Maryland / Regional
Maryland
launches 2010 census preliminaries
(Capital News Services)
Fort Meade targets
water pollution
(Annapolis Capital)
National /
International
Panel
advises depression screening for US teens
(Washington Post)
Tobacco
users face jolt in largest tax jump
(Baltimore Sun)
Opinion
Medical marijuana (Baltimore Sun)
More authority for FDA
(Carroll County Times)
Nation’s health care system is disappointment
(Cumberland Times-News)
Holly Center's respite care program is really needed
(Salisbury Daily Times)
Maryland / Regional
Maryland
launches 2010 census preliminaries
By Megan Miller
Capital News Service
Monday, March 30, 2009
WASHINGTON - It may be a year before the 2010 census, but
Maryland residents should start seeing preliminary work
happening in their neighborhoods in as little as two weeks.
The first public preparation for the 2010 census kicks off April
6, with census workers hitting the streets to update a
comprehensive database of residential Maryland addresses.
Of the three Maryland census offices, only two, Largo and
Frederick, will begin address canvassing on that date. The
Baltimore office should get started by mid-April.
Start dates in Maryland differ because of the offices' varying
progress in hiring and training staff, said Monica Davis, media
specialist with the Philadelphia Regional Census Center.
Maryland census offices have reached their hiring goals for
address canvassing, according to Davis, and are now contacting
people to begin a required five-day training course.
"Each office requires about 500 to 600 employees, about 1,500
total, just for the address canvassing operation," Davis said.
"It's the largest census operation we have in 2009."
Nationwide, the address verification project will employ 140,000
census workers to check about 145 million home addresses.
Census officials say this phase should require little contact
between residents and census workers.
"Their purpose is to go street to street to identify where
people live," said census media specialist Bill Reed. "They're
confirming that a building is a house and not something else,
like a shop. They only time that they'll knock on the door ...
is if the building is listed as something other than a
residence."
Census workers might also contact residents to ask if there are
other living quarters on a property, Reed said.
The census workers, or "address listers," as they're being
called for this task, will carry handheld computers to update an
address database that will later be used for mailing the actual
census forms.
The computers also allow census workers to enter exact GPS
coordinates for each structure. It's a critical feature to
improve census data accuracy for things like political
redistricting, said Stephen Buckner, census spokesman.
"Although the 2000 census was heralded as the most accurate
census ever, there were still some 'geocoding errors' -- homes
coded to the wrong jurisdiction," Buckner said. "Instead of
putting a pencil point on a map to try to accurately reflect
where a house is, now we're using satellite-based technology."
This is the first time census workers will use handheld
computers. While the technology should increase the ease and
accuracy of data gathering, there's always the chance of
unforeseen glitches, Reed said.
Address listers undergo a five-day training that includes
instruction on using the equipment to minimize problems.
But Maryland also faces other difficulties, such as its high
rate of home foreclosures, which complicate census-taking
efforts.
One of the biggest concerns for 2010 is getting an accurate
count in traditionally undercounted populations, like
poverty-stricken areas and immigrant communities.
"We have a high concentration of efforts directly targeted to
what have been undercounted communities," Reed said. "There is a
tremendous thrust working with community leaders, community
media, church groups and service groups in order to eliminate
the undercount."
The address-canvassing phase is expected to wrap up in July,
followed by "group quarters validation," when census workers
verify who's living in places like college dorms, prisons and
hospitals. Census forms will be mailed in March 2010, and Census
Day, when workers go around collecting the data, is April 1,
2010.
Copyright © 2009 University of Maryland Philip Merrill
College of Journalis.
Fort Meade targets
water pollution
Army plans to test area wells, may provide drinking water
By Joshua Stewart
Annapolis Capital
Monday, March 30, 2009
Fort George G. Meade intends to determine the full extent of
groundwater pollution coming from the sprawling west county Army
post, Army environmental officials said last week.
Authorities want to find out exactly how far cancer-causing
chemicals have traveled from Meade and into Odenton, and if, and
how, residents may have been exposed to the hazards.
"It's something that apparently the Army has done ... possibly a
long time ago. OK?" said Paul Fluck, the environment-restoration
manager at the fort. "What we don't know is where this occurred.
We can't put that on a map. We don't know exactly where it
occurred. It seems like it's coming from our property."
The plan was explained at a meeting Thursday night of the Fort
Meade Restoration Advisory Board, a group of community members
and fort officials that monitors how environmental problems at
the fort are handled.
The investigation comes after The Sunday Capital first reported
last week that the fort had tested wells on North Patuxent Road,
near the Odenton MARC Station, and found dangerously high levels
of carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene.
The chemicals are used as industrial solvents, but they can
cause liver problems and cancer after several years of
continuous exposure.
Post officials said they want residents who use well water and
live within a mile of the train station to complete a survey and
allow a technician to collect water samples from their property.
The samples will be sent to a lab to be tested for hazardous
chemicals. Depending on the results, the Army will provide
households with bottled water, officials said.
A public meeting will be scheduled for the week of April 6 to
further discuss the situation. Water samples are scheduled to be
collected sometime next month.
Also, Meade officials will perform an air analysis to figure out
if the contaminants are seeping up from the soil.
Michael Butler, chief of the fort's environment division, said
the source of the contamination was unclear.
The wells that showed high levels of contamination are near a
now-capped and closed landfill, but the pollution is deep,
hinting at another source. It still appears that something on
Fort Meade is causing the contamination, but it can't be
pinpointed, he said.
Either way, the Army is taking responsibility and will handle
the problem, he said.
The fort's water test near the train station revealed chemicals
in the Lower Patapsco Aquifer, an underground river that is
several hundred feet deep.
However, most residential wells take water from the more shallow
Upper Patapsco Aquifer, not the deeper Lower Patapsco Aquifer.
It is unlikely that the contamination from the lower aquifer
seeped to the upper aquifer because they are separated by a
thick clay buffer, Butler said.
However, Roger Massey, who lives on Old Dairy Farm Road, about
two miles from the fort, said he is concerned his well water may
be contaminated.
He has never had his well water tested - he never had a reason
to, he said - and he said he wants to make sure that he isn't
putting himself at risk because it might take water from the
Lower Patapsco Aquifer.
"It's in the ballpark," he said. "Better safe than sorry."
Copyright 2009 Annapolis Capital.
National / International
Panel
advises depression screening for US teens
By Lindsey Tanner
Washington Post
Monday, March 30, 2009
CHICAGO -- An influential government-appointed medical panel is
urging doctors to routinely screen all American teens for
depression _ a bold step that acknowledges that nearly 2 million
teens are affected by this debilitating condition.
Most are undiagnosed and untreated, said the panel, the U.S.
Preventive Services Task Force, which sets guidelines for
doctors on a host of health issues.
The task force recommendations appear in April's issue of the
journal Pediatrics. And they go farther than the American
Academy of Pediatrics' own guidance for teen depression
screening.
An estimated 6 percent of U.S. teenagers are clinically
depressed. Evidence shows that detailed but simple
questionnaires can accurately diagnose depression in
primary-care settings such as a pediatrician's office.
The task force said that when followed by treatment, including
psychotherapy, screening can help improve symptoms and help kids
cope. Because depression can lead to persistent sadness, social
isolation, school problems and even suicide, screening to treat
it early is crucial, the panel said.
The task force is an independent panel of experts convened by
the federal government to establish guidelines for treatment in
primary-care. Its new guidance goes beyond the pediatrics
academy, which advises pediatricians to ask teen patients
questions about depression. Other doctor groups advise screening
only high-risk youngsters.
Because depression is so common, "you will miss a lot if you
only screen high-risk groups," said Dr. Ned Calonge, task force
chairman and chief medical officer for Colorado's Department of
Public Health and Environment.
The group recommends research-tested screening tests even for
kids without symptoms. It cited two questionnaires that focus on
depression tip-offs, such as mood, anxiety, appetite and
substance abuse.
Calonge stressed that the panel does not want its advice to lead
to drug treatment alone, particularly antidepressants that have
been linked with increased risks for suicidal thoughts. Routine
depression testing should only occur if psychotherapy is also
readily available, the panel said. Calonge said screening once
yearly likely would be enough.
The recommendations come at a pivotal time for treatment of
depression and other mental health problems in children.
Recently passed federal mental health equity legislation
mandates equal coverage for mental and physical ailments in
insurance plans offering both. The law is expected to prompt
many more adults and children to seek mental health care.
Yet at the same time psychiatrists specializing in treating
children and teens are scarce. A separate report, also released
Monday in the Pediatrics journal, says primary care doctors
including pediatricians and family physicians will need to get
more involved in mental health care.
That report is from the pediatrics academy and the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The groups say
pediatricians should routinely consult with child psychiatrists,
including working in the same office when possible. And it says
insurers should compensate pediatricians for any mental health
services they provide.
Dr. Alan Axelson, a Pittsburgh psychiatrist who co-authored the
second report, praised the task force recommendations and said
pediatricians can play a key role.
Because children's families often get to know their
pediatricians, having those doctors offer mental health
screening can help make it seem less stigmatizing, Axelson said.
Most pediatricians aren't trained to do psychotherapy, but they
can prescribe depression medication and monitor patients they've
referred to others for therapy, he said.
Dr. Ted Epperly, president of the American Academy of Family
Physicians, said his group strongly supports both Pediatrics
reports.
While primary care doctors have full plates just dealing with
physical ailments, many recognize the importance of providing
mental health services _ and many already do, Epperly said.
It isn't always as time-consuming as it might seem; some
screening questionnaires can be filled out by patients in the
waiting room, Epperly said. Doctors can easily spot any red
flags.
On the Net:
Preventive Services Task Force:http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/USpstfix.htm
American Academy of Pediatrics:http://www.aap.org/
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:http://www.aacap.org/
© 2009 The Associated Press.
Tobacco
users face jolt in largest tax jump
Associated Press
Baltimore Sun
Monday, March 30, 2009
WASHINGTON - However they satisfy their nicotine cravings,
tobacco users are facing a big hit as the single largest federal
tobacco tax increase ever takes effect Wednesday.
Tobacco companies and public health advocates, longtime foes in
the nicotine battles, are trying to turn the situation to their
advantage. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of
weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the
per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01.
Medical groups see a tax increase right in the middle of a
recession as a great incentive to help persuade smokers to quit.
Tobacco taxes are soaring to finance a major expansion of health
insurance for children. President Barack Obama signed that
health initiative soon after taking office.
Other tobacco products, from cigars to pipes and smokeless, will
see similarly large tax increases. For example, the tax on
chewing tobacco will go up from 19.5 cents per pound to 50
cents. The total expected to be raised over the 4 1/2 -year-long
health insurance expansion is nearly $33 billion.
Smokers are mulling their options.
Standing outside an office building in Washington last week,
29-year-old Sam Sarkhosh puffed on a Marlboro Light. His
8-year-old daughter has been pleading with him to quit, he
explained, and he has set a goal to give up smoking by his 30th
birthday.
"I'm trying to quit smoking, and it could help," said Sarkhosh,
an information systems specialist. "I don't think it will stop
me from buying cigarettes every now and then, but definitely not
as often." A friend who smokes Camels went out and bought four
cartons in advance, he said.
Prospects for reducing the harm from smoking are better than
they have been in years, said Dr. Timothy Gardner, president of
the American Heart Association. The tax increase "is a terrific
public health move by the federal government," he said. "Every
time that the tax on tobacco goes up, the use of cigarettes goes
down."
Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.
Opinion
Medical marijuana
Our view: Maryland is sending mixed messages about the use of
marijuana for people with serious illnesses who are in need of
relief
Baltimore Sun Editorial
Monday, March 30, 2009
For patients suffering from cancer and other debilitating
illnesses, the medical use of marijuana can relieve symptoms
such as pain, inflammation and nausea in many cases. Currently,
13 states, including California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan,
Rhode Island and Vermont, allow the medical use marijuana with a
doctor's approval or certification. And although possession of
the drug remains illegal under federal law, U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder said last week that the Justice Department
will no longer go after small dispensaries that sell cannabis
for medical use so long as they comply with state laws.
For all these reasons, a bill sponsored by Montgomery County
Del. Henry B. Heller that would require the state Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene to rethink Maryland's policy on
medical marijuana deserves serious consideration.
Delegate Heller's bill does not propose legalizing marijuana; it
would not give drug dealers a license to peddle their wares.
Rather, it would create a task force of health professionals to
study the legal and practical implications of allowing marijuana
to be used solely for medical purposes. At the very least, it
would encourage officials to confront the glaring
inconsistencies in state law so that patients, physicians and
operators of medical marijuana dispensaries would know exactly
where they stood.
Right now, the state is sending mixed signals about the legality
of marijuana for medical use. In 2003, the General Assembly
sharply reduced penalties for patients convicted of marijuana
possession if they could prove a medical necessity in court. But
people with serious illnesses can still be arrested and fined up
to $100 for possession, even if they prove a medical necessity.
Mr. Heller says the 2003 law has had the unintended consequence
of giving people a "false sense of security." He cites
constituents in a senior citizens home who say they want to use
marijuana to relieve symptoms of major illnesses but don't want
to break the law.
As Maryland's population ages and more people experience chronic
health problems that could be successfully treated with medical
marijuana, state officials will need to draw a bright line
between legal and illegal use of the drug that sends a
consistent message to the public. The study proposed by Delegate
Heller is a first step toward a resolution of this matter.
Copyright 2009 Baltimore Sun.
More authority for FDA
Carroll County Times Editorial
Monday, March 30, 2009
A company’s refusal to provide information to the federal Food
and Drug Administration concerning peanut-based products that
might be contaminated underscores yet another problem with the
federal agency that has already been under scrutiny.
The FDA already is under fire for this year’s peanut recall.
Some consumer groups say a continuing decline in the number of
inspections at food facilities is part of the reason why the
safety of our food chain is suspect.
But the FDA counters that it doesn’t have the resources to
adequately do the job required to improve safety. It also
doesn’t have much authority when it comes to recalls.
The FDA can’t compel a manufacturer to recall a product. Last
week, the FDA issued a warning about products distributed by
Westco Fruit and Nuts, but the New Jersey-based didn’t give the
FDA requested information on products that might be
contaminated, and the FDA has no authority to issue a recall.
Producers balk at giving the FDA that authority. They say
recalls should only occur when it is proven that a product is
contaminated.
But from the spinach contamination of recent years to this
year’s ever-expanding peanut recall on products associated with
Peanut Corp. of America, the safety of our food chain, or lack
of safety, has gained considerable national attention.
While most companies generally do well in working with the FDA
when there is a problem, when they don’t help there is little
that the FDA can do.
Companies can’t have it both ways. They can’t oppose FDA
authority on the grounds that they can police themselves, and
then complain about over-regulation when they fail to do that
and the FDA seeks broader powers.
The FDA should have the power to demand a recall, as well as
demand all pertinent information concerning products involved in
potential recalls. For companies that already are working with
the FDA, the expanded powers won’t impact them at all.
The only negative impact will come from the producers whose only
interest is in protecting their bottom line, and ignoring
potential health concerns that are sickening, or even killing
their customers.
Copyright 2009 Carroll County Times.
Nation’s
health care system is disappointment
Cumberland Times-News Letter to the Editor
Monday, March 30, 2009
To the Editor:
I am a second year human service student at Allegany College of
Maryland. As I write today, I write with great sadness. Everyone
says how great America is to live in, which I agree with - but
only about 95 percent of the way. The one thing that disgusts me
the most is our health care system.
We are the only industrialized country in the world that let our
citizens go into bankruptcy over medical bills, which were
gained through necessary medical visits. Worse yet, we let
people die because their health insurance doesn’t cover the
procedure due to the fact that it is “not medically necessary”
or because they do not have health insurance.
Our country falls in 37th place for health care systems, being
topped out by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the
Netherlands and Switzerland. What is the difference between them
and us? Well that is easy - health care for all. These countries
each have successful health care systems, in which most of their
citizens benefit from.
What’s that you say? You don’t want to lose your freedom to
choose? Well I’ve got news for you; your choices are already
spread thin. These private insurance companies make that happen.
What’s that? You don’t want your money to be used for someone
else’s health care; even if it isn’t taken directly from your
pocket? Well whatever happened to helping a neighbor out? And,
God forbid, what if it was you that was sick? Would you change
your mind then?
There are times when I wonder about many of the citizens here in
America. Some days it looks as though all we care about is
making money and if someone has to meet his or her death, than
so be it.
So let’s get back to the reason for the letter. Each of the
countries mentioned above, France, the United Kingdom, Germany,
the Netherlands, and Switzerland have successful health care for
all, systems that are much less expensive than ours. For
example, here in America it costs approximately $6,400 per
person, per year for health care costs. In France and Germany
this cost is far less than that; France is $3,300 and Germany is
about $3,800.
Throughout each one of these countries, one thing remains the
same: choice. You have the choice to see the doctor that you
want, what type of care you wish to receive, etc.
Let’s face it, our health care system is not working and we
desperately need to make changes now!
So please, I am asking you to talk amongst your friends and
family and write to your local politicians about adopting a
health care system for all! We all have our own wishes and
wants, and our own horror stories with our current health care
system. Tell it all!
For more information on the health care systems mentioned above
please visit www.npr.org /templates/story/story.php?storyId=91972152.
A great movie to watch is the movie “Sicko,” which aside from
the added humor, is a wonderful eye-opener to health care for
all.
Krystal Wagoner
Fort Ashby, W.Va.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Holly Center's respite care program is really needed
Salisbury Daily Times Letter to the Editor
Monday, March 30, 2009
I am 27 years old, have cerebral palsy and use a power
wheelchair. I need complete assistance with my personal needs. I
live at home in a singlewide mobile home with no handicapped
bathroom. I am dependent on my limited family for my care. I
attend Lower Shore Enterprises for work and volunteer at the
hospital. This is an excellent program and the people are great.
I utilize Holly Center for respite care and get excellent care
and attention. The people at Holly Center are great. I support
House Bill 1464 to continue respite care at Holly Center. I
don't know what I would do without it.
I keep asking the state Developmental Disabilities
Administration to help me. They say there is no funding to help
me and my family can meet my needs. This is very hard for my
family. We desperately need direct care assistance and a
handicapped bathroom. DDA and my legislators have not been able
to help me. I want to stay in my home but we need help. I've
been waiting long enough.
Jamal B. Canady
Mardela Springs
Copyright 2009 Salisbury Daily Times.
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