The Society for Prospective Medicine (SPM) has published the latest edition of SPM Handbook of Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs), which is designed to be the only resource necessary to understand and select a health risk appraisal. The 400-page handbook is intended for providers and consumers of health services including employers, insurers, managed care organizations, health maintenance organizations, clinics, hospitals, community organizations, and others. The handbook lists HRAs and includes the organizations from which they are available, contacts, telephone and fax numbers, general description of the HRAs, and target audiences. One section includes background information on each HRA vendor, its products and services, the science used in developing the HRA, and the price of the appraisal. For more information on the handbook, contact SPM at (402)292-3297.
Employees with child or eldercare responsibilities suffer from higher levels of stress at work than those of their colleagues due in part to their concerns over adequate care and assistance for their family members. (Stress also results from work interruptions that affect productivity and performance.) These are among the key findings in a survey conducted by Chicago-based Reid Psychological Systems on child/eldercare issues in the workplace. The study found 90 percent of employees with family responsibilities believe their concerns regarding care options during family illnesses cause stress at work. According to the study, the number of interruptions and days missed from work cost businesses a significant amount of money. For more information, contact Gary W. Koeb, Reid Psychological Systems, 200 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60604; (312)938-9200.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded SmithKline Beecham a contract for hepatitis A vaccine. The award was made under the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC), which guarantees Federal support to supply vaccines of sufficient quantities to the States for a defined group of children. Under the VFC program, Havrix, the world's first vaccine for hepatitis A, will be made available to all eligible children and adolescents, ages 2 to 18 years, who live in communities with high rates of hepatitis A virus infection and periodic hepatitis A outbreaks, as determined by public health officials.
The CDC contract comes at a time when the number of hepatitis A cases in cities across the United States is growing. Recently affected geographic regions, according to news reports, include Memphis and Knoxville, TN; Salt Lake City, UT; Butte, MT; McAlester, OK; Portland, OR; and San Antonio and El Paso, TX. Immunization programs targeted to children in certain communities, such as Memphis and Knoxville, TN, have already been put into effect.
The National Breastfeeding Media Watch campaign, sponsored by the Texas Department of Health, is an ongoing project of the Bureau of Nutrition Services. Its purpose is to identify references to breast and formula feeding in the media. It also provides information to the public about the benefits of breastfeeding. For information, contact Ms. Laurie Coker, Breastfeeding Promotion Specialist, at (512)406-0744.
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