Thursday, July 29, 2004

Advocate for Access to Medical Data
Washington Post story - "Ellen Berty first stumbled across the ClinicalTrials.gov Web site while researching treatments for the Type 1 diabetes that has dogged her since the age of 13. Months later, after receiving an islet cell transplant in a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health, she couldn't wait to tell her neighbors about the Web site that had pointed her in the right direction. ... ClinicalTrials.gov was the brainchild of Alexa McCray, director of the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, an intramural research division of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Taking the lead from the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act 1997, which called for the establishment of a clinical trials registry that would be available to the public, McCray turned to the Internet to ensure an accessible and user-friendly resource for everyone from patients to health care professionals." See also ClinicalTrials.gov. [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]  
  

Ohio juvenile girls prison under investigation
Ohio News Network story - "Allegations of sexual assault, beatings and inadequate medical care at Ohio's only juvenile prison for girls have prompted two independent investigations, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday. ..." Investogator Fred Cohen "recommended some immediate changes after finding that girls were not allowed to talk during meals and were forced to walk in lines with their hands behind their backs. He also said guards were using a physical restraint never intended to be used on children and the only mental-health care available was when girls were in crisis..."  
  

NAMI Names Michael J. Fitzpatrick as New National Director
PR Newswire press release reprinted at Yahoo - "The NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) Board of Directors formally announced today the appointment of Michael J. Fitzpatrick as the national organization's executive director. Since 1999, Fitzpatrick, a former Maine legislator, has served on NAMI's national staff. Most recently, he served in a dual role as Director of NAMI's Policy Research Institute and Policy Team. Since January 2004, he has been NAMI's Acting Executive Director."