Health & Information

All one deaf woman wanted in Baptist Hospital was an interpreter. Instead she got a stuffed monkey. Another woman thought she was being denied care at Baptist Medical Center South when she was out in a hallway to wait. Again no sign language interpreters were called, a Florida Times-Union article reports, even though her mother had given them a list. A third woman at Baptist Medical Center downtown couldn’t hear the ER workers when her name was called.

They are among the seven hearing impaired and deaf patients who are suing Baptist Health Systems for violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act. They charge that the hospital system could not or would not provide any sign-language interpreters. Jacksonville Area Legal Aid filed the federal court action last week. Since being deaf or hearing impaired is labeled a disability, it is protected under federal law.

A spokesperson for the hospital tells the Florida Times Union that it provides several means of communicating including interpreters and devices. Legal Aid says there has been a pattern of failures at the hospital from 2006 to 2009 that resulted in the deaf patient being denied full access to medical care. The Department of Justice interprets the law to mean that within one or two hours, the hospital should be able to provide an interpreter. Considering that the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind is in St. Augustine, we know that interpreters work there and are within a one hour drive.

And in a departure from a civil action, the plaintiffs are not asking for money except for attorney fees and filing costs. They are asking the federal judge to order the hospital to stop discriminating against hearing-impaired patients and to follow the law. And to the many people who say would paper and pen suffice? No, it would not. American Sign Language and the spoken language are not the same and some hearing impaired have not learned to read and write English with proficiency. Have you learned American Sign Language? This is a simple matter of making communication available in a medical emergency and does not sound unreasonable. Before the end of this, Baptist probably won’t think so either.

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that there has been a spike in emergency room visits for recreational use of opioid prescription drugs, which has more than doubled between 2004 and 2008. The number of ER visits for prescription drugs is now equal to the number of visits for illegal drugs and the misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs according to the CDC.

It’s fair to say that the abuse of prescription drugs is a growing national problem for all ages, although the report shows that it is more common for women to abuse these common painkillers than men. The painkillers are typically written to someone recovering from surgery.

ER visits for prescription narcotics went from 144,644, in 2004 to 305,885 in 2008, which represents a 111 percent increase. People in the ER took a higher than recommended dose of the narcotic, took someone else’s prescription, or misused the drug.

Top on the list of most widely abused is oxycodone. That alone rose 152 percent. Hydrocodone rose 123 percent, and methadone rose 73 percent. Among other drugs commonly abused is the family of anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines. Also alcohol use and abuse was seen combined with the drugs and contributing to the ER visits.

It is not unexpected that the spike in ER visits coincides with a sharp increase in the prescribing of these types of drugs, according to the CDC. Looking at raw numbers, the number of ER visits rose from 1.6 million in 2004 to 2 million in 2008. Do you wonder if it is ultimately up to the taxpayers to pay for this reckless use and misuse of prescription medications?

Insurance companies that offer health care coverage have been given a larger presence in the American health care scene now that all Americans will need to be covered by private health insurance. One would assume that insurance would also be invested in health in general. That assumption would be false.

Harvard researchers found that giant health and life insurers hold nearly $2 billion in fast-food stocks. Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box, KFC and Taco Bell are favored holdings by the industry because of the returns they pay.

It is no mystery that consuming a lot of fast-food can lead to health problems – obesity, cardiovascular disease, and poor health of children. Ironically, the new health care bill will require fast-food establishments about 200,000 of them, to post their calorie counts on their menus.

Published in the American Journal of Public Health, a new article says that insurance company holding from the U.S., Canada and Europe amount to at least $1.88 billion.

Among the largest owners are Prudential Financial, Northwestern Mutual and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance and European-based ING, reports Public Citizen.

• Northwestern Mutual owns $422 million in fast-food stock, including McDonald’s
• Mass Mutual owns $366.5 million including McDonald’s
• NG has $406 million in fast-food holdings including Jack in the Box, McDonald’s and Yum! Brands which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC.

“Our data illustrate the extent to which the insurance industry seeks to turn a profit above all else,” says Dr. Wesley Boyd, senior author. “Safeguarding people’s health and well-being take a back seat to making money.”

If you think it through, promoting fast-food will eventually led to more health care payouts, so perhaps big insurance should put its money in health instead of fast-food for the fast-buck.

Almost everyone would agree that the brave men and women who went in to try and rescue Americans hurt in New York City after the 9/11 attacks on our country are heroes. Many are now suffering the effects of breathing in the miniscule dust which carried toxins and asbestos. To help them, Congress is considering a September 11 Compensation and Health Act, estimated to be about $11 billion over the next 30 years.

On Tuesday, May 25, Republicans in Congress argued that the worker’s compensation plan amounts to an “entitlement program” similar to Medicare. The bill is attempting to establish a permanent fund to care for first responders who are ailing, Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said funding the program would put the nation’s finances at risk and they argued that first responders are already cared for under a $150 million President Obama requested for the year. Those members of the GOP want the first responders to appear before Congress every year to make their case, fearing some people are undeserving.

Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-GA argues that New York is trying to dump its responsibility for caring for victims on the federal government. Nice language for a man who has free health care for life as do all members of Congress.

“Our support for them (responders) should not be a vehicle for cost-shifting,” he said, pointing to the lengthy approval process of the workers’ compensation system that generally helps people injured on the job reports the New York Daily News.

Others debate it is Congress’ obligation to help people who answered the call to others when needed on September 11, 2001 and it is difficult if not impossible for some people to make it before Congress to make their case every year. Unlike Medicare, this health fund would cover a shrinking pool of individuals as they expire every year.

“They always say they support us, but it’s all about cost,” said Jim Slevin, the vice president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal that is found in almost everything. Kids toys, sheets, toothpaste, kitchenware, deodorant, cosmetics, dishwashing liquid, anywhere that germs lie, and that is just about anywhere. It’s estimated up to 80% of hand soaps contain a microbial.

But for years, environmental watchdog groups have been warning that triclosan goes down the drain and has the potential to kill good bacteria and increase antibiotic resistance and mess with hormones.

Now a new study finds triclosan is turning up in lakes and streams, according to a Discovery News article. It’s been found in human bodies and a decade ago, the U.S. Geological Survey found it in 58% of 139 streams sampled.

The journal, Environmental Science and Technology in a published report, blames triclosan for four types of dioxin found in a Minnesota lake. Dioxins are one of the most potent toxins around linked to cancers. Like the 80,000 chemicals that have been introduced into our environment, the FDA and EPA assumes it is not harmful to humans. Innocent until proven guilty. But by then, it’s released and it’s too late.

The European Union has banned triclosan and environmental watchdog groups along with Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts are urging the EPA and FDA to ban it from consumer products. Take a look at the label before you buy. Just say no to the triclosan and be safe rather than sorry.

The federal government is issuing a warning about public pools this summer. About 314 million visit pools in the summer months and in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) weekly report, CDC researchers find that one out of every eight pools inspected in 13 states two years ago had to be closed for serious code violations.

The violations included improper pH levels and disinfectant which can cause norovirus, Shingella and gastroenteritis. It should come as no surprise that child care facility pools had the highest number of closings at 17.2%. Bacterial contamination came from dirty diapers, poor hygiene, and people swimming who are ill or fail to rinse their bodies before getting into the pool.

Hotel and motels had closures at 5.3% and apartment/condo pools at 12.4%.

CDC has some safety tips among them – don’t swim if you have diarrhea and don’t drink pool water. Shower with soap before entering the pool or using the bathroom or changing diapers. Check diapers often. Wash your children thoroughly including wiping their bottoms with soap and water before they go swimming.

As for what you can do on your own – you can use a test strip to test the pool water quality on your own. Check the latest pool inspection results and know the pH levels and chlorine levels from the latest test. The pH measures the relative acidity or alkalinity of the pool water. pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14 where 1 is extremely acidic and 14 is extremely alkaline. A pH reading of 7.0 is neutral - below 7.0 is acidic - above 7.0 is alkaline.

It sounded like a win-win. Kids can fight the obesity battle with the help of schools not offering them sugar –ladened drinks. Who could argue with that? Certainly not First Lady Michelle Obama, who has made childhood obesity her targeted campaign.

Who could object?

How about the dairy and beverage industry for one? Florida educators came up with a plan to remove sodas and chocolate milk and Gatorade from Florida public schools. Instead schools would offer water, pure juice and white low-fat milk.

But educators backed off of the plan on Tuesday when the Florida Board of Education tabled the proposal. Board member John Padget accused the board of caving in to industry interests. Representatives of the soft-drink industry and dairy addressed the board at its Tuesday meeting and argued there was no reason to impose the policy pointing to improvements underway to the federal child-nutrition guidelines.

“The vested interests all showed up,” said Padget, a former schools superintendent in Monroe County. “I congratulate the [state Department of Education] for coming up with a very far-reaching, groundbreaking proposal. I’m disappointed we couldn’t get more support at this juncture,” reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Kids have an alarming rate of obesity in the U.S. and processed foods and sugary drinks are part of the problem. Besides obesity, there’s been a rapid increase in Type2 diabetes in both children and adults. Believe it or not, school districts took exception with Padget’s plan because they feared losing chocolate milk. Some figure chocolate or vanilla milk at least gets kids drinking milk.

The woman who oversees Osceola County’s food service says losing flavored milk would be “devastating,” which is a really good word for the long-term health consequences of obesity and Type-2 diabetes. It’s done elsewhere with success.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Head Start in Connecticut serves white milk, non-flavored, to kids who happily drink it. And the Boulder Valley, Colorado school district has given chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milk the boot. I love what she says in the article, which perfectly points out the role of parents. “Everybody says it’s going to be a big deal,” she said. “But if the kids wanted to drink scotch, would we let them? When do the kids get to decide?”

Thank you!

And thank you Mr. Padget! Are you listening Florida?