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Health Alert
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Author: |
Naseem S. Miller |
Created: |
Tuesday, January 02, 2007 |
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Check here to see the latest on the rapidly changing health-care landscape in Marion County, find a few a useful links, and leave your comments. |
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UF to study new treatment for language problems after a stroke; looking for volunteers |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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Each year, about 750,000 Americans have a stroke. About a quarter of those who survive have speech problems, which could affect their work and family life, not to mention their quality of life.
A UF research team, equipped with a $900,000 grant, is now investigating the effectiveness of a new therapy for the language disorder known as nonfluent aphasia and is looking for participants.
Patients with nonfluent aphasia have trouble finding the right words to communicate their meaning, speaking in sentences or saying more than one or two words without stopping, according to UF researchers.
During the course of the study participants will complete a series of verbal exercises. Patients will be shown a series of pictures on a computer screen and will be asked to name the object. In a later phase of the study, they will be given a category, for example, “birds,” and will be asked to name a mem ...
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A bit of Donny Osmond for your heart |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Saturday, January 05, 2008
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World-renowned entertainer Donny Osmond has teamed up with the American Heart Association to kick off the National Start! Challenge.
To get Americans up and moving, the American Heart Association is encouraging people to walk&l ...
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FDA Clears First Quick Test For Drug-Resistant Staph Infections |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced it has cleared for marketing the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which can cause potentially deadly infections.
Methicillin is an antibiotic that has been used successfully to treat infections from the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. Over the years, the staph bacterium mutated and spawned MRSA, a strain of staph bacterium that is resistant to methicillin and which has a higher rate of being fatal, according to FDA news release.
FDA cleared the BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay based on the results of a clinical trial at five locations. The new assay identified 100 percent of the MRSA-positive specimens and more than 98 percent of the more common, less dangerous staph specimens.
In order to preserve the integrity of positive test results, this ...
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U.S. Ruling Backs Benefit Cut at 65 in Retiree Plans |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
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In a story today, we reported that Robert E. King, 77, is one of 10 named plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against Embarq and Sprint Nextel over the phone company's decision to eliminate health insurance benefits for its retirees eligible for Medicare.
I'm not sure who's going to be Mr. King's side in this battle, because the "Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday that employers could reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare," reported The New York Times on Wednesday.
"The policy, set forth in a new regulation, allows employers to establish two classes of retirees, with more comprehensive benefits for those under 65 and more limited benefits — or none at all — for those older," Robert Pear of NYT reports.
You can read the ...
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Non-profit group ready to take over inmates' medical care |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
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Marion County Sheriff’s Office is finalizing its contract with a locally-formed non-profit group that will provide medical care to Marion County Jail inmates.
Ocala Community Care will take over the responsibilities of the private company Prison Health Services on January 2, 2008.
Sheriff Ed Dean did not renew PHS’s contract for a third year, because the two could not agree on compensation.
The nearly $5 million that would have gone to PHS, will go to OCC instead. The non-profit company came together in less than six months under Dean’s leadership.
OCC has evolved as a result of collaboration of community’s health-care leaders, such as Munroe Regional Medical Center, The Centers and Marion County Health Department.
OCC’s short-term goal is to provide medical care to more than 2,000 inmates incarcerated the j ...
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How about a MySpace page for your medical records? |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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Healthy Ocala members met on Monday night, approved its interim governance and selected members of executive committee.
What is Healthy Ocala?
It's the name of Marion County’s Regional Health Information System (RHIO).
What is a RHIO?
It is a system that would connect your electronic medical records at the hospital to your doctor’s office, to the local pharmacy and to the lab down the street. Wouldn’t it be nice? No more phoning and faxing. And, the best part is that you’re going to have access to all this information, which is secure from those who're not supposed to see it.
“It’s kind of like MySpace for patients,” said Dr. Mel Seek, Chair of Healthy Ocala. The only difference is that it’s read-only, for obvious reasons.
You’ll eventually be ...
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County leaders actively looking into access to health care issues |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Monday, November 19, 2007
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Public Policy Institute of Marion County closed the book on the Access to Health Care Study in summer, but the study’s recommendations are very much alive.
That’s because of a group of leaders took the study’s findings and decided to work on addressing the county’s health-care issues, such as shortage of primary care doctors and increasing number of uninsured residents.
The effort as a whole is called Access to Health Care Policy Organization and it has seven teams. Each team has met at least twice so far and the chairs of the teams met for the second time early Friday morning.
Most teams are still in the process of finalizing their members and projects.
Here is a quick introduction to the teams and goals. I’ll bring you up to date as AHCPO makes progress.
Team 1: Medical Professional Sho ...
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Skip the escalator and take the stairs in the shopping mall |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Sunday, November 18, 2007
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 It’s not rocket science: You know taking the stairs is better for your health than standing still on the escalator. But you still opt for the escalator, don’t you?
A group of researchers wondered if you do so, because you simply don’t notice the stairs.
So they ran an experiment to see if they can encourage you, dear shopper, to climb the steps instead.
They put up colorful signs along the steps of a staircase, and over six weeks use of the stairway next to an escalator more than doubled, reported the Associated Press. In other words, instead of 4 percent of people taking the stairs, 10 percent did so.
The results of the f ...
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Health Reporter Goes to the Emergency Room |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Sunday, October 28, 2007
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I had a minor emergency a few weeks ago and had to go to the ER.
It was 8:30 p.m. All the walk-in clinics were closed. I couldn't wait till tomorrow either. The next morning, at 8 a.m., I was scheduled to extract my four wisdom teeth, which meant I would be knocked out cold for the rest of that day.
So, I picked up my purse, threw in my book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and drove to the closest hospital. (Note: I don't live in Marion County)
I parked in the ER lot at 9 p.m. unaware of the long journey ahead.
I walked in to the small cramped waiting area, which was lined with chairs, all facing a big-screen TV. To the side there were two desks. A piece of paper hung from each. One read Registration, the other, Triage.
But, let's being with our cheerful Greeter, Mike. "Hello, are you here to see a doctor?"
&quo ...
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A few useful links for your health... |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Sunday, October 28, 2007
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- Flu season is right around the corner. Did you know the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can send flu activity updates right to your phone? Sign up here.
- Learn how to protect yourself and others from wildfires.
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Check out these vintage (almost unbelivable) tobacco ads |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Monday, August 06, 2007
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One of the health-care providers at the Marion County Health Department sent me this link.
It's an online gallery, put together by Stanford School of Medicine, about the history of cigarette ads.
And here's an excerpt as to why they did it: "Our intention is to tell—principally through advertising images—the story of how, between the late 1920s and the early 1950s, tobacco companies used deceptive and often patently false claims in an effort to reassure the public of the safety of their products."
So click here for some amazing - and even funny - posters.
"A great collection of media images….not so great for the millions of people hooked/(decieved) by them," says Manette Cheshareck, Tobacco Prevention Specialist at the health d ...
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What you need to know about botulism |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
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The government is expanding the list of products that are possibly contaminated with botulims toxin to dog food produced by Castleberry Food Company.
The products are sold under the Natural Balance Eatables dog food label.
Visit this site for a list of recalled products.
These are some key points about botulism:
- Cooking or high temperature will NOT get rid of botulinum, the toxin that causes botulism.
- Consumers who have any of the recalled products or any foods made with these products should throw them away immediately. Double bag the cans in plastic bags that are tightly closed, then place in a trash receptacle for non-recyclab ...
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He'll go to ER after the game |
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By Naseem S. Miller on
Friday, January 05, 2007
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 Apparently, men prefer to suffer from pain and injury rather than go to the emergency room when their favorite sports game is on television.
This is according to a new study, which found that "visits by men to the emergency department increases significantly in the hours following televised sporting events."
Researchers found that the number of men checking into the ER increased following all sporting events.
Almost 50 percent more went in the ER following professional football games.
Thirty to 40 percent more men sought care following a baseball game.
The study was released by the Ame ...
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