http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/default.html

Adapted by Beth Wescott

The National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health is housed at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It collects the materials and administers the Maternal and Child Health Library and issues the weekly MCH Alerts.

The MCH Alert is an electronic newsletter that provides timely reference to research findings, policy developments, recently released publications, new programs, and initiatives affecting the maternal and child health (MCH) community. The goal is to make MCH news and policy more accessible to health professionals, policymakers, family advocates, community service professionals, MCH/public health faculty and students, families, and the public.

To subscribe to MCH Alert, send an e-mail message to MCHAlert-request@list.ncemch.org with subscribe in the subject line. You do not need to enter any text in the body of your message; just click send. This e-mail message will be sent to MCH Alert, and you will be automatically subscribed. You will receive confirmation that the subscription is being processed. You will receive your first issue of MCH Alert within 1 week after you send the message.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hazmat-emergency-preparedness.html

Adapted by Beth Wescott

This web page discusses online training programs and tools developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to help communities develop sound, evidence-based assumptions in preparing for hazardous materials (HazMat) emergencies and disasters.

• Evidence-Based Disaster Lecture Series (Lessons Learned)
• Managing Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Toxicological Profiles
• Community Mapping GIS Program
• Case Studies in Environmental Medicine
• Technical Assistance for Plans, Drills,and Exercises
• Training To Manage Stress During Technological Disasters
• Analysis of Surveillance Data From HazMat Incidents
• Risk Communication Training
• About ATSDR
• How To Contact ATSDR

The section on Managing  Hazardous  Materials Incidents is a three-volume guide, with companion videos, for the management of chemically contaminated patients. It is available on CD-ROM and in print.

Volume I- Emergency Medical Services is a planning guide to assist first responders in managing contaminated patients in the pre-hospital setting.

Volume II- Hospital Emergency Departments is a planning guide to assist emergency department personnel in managing contaminated patients in the hospital setting.

Volume III- Medical Management Guidelines provides chemical-specific treatment information for acute exposure to 40 chemicals (or chemical classes) for first responders and hospitals.

Community Challenge is a two-part companion video that illustrates the guidance documents’ procedures for the pre-hospital and in-hospital settings  of volumnes  I and II.

http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Adapted by Beth Wescott

AHRQ and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have jointly sponsored the development of a new 1,400 page patient safety resource for nurses. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. The handbook examines the broad range of issues involved in providing high quality and safe care across health care settings.

Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes.This three-volume resource-rich handbook contains 89 contributions that represent the work of a broad range of nurses and other patient safety researchers throughout the nation.  Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/ to review the handbook.   A print copy of the publication or a CD-ROM is available by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/WHW/
http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/about/checkupday.cfm

Mother’s Day is a good lead into National Women’s Health Week, which runs from May 11 through May 17 this year.

After celebrating Mother’s Day, encourage your mom to get healthy by increasing her activity level, making healthier food choices, getting regular check-ups and preventative screenings, and avoiding risky behaviors. Visit USA.gov’s link to WomensHealth.gov to find events in your area and get resources on staying healthy.

Join other women in the week’s National Women’s Check-Up Day, Monday, May 12^th. National Women’s Check-Up Day is a nationwide effort, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, to:

1. Encourage women to visit health care professionals to receive or schedule a checkup.

2. Promote regular check-ups as vital to the early detection of heart disease,

It is important for women to get regular check-ups because:

• Screening tests, such as mammograms and Pap smears, can find diseases early, when they are easier to treat.
• Some women need certain screening tests earlier, or more often, than others.
• Many of the leading causes of death among women can be successfully prevented or treated if the warning signs are caught early enough.

En español : http://www.usa.gov/gobiernousa/Salud-Nutricion-seguridad/Salud/Grupos.shtml

During National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, this May, USA.gov News highlights the benefits of exercise and the value of participating in sports.

It is important for all Americans to participate in activities that help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Outdoor activities such as walking, running, swimming, and biking are good for the mind, body, and soul. Regular physical activity and healthy eating habits can help reduce stress and lower the risk for many chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is the perfect time to rise to the National Challenge of getting more fit. For those just starting an exercise program, the challenge is to be active for five days a week.

Visit the President’s Challenge for help getting started, logging your activity, and earning awards. You’ll find guidance for kids, teens, adults, and seniors, and can see how your state is measuring up in the fitness challenge.

Plastics and their possible health effects are in the news. Check out Questions and Answers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Also, learn more by reading the latest news.

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Draft Brief On Bisphenol A (BPA)

Federal Report Looks at Risks from Plastics Chemical(04/18/2008, American Cancer Society News Center) http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Federal_Report_Looks_at_Risks_from_Plastics_Chemical.asp

http://nnlm.gov/ep/2008/04/23/service-continuity-planning/

by Dan Wilson

Click on the link below to view a PowerPoint presentation on service continuity planning. As the title implies, the presentation is designed to be a simple, relatively quick, approach to creating a service continuity plan. The content is based on the eight-step approach to service continuity planning document that can be found by clicking on the Service Continuity Planning tab beneath the title banner.

PowerPoint Presentation (for Office 2007): simplified-approach-to-service-continuity-planning

Slide 5 instructs that for state information on preparing for emergencies, go to: http://www.ready.gov/america/local/index.html and click on your state. See display below.

The May issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now online at http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/.

In this issue of NIH News in Health you’ll find:

Frightened of Food: Living with Food Allergies
Imagine what life would be like if you had to constantly check out the ingredients in your favorite foods to make sure your life wasn’t in danger after eating even a tiny bit. For some people with severe food allergies, that’s become their way of life.
full story

Of Air and Asthma: Air Pollution’s Effects
A growing number of Americans are sniffling and suffering with allergies and asthma. If you’re 1 of the 23 million Americans who suffer from asthma, you might get some relief by taking steps to reduce indoor allergen levels and modifying your lifestyle to avoid the ill effects of air pollution.
full story

Health Capsules:

• Keeping Off Lost Weight
• Older Corneas Can Make Good Transplants
• Featured Web Site: Gear Up!

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

NHLBI Health Information Network
hin@mail.nhlbi-nih.info

High blood pressure (HBP) affects more than 65 million-or 1 in 3-American adults. HBP often has no warning signs or symptoms. Once it occurs, it usually lasts a lifetime. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, and blindness.

Take the opportunity in May to get your blood pressure checked and learn more about HBP, how it affects the body, and how to control high blood pressure. Here are some resources from the NHLBI that can help you get started.

Educate Patients, Diagnose, and Treat HBP - Materials for Health Professionals

• Check out the Mission Possible Web site’s Activity Ideas page http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/mission/partner/ideas.htm
• Utilize the Pocket Guide to Blood Pressure Management in Children. Available at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?sku=07-5268 for $1.50 each
• Download The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure - Complete Report at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?sku=04-5230
  See the section on Questions To Ask Your Doctor If You Have High Blood Pressure

Take a Look at Materials for Patients and the Public

• Visit HBP Internet sites:
  • Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure Web site http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp
  • NHLBI’s Diseases and Conditions Index article on HBP http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/
    Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html
• Order Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH for $3.50 each at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?sku=06-4082
• Don’t Miss the Recipes for Heart Health starting on page 45. Try vegetarian spaghetti sauce tonight!

Order My Blood Pressure Wallet Card for free for a single copy* at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?sku=03-5068 Additional copies are 25¢ each
See the section on Questions To Ask Your Doctor If You Have High Blood Pressure

Try adjusting the default bottom page margin to 0.50″. You can also adjust the top, left, and right margin settings if needed. In Internet Explorer 7.x, from the printer icon on the command bar, select page setup. In Internet Explorer 6.x and Firefox 2.x, select file, page setup.

Note: You may be limited by your printer as to how small you can make the margins.

Try adjusting the text size smaller. (View, text size)

Another fix involved installing the barcode font. The barcode prints in less vertical space than the ‘text only’ equivalent. See instructions for downloading the barcode font at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/docline/doclinebarcodes_withheader.html, or click on the help link at the top of the DOCLINE screen.

If only the browser footer prints on the second page, you can modify the header and footer settings to remove either or both. In Internet Explorer 7.x, from the printer icon on the command bar, select page setup. In Internet Explorer 6.x, select file, page setup. Delete the entries in the header and footer fields. In Firefox, select file, page setup. Click on the margins and header/footer tab and then click in the header and footer fields and select –blank– using the pull down arrow.

This information was taken from the FAQ at:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/doc_print_receipt_page.html