Read the Spring 2009 issue of the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring09/toc.html

If you would like to receive this magazine email whenever a new issue is published (4 times per year), subscribe here. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/subscribe.html

• Special Section: Colorectal Cancer
• Orthopedic Health
• Headaches and Migraines
• Feature: Hepatitis
• Then & Now: Research Pays Off for All Americans / Darwin, DNA, and The Genome

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

American Library Association News Release
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/may2009/orsbandwith.cfm
May 5, 2009
(CHICAGO) With growing demand for public Internet services and Wi-fi access, nearly 60 percent of U.S. public libraries report Internet connection speeds are insufficient to meet patron demand at some point in the day, according to the 2008-2009 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study (PLFTAS).

“As more and more people turn to their public libraries for critical access to online information and services, the bandwidth needed to provide these services increases rapidly,” said American Library Association (ALA) President Jim Rettig. “Just over 70 percent of libraries report they are the only source of free access to computers and the Internet in their communities. As the nation begins to invest in high-speed broadband build-out, it is crucial that that investment include public libraries.”

Hesperian (http://hesperian.org/ And in Spanish http://espanol.hesperian.org/) is a non-profit publisher of books and newsletters for community-based health care. Simply written and heavily illustrated, Hesperian books are designed so that people with little formal education can understand, apply and share health information. Publications include “Helping Health Workers Learn: A book of methods, aids, and ideas for instructors at the village level” Available in Spanish: “Aprendiendo a promover la salud” and “When There is No Doctor: A village health care handbook” Available in Spanish: “Donde no hay doctor”

Secretary Sebelius Highlights Two New Reports on Health Care Quality, Says Improving Quality is Key Component of Health Reform
http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2009/qrdr08pr.htm
At a speech before the United Nurses of America’s 12th National Nurses Congress, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed two new HHS reports on the quality of health care in America and challenged hospitals to work to reduce health care associated infections. Published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the annual 2008 National Healthcare Quality Report and 2008  National Healthcare Disparities Report indicate that patient safety measures have worsened and that a substantial number of Americans do not receive recommended care.  Read reports at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr08.htm

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new report, Basic Reading Skills and the Literacy of America’s Least Literate Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL).  http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009481

http://www.rwjf.org/qualityequality/product.jsp?id=39591
Clear communication is a cornerstone of patient safety and quality health care. Quality translated health materials can serve as valuable communications tools for both patients and providers, and can help to ensure the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care. The More Than Words Toolkit Series, a new resource developed by Hablamos Juntos with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, clarifies the translation process and provides a roadmap to help health care organizations improve the quality of their translated materials in order to get better results. [RWJF Content Alerts]

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.

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]

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

No More Butts: Snuff Out That Cigarette for Good
If you’re a smoker, chances are you’ve already tried to quit. So you know from experience that it’s not easy. But many do succeed in the end. The health benefits you’d gain make quitting worth the effort.

A Window to Your Health: Your Eyes Reveal a Bigger Picture
Your vision seems great. Your eyes feel completely fine. But if you haven’t seen your eye care professional in a while, you might have an eye problem that you don’t know about.

Health Capsules:
•Exercise Helps After Heart Failure
•Catch Oral Cancer Early
•Featured Web Site: Go Local http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal/index.html

Managing evidence-based knowledge: the need for reliable, relevant and readable resources

Sharon Straus,R. Bryan Haynes
Canadian Medical Association CMAJ • April 28, 2009; 180 (9).
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/180/9/942
“……Nowadays few would argue against the need to base clinical decisions on the best available evidence. In practice, however, clinicians face serious challenges when they seek such evidence.
Research-based evidence is generated at an exponential rate, yet it is not readily available to clinicians. When it is available, it is applied infrequently. A systematic review 1 of studies examining the information-seeking behaviour of physicians found that the information resource most often consulted by physicians is textbooks, followed by advice from colleagues. The textbooks we consult are frequently out of date, 2 and the advice we receive from colleagues is often inaccurate. 3 Also, nurses and other health care professionals refer only infrequently to evidence from systematic reviews in clinical decision-making.”  [posted on PAHO/WHO Equity Listserv]