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Health Nominee Sebelius Has Bipartisan Pros and Cons
When it comes to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's ability to be bipartisan, the diagnosis is mixed. As a Democratic governor of red-state Kansas, President Obama's pick for health and human services secretary has worked with a Republican-led legislature.
Bush Says No Funding For Hospitals Who Deny Pro-life Staff
The Bush Administration wants any recipient of federal money given through the Department of Health and Human Services to sign a certification that they will not refuse to hire nurses or other healthcare providers who morally object to abortion or even certain forms of birth control, perhaps including the pill and emergency contraception like Plan B.
The plan would cover hospitals, clinics, researchers, medical schools, and state and local governments. The department's proposal said federal money must not "support morally coercive or discriminatory practices or policies in violation of federal law," which it says ensures that doctors, hospitals, and health plans cannot be forced to preform abortions.
Should Shrek be Dropped as Anti-Obesity Spokesperson?
It is being reported that a children’s advocacy group wants the Department of Health and Human Services to oust Shrek, everyone's favorite ogre, from his role as spokesman spokesogre for an anti-obesity drive.
In the ad campaign, Shrek and his fellow characters urge children to exercise at least an hour a day. The spokesperson says Shrek is perfect for the role as he shows that you don't have to be perfectly fit to be healthy and active.
Substance Abuse State by State
I am always fascinated by the national surveys that rank cities and states, like the recent rankings of healthy and unhealthy cities for women done recently by Self Magazine and the safest place to raise a child by Safe Kids USA. Well, now it looks like Uncle Sam has released the new report ranking states by the sordid issue of drug use, and its occasional counterpart mental health. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a report of substance abuse and mental health based on a survey of 136,110 people completed in 2005 and 2006.
70,000 Women a Year Die From Unsafe Abortions
After three years of research, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute has concluded that although contraceptive use has lowered the number of abortions worldwide, unsafe abortions still account for a staggering 70,000 deaths a year, particularly in the developing world. More than half the deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region with the lowest rates of contraceptive use and the highest rates of unintended pregnancies.
"In much of the developing world," said the Institute's president Sharon Camp, "abortion remains highly restricted, and unsafe abortion is common and continues to damage women's health and threaten their survival."
Cold Water Works Just as Well
Germs are everywhere. Swine flu, regular flu, our homes, the gym — there's no escaping the little buggers. One of the best ways to protect yourself is still the easiest: wash those hands!
South Africa Weighs Legalizing Prostitution For World Cup
Fans heading to South Africa for the World Cup 2010 are interested in more than soccer. Anticipating that sport tourists will frequent prostitutes while they're in town, health experts are calling on the South African government to legalize prostitution for the tournament. The hope is that testing and registering legal sex workers will reduce HIV infections among visiting fans and South Africans alike.
10 Areas of Government With the Greatest Job Growth
Working for the government used to elicit groans of expectant dullness, but times have changed. Instead of criticizing working for the ultimate Man, Uncle Sam, more people are drawn to the secure nature of working for the federal government. According to a new report from the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, the federal government will have hired 273,000 new workers by Fall of 2012 for jobs the group calls "mission critical" — that's a 41 percent hiring increase over the three previous fiscal years.
Lil Links: See Your Name in Lights . . . Literally
- Chalkboard pendant lamp — Inhabitots
- Pete Wentz flying solo with Bronx — Celebrity Baby Blog
- Health reform easily explained — Cookie
- What celebrity would you trade places with? — CafeMom
- All marketing all the time to tots — ParentDish
- Adam Sandler has a Sunny day at the beach — Celebrity Baby Scoop
- Swine flu drug IV could save lives — Health
- Best cities to have babies — Fit Pregnancy
- Participate in a day of service on 9/11 — Alpha Mom
Meet Matchmaker Amy Andersen, Part I
I'll admit it: one of my guilty TV pleasures is The Millionaire Matchmaker. I find the orchestrated pairings entertaining and stomach-churning at the same time. Of course, there are other matchmakers hard at work without reality TV contracts.
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