The St. Louis Department of Health relocated its operations from 634 N. Grand Blvd. downtown to 1520 Market Street. The City Dept. of Human Services also relocated to 1520 Market St. for greater accessibility for those needing senior, homeless, disability and other services.
Air pollution control, lead prevention, school health, food service permits, communicable disease prevention, and health promotion are a few of the services that will be located at the new site.
“We expect communications and accessibility to our services to improve. The modern, energy efficient design will be more enjoyable as well as much more cost effective than our current location,” said Pamela Rice Walker, director of the City of St. Louis Department of Health.
The new location is accessible by bus and the MetroLink. City employees working downtown and City residents will have better access to the Department’s Health Institute, and the Department will invite community partners to use their new meeting facilities.
Clinical services for TB and STDs will remain at St. Louis ConnectCare at 5535 Delmar Blvd.
For additional information, call (314)612-5100.
PTSD can surface up to 2 years after trauma
While a person may not seem emotionally or psychologically troubled in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can surface up to two years following an event for those with pre-existing emotional or social problems.
That is the main conclusion of research lead by Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. The study examined the onset and development of PTSD based on interviews of several thousand New York City residents after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The study is in the electronic edition of the research journal Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology.
Researchers have long-believed that signs of PTSD occur shortly after a traumatic event. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, sleeping and memory problems, and unexplained family or work difficulties.
Findings concluded women were more likely to experience PTSD than men and having depression before the event was also a significant risk factor for PTSD. Boscarino said it has long-term implications for today’s returning military veterans.
“This country needs to be prepared to deal with veterans who could be experiencing war-related mental health stress years after combat.”
The study was conducted by Joseph Dr. Boscarino, Ph.D., senior investigator and co-author, Kent State University social psychologist Richard E. Adams, Ph.D. It was published in an online edition of Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology.
MFH awards $1.7 Million in St. Louis area grants
To improve health outcomes for thousands of Missourians, the Missouri Foundation for Health awarded grants totaling more than $1.7 million to nonprofit organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area for programs that address childhood asthma and health literacy.
The St. Louis Department of Health was awarded $562,720 to support new asthma care education programs and support systems in private and parochial schools.
The Institute for Family Medicine was awarded $509,220 to support its School Based Asthma Management program, which aims to reduce asthma-related absences and improve communication between St. Louis Public School District school nurses and students’ primary care providers.
In addition and for the third year in a row, MFH is providing nearly $2 million in grants to three Missouri universities, including one in St. Louis, to develop and improve health literacy programs and training opportunities for individuals and health care professionals. MFH awarded Missouri State University in Springfield $686,601; the University of Missouri -Columbia, $677,069 and Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis $628,249.
Clay applauds landmark legislation to regulate tobacco
Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay applauded the overwhelming bipartisan support for H.R. 1256, The Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act, which was recently approved in the U.S. House by a vote of 307 to 97. “This is a giant step forward for protecting public health,” Clay said. “Today’s vote finally puts the federal government on the side of prevention and saving young people from nicotine addiction.”
The bill gives the FDA the power to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products.
“No other legal product harms so many Americans. Tobacco-related diseases are the number-one cause of preventable death in this country, and we need to do a better job of protecting our children and families. I can think of no other public health measure that will save as many lives and improve the quality of life for so many Americans as this very important bill,” he said.
The legislation allows the FDA to develop restrictions on the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. The bill also requires tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in each product and gives the FDA the power to demand changes to those ingredients. The bill requires more specific health warnings and reinstates the 1996 rule restricting the marketing of tobacco products to youth.
The bipartisan bill is supported by more than 1,000 organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Phillip Morris USA, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company as well as six small tobacco product manufacturers have also come out in support of the legislation.
Stimulus funding to combat domestic, sexual violence coming to Missouri
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill announced that the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence will receive $156,250 in federal grant formula dollars through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
McCaskill said funding to states and localities through the economic recovery package will be allocated through existing federal programs like these, rather than earmarks in order to ensure prompt distribution and better accountability. Local projects receive funds from these grants by following the process set up by each program. During Congressional consideration of the economic recovery bill, McCaskill worked to put additional accountability measures in place.
Loss of sense of smell prompts FDA warning against certain Zicam cold remedies
The FDAadvised consumers to stop using three over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell, known as anosmia. Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent. The products are:
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
• Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
• Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)
The FDA received more than 130 reports of loss of sense of smell associated with use of these three Zicam products. In these reports, many people who experienced a loss of smell said the condition occurred with the first dose; others reported a loss of the sense of smell after multiple uses of the products.
“We are concerned that consumers may unknowingly use a product that could cause serious harm, and therefore we are advising them not to use these products for any reason,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Anyone who may have experienced a loss of sense of smell or other problems after use of the affected Zicam products should contact their health care professional.
The loss of sense of smell can adversely affect a person’s quality of life, and can limit the ability to detect the smell of gas or smoke or other signs of danger in the environment.
The FDA has issued Matrixx Initiatives, maker of these Zicam products, a warning letter telling it that these products cannot be marketed without FDA approval.
Health care professionals and consumers are encouraged to report adverse side effects that may be related to the use of these products to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, fax or phone. For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/l8worq or call 800-FDA-1088.
MFH seeks board members to lead effort to help state’s uninsured, underserved
The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) is accepting applications from individuals wishing to be considered for nomination to its Board of Directors. Five board positions are available each year. Directors govern MFH’s efforts to provide funding to nonprofit organizations that help improve the health of the state’s uninsured, underinsured and underserved residents.
MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state, and the second largest health care conversion foundation in the United States. Its 15-member board manages $850 million in assets and distributes $50 million in grants annually. MFH’s service region covers 84 Missouri counties and the city of St. Louis.
Board members serve without pay for three-year terms, and must live within the MFH service region. MFH is committed to a board that represents Missouri’s gender, racial, cultural, geographic and ethnic diversity. Applications are reviewed by MFH’s Community Advisory Committee. Fifteen to 25 candidates are presented to the board for five available positions.
Applications must be postmarked no later than August 14, 2009. To receive a Board application packet or review eligibility guidelines, interested persons have the following options: Visit the MFH website (www.mffh.org); call MFH at 314-345-5500 or toll-free at 1-800-655-5560; or send a letter requesting information to Community Advisory Committee, Missouri Foundation for Health, 1000 St. Louis Union Station, Suite 400, St. Louis, MO 63103.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital makes U.S. ‘Top Children’s Hospitals in America’ Honor Roll
St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University has been named among the nation’s elite pediatric hospitals on the Honor Roll of U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 listing of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.
Children’s made the Honor Roll by ranking in all 10 specialties evaluated. Hospitals are ranked in cancer, diabetes and endocrine disorders, digestive disorders, heart and heart surgery, kidney disorders, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, respiratory disorders, and urology. The specialty listing is the most extensive ever conducted by the magazine across pediatric hospitals.
“While many families bring their children to us from other states and countries, local families tell us how comforting it is to know that such nationally-recognized care is close by in their community,” says Lee Fetter, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “This honor affirms the hard work and dedication of our staff and physician partners at Washington University School of Medicine, who give their best for every child and family, every day.”
This is the seventh consecutive year St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been honored in the publication.