Tuesday, August 11, 2009
MS Obesity Training for School Nurses, PA Rep.'s Snub of Community Prevention Named "Best, Worst Prevention Ideas of the Week"
0 comments Posted by Partnership for Prevention at 11:02 AMA national association's providing obesity training to an entire state's school nurses was named Partnership for Prevention's "Best Prevention Idea of the Week," while a congressman's assertion that community preventive measures don't belong in the health reform bill was named “Worst Prevention Idea of the Week.”
The Best/Worst Idea awards are a regular feature of Prevention Matters, the blog of Partnership for Prevention. Each week, Partnership for Prevention's staff will choose the designees based on nominations of items in the previous week's news submitted by members, staff and the public at large. To submit a nomination or for more information, contact Damon Thompson at dthompson@prevent.org.
BEST
BEST
Miss. school nurses to get obesity training
URL=http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090804/NEWS/90804019/1263/RSS
More than 400 Mississippi school nurses will become the first in the nation to be trained by a national association to fight increasing cases of childhood obesity in the state. The nurses will be trained by the National Association of School Nurses through the School Nurse Childhood Obesity Prevention Education today and Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel. The program provides strategies for school nurses to assist students, families and the school community to promote healthy weight.
URL=http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090804/NEWS/90804019/1263/RSS
More than 400 Mississippi school nurses will become the first in the nation to be trained by a national association to fight increasing cases of childhood obesity in the state. The nurses will be trained by the National Association of School Nurses through the School Nurse Childhood Obesity Prevention Education today and Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel. The program provides strategies for school nurses to assist students, families and the school community to promote healthy weight.WORST
Health Reform Should Only Address Doctors, Hospitals, says Congressman
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., a psychologist and co-chair of both the Mental Health Caucus and the GOP Doctors Caucus, told the Chicago Tribune that the health reform bill must only address how care can be delivered by doctors and hospitals. Murphy said proposals to fund community preventive measures like building sidewalks and bike/jogging trails shouldn’t be part of health reform legislation. He said those proposals belong in a transportation bill.Wednesday, August 5, 2009
GOP Lawmakers Question Infrastructure Projects in Health Reform Bill
0 comments Posted by Partnership for Prevention at 7:23 AMCan a person's health be improved outside of the doctor's office or hospital? Some Republican lawmakers apparently think not.
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., a psychologist and co-chair of both the Mental Health Caucus and the GOP Doctors Caucus, dismisses proposals to fund infrastructure projects through community prevention measures in the health reform bills being crafted by Congress.
The Chicago Tribune says he "stresses the importance of preventive measures ... (b)ut Murphy thinks infrastructure projects like bike trails would probably best belong in a transportation bill. The health care bill itself, he believes, must address how care can be delivered more effectively and efficiently by doctors and hospitals."
In making such statements, Murphy apparently overlooks the fact that the US Task Force on Community Preventive Services - an independent panel of experts sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - has identified more than 60 policies and programs that are proven to address the nation's most serious preventable health problems, like obesity and smoking. These policies, which are implemented outside of a doctor's office or hospital, help create environments that facilitate good nutrition choices and create safe places and opportunities in which people can engage in physical activity.
A draft Senate bill would provide up to $10 billion annually for a prevention and public health investment fund -- a portion of which could be used for projects such as bike paths, sidewalks, farmers markets and other community interventions meant to curb chronic and costly conditions like obesity.
So let's get this straight - chronic diseases are underlying drivers of our current health care expenditures; many of these chronic disesases can be largely prevented through good nutrition and increased physical activity; good nutrition and increased physical activity can be increased through non-clinical programs; but the health reform bill should only concentrate on things that happen in doctor's offices and hospitals? Hopefully, Rep. Murphy will re-think this stance.
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