News Alerts July 25, 2001 - Teen Births at Record Low, CDC Reports The U.S. teen birth rate declined to a record low in 2000, according to a preliminary report on births released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2000 rate was 22 percent lower than in 1991, when the current decline in teen births began. Rates have declined most for black teenagers (31 percent) and least for Hispanics (12 percent). The birth rate for young teens, ages 15 to 17, showed the greatest decline, down 29 percent from 1991 to 2000. The CDC finds several factors contributing to the reduction in the teen birth rate, including declining levels of sexual activity, abstinence education, and increased use of contraceptives by sexually active teenagers. The full report can be read at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/01news/newbirth.htm
July 19, 2001 - Government Releases 2001 Report on Well-Being of Children The federal government today released its fifth annual report on key indicators of the health and well-being of America's children. The 2001 report uses eight measures to describe the changing population and family context in which children are living, and 24 indicators depict the well-being of children in the areas of economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education. The report this year has a special section on asthma. The report is available at http://www.childstats.gov/ac2001/toc.asp.
July 18, 2001 - Connecticut Bars School Personnel from Suggesting Psychotropic Drugs Connecticut has become the first state to enact a law barring school personnel from recommending the use of psychotropic drugs for any child. Introduced in May by Lenny Winkler, assistant minority leader of Republicans in the Connecticut legislature and signed by Governor John Rowland, Public Act 01-024 reads:
Section 1. Each local and regional board of education shall adopt and implement policies prohibiting any school personnel from recommending the use of psychotropic drugs for any child. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit school medical staff from recommending that a child be evaluated by an appropriate medical practitioner, or prohibit school personnel from consulting with such practitioner with the consent of the parents or guardian of such child. The Connecticut law becomes effective October 1 this year.
July 13, 2001 - Pediatrics Academy Announces Support for Human Embryo Research Citing the benefits such research would have for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics today urged President Bush and members of Congress to permit federal funding for human embryo research under certain controlled conditions. The AAP cited spinal cord and bone injuries, diabetes, primary or acquired immunodeficiencies, cancer, metabolic and genetic disorders, and a variety of birth defects as among the conditions in children for which treatments may be found through stem cell research. The full text of the AAP position statement is available at www.aap.org/policy/s0104.html. July 6, 2001 - HHS Issues First Guidance on New Medical Privacy Protections The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today issued the first of a series of guidance materials to help health care providers and insurers comply with new medical privacy regulations that went into effect April 14. Detailed information about the new law and regulations is available at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa. A fact sheet summarizing the privacy rules is posted at www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/01fsprivacy.html. In a statement, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said that under the new rules, "Parents will will have access to information about the health and well-being of their children, including information about mental health, substance abuse, or abortion." The section of the guidance materials dealing with parents and children is at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/minors.html. Entities that must comply with the new privacy regulations include
physicians, hospitals, other providers, health plans, health insurers,
and health care clearinghouses. Covered entities have until April 14,
2003, to comply; small health plans have an additional year. July 5, 2001 - Thompson Reorganizes HCFA U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson today announced that the division of the Health Care Financing Administration that deals with Medicare and Medicaid has been renamed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and all references to HCFA are changed to CMS. All delegation of authority from HHS is now vested in the administrator of CMS, who may redelegate to subordinate employees. Announcement of the reorganization appeared in the Federal Register for July 5, 2001.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published updated guidelines for managing occupational exposure to hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus, with new recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis. The full text of the guidelines is posted on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/mmwr. Adobe Reader is required.
July 2, 2001 - Substance Abuse Prevention: What Works and What Doesn't "Substance Abuse Prevention: What Works and What Doesn't" is the lead
story in the most recent issue of Advances, published by The Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation. Of note is foundation vice president Nancy
Kaufman's quote that "Based on reviews of 20 years of prevention program
research, we now know that effective programs must have a solid, school-bsed
component that incorporates active learning experiences". To read the
article, go to http://www.rwjf.org/app/rw_publications_and_links/rw_pub_advance.jsp
|
|
