Office of Public Relations

[newsclippings/dhmh_header.htm]
Visitors to Date
Office of Public Relations
			Tuesday, February 17, 2009 News Clipping Archives *Maryland / Regional* Group calls for program to prevent underweight births (Baltimore Sun) Flu outbreak in Maryland is on upswing (Baltimore Sun) In Good Health - FMH looking for Good Samaritans (Frederick News-Post) Inova moves to build hospital in Loudoun Co. (Baltimore Examiner) *National / International* Specifics divide fragile coalition on health care (Washington Times) Want to Live a Bit Longer? Speak Up. (Washington Post) Appeals court upholds NYC's calories-on-menus rule (Hagerstown Herald-Mail) *Opinion* Recent report was injustice to Holly Center (Salisbury Daily Times Commentary) Armed and Dangerous (Washington Post Editorial) They don't see dead people(Washington Times Editorial) More Than Peanuts (Washington Post Editorial) War on drugs is ongoing (Carroll County Editorial) *Maryland / Regional* Group calls for program to prevent underweight births Report says underweight babies cost more than preventive care By Stephanie Desmon Baltimore Sun Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Nine percent of babies born in Maryland each year are below normal birth weight - and those babies account for more than half of what the state spends on all births, according to an analysis released yesterday by a nonprofit advocacy group. Babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds frequently require longer hospital stays, more intensive care and can suffer from lifelong physical and mental disabilities, costing the health care system in the long run. The lowest birth weight babies - those under 3.3 pounds - spend an average of 40 days in the hospital after birth, compared with just under three for normal weight births, according to the report by Advocates for Children and Youth. Many of these low birth weight infants are covered by Medicaid, and their hospital costs average $84,000, compared with $2,300 for normal weight infants, the report said. Armed with this data, the group plans to push in Annapolis today for policies aimed at prevention, arguing that paying to care for low birth weight babies costs far less than paying to treat health issues later. Because women with one bad outcome are more likely to have a second, advocates believe that extending health care benefits to women who have had low birth weight babies can avert future low birth weight babies. They call it interconception care. Low-income women are covered by Medicaid during pregnancy, but all but the poorest lose coverage after the child is born. "The biggest concern right now is these women who have a difficult pregnancy - they are the biggest risk to have another high-risk pregnancy 18 months later," said Matthew H. Joseph, executive director of ACY. "A couple [of] thousand dollars to provide ongoing health services to that woman ... when you do the math, you realize the state saves money." A fiscal analysis done by Joseph's group found that spending $4.4 million a year would save on health care costs. The group will ask a House of Delegates committee today to put language in the state budget to fund interconception care. About 7,000 Maryland babies are born too small each year, or 9 percent of all births. More than 40 percent of births each year in Maryland are financed by the state through Medicaid, according to ACY. Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun. Flu outbreak in Maryland is on upswing Worst of epidemic is expected in three to four weeks By Frank D. Roylance Baltimore Sun Tuesday, February 17, 2009 "Tired, beleaguered and battered" is how Dr. David del Rosario described himself yesterday as he hustled to care for the rising tide of patients streaming into his Patient First clinic in Glen Burnie with symptoms of the flu. "We started seeing the trickle in mid-January," he said, "and literally by the first week of February, that's when the tsunami hit." Since then, del Rosario's life has been a blur of 10-hour days in a succession of Patient First sites in suburban Maryland and a parade of patient misery. "One guy said, 'Doc, if I had hair, my hair would hurt.'" Public health and hospital officials say that seasonal influenza, with all its aches, fevers and assorted other agonies, is indeed on the increase in Maryland this month, with a peak due in the next three or four weeks. "You worry most about the very old and the very young," said Leigh Chapman, manager of infection control at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. Confirmed cases there have jumped from five during all of January to 18 already this month. Two patients, ages 83 and 69, have been hospitalized at St. Joseph with severe symptoms. The rest have been treated in the emergency room or other intake centers and released. Many more, probably, are suffering at home. "We do assume that influenza is underreported. Most people don't come in and get tested," Chapman said. Melissa Cyr sat in del Rosario's examining room yesterday afternoon, waiting for her flu test. She looked weak, flushed and very unhappy. The 16-year-old from Columbia was brought to the clinic by her father, city paramedic Craig Cyr, after she fell ill over the weekend. On Sunday, she said, "I woke up, sat up and got really woozy, and the room was spinning. My dad came into my room, and I was really shivering." She slept from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., then complained of weakness and trouble breathing. "Every time I try to take a deep breath, I cough," she said. Her appetite had fled. Del Rosario took samples to test her for influenza and strep throat and planned an X-ray to look for pneumonia. He estimated that 30 percent of the people he has seen recently with respiratory complaints have turned out to have influenza. And while their symptoms have not been any worse than in past years, patients are coming in with more complications. "Flu and strep; flu and pneumonia - that's what we're seeing a lot of," he said. One of those patients was a 3-year-old girl in Waldorf who was struggling with all three - flu, strep and pneumonia. Doctors need tests to sort it all out because, while antibiotics won't work on the flu virus, they might be needed to battle strep and pneumonia, which are caused by bacteria. Rene Najera, an epidemiologist with the state health department, said the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases - a sentinel for trends in the community - has been rising statewide for several weeks. "Three weeks ago, we had 42 confirmed cases statewide," he said. "The following week it was 62, then 78, and now 81" during the week that ended Feb. 7. "It's the beginning of the seasonal increase in influenza activity. ... We can expect three or four more weeks of increased activity and then a decline." Johns Hopkins Hospital has reported a similar surge in laboratory-confirmed flu cases. "On Jan. 18, we started seeing a huge increase," said Hopkins epidemiologist Dr. Trish Perl. "We're really in that rapid upswing of the epidemic curve." Last year's flu season in Maryland surged about the same time but saw more apparent flu cases than are evident this year. Federal health authorities reported "widespread" flu activity in 16 states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as February began. "Regional" outbreaks were under way in another 16 states, including Maryland. If any flu season brings good news, this year's might be that, in contrast to last year, the 2008-09 flu vaccines seem to have anticipated fairly well the viral strains that are circulating this year. About 80 percent of the flu viruses found nationally have been Type A viruses, all of them related to the two Type A antigens included in this year's flu vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rest are Type B viruses, and about a third of those have been related to the Type B antigen in the current vaccines. Hospital officials say there is no indication that this year's flu is any more severe than in recent seasons. "We haven't been reporting any dramatic complications to the Health Department," Perl said. Unfortunately, many of the Type A flu viruses have developed a resistance to some of the antiviral medicines that doctors prescribe to reduce the severity of the illness once it has begun. The antivirals can often be effective when the pills are taken within two days of the onset of symptoms. This year's flu season has been blamed for the deaths of four children in the United States, the CDC said. For those who have been spared the flu but have not had a flu shot, it is not too late. "We still have plenty of vaccine," Najera said. "It's never too late to get it. You can build immunity in two weeks." Personal hygiene is just as important, Chapman said. "If you are sick, be sure you're not going to work, so you're not spreading it." Also, to avoid catching or spreading the flu, wash your hands frequently. Cough or sneeze into your elbow (rather than your hand) or a tissue, then throw the tissue away and wash your hands again. To enroll in Maryland's influenza online tracking survey, go to tinyurl.com/flu-enroll Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun. In Good Health - FMH looking for Good Samaritans By Ashley Andyshak Frederick News-Post Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Frederick Memorial Healthcare System is accepting nominations for its annual Good Samaritan award. The award is given to someone in the community who has helped FMH fulfill its goals or advance patient care, has long-term involvement in community service or charitable activities, or has performed "a distinguished act in the interest of humanity," according to award criteria. In just the past three years, recipients have included Richard Markey and Marion Carmack Jr., both involved in a long list of professional and community organizations; Madeline Best, a 26-year member of the FMH Auxiliary; George Stauffer, a member and financial supporter of many community organizations; and Sue Scott Nisenfeld, for her work with grieving parents and siblings after the loss of a child. Nominations must be in writing and returned to the FMH development office by March 31. All nominations are confidential, and a winner will be chosen by secret ballot by members of the FMH special gifts committee. The award will be presented May 8 at the Lynfield Event Complex. For information, visit fmh.org, or call 240-566-3478. **** Dentists needed** Mission of Mercy, which operates free health clinic sites around Frederick County, is looking for dentists to volunteer their time and services to treat patients at clinic locations or in their own offices. For information, call Dr. Michael Sullivan at 717-642-9062, or e-mail msullivan@amissionofmercy.org. Copyright 2009 Frederick News-Post. Inova moves to build hospital in Loudoun Co. By David Sherfinski Baltimore Examiner Tuesday, February 17, 2009 The hospital war in Loudoun County is heating up, with two competing health care groups announcing new facilities in the last four days. Inova Health System said Monday that it had filed a formal letter of intent with Virginia to build an 80-bed hospital on Route 50 in Loudoun County, just three days after the Hospital Corp. of America announced plans to expand its facility in nearby Reston. Two weeks ago, the county Board of Supervisors rejected HCA’s proposal that would have paved the way for a new hospital in Broadlands, about five miles from Inova’s Lansdowne campus. Inova plans to build a health complex on the property it owns at the intersection of Route 659 and Route 50, near Washington Dulles International Airport, as a precursor to the hospital it plans there. A health complex would provide the cornerstone for a full-service hospital and would not require a certificate of public need from the state to provide emergency care, new physician offices and other outpatient medical services. “The decision by Hospital Corporation of America to grow its Reston campus now clears the way for a hospital on Route 50,” said Randy Kelley, chief executive of Inova Loudoun Hospital. Kelley said Inova’s goal is to have the Route 50 Healthplex operating within 18 to 24 months. The letter of intent means the hospital will apply for a certificate of public need for a full-service hospital by June 1. Inova spokesman Tony Raker cited the company’s zoning approval and the area’s growing population as a “winning argument” for the region’s need for a hospital. “Locating a hospital on Route 50 will allow Inova to accelerate the growth of medical services on Loudoun Hospital’s Lansdowne and Cornwall campuses,” said Knox Singleton, president and chief executive officer of Inova Health System. But Mark Foust, a spokesman for HCA, had a different opinion. “After orchestrating [county planning] for the express purpose of blocking Broadlands Regional Medical Center and spending millions of dollars to deny Loudoun residents a hospital in Ashburn, it’s more than a little ironic that Inova speaks about Route 50 in terms of its community commitment — and telling that it expects the facility to accelerate the growth of its Lansdowne campus,” Foust said. Raker disagreed, arguing that the planning process took place over a year, and that county planning documents say that the Route 50 area needs a hospital. “[The plan] does not say who should put it there,” he said. “Now [HCA is] criticizing Inova for its lack of community commitment?” Raker continued. “Please.” Copyright 2009 Baltimore Examiner. *National / International* Specifics divide fragile coalition on health care Associated Press Washington Times Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Labor unions and business groups have teamed up in a multimillion-dollar national lobbying campaign to pressure President Obama and Congress for big changes in the nation's health care system. But as they get down to the specifics, their strange-bedfellows alliance is quietly at odds. After spending two years and more than $20 million to promote the idea, collaborators in the Divided We Fail coalition - a project of the seniors lobby AARP, the service workers' union and groups representing small business and the Fortune 500 - are indeed divided over key elements of how to fix health care. Its members agree that something should be done to revamp health care in the United States, and there's consensus on a vague set of principles, which include making coverage more accessible, affordable and efficient. But they differ over important details, including what roles the government and private businesses should play. For instance, labor unions and liberal groups are pressing for a universal health coverage system, in which the government provides insurance that competes with private plans. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) wants to give everyone health benefits similar to those enjoyed by federal employees. It backs Mr. Obama's "pay or play" idea of forcing employers to either offer health insurance to their workers or pay a fee so they can get it elsewhere. But the Business Roundtable and National Federation of Independent Business wants a system based mostly on private health insurance and are against new requirements for employers. The Business Roundtable's members include health-insurance giants CIGNA, Aetna and Humana, all of which would have to compete with the government if labor got its way. Mr. Obama campaigned on, among other things, the promise that he would bring Democrats and Republicans together on health care and cut special interests out of the debate. Reform will stall as it has in the past, he said in one TV ad last year, "unless we end the bickering and the lobbyists." Divided We Fail launched in 2007, stressing its bipartisan nature with a logo, a creature named Champ, which is an amalgam of the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant. Its purple hue is meant to signify a melding of the two parties' primary colors. The coalition is led by a handful of Washington's most influential lobbyists: Bill Novelli of AARP, John J. Castellani of the Business Roundtable, Dan Danner of the National Federation of Independent Business and Andy Stern of SEIU, among the most politically active groups in organized labor. Together, their organizations spent more than $45 million lobbying Congress in 2008 - more than half of that by AARP. The group aired TV ads calling on the presidential candidates to embrace affordable, accessible health coverage, collecting pledges from more than two-thirds of Congress backing it, and holding events in states across the country to rally support. It recently launched its "drive for solutions," including a new TV spot saying Mr. Obama is "ready to lead," and, "we're ready to help." Because of their clout and their organizations' disparate memberships, its leaders argue, the coalition is uniquely positioned to make a public case for health care reform, privately lobby Congress on the plan and ultimately sell it to voters. "It's an inside-outside game," Mr. Novelli said. They acknowledge, however, that keeping the coalition together is getting more difficult as Mr. Obama and Congress prepare to delve into specifics. "We're moving down from 30,000 feet ... to 1,000," Mr. Stern said. "The next 1,000 is bumpy." A fight is brewing between private insurers and consumer groups over how to ensure that everyone is covered. Insurers say they'll agree to accept any patient regardless of pre-existing health conditions - but only if everyone is required to buy coverage. Consumer groups say that would turn the government into a collection agency for private insurance companies. "You start off by being congenial and agreeable," said Joseph Antos, a health analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, "so you can get into those meetings where you say, 'This is the way we need to have it work - or else.' " Copyright 2009 Washington Times. Want to Live a Bit Longer? Speak Up. By Manoj Jain Washington Post Tuesday, February 17, 2009; HE01 "Did you know that women live longer than men?" I asked my wife. Of course she did -- and not just because, like me, she is a physician. Anybody who walks into a nursing home can see the imbalance. Most people's grandmothers outlive their grandfathers, and 85 percent of centenarians are women. So my wife nodded, without paying much attention. "It isn't really that women are living longer, but men are dying sooner," I persisted. "Among the top 10 causes of death, men have a higher mortality rate than women. Men are four times more likely than women to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver and alcoholism." My voice rose a bit dramatically. "Men are dying, and no one is paying attention." "I never thought of it that way," she said, with a small note of sympathy. But then she caught herself: "You do this to yourselves." She had a point. Eighty percent of Americans who have a serious drug addiction are men; more than 80 percent of drunk drivers are men; during young adulthood, the peak age for homicide, suicide and accidental death, three men die for every woman. "It's your behavior," my wife said. That led me to wonder: Are there other, less obviously self-destructive kinds of behavior that contribute to my sex's early mortality? The next morning at hospital rounds, I decided to observe my cases not just as patients, but as male patients or female patients. First on my list was a former salesman in his 50s with a double chin, divorced and living with his daughter, with kidney disease that had put him on thrice-weekly dialysis. As I questioned him about an infection in his line, his eyes remained fixed on the flickering but muted television, his responses were brief and he appeared annoyed by the entire process. I did my exam, washed my hands and asked if he had any questions. "Nope." And our encounter was complete. My next patient was a middle-aged woman who had pneumonia, according to the emergency room note on her chart. When I began asking questions, she narrated a list of symptoms and elaborated on how she had had nasal congestion for several weeks before she became critically ill. I suspected sinusitis. This was confirmed by a CT scan, and I prescribed antibiotics appropriately. When I asked if she had any questions, she had a list: What caused this? Could she have avoided it? Would it resolve completely? When could she go home? Had she been more inhibited in her conversation, I would not have uncovered the underlying cause of her pneumonia so quickly. And once she leaves the hospital, her willingness to demand information means it's likely she will manage her health better. Did I fail to get significant information from the conversation with my male patient? Almost certainly. Did he lose an opportunity to gain insight into his illness? Yes. It was a pointed illustration of the sex difference in health-care behavior. Women visit the doctor more often than men, and nearly twice as often for preventive care, according to a 2001 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among 45- to 64-year-olds, women spend 50 percent more on health care than men (an average of $2,871 a year vs. $1,849). In my experience, doctors spend more time per visit with women than with men, as I certainly had done with my female patient that morning. Later in the day, I asked Belinda, an intensive care nurse with more than 25 years of experience, if she noticed differences between men and women as patients. "Most certainly," she said, and gave me an example from her own life. She and her husband, Bob, had gone to the same doctor for routine physicals. The office nurse put them in separate exam rooms with the doors cracked open. The doctor visited Bob first and began by asking if there were any problems. "Nope," Bob said. "That is absolutely not true," Belinda shouted from next door. "Bob, you tell the doctor about your sinuses. And the blood pressure and your back." The doctor invited Belinda to join them. In my practice, I often do the same. I look to the spouse to give a more accurate history of illness, especially when the spouse is female. "This is because women are natural nurturers and caregivers." Belinda told me. I was mildly offended. But I have to admit that around my house, our kids, our friends and extended family, including my own parents, give more weight to my wife's medical opinion than to mine. This is true even on matters of infectious disease -- my specialty. Women are also known to be greater consumers of health information. I'm certain more women than men are reading this page. A physician colleague tells me that his wife reads my health columns religiously and for years has encouraged him to do the same; he finally read one last week. A survey done by Harris Interactive for the American Academy of Family Physicians. released in June 2007 (Men's Health Month -- who knew?) showed that 78 percent of all married men who visited a doctor had been influenced to come in by their wives. I once treated a man with a brain abscess who, after a long hospitalization, was put on continuing high doses of intravenous antibiotics. Even with such a serious medical condition, he failed to manage his own health after his discharge: An alcoholic before his hospitalization, he started drinking again and missed two appointments. Finally, his wife (who was running their family and business single-handedly) came in to see me alone, bringing a pen, a notebook and a list of questions about his condition. Daniel Kruger, a research fellow at the University of Michigan who has done extensive research on mortality rates, notes that behavior isn't the only factor in men's shorter life span; there are contributing genetic and physiologic differences. Just as in many other species, he says, human "males are built for competition and females for longevity." Physiologically, the male hormone testosterone builds muscle mass, while the female hormone estrogen boosts the immune system and increases the level of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. But Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, estimates that about 30 percent of the male-female disparity in longevity is due to biological differences, and 70 percent to social and cultural factors. Surely, I said to my wife, there has to be a way to get men to change their life-shortening behaviors. "Yeah, like that's going to happen," she snorted. I would have called the Office of Men's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services -- but no such office exists. An Office of Women's Health, on the other hand, has been operating since 1991, when it was established to correct an imbalance in research and health care. As I was watching the football playoffs one recent weekend, my wife stepped into the family room during a commercial break. The ads were about trucks, the new BlackBerry, fast food and Cialis. She observed for a while, then suggested, "Maybe if you want men to be interested in their health, this is where to start." In fact, the government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is already trying. An ad campaign (http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen) promotes the idea of getting regular checkups and preventive medical care. Using the slogan "Real men wear gowns," it shows middle-aged men in (non-revealing) hospital gowns teaching a child how to ride a bike, attending a teenager's graduation and walking a daughter down the wedding aisle. I just wish they had run an ad during the Super Bowl. Copyright 2009 Washington Post. Appeals court upholds NYC's calories-on-menus rule Associated Press By Amy Westfeldt Hagerstown Herald-Mail Tuesday, February 17, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the city's regulation requiring some chain restaurants to post calories on menus and menu boards, saying the rule is a reasonable effort to curb obesity. A 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected arguments by a state trade group that federal law pre-empted the rule and that the city had violated the First Amendment by forcing its view on restaurant patrons that calories are the most important consideration on a menu. The three-judge panel ruled that the federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act was not intended to apply to restaurant food, writing that the city "merely stepped into a sphere that Congress intentionally left open to state and local governments." The calorie rule, the court wrote, "mandates a simple factual disclosure of caloric information and is reasonably related to New York City's goals of combating obesity." New York City is believed to have been the first U.S. city to enact a regulation requiring calories on menus. Since then, California and Philadelphia have passed similar bills. The city's rule applies to restaurants that are part of chains with at least 15 outlets across the country. Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden said Tuesday that most chain restaurants have been in compliance since the city began enforcing the rule in July. "Consumers are learning more about the food before they order, and the market for healthier alternatives is growing," he said. "We applaud the court for its decision, and we thank the restaurant industry for living by the rules. New Yorkers will be healthier for it." The restaurant association didn't immediately comment, saying its attorneys were reviewing the decision. According to the health department, more than half of New Yorkers are overweight or obese. Officials believe the regulation will prevent 150,000 New Yorkers from becoming obese and will stop another 30,000 from developing diabetes and other health concerns over the next five years. © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.. *Opinion* Recent report was injustice to Holly Center By Mark E. Engberg Salisbury Daily Times Commentary Tuesday, February 17, 2009 RE: "Malnourishment finding corrected at Holly Center," Feb. 5 A recent story in The Daily Times did a great injustice to Holly Center -- a state residential center for individuals with severe physical and intellectual disabilities. The Maryland Disabilities Law Center, which was quoted in the story, is an extremist protection and advocacy agency that captures state and federal dollars to push an agenda of facility closure; this agenda is not supported by many taxpayers. They paint a picture of the Holly Center as an ugly institution that must be closed. This organization's disdain for congregate care facilities serving those with profound mental retardation is harmful to our most vulnerable citizens. MDLC would never represent a Holly Center resident or their family in their fight to remain there. I have been a volunteer and advocate for Holly Center for many years. My sister was a 20-year resident of the facility. The staff and medical professionals are the best you can find anywhere. I know the resident who was cited as malnourished -- one of the most medically fragile residents you could ever imagine. At any other facility -- group or nursing home -- that person would likely be dead. I know the medical staff never neglected this person; extremely close care has been provided for many years. This client is no different from other residents, all of whom are provided exceptional care, expert medical attention specific to their needs, the best quality of life they can have and genuine love. MDLC used these tactics to facilitate closure of Rosewood Center in Owings Mills, Md.; Rosewood will close in June. MDLC are masters of the media and The Daily Times played right into their hands. The Daily Times ran a one-sided article without seeking input from families or staff. Will we allow MDLC to build a case for closing Holly Center? I hope and pray the governor, his secretary of health and our state legislators recognize what is going on and stand up to these extremist groups. Holly Center must remain an option for those who benefit from this level of care; ideally, its mission mission to help others in critical need of service would be expanded. Mark E. Engberg of Salisbury is a longtime advocate for Holly Center. Copyright 2009 Salisbury Daily Times. Armed and Dangerous Domestic abuse suspects shouldn't be able to keep their guns. Washington Post Editorial Tuesday, February 17, 2009; A12 GAIL PUMPHREY came to dread meeting her ex-husband to transfer custody of their children. Sometimes he would curse at her. Once, she said, he spit in her face. On Thanksgiving Day two years ago, he fatally shot Ms. Pumphrey and their three children -- ages 7, 10 and 12 -- before killing himself. He used a .22-caliber rifle, the same gun Ms. Pumphrey had asked a court to confiscate just three weeks before. The Maryland General Assembly is considering two bills that would make it harder for those accused of domestic violence to keep their guns. The legislation comes too late to save Ms. Pumphrey and her children but would help prevent such tragedies in the future. One bill would give judges the option of confiscating the firearms of domestic abuse suspects against whom temporary protective orders have been issued. The other would require judges to order the seizure of guns from suspects once final protective orders are in place. A number of states, including North Carolina and California, already have such measures. Even Virginia, not known for limiting gun ownership, prohibits domestic violence suspects from buying or carrying guns when protective orders have been issued against them. Inexcusably, such legislation has died in the House Judiciary Committee in past years. The committee, chaired by Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George's), has a reputation for protecting the rights of the accused -- sometimes at the expense of reasonable policy. Mr. Vallario, a criminal defense lawyer, told The Post's Lisa Rein that his main concern was that law enforcement officers accused of domestic abuse would not be able to carry their guns for work. It seems to us that Mr. Vallario should be more concerned about the safety of an abused spouse than the ability of an officer suspected of domestic violence to carry a gun. Other critics contend that the bills unfairly target firearms. After all, they say, a spouse or partner can be harmed with a baseball bat or a knife. The statistics tell a different story: Female victims of domestic violence are more likely to be killed in shootings than through all other methods of violence combined. In Maryland, guns accounted for more than half of domestic-violence-related deaths from June 2007 to July 2008. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) spoke passionately last week before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee about the need for tougher domestic violence laws. Mr. Brown no doubt drew upon a recent family tragedy: His cousin Catherine Brown was shot to death by an estranged boyfriend last year. Advocates for victims of domestic violence believe the legislation has a chance this year because of the O'Malley administration's support. We hope they're right. Mr. Vallario and his colleagues have the chance to save the next Gail Pumphrey. Copyright 2009 Washington Post. They don't see dead people Washington Times Editorial Tuesday, February 17, 2009 For years the D.C. Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration (HIVAA) has been the joke agency in a city filled with comedy and error. Speaking of the latter, the agency, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control, recently discovered it underreported AIDS-related deaths by 54 percent - 1,337 cases - between 2000 and 2005. The total AIDS deaths in the period was 2,460, not 1,123. How could the city lose 1,337 deaths from AIDS? Hey, in Washington anything is possible. The city has underreported AIDS deaths each year for the past decade, sometimes intentionally, to keep the public from knowing how serious the epidemic really is. HIVAA, and for that matter the parent Health Department, had been plagued with deficiencies in leadership, constant director changes, and staffing problems throughout the administration of former Mayor Tony Williams. Former health director James Buford was under constant scrutiny by the D.C. Council, and the agency was sued during his tenure in 2003 by an HIVAA whistle-blower; at the time the office was understaffed and unable to tabulate and produce necessary epidemiology reports. For revealing the terrible truth about the woeful agency in testimony before the City Council, the employee, Michael Snoddy, was retaliated against with poor performance reports and downgraded job responsibilities, forcing the council to threaten the management staff with felony violations for their conduct. Mr. Buford was fired by Mr. Williams in 2004 for, of all things, not quickly addressing issues of lead in the city's drinking water. A year later, Lydia Watts was fired as director of HIVAA by the new director, Dr. Gregg Pane, for poor management and staffing problems. Dr. Pane, in turn, was fired by Mr. Fenty in 2007 soon after he took office, because the mayor wanted a "more aggressive public health strategy." The D.C. health soap opera could rival "Days of Ours Lives" or "As the World Turns" (and be longer-running), extending for years even before Mr. Buford's time, but you get the sorry picture. Enter Dr. Shannon Hader, who became HIVAA director in 2007. "Shannon is the first person there who understands the need for electronic data and the first truly competent person who, with an aggressive approach, has worked to make the data real," said Sharon Baskerville, head of the D.C. Primary Care Association. The absence of real data on HIV/AIDS deaths has led to untold millions of dollars wasted or devoted to supposedly targeted prevention and treatment programs with no bull's-eye. When former Ward 7 council member Vincent Gray became chairman of the D.C. Council, he was astonished to learn that out of the millions of dollars HIVAA spent on AIDS prevention and treatment, not a single penny went to residents of his ward. That is just one of the effects of poor reporting - one whose consequences will bedevil Ward 7 residents for years to come. Another consequence is even more troubling. The entire District has been receiving millions less in federal funding and grants than it needed to attack this problem; while the AIDS rates continue to soar, and people who need treatment go un-served. The HIV/AIDS Administration is issuing a new updated report this month with the new numbers. It's a start, but this agency has a long way to go before it can gain the confidence of city residents. Copyright 2009 Washington Times. More Than Peanuts Tougher regulation is needed to keep food suppliers from putting '$$$$$' ahead of lives. Washington Post Editorial Tuesday, February 17, 2009; A12 STEWART PARNELL, president of the Peanut Corporation of America, came to Washington on Wednesday to face the music. His company is at the center of a salmonella outbreak transmitted through peanut products that have been linked to nine deaths and 637 illnesses in 44 states and Canada. The resulting product recall has been one of the biggest in U.S. history. But after Mr. Parnell, under subpoena to appear before a congressional committee, took the oath, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. By Friday, his company had filed for bankruptcy. Given the story that is emerging, it's no wonder. The Food and Drug Administration discovered that PCA's Blakely, Ga., plant knowingly shipped salmonella-tainted product 12 times in 2007 and 2008. There were suspicions that the parent company, based in Lynchburg, Va., was lab shopping for negative salmonella test results. The Justice Department began a criminal investigation. Then came the hearings of the House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee, which released damning e-mails. In one message, Mr. Parnell complained to the plant manager that the delay in getting a favorable test result "is costing us huge $$$$$." In another note, that plant manager reported that a previous finding of salmonella came back negative from another lab. To which Mr. Parnell replied, "Okay, let's turn them loose then." Now that the hearing's theatrics are over, it's time for Congress to pass legislation that would reduce the chance of another food scandal. The Peanut Corporation of America was not required to report its numerous positive salmonella results to state or federal authorities. Companies need to be required to test for the hazards that are most likely to occur in their products, and standards for what constitutes a hazard must be devised. A bill from Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) would do this. One from Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) would mandate the use of a certified lab and require that the results be sent directly to the FDA. Add to that bills sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) for mandatory recalls of contaminated food and for a program to trace food and produce from farm to fork, and you have the makings of a comprehensive approach to safeguarding the nation's food supply. No system can be foolproof or error-free. But these measures would, at least, establish a system where none exists. Copyright 2009 Washington Post. War on drugs is ongoing Carroll County Times Editorial Tuesday, February 17, 2009 The rise in prescription drug abuse in Carroll mirrors similar increases nationwide, but just as concerning is the number of school students who continue to experiment with drugs and alcohol. The Health Department says that the percentage of clients seeking help for prescription drug abuse has increased from less than 1 percent to 5 percent in recent years. Junction Inc. says Oxycontin, Percodan and Percocet abuse is increasing. But the most commonly abused drug seen in the county is marijuana. As growers have become more adept at producing more potent plants, the cost of the drug has increased and it has become easier for dealers to make big profits from selling it. In the 2007 Maryland Adolescent Survey, the percentage of students reporting that they had used marijuana in the past 30 days increased through the grades, from 0.6 percent of sixth graders to 23.5 percent of seniors. That trend, of students introduced to drugs at a younger age and more students admitting use in their later school years, is an indication that more resources need to be devoted toward educational efforts aimed at keeping students away from drugs. Student alcohol use also is a problem, with 2.3 percent of sixth graders saying they had used alcohol in the previous 30 days and the percent rising to 44.2 for seniors completing the survey. That’s almost half of the seniors in our school system saying that they had used alcohol. A decade ago Carroll experienced a problem with youngsters getting heroin. After some students died from overdoses, the community mobilized to attack the situation. Those efforts paid off. Today drug abuse treatment facilities say that heroin use is lower, and in the Maryland Adolescent Survey only 1.6 percent of the seniors said they had used heroin. We need to take similar action in our battling of marijuana and alcohol abuse, especially among our youngsters. Too many lives are still ruined, too many families still torn apart by drug and alcohol abuse, and if our past experiences are any indication, the battle is one that must stay at the top of our agenda if we are to provide a safe, healthy environment for our children. Carroll has made many positive steps in battling drug and alcohol abuse. As a community, we have come together to face the problem head on, and have developed solutions that have helped reduce the problem. Moving forward, we must continue that focus, continue to adjust as new trends in drug abuse emerge, and continue to develop our message of warning to youngsters that no good can come from abusing drugs and alcohol. Copyright 2009 Carroll County Times. BACK TO TOP


[newsclippings/dhmh_footer.htm]