Webhealth
Webhealth has been specifically developed to provide access for people to
connect with Health and Social Services. This web-based approach builds on
the strengths of people and families to determine their support needs. Within the Webhealth website is Linkage. Linkage is a
partnership between an NGO, Pathways; primary health care, Pinnacle; and a
secondary provider/hospital, Health Waikato. It offers early intervention
services with a “one stop shop” in central Hamilton and New Plymouth.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
States ask drug firms to report gifts to individual physicians
Story at American Medical News - "...state legislators across the country are putting the doctor-detailer relationship under the microscope in hopes that this scrutiny will eventually lower prescription drug costs. The first step state lawmakers are taking is requiring companies to report how much sales representatives are spending and what they're spending it on. Sponsors of these bills acknowledge that they may not immediately lower costs, but new laws could cause a budget shift with less spent on marketing and more spent on samples, medical education support and research and development."
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Story at American Medical News - "...state legislators across the country are putting the doctor-detailer relationship under the microscope in hopes that this scrutiny will eventually lower prescription drug costs. The first step state lawmakers are taking is requiring companies to report how much sales representatives are spending and what they're spending it on. Sponsors of these bills acknowledge that they may not immediately lower costs, but new laws could cause a budget shift with less spent on marketing and more spent on samples, medical education support and research and development."
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Dual Diagnosis in Provincial Psychiatric Hospitals: A Population-Based Study Year 1 Summary June 2003
A report in Adobe Acrobat format at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health web site. CMHA's Mental Health Notes newsletter indicates that the study "...finds that as many as 13 percent of the patients in provincial psychiatric hospitals (PPH) have a dual diagnosis — both a developmental disability and a psychiatric disorder — and that, while these individuals require more intensive levels of care than other patients, they are less likely to receive the needed level of care." Please note that the term "dual diagnosis" has a different meaning in Canada than in the US, where it refers to co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.
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A report in Adobe Acrobat format at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health web site. CMHA's Mental Health Notes newsletter indicates that the study "...finds that as many as 13 percent of the patients in provincial psychiatric hospitals (PPH) have a dual diagnosis — both a developmental disability and a psychiatric disorder — and that, while these individuals require more intensive levels of care than other patients, they are less likely to receive the needed level of care." Please note that the term "dual diagnosis" has a different meaning in Canada than in the US, where it refers to co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.
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Business of Medicine Briefing: February 15, 2004
A new feature in Medscape Money & Medicine, the "Business of Medicine Briefing" is "a biweekly summary of major health and medical articles that appear in the lay and professional press" and replaces the "Money & Medicine Journal Scan." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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A new feature in Medscape Money & Medicine, the "Business of Medicine Briefing" is "a biweekly summary of major health and medical articles that appear in the lay and professional press" and replaces the "Money & Medicine Journal Scan." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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Safety and Tolerability in Psychiatric Medications: An Expert Interview With Eduard Vieta, MD, PhD
An interview in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health with Eduard Vieta of the University of Barcelona, Spain, at the International Congress of Biological Psychiatry last year. [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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An interview in Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health with Eduard Vieta of the University of Barcelona, Spain, at the International Congress of Biological Psychiatry last year. [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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Antipsychotic drugs raise obesity, diabetes, heart disease risks
Health & Medicine Week story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "People who take antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of a variety of mental illnesses may be at increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol - all of which can lead to heart disease. Because of this, a joint panel of the American Diabetes Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity has issued a consensus statement asking doctors to carefully screen and monitor patients on these medications for signs of rapid weight gain or other problems that could lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease and refer them to specialists if necessary..."
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Health & Medicine Week story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "People who take antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of a variety of mental illnesses may be at increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol - all of which can lead to heart disease. Because of this, a joint panel of the American Diabetes Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity has issued a consensus statement asking doctors to carefully screen and monitor patients on these medications for signs of rapid weight gain or other problems that could lead to diabetes, obesity and heart disease and refer them to specialists if necessary..."
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Supportive Housing Financing Source Guide
A guide (with special emphasis on programs in Arizona, California and Nevada), in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Corporation for Supportive Housing - "The purpose of the Supportive Housing Financing Sources Guide is to help supportive housing sponsors identify potential financing and funding sources for supportive housing projects and programs. By providing both general information on categories of funding sources (what they are, how they flow, how to access them) and detailed information on more than 40 sources and initiatives with the greatest potential for providing significant project funding, it is hoped that the guide will serve as a resource for organizations seeking to expand the supply of supportive housing."
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A guide (with special emphasis on programs in Arizona, California and Nevada), in Adobe Acrobat format, from the Corporation for Supportive Housing - "The purpose of the Supportive Housing Financing Sources Guide is to help supportive housing sponsors identify potential financing and funding sources for supportive housing projects and programs. By providing both general information on categories of funding sources (what they are, how they flow, how to access them) and detailed information on more than 40 sources and initiatives with the greatest potential for providing significant project funding, it is hoped that the guide will serve as a resource for organizations seeking to expand the supply of supportive housing."
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NMHA Awards Honor Outstanding Efforts in Mental Health Movement
Fenruary 5 National Mental Health Association press release - "The National Mental Health Association invites nominations for several awards recognizing outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the mental health movement. ... The deadline for award nominations is March 10, 2004. Recipients will be honored during NMHA’s Annual Conference, June 9-12, 2004 in Washington, D.C." Further information and application forms are available at the NMHA web site.
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Fenruary 5 National Mental Health Association press release - "The National Mental Health Association invites nominations for several awards recognizing outstanding individual and organizational contributions to the mental health movement. ... The deadline for award nominations is March 10, 2004. Recipients will be honored during NMHA’s Annual Conference, June 9-12, 2004 in Washington, D.C." Further information and application forms are available at the NMHA web site.
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SAMHSA extends deadlines for network NOFAs
SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for Fiscal Year 2004, published four Standard Grant announcements, which established mandatory formatting requirements for all applications that would be processed in accordance with the terms of those standing announcements. The Standard Grant announcements did not directly solicit any applications. Rather, they are to be used in conjunction with Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs), which solicit applications for specific opportunities pursuant to the Standard Announcements. Upon further consideration, SAMHSA believes the formatting requirements common to those announcements, and motivated by SAMHSA’s desire to assure equitable opportunity and a "level playing field" to all applicants, will not best serve the public until we revise and republish them. Accordingly, we will quickly revise the identical formatting discussions of all four standing grant program announcements and republish them in their entirety for ease of the users." The immediately effected announcements are SM 04-003: Statewide Consumer Network Grants, and SM 04-004: Statewide Family Network Grants.
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SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for Fiscal Year 2004, published four Standard Grant announcements, which established mandatory formatting requirements for all applications that would be processed in accordance with the terms of those standing announcements. The Standard Grant announcements did not directly solicit any applications. Rather, they are to be used in conjunction with Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs), which solicit applications for specific opportunities pursuant to the Standard Announcements. Upon further consideration, SAMHSA believes the formatting requirements common to those announcements, and motivated by SAMHSA’s desire to assure equitable opportunity and a "level playing field" to all applicants, will not best serve the public until we revise and republish them. Accordingly, we will quickly revise the identical formatting discussions of all four standing grant program announcements and republish them in their entirety for ease of the users." The immediately effected announcements are SM 04-003: Statewide Consumer Network Grants, and SM 04-004: Statewide Family Network Grants.
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Lilly Warns Of Zyprexa Risk For Elderly
AP story at InteliHealth - "Eli Lilly and Co. said it had warned doctors and psychiatrists that elderly patients suffering from dementia face a higher risk of stroke if they use the company's top-selling drug, the anti-psychotic Zyprexa. Lilly made the warning in a letter sent nationwide on Jan. 15 based on findings from recent clinical trials of Zyprexa, Lilly spokesman Dan Collins said Friday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not require the warning, he said..."
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AP story at InteliHealth - "Eli Lilly and Co. said it had warned doctors and psychiatrists that elderly patients suffering from dementia face a higher risk of stroke if they use the company's top-selling drug, the anti-psychotic Zyprexa. Lilly made the warning in a letter sent nationwide on Jan. 15 based on findings from recent clinical trials of Zyprexa, Lilly spokesman Dan Collins said Friday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not require the warning, he said..."
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Study shows women's medication use higher than expected
University of Minnesota press release at EurekAlert - "Women's use of all medications--including herbal supplements--is higher than anticipated, and they're unlikely to tell their health care providers about the medications they take, according to a University of Minnesota researcher. A study being published in the Feb. 24 issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology determined that that health care providers need to spend more time asking about medication usage. ... Researchers also found that nearly 25 percent of patients took medications for anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. Of patients who used oral contraception, 2.3 percent took St. John's wort, which can reduce the efficacy of the birth control pill. The study also found several women taking prescription antidepressants also self-medicated with St. John's wort, an herbal supplement commonly used to treat depression, which has been shown to have potentially harmful interactions with prescription antidepressants."
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University of Minnesota press release at EurekAlert - "Women's use of all medications--including herbal supplements--is higher than anticipated, and they're unlikely to tell their health care providers about the medications they take, according to a University of Minnesota researcher. A study being published in the Feb. 24 issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology determined that that health care providers need to spend more time asking about medication usage. ... Researchers also found that nearly 25 percent of patients took medications for anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. Of patients who used oral contraception, 2.3 percent took St. John's wort, which can reduce the efficacy of the birth control pill. The study also found several women taking prescription antidepressants also self-medicated with St. John's wort, an herbal supplement commonly used to treat depression, which has been shown to have potentially harmful interactions with prescription antidepressants."
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Copyright 2003 © Bill Davis.
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