The Latest Headlines from D:AHC

Healthcare Workforce Should Reflect Diversity
According to a study conducted by the University of California at San Francisco's Center for the Health Professions we have a shortage in all categories in our workforce of healthcare workers period. The problem is a dire shortage in inner cities and rural areas of the state. This is a double whammy for Blacks, Hispanics and the poor of California.

Hispanic Patients Receive Fewer Surgical Interventions and Less Favorable Outcomes for Treatment of Vascular Disease
Reasons for Disparities May Include Socioeconomic Factors and Genetic Variations.

Looking to close health care gap
When it comes to health care, many Filipinos live by the philosophy of bahala na, literally translated to mean “leave it to God.” This resigned outlook, which is common among other minority groups as well, was what first got fourth-year neuroscience student Antonio Moya interested in issues of minority health care.

Barnes-Jewish program aims to improve understanding
When patients fail to take their medication, Dr. Corey Foster resists the temptation to immediately label them "non-compliant," physician-speak for patients who don't follow doctors' orders. Foster, an internal medicine resident at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, delves deeper into patients' lives, asking whether they struggled to afford the drugs or get to the pharmacy.

His inquisitiveness is built into his residency training. Foster is part of the Residents and Fellows Diversity Initiative at Barnes-Jewish. The program aims to increase diversity on the hospital's campus and eliminate health disparities. Residents and fellows are selected for the program based on their commitment to promote diversity, mentor medical students and treat patients with limited access to medical care.

Latinos as healthcare saviors?
A tidal wave of aging baby boomers is crashing down on our already troubled healthcare system, threatening to overwhelm our operating rooms (heart disease is our No. 1 cause of death) and bankrupt insurers that will have to pay for lengthy recoveries from cancer and strokes (our No. 2 and No. 3 causes). Is there anything that can help protect California from this healthcare train-wreck scenario?

Fitting an Urgent Need
In Neal Collins' line of work - producing and fitting various prosthetics and orthotic devices for patients - lots of things have changed since he trained for the profession more than 20 years ago.

Team of Doctors Help China's Kids
Sick kids team to perform surgery on heart defects.

A Vital Link
Growing number of medical assistants filling in gaps at doctors’ offices

"Migrant-friendly" Handbook Helps Hospitals
A handbook and accompanying film aim to help Swiss hospitals communicate better with immigrants and deal with their specific needs.

Latin America: Where Are All the Practitioners?
Latin America and the Caribbean have a population of approximately 550 million people—almost twice the size of the United States—but only a fraction of the amount of allied health workers that we have.

Minorities face many obstacles in battling cancer
Norma Navarro was seven months pregnant in 2005 when she discovered a large tumor growing deep in the tissue of her right breast. It had lain, undetected in her body for as many as five years, pinching nerves and causing numbness in her hand. A year earlier, Navarro had gone to the doctor with complaints of pain in her breast but was told not to worry. Then 34, she was too young, the doctor said, for it to be a serious concern.

Anesthesiologist proud to call America home
Anesthesiologist Dr. Ashok Navalgund regarded his work with Dr. Thomas Starzl's liver transplant unit at the former Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland as part of his fulfillment of the American dream.

Med School to Increase Studies in Diversity
In an effort to educate medical students on how to deal with an increasingly diverse patient population, the UB's School of Medicine and Biological Sciences was recently granted $600,000 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to create a Cultural Competency Training Program.

Cambodia Limb School's Success
It is graduation day at Cambodia's School of Prosthetics and Orthotics.

California Med School Criticized for Banning Gay Student Groups
The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Monday publicly decried the decision of the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, a private medical school in Vallejo, CA, to ban a student group that focuses on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients and students.

Programs At PCC Get $1.2 Million In Grants
Polk Community College received nearly $1.2 million in Gov. Jeb Bush's SUCCEED Florida grants.

Meet Penelope, the New Medical Assistant Robot
Just in case EMMA the nursebot didn't do it for you, there's a new medical assistant bot in town, codename: Penelope.

Two-year Degree Plan Often Pays Off in Big Income
While an extensive college education is beneficial when entering the job market, there are high-paying occupations requiring only an associate degree.

Hospital, Medicaid numbers tell immigration tale
Illegal immigrants' use of medical care is at the white-hot center of the immigration debate.

Dr. Guion Completes Cultural Competency Fellowship
Dr. W. Kent Guion, associate dean for academic affairs in the Medical College of Georgia School of Allied Health Sciences, has completed the inaugural Health Research and Education Trust Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship program.

Blacks, Hispanics Hospitalized More Often for Diabetes, Heart Disease
Black and Hispanics are hospitalized more often in the United States than non-Hispanic whites for diabetes and other health problems, researchers report.

Team Brings Medical Care to Sister city in Ecuador
Challenges faced by villagers in need of surgeries.

Medical Staffers Walk in Heart Patients' Shoes
Congestive heart failure is no walk in the park. That fact hit home Friday for a couple of hundred medical professionals who took part in simulations of the symptoms of the debilitating, life-threatening disease that affects as many as 6 million Americans every year.

Can Colored Dots Help Patients Make Medical Decisions?
For decades medical educators have tried to improve how doctors are trained to speak to patients. Now one researcher is testing out a new possibility. She is developing graphic tools to help doctors give patients clearer information about treatment options and visual clues about the probable success rates of various treatments.

Color of care: When Not to Honor Patient's Request
Q: I am an anesthesiologist at a metropolitan hospital. A patient scheduled for an operation one day requested a female anesthesiologist, a request we were inclined to honor. When the anesthesiologist's name was given to the patient, she wondered if the anesthesiologist was African-American.

Course Helps PAs Better Examine, Communicate with Hispanic Patients
Fluency in “medical Spanish,” acquired through a one-of-a-kind education program at UT Southwestern Allied Health Sciences School, has helped Jill Conway, a physician assistant, uncover medical histories and perform physical exams in Spanish. It is knowledge that has enhanced her relationship with Spanish-speaking patients and improved the medical care they receive.

Polysomnographic Technologist Earns Monthly Honor
Frederic Ares, a polysomnographic technologist, was named Day Kimball Hospitals' June '06 Employee of the Month. Ares is a six-year employee of the Putnam hospital.

Tuskegee Ranked Among Nation’s Top Producers Of African-American Baccalaureates
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine has listed Tuskegee University among the top 100 baccalaureate-degree-producers of African-American students in the nation in its June issue.

Rural Health Grant Exposes Students to New Career Opportunities
Students who train in rural health settings before they graduate are more likely to work in rural communities, say Medical College of Georgia educators.

Paramedic Service Short of Minorities
Despite recruiting efforts, only 4% of Delaware paramedics are nonwhite.

Chinese American Medical Leader Honored for Increeasing Diversity in Health Professions
The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) presents its fourth annual Champions of Health Professions Diversity Award to three leaders who have pioneered programs and policies to increase diversity within the medical professions. The honorees are Dr. Rolland C. Lowe of San Francisco, Dr. José A. Arévalo of Sacramento and Patricia Pratt of Los Angeles.Each will receive a $25,000 grant in recognition of his or her work and achievements at an awards ceremony in San Francisco on Monday, June 12, 2006.

ARRT Advances Plan to Introduce MRI Primary Pathway in 2006
ARRT’s primary pathway to MRI certification is moving forward for implementation in 2006, with one key issue remaining to be finalized—how to assure the quality of educational programs.

AMA Foundation Offers Grants to Physicians Affected by Natural Disasters
The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation recently announced that it is offering grants to help physicians rebuild their medical practices in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Grants will be awarded from the AMA Foundation’s newly established Health Care Recovery Fund, an ongoing fund that will also be available to physicians affected by future natural or man-made disasters.

Helping Patients, Health Professionals Affected by Katrina
A number of Web sites/initiatives are under way to help address the many effects of hurricane Katrina . . .

$6 Million Awarded for American Indian and Alaska Native Research Centers
The Indian Health Service (IHS) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), both agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have announced 13 American Indian and Alaska Native programs as the recipients of approximately $6 million in grant funds to support medical research efforts. The funding is from the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program, which is supported by IHS and NIGMS.

AMA Urges Congress to Stop Looming Medicare Payment Cuts
The American Medical Association (AMA) called on Congress recently to act now to end impending Medicare physician payment cuts that will harm patient access to care, and praised Congresswoman Nancy Johnson for championing the need to reform the payment formula in testimony before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

U.S. Spends More on Health Care Than Any Other Country
The U.S. continues to spend significantly more on health care than any country in the world. In 2005, Americans spent 53% per capita more than the next highest country, Switzerland, and 140% above the median industrialized country, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

MIT Engineers an Anti-Cancer Smart Bomb
Imagine a cancer drug that can burrow into a tumor, seal the exits, and detonate a lethal dose of anti-cancer toxins, all while leaving healthy cells unscathed.

Clinical Practice Guidelines May Not Apply to Older Patients
Results of a Johns Hopkins study suggests that health care providers who follow current clinical practice guidelines when caring for an older person with multiple conditions may yield an overly complicated health regimen for the patient, or potentially harmful drug interactions.

Medical Technology Programs Restructuring to Survive
Medical technology and related educational programs are in transition. No single reason can explain the pressure on university programs to restructure or close, but here are a few that educators cite: budget constraints, high cost of programs, lack of support from local professionals in some areas, and declining program enrollments stemming from the demands of a rigorous science curriculum that are rewarded by relatively low salaries.

ASRT Officially Raise Dues, Defines Radiologist Assistant
The American Society of Radiologic Technologists’ (ASRTs’)House of Delegates voted on 27 resolutions and adopted 18 this summer. One adopted resolution was to raise dues for active and associate members by $20, to $105 per year. The increase took effect Oct. 1. It will be the first increase in ASRT dues in six years. Former ASRT President Dawn Fucillo, M.A., R.T.(R)(T), CMD, had urged the delegates to vote in favor of a dues increase, noting that the $85 dues amount established in 1999 no longer covered the cost of providing benefits and services to members.

Indian Health Service Pharmacist Receives 2005 Senior Pharmacy Award
CAPT Robert Pittman, a pharmacist with the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently received the 2005 George F. Archambault U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Career Achievement Award in Pharmacy. This award recognizes a senior level pharmacist (civil service or commissioned corps), serving under the authority of the USPHS. The award recognizes Pittman’s outstanding career achievements and exemplary contributions to the pharmacy profession during his USPHS career. He received the award at the Commissioned Officer’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Coping With Multiple Chronic Conditions
Eighty-three percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic condition, such as congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease or diabetes. Two-thirds of Medicare spending is incurred by the 9.5 million beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions. These percentages suggest that the Medicare program needs to address chronic conditions rather than the acute, episodic illnesses that have been the focus of the Medicare program since it began in 1966.

Even Limited Training Key to Communication With Diverse Patients
Simple classroom lectures about different religious holidays, such as the Muslim tradition of fasting during Ramadan, or Spanish language lessons focused on common medical terms really work to help health care providers connect with patients from different cultures and improve patient satisfaction, according to a pair of reports from Johns Hopkins researchers.

Overwhelmed by Uninsured
Santa Fe’s only comprehensive medical and dental clinic for low-income patients is growing.

Hospital inequalities widen the care gap
When Mary Grant had a mastectomy in July, she lost not only her breast, she says, but also her dignity. Grant, 52, of rural Laurens, S.C., never received a prosthesis and is often ashamed to leave her house.

Local Anesthesiologist Serves As DJ Of The OR
General anesthesia or local? Hip-hop or Sinatra? These are among the decisions facing Dr. Frank Gentile in his double-duty job as anesthesiologist and self-styled DJ of the OR.

New Study Shows African-American Seniors Receive Fewer Life-Saving Surgeries than Whites
Major study shows that despite efforts to reduce differences in care, the problem is worsening

Is Medical Transcription Still a Good Business Opp?
Is working from home as a medical transcriptionist still a profitable business? Experts weigh in.

Ultrasound training a bit unsound: State takes action against some schools
State takes action against some schools.

Pharmacy students work hard to fill void
St. John’s pharmacy students may benefit from what according to the P.D.A. Foundation is a national shortage of pharmacists.

Texas Tech’s Physician Assistant program celebrates its fifth year
PAs help ease doctors’ patient load, diagnose illnesses, write prescriptions.

Central Michigan University misses diversity goal
Despite increases in diversity and recruitment of minorities at Central Michigan University during the last 10 years, the school still isn't meeting its self-imposed goals.

Medical outreach caps U.S. effort in Afghan operation
Mission instills in troops sense of ‘ultimate purpose’.

Pharmacy Enrollments Continue to Grow
new report on the rate of pharmacy student application, enrollment and awarded degrees indicates that interest in pharmacy as a career remains strong and continues to grow, with a record number of students graduating with a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree in 2004.

Lack of Communication May Contribute to African-American Health Disparities
Race appears to be a factor in how doctors communicate with their patients, according to a recent study of primary care visits conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Does Not Eliminate Need for Biopsy
multi-center study of 821 patients referred for breast biopsy based on prior examinations that suggested cancer finds that while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) distinguishes between benign and malignant breast tumors better than mammography, biopsies are still needed to confirm the diagnosis.

New Finding Might Lead to Anti-Cancer Drugs
Johns Hopkins chemists have discovered a new way to sabotage DNA's ability to reproduce, a finding that could eventually lead to the development of new anti-cancer drugs and therapies.

Michigan House Passes Bill Allowing Doctors to Refuse Treatment of Gays
The Republican-controlled Michigan House of Representatives passed a measure recently that would allow doctors to refuse to treat gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender patients. The Conscientious Objector Policy Act provides that health care workers can refuse service to anyone for moral, ethical or religious reasons, although the measure would prohibit the refusal of emergency care.

Allied Health Reinvestment Act Moves to U.S. Senate
The Allied Health Reinvestment Act (S. 473) was re-introduced on February 28, 2005 by Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Joe Lieberman(D-CT), in the 109th Congress.

Hispanic Business Leaders Announce First Chamber of Commerce on Health
The National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Health (NHCCH) is the country's first chamber of commerce addressing supplier diversity initiatives in the hospital, pharmaceutical, managed care/insurance and health care industries, President and Board Chairman, George A. Zeppenfeldt-Cestero recently announced.

Immediate Access to Antibiotics Halts Spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
In an editorial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins supported a study which showed that providing faster, more direct access to antibiotics for partners of newly infected patients reduces re-infection rates and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, such as Gonorrhea and Chlamydia, compared to standard practice.

Report Reveals Americans Support Most Uses of Reproductive Genetic Testing
A majority of Americans believe it is appropriate to use reproductive genetic testing to avoid having a child with a life-threatening disease, or to test embryos to see if they will be a good match to provide cells to help a sick sibling, a new report from the Genetics and Public Policy Center reveals.

ARRT Changes Names of Interventional Disciplines
The term "Radiography" is replacing the term "Technology" in the three interventional disciplines in which American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certifies and registers radiologic technologists.

Go Red For Women Sheds Light on Heart Health
Motherly advice is a time-honored mother-daughter tradition. From men and money to careers and cooking, Mom can be a fountain of knowledge. But, do women listen to their mothers on matters of the heart on both health and romance?

Obese Patients Put Strain on Health Professionals
nationwide survey of VHA Inc. hospitals shows that caring for obese patients is an increasing challenge as providers continue to experience spiraling costs, increases in worker injuries, and a significant number of patients who are obese, even in pediatrics.

Anheuser-Busch Announces National Prostate Cancer Initiative
Testimonials from celebrity survivors, life-saving advice, and an appeal to women were highlights of the "Set the Date," a prostate cancer awareness campaign led by Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Celebrates Achievements
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation recently honored four leaders in the fight against breast cancer at its annual public policy luncheon on Capitol Hill.

Reliance on Standardized Scores Hurts Minority Applicants
The Institute of Medicine's Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for Increasing the Diversity of the U.S. Health Care Workforce recently developed a new report, "In the Nation's Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health Care Workforce," which recommends actions training programs and accreditation bodies should take to make it easier for minority students to pursue health careers.

Cardiovascular Therapeutics Finds Huge Market in Aging Baby Boomers
The next ten years will see an accelerating U.S. market for
cardiovascular therapeutics thanks to the aging of the Baby Boom generation, according to a new study released by Kalorama Information. The market potential for drugs and medical devices designed to treat hypertension, atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure in the over-45 population is likely to reach over $20 billion by 2013.

Most People with Diabetes Do Not Meet Treatment Goals
Less than 12% of people with diagnosed diabetes meet the recommended goals for blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol despite a great deal of research showing that controlling these conditions dramatically delays or prevents diabetes complications. Moreover, the percentage of people who achieve these targets has changed little in the last decade, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Health Care Workforce Solutions
The Health Care Industry Workforce Development Forums, sponsored last fall by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (as part of the High-Growth Job Training Initiative), resulted in a number of proposed solutions.

California African American 5 a Day Campaign Takes Action Facts on African-American health, shopping habits and access to retail outlets were recently announced at a Black History Month celebration led by the East Oakland Faith Deliverance Center, a partner of the California African American 5 a Day Campaign.

CPR Training Moves to The Internet
Health care professionals know that traditional classroom courses are unrealistic for today's busy schedules. ACLS Certification, an Oregon health care training provider, has recognized the increasing need for convenient certification and is now offering Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) for health care professionals that can be completed on a computer at any desired location.

Pfizer Announces Yvonne Jackson as New Head of Corporate Human Resources

Ross-Lee Named Association of Academic Health Centers Chairman of the Board

Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Highlighted by Postage Stamp

New Treatments for Chronic Hepatitis C in African Americans

Crusading for Dignity

AMA Committed to Eliminating Health Care Disparities

Keeping Sonographers Healthy on the Job

Medicare Says Recreational Therapy Is a Covered Service