Health news round up–Sept. 23

Budget cuts threaten state’s anti-smoking programs

Seattle Times staff reporter Marnette Federis writes that state’s Tobacco and Control Program “has been largely devasted by budget cuts this year, leaving prevention advocates worried that smoking rates in Washington will rise again.”

Federis writes:

For almost a decade, the number of smokers in Washington declined to the point that last year, the state had the sixth-lowest rate in the country. Much of that is credited to the state’s comprehensive program that supports the Quitline and other anti-smoking resources.

To learn more:

• Read Federis’ article: Budget cuts threaten state’s anti-smoking efforts

Local Resources:

• King County’s Tobacco Prevention Web page.
• Washington State Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.
• Washington’s Tobacco Quite Line: Free Help for Tobacco Users.
• American Lung Association of Washington.
• American Cancer Society.

Kids climb aboard Children’s mobile “Science Adventure Lab”

Seattle Times education reporter Linda Shaw covers the roll out of Seattle Children’s mobile science education, which visited Northgate Elementary School Tuesday.

She writes:

. . . Seattle’s Northgate Elementary Tuesday, and fourth- and fifth-graders, looking like miniature scientists in aprons, latex gloves and safety glasses, successfully isolated their DNA.

It was the first trip for the Science Adventure Lab, a project of Seattle Children’s hospital, and one of 50 planned school visits from Neah Bay on the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula to Onion Creek in the far northeast corner of the state.

Too few students are choosing careers in science and health, Seattle Children’s scientists say, and the mobile lab is one way to try to change that.

To learn more:

• Read Shaw’s article: Seattle Children’s rolls out a mobile lab to spread word: Science is cool
• Visit Seattle Children’s Science Adventure Lab’s Web page.

What role does malpractice law play in the health-care mess?

New York Times reporter David Leonhardt reviews recent research on the impact malpractice law has on the U.S. health system in today’s issue of the paper.

He reports:

The direct costs of malpractice lawsuits — jury awards, settlements and the like — are such a minuscule part of health spending that they barely merit discussion, economists say. But that doesn’t mean the malpractice system is working.

The problem, writes Leonhardt, is that:

At the same time, though, the current system appears to treat actual malpractice too lightly. Trials may get a lot of attention, but they are the exception. Far more common are errors that never lead to any action.

To learn more:

• Read Leonhardt’s article: Medical Malpractice System Breeds More Waste

Tags: Malpractice, Seattle Children's, Smoking

Category: Healthcare Reform