Weekly News Roundup
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Each week, you’ll receive a comprehensive compilation of news clips hand-picked from papers all across the state, to keep you informed on everything from your local community’s emergency preparedness plans, to the latest in national medical research. Browse through the entire roundup, or skip directly to the sections that interest you. Here’s how to subscribe:
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Here's a sample of what you can expect in your Weekly
Health News Roundup:
FEATURED ARTICLES
Health district gets grant for accident prevention
Okanogan County Health District has received a $24,411 rural health leadership grant from the Washington Health Foundation. The money will be used to develop a comprehensive accident prevention program in Okanogan County. Health officials propose to establish a Safe Kids chapter, train and certify public health nurses in child passenger safety, train health care providers and caregivers in senior falls prevention, and create healthy community systems that will continue their work in reducing unintentional injuries.
www.omakchronicle.com
LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT
House budget gives area $100 million
Central Washington is in line for almost $100 million for schools, community development, recreation and wildlife projects under a construction budget the state House approved Monday.
www.yakima-herald.com
Mental health bill advances: Coverage equal to that for other ailments sought
A bill moving quickly through the Legislature would give all Washington residents health coverage for mental illnesses that, by law, must be equal to or better than their coverage for bodily ailments.
www.theolympian.com
PROMOTING COMMUNITY HEALTH:
Economic Well-Being; High School Graduation Rates
Jobless rate dips to 4.8 percent in February
Washington's unemployment rate dipped to 4.8 percent last month, the state Employment Security Department said.
pioneer.olivesoftware.com;
see also, [Snohomish] Area job market shines, www.heraldnet.com;
see also, [Thurston] County jobless rate falls to 5.1%, www.theolympian.com
Clark County's poverty rate swells
The number of poor people living in Clark County is growing faster than the county population as a whole.
www.thecolumbian.com
Program Connects Spanish Speakers with Math Lessons
In what looks like an average computer lab, in an average portable classroom, is an out-of-the-ordinary class. Students are learning math in Spanish.
www.union-bulletin.com
Striding toward community health
"Good" is a community that encourages physical activity, promotes smoke-free living, shows a decline in teen pregnancies and sees more families owning their homes. Getting to "Great" will take more work, according to the community activists who have been keeping score.
www.thecolumbian.com
The New Age: A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School
The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income.
www.nytimes.com
INVESTING IN PREVENTION:
Insuring for Prevention; Public Health System Investment
Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers
Tens of thousands of elderly Americans have received life-prolonging care as a result of their long-term-care policies. With more than eight million customers, such insurance is one of the many products that companies are pitching to older Americans reaching retirement. Yet thousands of policyholders say they have received only excuses about why insurers will not pay.
www.nytimes.com [Registration Required]
Rule eased on Medicaid for children of illegal immigrants:
Babies born in the U.S. eligible for services for one year
The federal government has backed off a new rule that would have made it tougher to get medical coverage for infants born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants.
www.wenworld.com;
see also, Immigrant children won't lose Medicaid, seattlepi.nwsource.com
Displays show how to deal with emergencies
Whatcom County residents can learn about disaster preparedness while shopping for groceries this week as National Public Health Week focuses on planning for emergencies.
www.bellinghamherald.com
U.S. to assess the harm from Hanford
In an abrupt reversal, the federal government has agreed to begin assessing the damage to natural resources caused by plutonium production at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.
seattlepi.nwsource.com
INCREASING VALUE IN HEALTH SERVICES:
Health Home; Medical Care Quality
A place for help: Center replaces temporary Mount Vernon facility
Despite the objections of some nearby Burlington businesses, Skagit County's new Health Crisis Center will open next month
pioneer.olivesoftware.com
Heart-failure drug earns mixed review
An experimental drug is the first to substantially and safely ease shortness of breath and other symptoms in people hospitalized with severe heart failure, doctors reported Sunday. However, many were disappointed that the drug did not also help people live longer or stay out of the hospital.
archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com
Among the Best
Southwest Washington Medical Center has been named one of the nation's top 100 hospitals for the sixth time in the past 14 years.
www.thecolumbian.com;
see also, St. Mary makes list of top 100 hospitals in nation, www.union-bulletin.com
PROTECTING AGAINST INJURY & DISEASE:
Receipt of Proven Preventive Care; Seat Belt Use
Breast cancer patients urged to have MRIs
In women newly diagnosed with cancer in one breast, an MRI can find the disease in the opposite breast more effectively than standard mammography or clinical examination, scientists said Tuesday.
pioneer.olivesoftware.com;
see also, Get annual breast MRI, experts tell many women,
archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com
Traffic Accidents Take Deadly Toll on Teens
A new report finds that, worldwide, traffic accidents are the leading cause
of death for 15- to 19-year-olds.
www.washingtonpost.com
AVOIDING ADDICTIONS:
Smoking Rates; Binge Drinking Rates
Students kick habit on Kick Butts Day
South Sound High School students set up an information table during lunch last
week for the 12th annual Kick Butts Day, with help from the national Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Kids and Thurston County's Together.
www.theolympian.com
Survey: Drug, alcohol use by 12th-graders down
The 2006 results from the Healthy Youth Survey show a decrease in the number of Kittitas County 12th-graders
who reported they had either smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol or used marijuana
in the 30 days prior to the survey.
www.kvnews.com;
see also, Efforts to curb teen smoking in state seem to be working,
www.union-bulletin.com;
see also, Biannual survey measures Spokane youths' health,
www.spokesmanreview.com [Registration Required]
Are you hooked?
Many seemingly harmless 'soft addictions' can wreak havoc on people's lives
www.theolympian.com
ENGAGING IN HEALTHY HABITS:
Physical Activity; Proper Nutrition
Race walking offers cardio without punishing your body
If you want more of a workout from your daily stroll, race walking is the key.
www.bellinghamherald.com
Follow your own hunger cues to tailor diet
Hunger symptoms will let you know when your body needs to be nourished — if
you pay attention to them. They'll also let you know, based on when they go
away, roughly when you've had enough to eat.
www.heraldnet.com
Most Americans don't eat smart and exercise, CDC says
Only one in seven Americans exercises enough and eats enough fruits and vegetables, and men are worse than
women, federal health officials said on Thursday.
www.cnn.com
The secret to weight loss? It's a balancing act
The basic rule of metabolism is like a math equation: One pound equals 3,500 calories. To lose a pound a
week, that means subtracting 500 calories a day, best achieved by cutting 250
calories and burning 250 calories each day through exercise.
www.wenworld.com
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