Eating Less Meat; Book Jacket Designer Chip Kidd

Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman, Paul Leary and Ariel Gonzalez — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

04/09/13 - Tuesday's Topical Currents
Have You Talked To Your Parents About Drugs? The Startling Rise Of Baby Boomer Drug Abuse

Marva Hinton — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Baby boomers have become addicted to drugs at an alarming rate.
The most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released in 2012, found illicit drug use among people between the ages of 55 and 59 had increased more than any other group.

Fighting HIV/AIDS With Music, Theater In Honduras

Jens Erik Gould — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:09:32 +0000
In the village of Corozal in Honduras, men ready boats for fishing excursions and boys play soccer on a beach lined with thatched huts.
On a sandy lot next to the town's main street, two teenage boys begin playing drums while women sing. For centuries, this has been the signature sound of celebration for the Garifuna, an Afro-Caribbean people on the Atlantic coast of Central America. Now this music has an additional purpose: to prevent HIV.
As people arrive to hear the drumming, the musicians become actors in a play.

Business Group Says Health Care Expansion Threatens Education Funding

John O'Connor — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:16:29 +0000

A business advocacy group is running television ads that say Florida might have to cut education funding if the state expands Medicaid health coverage.
The National Federation of Independent Business has also set up a website — FloridaCanDoBetter.com.
“Washington promises to pay the billions in new costs. But with these endless federal deficits can we really trust them?” The ad states.

Ultra Might Be Damaging Your Ears As It Rattles Your Windows

Daniel Rivero — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Standing outside the gates of Ultra Music Festival, an audiologist and her colleague are staring at their sound level meters. The devices track the decibel level of the atmosphere, giving us some unsettling clues as to how safe the environment is for your ears.
After an extended buildup, the beat finally drops. As the fans go crazy, the bass starts to pump. Even a few hundred feet from the stage, casual conversation is strained.

Dangers of Sleep Apnea

Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman and Paul Leary — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

03/06/13 - Wednesday's Topical Currents addresses the common problems of snoring and sleep apnea. Airway blockage is the root cause of both, and can incur considerable health problems. It can also have ramifications for frazzled sleep partners. We’ll speak with Dr. Howell Goldberg, who prescribes dental remedies . . . and of course, take your calls. That’s Topical Currents . . . Wednesday at 1pm on WLRN-HD1 rebroadcast at 7pm on WLRN-HD2.
Link:
www.fountainsdental.com

Humidity Will Worsen With Climate Change And With It, Worker Productivity

Tricia Woolfenden — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:31:27 +0000

Anyone who has tried to tend a garden or walk the dog in the height of a South Florida summer understands the energy-zapping qualities of a heat and humidity combo. A recently released study reports that climate change will mean an increase in those sticky, sweaty days.

Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: How One Florida Woman Barely Survived And What Happens Next

Sarah Pusateri — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:38:05 +0000
Hear theories as to why pain clinics and hospitals chose to purchase drugs from NECC.

WARNING: Pictures and video may contain disturbing images.
Roseann Fusco says the last thing on her mind when she agreed to get a steroid injection for back pain was where it came from, let alone whether it was made correctly.
After all, she says, her doctors had highly recommended she get it as a possible alternative to surgery.<

How To Find Out If Your Nursing Home Is On A State Watch List

Sarah Pusateri — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Deciding to put a loved on in a nursing home is hard enough, but as our partners at WUSF and Health News Florida in Tampa report, researching nursing home quality isn't easy in Florida.
And in a state where a fifth of all nursing homes are on a state watch list, some advocates are asking the Agency for Health Care Administration to take a more active role in distributing lists of facility violations.

Florida Docs Want To Keep Lucrative Drugs Scheme While Cutting Workers' Comp Costs

Jim Saunders — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

With another legislative fight brewing, the Florida Medical Association is signaling that it could play a large role this year in a debate about limiting the amount of money doctors can charge for dispensing drugs to workers' compensation insurance patients.

Amazing Sealants Defeat Childhood Tooth Decay But Does Florida Care? Study Says 'No'

Rick Stone — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:52:01 +0000

Florida is missing a cheap and easy bet for improving the dental health of its children, according to a new survey.
The Pew Children's Dental Campaign gives the state a "D," mostly because it does little to make sure kids have access to decay-fighting tooth sealant programs in public schools.

Florida Is 'Interesting' As Obamacare Dawns

Rick Stone — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Florida led the multi-state court case that tried unsuccessfully to derail President Obama's health care reforms last year.
But now, Gov. Rick Scott seems to be halfway through a complete reversal toward complying with Obamacare.
He's setting up an infrastructure to support the insurance exchanges that the Affordable Care Act would create. He's got a meeting with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius next week and his state Senate has already set up a committee to study Florida's Obamacare options.

Why A Venerable Coconut Grove Healthcare Center Is Losing Federal Funding

Elaine Chen — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

The well-regarded Helen Bentley Family Health Center, a fixture in Coconut Grove, will be losing almost to $2 million in federal funding next year.
The Miami Herald says the funding represents approximately 17 percent of the center’s operating budget. The center will continue to provide services but laid off several support staff due to the reduction.

Meningitis Outbreak Shows Gaps in Regulation

Carol Gentry — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:20:01 +0000

When the nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak exploded into headlines two months ago, Florida health officials responded quickly, tracking the contaminated drug lots and finding potential victims. At least 25 in Florida were sickened, and three died.
While the response was swift, Florida health officials concede the state failed to foresee the danger and take steps to reduce the risk.

Why The Health Care Law Might Leave Florida's Undocumented In A Lurch

Ashley Lopez — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 20:10:57 +0000

As state and federal lawmakers roll out and implement the health care reform law over the next few years, millions of people living in the U.S. who didn't have health insurance will gain insurance. However, in a state like Florida, thousands of people won't be included in those changes-- and that is because they are undocumented.

Court Slaps State Over Trauma Center Sites

Jim Saunders — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:35:37 +0000

A state appeals court on Friday said the Florida Department of Health used an invalid rule to approve new trauma centers in Pasco, Manatee and Clay counties, handing a victory to nearby hospitals that have waged a long-running battle against the facilities.

Obama Gives Smokers A Break On Health Insurance... If They Try To Quit

Ashley Lopez — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

President Obama announced last week that his administration would back off on a part of the health care reform law (which is currently being rolled out in full force) that would have allowed insurers in small group markets to charge smokers a 50-percent higher premium than nonsmokers.
The catch: smokers have to prove they are trying to quit.
Kaiser Health News reports,

Rick Scott Says He's Going To Work With Feds On Health Care

Ashley Lopez — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:32:26 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott-- the man who spent his own money traveling the country in an effort to stop health care reform-- has announced he is actually going to work with the federal government to implement the health care reform law in Florida.
Since the 2010 health care law was passed, Florida officials and Scott have dragged their feet in implementing the health care law here. They have even turned away millions of dollars allocated through the law that would go to programs that help low-income women and children.
However, things have since changed.

Florida Officials May Be Getting Serious About Health Care Reform Law

Ashley Lopez — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Last week, Floridians voted down Amendment 1 -- an amendment that basically added anti-health care reform language into our state Constitution. Specifically, the amendment would have made it illegal to implement the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act in Florida.
However, many experts said that even if it did pass, Florida's Amendment 1 simply could not overrule a federal law, which was also upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

NEWSCAST: What Happens Next With The Affordable Care Act In Florida

Sammy Mack — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:34:43 +0000

Florida is considering its options while refusing to implement the Affordable Care Act.
Governor Rick Scott has been a harsh critic of the health care reform law. Under Scott’s administration, Florida lead the Supreme Court case against it.
But the Supreme Court upheld most of the Affordable Care Act and last week, Florida voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have banned the individual mandate. That leaves Scott in a tough spot for someone who would rather not implement the law.

Explained: What Health Insurance Exchanges Might Look Like In Florida

Julie Rovner — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:34:00 +0000
Last week's election may have settled the fate of the federal Affordable Care Act, but its implementation after months of uncertainty has caught many of the players unprepared.
Late last week, the federal government extended the deadline for states to decide what they want to do about health exchanges.

Why A Law Requiring Earned Sick Pay In Miami-Dade Might Be Possible

Ashley Lopez — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:28:27 +0000

Meningitis From Tainted Drugs Puts Patients, Doctors In Quandary

Richard Knox — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:04:46 +0000
Two weeks after Matthew Spencer got a spinal injection for his chronic back pain, he felt "not quite right." Nothing too specific: worsening headache, nausea.
Then he saw a TV report on a recall of contaminated steroid medication used for back pain.
"I thought, well, I don't know if I had that medicine or not, but maybe I'd better go check it out," Spencer says.
It turns out he had gotten one of the tainted steroids.

Health Officials: No Cancer Cluster In Miami-Dade

Kenny Malone — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:06:51 +0000

The Florida Department of Health said today there is not a cancer cluster just east of Hialeah, in a neighborhood often referred to as Broadmoor.
On July 19th, 2012 a resident from the Broadmoor area, Vanessa Shelton, went before the Miami-Dade County Commission during a public hearing about a nearby metal recycling facility.

Federal Investigators Search Pharmacy Linked To Meningitis Outbreak In Florida And Elsewhere

Mark Memmott — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:24:59 +0000
"The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts on Tuesday said federal agents raided the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 15 people and sickened more than 200 others," Reuters writes.
The Boston Globe says the news is s

Miami-Dade Teen's Meningitis Death Triggers Public Health Alert

Rick Stone — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:23:47 +0000

Questions arise after the sudden death of 18-year-old Christopher Valdes. Are there more bacterial meningitis cases in Miami-Dade County? And was this one misdiagnosed? Even after a specific plea to consider meningitis, doctors sent him home with painkillers and nausea pills. A few hours later, he was dead. Christopher's father tells the Miami Herald, "I feel they were negligent."

Despite CDC Appeals, Politics Thwarted Tuberculosis Information Campaign

Rick Stone — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:43:43 +0000

Records and emails collected by The Palm Beach Post depict state officials as too absorbed with political goals to warn the public about a tuberculosis outbreak.

WATCH: Youth Caregivers Fight To Finish School

Sarah Pusateri — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:24:47 +0000

Seventeen-year-old Jimmy Braat has three passions in life: playing music, photography, and being a caregiver to his grandma.
"It's all I'm good at!" he laughs. He started taking care of his great grandmother at age 9.
"My mom was always at work so it was kind of my role I guess," Jimmy says," She passed away at 92 when I was 13. So now, I take care of my grandmother."
Jimmy is three years behind in school and now participates in an online school program called hospital homebound.

When Should Seniors Hang Up The Car Keys?

Patti Neighmond — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:15:00 +0000
With a growing population of baby boomers, officials are bracing for a surge in senior drivers.

How Sunlight Weakens Your Skin

editor — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:21:28 +0000
A sunny day at the beach has plusses and minuses for your health.
A little bit of sun can help your body produce vitamin D, but the sun's ultraviolet radiation raises your risk for skin cancer. And, it turns out, UV radiation poses another threat — it physically weakens your skin.
As far as barriers go in the biological world, healthy skin is a pretty awesome one.