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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has forwarded the following information to us to share with our public health partners in Pennsylvania: The Florida State Department of Health and the CDC are investigating a case of anthrax in a 63- year-old male Florida resident. . The diagnosis is confirmed by CDC's laboratory. So far this appears to be an isolated case. Anthrax is not contagious. The illness is not transmitted person to person. Sporadic cases of anthrax do occur in the United States, so a single case is not an indication of an outbreak. The last case of anthrax reported in the United States was earlier this year in Texas. The rapid identification of this single case is the result of the heightened level of disease monitoring being done by the public health and medical community. This is the disease mo nitoring system in act ion. Page 1 of 2 Right now, there is no suggestion of other possible cases, but we are aggressively checking to see if other people are similarly ill. The Florida State Health Department and a team from CDC are aggressively investigating the source of infection. They are reconstructing the patient's schedule for the last few weeks to attempt to determine the location where the patient may have been exposed. CDC and state health officials are alerting health care providers to look for unusual cases of respiratory disease. If the investigation of the cause of this illness indicated that you need antibiotics, your state and local health department will notify you and your physician and will assure you receive the drugs. The public needs to understand that our public health system is ... Trafficking victims may suffer from an array of physical and psychological health issues stemming from inhumane living conditions, poor sanitation, inadequate nutrition, poor personal hygiene, brutal physical and emotional attacks at the hands of their traffickers, dangerous workplace conditions, occupational hazards and general lack of quality health Preventive health care is virtually non-existent for these individuals. . Health issues are typically not treated in their early stages, but tend to fester until they become critical, even life-endangering situations. In many cases, health care is administered at least initially by an unqualified individual hired by the trafficker with little if any regard for the well-being of their "patients" - and even less regard for disease, infection or contamination control. Health issues seen in trafficking victims include the following: Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pelvic pain, rectal trauma and urinary difficulties from working in the sex industry. Pregnancy, resulting from rape or prostitution. Infertility from chronic untreated sexually transmitted infections or botched or unsafe abortions. Infections or mutilations caused by unsanitary and dangerous medical procedures performed by the trafficker's so-called "doctor." Chronic back, hearing, cardiovascular or respiratory problems from endless days toiling in dangerous agriculture, sweatshop or construction conditions. Weak eyes and other eye problems from working in dimly lit sweatshops. Malnourishment and serious dental problems. These are especially acute with child trafficking victims who often suffer from ... This document will be updated as new information becomes available. . Health enhancement develops the skills and behaviors necessary for students to become healthy, productive citizens who take personal responsibility for their own well-being as well as a social responsibility for the health of their community. Health Content Standard 1--Students have a basic knowledge and understanding of concepts that promote comprehensive health. Health Content Standard 4--Students achieve and maintain a challenging level of health-related physical fitness. Health Content Standard 5--Students demonstrate the ability to use critical thinking and decision making to enhance health. Health Content Standard 6--Students demonstrate interpersonal communication skills to enhance health. Basic to health enhancement is the foundation of knowledge about the relationships of behavior and health, the interactions within the human body that promote health and fitness, and actions to prevent disease and other health problems. Comprehensive application of health-enhancing strategies enables the student to be health literate, self-directed lifelong learners. 3. explain how basic health information 3. predict how decisions specific to health 3. implement a plan for achieving and resources are used in setting goals behavior have consequences for self personal health goals. The Health Enhancement Performance Standards describe students' knowledge, skills, and abilities in the health enhancement content area on a continuum from kindergarten through grade 12. (f) develops a ... newest name given to a handful of strategies--some innovative, some recy-cled--that seek to marshal the power of consumers making cost-conscious choices to constrain rising U. http://www.allhealth.org/publications/pub_3.pdf.S. health care spend-ing. The leading edge of the consumer-directed movement is a new generation of tax-advantaged accounts known as health savings accounts (HSAs) that are linked to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). For 2006, the deductible is a minimum of $1,050 for self-only coverage or $2,100 for family coverage--quite a bit higher than for most health insurance. The most recent count, by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), shows that almost 3.2 mil-lion people were covered by HSAs linked to high-deductible health plans in January 2006. sumer-directed plans eventually will become a major health care coverage option among large employers. According to Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, employ-ers "bought down" the price of health insurance by reducing benefits and increasing cost-sharing for workers, notably by increasing plan deductibles and copayments. This issue brief, prepared by the Alliance for Health Reform with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines "consumer-directed" health plans, and includes selected material from an Alliance/Foundation Capitol Hill briefing on the subject. The two main types of con-sumer-directed health plans are health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimburse-ment arrangements (HRAs). Proponents of consumer-directed plans say the plans cause individuals to make smarter, more cost-conscious health care purchasing deci-sions while allowing employ-ers ... Strengthening the nation's public health system to protect Americans during public health emergencies CDC's responsibility, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is to provide national leadership in the public health and medical communities in a concerted effort to detect, diagnose, respond to, and prevent illnesses, including those that could occur as a result of bioterrorism or any other deliberate attempt to harm the health of our citizens. . This task is an integral part of CDC's overall mission to monitor and protect the health of the U.S. population. A strong and flexible public health infrastructure is the best defense against any disease outbreak -- naturally or intentionally caused. The initial responders to such a biological attack would include local, county, and city health officers, hospital staff, members of the outpatient medical community, and a wide range of response personnel in the public health system. Our responsibility in the overall federal counterterrorism response is to improve the public health community's preparedness to detect illness that may be related to a bioterrorism threat, and develop the appropriate public health structure and contingency plans to respond effectively in the event of a bioterrorism incident. CDC, working in collaboration with State and local health departments, many other public health partners, and other Federal agencies, is leading the effort. Four areas of preparedness are featured in CDC's strategic planning: 1) reinforce systems of public health surveillance to ensure rapid detection of unusual outbreaks; 2) build epidemiologic capacity to ... Update: Addressing public concern about response to public health emergencies The response to the September 11 tragedy by health departments in New York City and Washington, D. .C., and the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland has been extraordinarily reassuring. In public health, we all act to be prepared for a range of disasters and emergencies and have done so admirably over many decades. A strong and flexible public health infrastructure is the best defense against any disease outbreak -- naturally or intentionally caused. There is no question that the initial responders to a disease outbreak will include local and state health officers, hospital staff, members of the outpatient medical community, and a wide range of response personnel in the public health system. A key component of our success will continue to be the sharing of information among all components of the public health system so we can make an early diagnosis and respond as quickly as possible. The Federal Response Plan, including the Emergency Support Function #8 which engages the Department of Health and Human Services, was activated September 11. CDC is working closely with other federal agencies and involved state and local partners in providing public health assistance where needed. CDC is fully aware of the demands each of your health departments are experiencing as the public looks for health guidance and reassurance. In particular, we know your health departments and the health professionals in your communities are receiving questions from the public about smallpox vaccine, antibiotics to prevent anthrax, and measures to take ... When it comes to online health searches, specific diseases and treatments continue to be the most popular topics. . The typical health seeker has searched for 5 topics. About a third of health seekers have searched for 7 or more topics. Seventy-nine percent of internet users have searched online for information on at least one major health topic, statistically the same portion (80%) as the Pew Internet & American Life Project found in 2002. That translates to about 95 million American adults (18+) who use the internet to find health information. Speed of access and years of online experience are among the key trends that may influence online health searching. There are many reasons why internet users might now be more likely to search for certain types of health information. Many health-related Web sites are supplying more content and that might be driving users toward certain topics. More Americans may be looking for good deals on health insurance or checking up on their hospital's quality ratings online. This suggests that online health seekers are increasingly interested in wellness information and material that could be unconnected to worrisome symptoms, a doctor's diagnosis, or another kind of health crisis. This also suggests that health seekers are doing more "health homework" online before they make big decisions about health care. Environmental health hazards Eighteen percent of internet users have looked online for information about environmental health hazards, which is statistically the same as in 2002 when 17% of internet users said they had researched this topic online. Sexual health Eleven percent of internet ... Half of these deaths occur in children under 5 years of age, and most of the remaining deaths are in working adults who frequently are breadwinners and parents. ." The Future of Public Health Functions of Public Health "The committee finds that the core functions of public health agencies at all levels of government are assessment, policy development and assurance." The Future of Public Health National Health Health Health Used by individual LHD Voluntary Self-controlled Flexible Adaptable Ongoing Benefits to Health Department Collect/analyze health data Form committee Identify health problems Prioritize health problems Analyze health problems Inventory resources Develop community health plan Part III: Completing the Cycle health services Health Officer Former District Health Director we are a much stronger health department." The following list is a quick reference to definitions of some of the type-of-service and source-of-funds categories used with the NHEA. . Figure 2 in "National Health Expenditure Accounts: Definitions, Sources and Methods" contains information from the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) and the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) manuals for health care that are used in these definitions. These establishments are classified as NAICS 6212 Offices of Dentists or SIC 802-Offices and clinics of dentists. Home Health Care: Covers medical care provided in the home by private and public non-facility-based home health agencies (HHAs). Medical equipment sales or rentals not billed through HHAs and non-medical types of home care (e.g., Meals on Wheels, chore-worker services, friendly visits, or other custodial services) are excluded. Hospital Care: Covers all services provided by public and private hospitals to patients. These include room and board, ancillary charges, services of resident physicians, inpatient pharmacy, hospital-based nursing home and home health care, and any other services billed by hospitals in the United States. Other Personal Health Care: Covers industrial in-plant medical care; that is medical care provided by private sector employers for employees at the work site. Payments provided through Home and Community-based waivers in the Medicaid program are included in other personal health care. Other Professional Services: Covers services provided in establishments operated by health practitioners other than physicians and dentists. These establishments are classified in NAICS-6213 ... This guide is to help you evaluate the health information you find on the World Wide Web. Researchers further examined access problems faced by uninsured adults with different chronic health problems. . This analysis is being released in conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week 2005, the largest nonpartisan mobilization in history working to ensure affordable and reliable health care coverage for all Americans. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely change. For more than 30 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Researchers at UMBC and The Urban Institute documented levels of access to care along several dimensions for uninsured, non-elderly adults with chronic health conditions in several ways - overall, by race and ethnicity, and for adults with specific chronic conditions. The findings are based on analysis of the 2003 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is a survey of the health status, access to care, use of health care services, and economic and social characteristics of the U.S. population. - Lack of dental care in the 12 months prior to the survey These outcomes were selected to provide insights on how adults with chronic health problems who lack insurance fare. Given that management of active chronic health conditions generally requires regular contacts with health care professionals, absence of any health professional visits within the past year ... To address the significant health issues of children in foster care, agencies are responsible for providing comprehensive health services, documenting such services, and maintaining current records. .1 This chapter describes services ranging from HIV-related services to special health services for school-age children in foster care. Whether provided by the health practitioner, agency health staff, or caseworkers, information on the risks and prevention of HIV is essential for children and youth in foster care. As appropriate for age and risk, such anticipatory guidance can be part of a broader health education program that includes discussion on sexuality, family planning, and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. These services may be offered by a counselor certified by a DOH-sponsored counselor training course or by an organization such as a community health care agency. Part of the counseling of children with capacity to consent is informing them about these rights (see Chapter 7, Confidentiality of Health Information). If the choice is confidential testing, the test results will be included in the child's confidential health record. Results of HIV testing will be in the confidential health record unless the child has chosen anonymous testing. Providers should offer a comprehensive package of health care and support services to meet the multiple needs of children with HIV and their families. A clinical trial is a research study in human volunteers to answer specific health questions. These services may be provided directly by your agency or by agreements with health-related community organizations. State and ... This paper represents the views and the efforts of a large number of individuals and groups with an interest in mental health. . A broad based, consultative process, initiated by the Department of Health and Community Services in 1999, brought together a large number of stakeholders to explore and endorse major policy directions for the mental health system. It provides a solid foundation and insightful directions to achieving a mental health system that meets the needs of the residents of this province. While this bodes well for the mental health and well being of people and communities in the province, it is not the full picture. VALUING MENTAL HEALTH addresses the support and treatment that are required to alleviate mental health problems and illnesses while promoting the behaviors that facilitate our resiliency and adaptability. VALUING MENTAL HEALTH lays out some important policy directions to support the promotion and maintenance of mental health as well as for the care and treatment of individuals and families when mental health problems or illness occur. It makes the connection between the quality of one's mental health and the social determinants of health such as income, housing and employment. When significant mental health problems or symptoms of mental illness develop, access is needed as quickly as possible to appropriate community mental health programs. Since the establishment of regional community health boards in 1994, there has been a small increase in the number of community-based mental health counsellors and mental health programs in rural areas. Departments of government other than ... | ||
