The Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights issued a statement addressing Civil Rights in Response to the
H1N1 Influenza. http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/h1n1_response.php

California’s Emergency Preparedness Efforts for Culturally Diverse Communities: Status, Challenges and Directions for the Future
http://tinyurl.com/pdznan
prepared by the Center for Health Equality at the Drexel University School of Public Health, with joint support from The California Endowment and the HHS Office of Minority Health. [from Diversity Preparedness http://www.diversitypreparedness.org]

Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing Needed Health Care
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Issue-Briefs/2009/May/Women-at-Risk.aspx
This study, by Commonwealth Fund researchers Sheila Rustgi, Michelle Doty, Ph.D., and Sara Collins, Ph.D., reveals that seven of 10 working-age women have no health insurance coverage or inadequate coverage, medical bill or debt problems, or problems getting needed health care because of cost.[posted on The Commonwealth Fund]

New Study Finds Fewer Families Can Afford Health Insurance
http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2009/faminspr.htm
The majority of uninsured American families who are not covered by group health insurance through an employer cannot afford to buy health insurance, according to a new study by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). [AHRQ updates email]

Key Role of Sole Community Pharmacists in Their Local Healthcare Delivery Systems
http://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/research_programs/rural_program/pubs/finding_brief/FB88.pdf
A new publication is available from the North Carolina Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center that examines the role in their community of independent pharmacists whose store is located at least 10 miles from the next closest retail pharmacy.

2nd International Day for Sharing Life Stories
http://newroutes.org
May 16. This year’s theme is Journey for Justice - Migration and Refugees. Here at New Routes we believe in the power of first-voice stories to make connections among all of us who live in the United States–immigrants and non-immigrants, alike. View digital stories, listen to radionovelas, read about the lives of our New Routes leaders

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time
To register visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/about/chpheweb.htm

Children are not just small adults; their different medical needs make it essential for health care facilities to prepare for child victims of public health emergencies. Also, children spend most of their waking hours away from their parents in school. Schools, therefore, must assure that children have appropriate care and proper interventions in a public health emergency. Hospital and school disaster response plans should account for children as a priority population.

To showcase resources that can support emergency preparedness planning for children, AHRQ will host a Webcast, Planning and Preparedness for Children’s Needs in Public Health Emergencies. This event will feature a panel discussion of preparedness initiatives and insights from pediatric emergency preparedness planners. During the Webcast, participants will learn about some of AHRQ’s resources for emergency preparedness involving children, including:

* School-Based Emergency Preparedness: A National Analysis and Recommended Protocol.
* Pediatric Hospital Surge Capacity in Public Health Emergencies.

Henry the Hand
http://www.henrythehand.com/pages/content/index.html
This is a curriculum that was started for young schoolchildren

Dalls County Health and Human Services Just for Kids

• Cover That Cough Game  http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhservices/coverthatcoughgame.html
• Be A Germ Stopper http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhservices/documents/GermStopper_Girl_Print.pdf
• Scrub Club http://www.scrubclub.org/home.aspx
• Hand Washing For Kids http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhservices/documents/handwashingforkids.pdf

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institutes of Health (NIH)
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/pandemic.htm

Philip Blumenshine, Arthur Reingold,Susan Egerter Robin Mockenhaupt, Paula Braveman, and James Marks
Emergenig Infectious Diseases Journal Volume 14, Number 5–May 2008
http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/5/709.htm

Abstract
We explored how different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups in the United States might fare in an influenza pandemic on the basis of social factors that shape exposure, vulnerability to influenza virus, and timeliness and adequacy of treatment. We discuss policies that might differentially affect social groups’ risk for illness or death. Our purpose is not to establish the precise magnitude of disparities likely to occur; rather, it is to call attention to avoidable disparities that can be expected in the absence of systematic attention to differential social risks in pandemic preparedness plans. Policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels should consider potential sources of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities during a pandemic and formulate specific plans to minimize these disparities.

http://tinyurl.com/dlvwvf
In this podcast, Dr. Rima Rudd, Senior Lecturer on Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health talks with Helen Osborne, President of Health Literacy Consulting, about the health literacy burden in healthcare. Topics include:

• Literacy-related disparities and barriers as they relate to healthcare
• Deconstructing healthcare language, instructions, and activities
• Literacy demands in chronic disease management, prevention, and navigation
• Why it’s time to reconsider the definition of health literacy

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released a new report called,  Hard Times in the Heartland: Health Care in Rural America, outlining the health care challenges facing rural communities. Hard Times in the Heartland indicates that nearly 50 million people in rural America face challenges accessing health care. Not only do these Americans face higher rates of poverty, they report more health problems, are more likely to be uninsured, and have less access to a primary health care providers than do Americans living in urban areas. http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes/ruralreport.pdf

[posted on Kansas Rural Health Information Service]

Swine Flu advisory info in multiple languages
Look for the swine flu special focus on the Refugee Health Information Network (http://www.rhin.org). Information will include the recent CDC Swine Flu advisory (translated by the American Bureau of Professional Translators) in Vietnamese and Arabic (we are adding some English materials, though RHIN primarily focuses on refugee languages paired with English “parent” text).  Other languages to be added include Burmese, Kirundi and Somali translations, also from Texas. [CLAStalk}

Pandemic Flu Preparedness: A Checklist for Faith-based and Community Organizations
The collaboration of faith-based and community organizations with public health agencies will be essential in protecting the public’s health and safety if and when an influenza pandemic occurs. This checklist provides guidance for religious organizations (churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, etc.), social service agencies that are faith-based, and community organizations in developing and improving influenza pandemic response and preparedness plans. Many of the points suggested here can improve your organization’s ability to protect your community during emergencies in general. You can find more information at www.pandemicflu.gov. To identify steps you can take to prepare yourself and your community, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/faithcomchecklist.html [posted on HHS CFBCI Listserv - April 29, 2009]

Pan American Health Organization
Swine Influenza
http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=805&Itemid=569

Swine Flu Scare 1976
http://libguides.bgsu.edu/SwineFlu
The Swine Flu Scare of 1976: U.S. Government Publications A bibliography of United States government publications about the Swine Flu scare of 1976. This is accompanied by a brief article summarizing events.

Swine Influenza (H1N1) and Adults and Adolescents Infected with HIV: Considerations for Clinicians
CDC has published interim guidance for clinicians regarding management of patients with HIV who have been exposed to or who have contracted the swine influenza. strongly encourages clinicians to familiarize themselves with the interim guidance and organizations with Web sites to link to this guidance, which can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance_HIV.htm.

MedlinePlus Health Topic on Swine Flu
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/swineflu.html

Environmental Health and Toxicology Links on Swine Flu
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/swineflu.html
The National Library of Medicine Division of Specialized Information Services has released an Enviro-Health Links page on Swine Flu. This page contains links to resources about the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak, including transmission, prevention, treatment, and the genetic makeup of the influenza virus.

CDC has updated travel recommendations with regard to travel to Mexico.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx

HealthMap added a page just for swine flu
http://www.healthmap.org/swineflu

HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090426a.html
The Department of Health and Human Services today issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration in response to recent human infections with a newly discovered swine influenza A (swine flu) virus.

From the CDC
CDC is working closely with state and local health departments as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization to investigate the human cases of swine influenza. It is important to communicate that there is no human influenza pandemic at this time, but preparation and planning for pandemic influenza is critical.
Swine Influenza (Flu) page from CDC http://cdc.gov/swineflu/
CDC Briefing on Public Health Investigation of Human Cases of Swine Influenza - April 24th at 2:30PM ET http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2009/t090424.htm
Swine Flu video podcast http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=11226
CDC on Twitter http://twitter.com/cdcemergency.
RSS feed on Swine Flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/rss/?s_cid=tw_epr_54
CDC Health Advisory April 25, 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/pdf/HAN_042509.pdf

World Health Organization http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

-Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine fu - NYC Health Dept http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2009/pr015-09.shtml

Health Map: Global Disease alert map http://www.healthmap.org/en
Health Map on Twitter http://twitter.com/healthmap

NPR Q&A: Basic Information About Swine Flu http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103506962
Includes the difference between epidemic and pandemic

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress Fact Sheets
Educational resources available from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, or CSTS, of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, or USU, at http://www.centerforthestudyoftraumaticstress.org/factsheets.shtml, may be helpful in communities where tragedy and violence have shaken a normally quiet atmosphere. Among the available resources are fact sheets entitled Psychological First Aid: Helping Victims in the Immediate Aftermath of Disaster and The Impact of Kidnapping, Shooting and Torture on Children.  Recent nationally publicized incidents have the potential to impact children and adults, not just those directly touched by the tragedies, but also those who have followed the stories in the media. The CSTS website has fact sheets and resources available for individuals who are seeking their own information and also for teachers who want to assist their students cope when bad things happen.