Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs at Lowest Level Since Tobacco Settlement

November 30, 2010 | by

According to a report recently released by a coalition of public health organizations, states in the U.S. have decreased funding for programs to reduce tobacco use to the lowest level since 1999, when they first received tobacco settlement funds [1].

The coalition includes organizations such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since the November 1998 multi-state tobacco settlement, these organizations have issued annual reports assessing whether states are keeping their promise to use a significant portion of their settlement funds to address the enormous public health problems posed by tobacco use in the United States.

Map of state funding for tobacco prevention

The Impact of Healthcare Reform – Grand Rounds Call for Submissions

November 30, 2010 | by

Highlight HEALTH will be hosting the next edition of Grand Rounds, 7.11, on Tuesday, December 7th.

Starting in January 2011, you’ll no longer be able to use your flexible spending account for over-the-counter medications unless you have a doctor’s prescription. For this edtion of Grand Rounds, we’d like to focus on the impact of healthcare reform: what are the changes to healthcare delivery, utilization, quality, costs (either as a provider or a patient) or outcomes. After all, these changes affect everyone, whether you’re a healthcare provider, a biomedical researcher and/or a patient. As host, I invite you to send your submissions.

Grand Rounds

What is Grand Rounds?

Grand Rounds is a weekly rotating summary of the best health and medical posts on the Web. Established in 2003, Grand Rounds is the oldest and most popular medical blog carnival on the Internet. Previous editions are listed at Blogborygmi and a calendar of upcoming editions is listed at Better Health.

Submissions are due by Sunday, December 5th at 10:00:00 UTC (6:00pm EST). The theme is “The Impact of Healthcare Reform”. Please use the following format and send your submissions to walter[at]highlighthealth.com.

Submission Format:

Subject line: Grand Rounds submission
Email body:
– Submitted Post Title
– Submitted Post URL
– Submitted Post Description

Receive e-mail notification when Grand Rounds 7.11 is published

About.com Health Study Finds Online Health Advertising Increasingly Helpful

November 29, 2010 | by

Earlier this year, About.com conducted a research study on health, revealing that significantly more people find online health advertisements helpful in coping with diseases and learning about the side effects and safety of medication [1]. The study confirms that people are turning to the Internet to take charge of their health and to better educate themselves about conditions and treatment options.

About.com Health Study

Follow Science Conferences at Highlight HEALTH

November 15, 2010 | by

To promote public involvement in current scientific research as well as to provide a resource for medical and research professionals, we’ve put together a research conferences page here at Highlight HEALTH where you can follow along with current scientific meetings.

Currently, there are two major conferences going on: the Society for Neuroscience 2010 and the 2010 American Heart Association meetings.

Make Biomedical Research a Priority When You Vote

November 1, 2010 | by

As you prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday, November 2, take a moment to look up your local candidates and see where they stand on important issues in health and research.

Research!America provides a voter education initiative Your Candidates — Your Health 2010 to help you better understand your candidates’ position and help you make a more informed decision in the voting booth.

Candidates for Congress who are on the ballot were invited to respond to the Your Candidates — Your Health 2010 questionnaire following the primary in their state or territory.

Each candidate received a letter explaining the initiative and a copy of the questionnaire. They were given the option of responding by fax, mail, e-mail or online at www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org. Each candidate’s answers appear as entered. Candidates’ responses are only reviewed for inappropriate content (e.g., profanity). Candidates are contacted and given the opportunity to edit their responses if any content was deemed inappropriate. Responses received from candidates who are no longer running do not appear on the site.

Do you know where your candidates stand on important issues in health and research?