Morning Report: health stories in the news
Health-care reform should help individuals live healthier lives
U.S. health-care reform should support social-marketing campaigns to combat obesity and promote preventive care, writes Greg Vigdor, president and CEO of the Washington Health Foundation, in an op-ed article in the Seattle Times.
Vigdor cites a recent report by the United Health Foundation finding that while Washington has moved from the 14th to the 10th healthiest state, it still faces many health challenges including soaring obesity rates among both adults and children.
The commitment to these campaigns should be equal in “scale and intensity” to the smoking-cessation campaigns that has led to a significant drop in smoking rates in Washington state, Vigdor says.
To learn more:
- Read Vigdor’s op-ed article: Health care reform must focus on individuals too
- Visit the Washington Health Foundation’s Web site.
- Read LocalHealthGuide’s story on Washington’s 10th place ranking.
- Read the report and view an interactive map on the America’s Health Rankings website.
- Download the report’s page on Washington State.
Better option for breast reconstruction?
The New York Times reports today that many women getting breast implants after mastectomy are not being informed of a more complex reconstructive procedure using their own fat tissue that can have a better long-term outcome.
Surgeons often prefer performing the implant procedures because they are easier to do and pay better than the more complex alternatives, writes Times reporter Natasha Singer.
To learn more:
- Read Natasha Singer’s article: The Price of Beauty: Some Hidden Choices in Breast Reconstruction
Do drug and alcohol rehab programs work?
Very few drug and alcohol rehabilitations programs have evidence that they are effective, the field has no standard guidelines, and each program has its own philosophy, writes New York Times reporter Benedict Carey in today’s paper.
“No one knows which approach is best for which patients,” Carey writes, “because these programs rarely if ever track clients closely after they graduate.”
To learn more:
- Read Carey’s article: Drug Rehabilitation or Revolving Door?
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