration doing to help the millions of Americans without health insurance? Plenty, says Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. "This Administration and HHS understand that the needs of those who lack insurance or have limited coverage are a long-standing challenge to this nation," he said. So, what have they done?

U.S. Teens are World's Heavyweights
U.S. teens are more likely to be overweight than are teens from 14 other industrialized nations, according to survey information collected in 1997 and 1998 by two agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services as well as institutions in 13 European countries and in Israel.

Metabolife Challenges FDA Ephedra Ban
Dietary supplement maker Metabolife has challenged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent decision to ban the sale of products containing the herb ephedra. "Millions of consumers throughout the United States have used ephedra dietary supplements as a safe, inexpensive and effective means by which to support weight loss," states Metabolife in this release.

USDA Bans Use of 'Downer' Cattle as Food
The USDA has announced it is immediately banning the use of "downer" cattle -- animals unable to walk at the time slaughter -- from being used a food for human beings. The ban was just one of several new USDA actions taken in response to the confirmed case of mad cow disease discovered in Washington State on Dec. 23.

FDA to Ban Sale of Ephedra
Stating that the diet supplement is unsafe, and can trigger strokes and heart attacks, the Food and Drug Administration has stated its intention to ban the sale of ephedra. “The totality of the available data showed little evidence of ephedra's effectiveness except for short-term weight loss, while confirming that the substance raises blood pressure and otherwise stresses the circulatory system,” stated the FDA in its announcement.

Mad Cow Disease Victim? US Blood Supply
As renewed fears of a Mad Cow disease outbreak in the U.S. grow, the nation's chronically low supply of donated blood is likely to remain the only actual victim.

HHS Says 250,000 More Flu Shots On the Way
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the purchase of 250,000 doses of flu vaccine today. The first shipment of 100,000 adult doses are being distributed to state health departments based on the state's population and should arrive over the weekend.

FEMA to Release Report on Texas A&M Bonfire Disaster
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced the release of a technical review of the emergency response to the 1999 Texas A&M University bonfire collapse, which killed 12 university students and graduates.

Report Compares Health of Teens in U.S., Europe
U.S. teens suffer more common aches and pains, and have a harder time sleeping than their European counterparts, according to a new report from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

More Americans Without Health Insurance
The number of Americans not covered by health insurance rose by 2.4 million to 43.6 million between 2001 and 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Aging Baby Boomers Flocking to Doctors
Suffering mainly from high blood pressure, arthritis and diabetes, members of America's "Baby Boomer" generation accounted for over half of all visits to the doctor during 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

U.S. Highway Death Toll Hits 10-Year High
Deaths on America's highways in 2002 reached the highest level since 1990, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Crash-related injuries, however, hit an all-time low.

Have You Been Working Out?
About 1 in 5 American adults engage in a high level of daily physical activity, while about 1 in 4 engage in little or no regular physical activity, according to a new government report.

Don't Forget West Nile Virus
With warm summer months nearing, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reminds Americans that while no SARS-related deaths have occurred in the United States, West Nile Virus claimed 284 lives in 2002.

Care of the Dying Focus of NIH Study
Identifying four different pathways to death, a new NIH study calls for greater flexibility on the part of American healthcare and hospice services in meeting the needs of critically ill patients whose time until death is unpredictable.

US Government Warns of SARS Scams
The FTC and FDA have cautioned consumers to beware of Web sites, and email promotions featuring products claiming to protect against, treat, or even cure Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

DOT Reports US Walking, Biking Habits
Nearly 80 percent of adult Americans take at least one walk of five minutes or longer during the summer months, while fewer than 30 percent ride a bike, according to a major new survey conducted by DOT

CDC Reports Costs of Violence Against Women
The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide against women by their intimate partners exceeds $5.8 billion annually, according to a report just released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Childhood Bullying Often Leads to Violent Life: Report
Both childhood bullies and their victims are more likely to engage in more serious violent behavior like frequent fighting and carrying weapons, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study.

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