Thursday, May 19, 2005
Child Abuse Death Risk High in Military Families HealthDay story at
Yahoo - "Children from military families are twice as likely to die from severe abuse as other children are, according to a North Carolina study. Based on the findings, the pediatric experts who led the study are calling on officials at the Pentagon to do more to investigate the reasons children growing up in military households face such risks. The study was presented Tuesday at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. Researchers at the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute examined cases of child abuse murders in North Carolina from 1985 to 2000.
Gov. Blunt Signs Legislation To Tax Managed Care Providers, Draw Additional Federal Medicaid Funds (Missouri)Item in the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R) on Friday signed legislation (SB 189) that will impose a new tax on Medicaid managed care providers to bring in additional federal dollars, the
AP/Kansas City Star reports. The tax, which takes effect with the state budget on July 1, is expected to generate $51.2 million. The additional revenue will be spent on Medicaid, bringing in an additional $73.8 million in federal funds, according to the state Department of Social Services. Of $125 million total, $56 million will be used to increase Medicaid reimbursements to managed care companies, and the rest will be earmarked for general Medicaid spending..."
Mothers' Antidepressants Could Harm Newborns Scripps Howard story reprinted at
PsycPORT - "Newborns of women who took antidepressant drugs during the final three months of pregnancy face an increased risk of behavioral and respiratory problems, a new report shows. 'Neonatal behavior syndrome' is the name for symptoms and behaviors thought to be related to drug withdrawal or side effects. They include tremors or jitteriness, stiffened muscle tone, irritability, feeding or digestive problems, excessive crying, sleep disturbances or breathing problems. While most problems related to the drugs are mild and usually end within about two weeks of birth, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found some cases severe enough to require hospitalization in a neonatal intensive care unit. "
More bucks may go to GIs' mental healthAP story at the
Tucson Citizen - "A House spending panel, concerned that soldiers and veterans are not getting the mental health services they need, agreed yesterday to boost spending on military health care by billions of dollars. Lawmakers commissioned a study on post-traumatic stress disorder. ... The subcommittee agreed to devote $2.2 billion to veterans mental health care and instructed the Veterans Affairs Department to devote 20 percent of its research money to mental health issues. The programs are part of a $85.2 billion bill funding next year's soldiers and veterans benefits, along with military construction."
Community care closings displace patients (South Carolina) AP story at
Dateline Alabama - "More than 100 residents who live in community care facilities throughout South Carolina may be displaced after several announced they were closing, state health officials said Wednesday. The closings came up at a special commission meeting of the state Department of Mental Health, which learned at least three facilities would close by mid-July. That would leave about 72 mental health patients without beds, a problem for an agency already trying to find additional space and care for acute and long-term care patients."
