Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine examined data from 71 Illinois and North Carolina hospitals and found that “patient deaths from pneumonia and acute myocardial infarction were significantly more likely in hospitals where nurses reported schedules with long work hours,” reports Laura Walter in […]
On April 5, 2010, a massive explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, killed 29 miners. Last week, federal Mine Safety and Health Administration investigators briefed victims’ relatives on what MSHA thinks happened at the mine. (MSHA’s official final report is not expected for another 2-3 months, though.) NPR’s Howard […]
Earlier this month, a bill that would have provided medical benefits and compensation for 9/11 first responders passed the House but couldn’t overcome a Republican filibuster. (Remember the old days of majority rule in the Senate, when 51 votes was enough to pass most legislation? We’re in a different era now.) Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and […]
Mary Kay Magistad of PRI’s The World surveys the cost of China’s huge appetite for coal and reports that it’s harmful to workers as well as air quality. She interviews 37-year-old coal miner Zhong Guangwei, who developed a severe case of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease, after just 10 months of working in a coal […]
Most of my blog reading this week has involved swine flu; feel free to add non-flu-related links to other worthwhile blog posts in the comments. (More flu links are welcome, too.) First, a few numbers: CDC has confirmed 141 cases in the US; Mexico reports that it has 358 confirmed cases; and the WHO reports […]
A very small selection of this week’s interesting blog posts: Effect Measure is staying on top of the news of a swine flu outbreak; 16 of 61 apparent flu deaths in Mexico have been confirmed as swine flu, and 8 people in the US have been diagnosed with swine flu and have recovered. Ezra Klein examines some […]
Today’s big news is that EPA has officially determined that greenhouse-gas emissions pose a threat to public health and welfare. Over at Gristmill, Kate Sheppard explains what this all means (and tells you how to submit a public comment), Jonathan Hiskes and rounds up reactions from industry, environmentalists, and politicians. Elsewhere:
The ways drugs are tested and marketed are under the spotlight these days: Liz Kowalczyk at White Coat Notes reports that doctors at Massachusetts Partners HealthCare hospitals will no longer be allowed to accept gifts, meals, or “speakers bureau” travel from drug companies. Sarah Rubenstein at WSJ’s Health Blog explores the new Johns Hopkins policy, […]
There’s new climate legislation in the House (Waxman-Markey), and bloggers have a lot to say about it: David Doniger at NRDC’s Switchboard explains what’s in each of the bill’s four titles. Also at Switchboard, Melanie Nakagawa examines what the bill does for clean technology in developing countries.(And check the blog’s US Law and Policy page […]
Bloggers weigh in on some of the questions in US healthcare reform: Ezra Klein explains what a public insurance option is, and describes three different forms it could take. Maggie Mahar at Health Beat asks whether health insurers are really giving up much ground when they promise community ratings in exchange for an individual mandate, […]