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Health & Wellness .... ? ? . ? : f ? ?? V ? Healthbeat Black doctors applaud Obama's efforts to bring down Rx prices The National Medical Association (NMA) is con gratulating President X)bama and the Senate F inance Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) on their work with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to bring down health care costs and increase access to medicines Dr. Akhler "While the adoption of Medicare Part D has been a tremendous success for sen iors. there were some problem atic coverage gaps in the sys tem." said Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter, executive director of the National Medical Association. "Under this announcement. Medicare ben eficiaries will receive 50 per cent discounts on brand name medicines. This will result in an average >1 ,/uu reduction in the out-ol-pocket costs of more than 3.5 million seniors." NMA President Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton said, 'This historic step forward gives health care reform the much needed momentum that it needs so that meaningful legislation will be realized this year. The NMA has long been concerned about the so-called 'dopghnut hole' in the Medicare Part D Drug Benefit. Hopefully, this commitment from PhRMA will encourage more seniors to follow their prescribed* .regimens," she added. Founded in 1895. the National Medical Association is the nation's oldest and" largest medical association representing the interests of more than 30,000 African- American physicians and their patients. The NMA repeatedly advocates for policies that would assure equitable and quality health care for all people. * - WSSU program designed to push teens to pursue health careers Twelve middle school students from the Piedmont Triad region to Charlotte are participating in a free new Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences summer program to help boost the number of people of color entering tomorrow's health science careers. WSSU's Youth Exploring Health Sciences (YEHS) Summer Camp is a two-week summer enrichment program for rising ninth-grade students from underrepresented populations. It is designed to educate, prepare and enhance their academic qualifi cations for careers in nursing and the health science professions. The program includes a two-week resi dency on campus at WSSU and an opportunity to shadow a health care professional in their community. The program also includes guided career facilitation sessions and a post-mentorship experience. The free program is sponsored by a North Carolina Glaxo Smith Kline Foundation grant. The program runs Sunday, July 12, through Friday. July 24. Women treated for HIV made infertile against their will (NNPA from GIN) - Forty HIV-positive women in Namibia were coerced into signing documents prior to childbirth that would make them unable to bear more children, according to published reports. The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS says it will sue the Namibian government over at least 15 cases. Women's rights groups also report coerced steriliza tions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Zambia and South Africa, where according to one report a 14 year-old girl was told she could have an abortion only Mthembu on conamon mat sne agrceu iu sacrifice her reproductive rights. "They thought it was part of their HIV treatment. None of them knew what sterilization was. including those from urban areas, because it was never explained to them." said Jennifer Gatsi-Mallet, pro gram coordinator in the country, said. In South Africa, cases are being referred to the Women's Legal Centre with a view to a possible action. Promise Mthembu, a researcher at Witwatersrand University, said coerced sterilizations were happening in "very large areas" of the country. Many patients were forced to undergo the opera tion as the only means of gaining access to medical services. Mthembu told the Mail & Guardian news paper. 47,000 elderly falls in the UJS. are tied to canes and walkers ATLANTA (AP) - Health officials say more than 47,000 elderly Americans end up in emer gency rooms each year from falls involving walk ers and canes. That's almost 3 percent of all falls among peo ple 65 and older. Government researchers came up with the estimate by looking at six years of KR medical records. Nearly 9 out of 10 of the injuries involved walkers, rather than canes. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday their study shows that doctors should take more time to better fit patients with walking aids and to teach them how to use them safely. The study is being published this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Socicty. Church to screen movie about women's struggle with sickle cell Director, actress will take part in Q&A CHRONICLE MAM Rl PORT The Women's Day Committee of Shiloh Baptist Church will screen a film about an African-American mother battling sickle cell ane mia, a painful disease that obstructs blood flow. ' The Life 1 Meant to Live" will be shown at the church, 916 E. Twelfth Street at Highland Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 1 1 . Tickets are $10 and part of the proceeds will be donated to the Sickle Cell Research Foundation. "The Life 1 Meant to Live." which had a screening earlier this year tit VV insion-Salem Leander Sales State University, is written and directed by Winston-Satem native Leander SaJes, who taught at the University of North Carolina School of the Jeryl Prescott Sales Arts and edited such films as Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus." His wife. Jeryl Prescott Sales, stars in the film. Prescott Sales has acted iii productions of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, appeared in several regional and national- commer cials and on network television shows like "Criminal Minds," "One Tree Hill." "Surface" and Jada Pinkett Smith's new TNT show. *'HawtfioRNe." 'Her other films include. "The Skele'ton Key,'" and the upcoming "Balden1," which is about the fife of ja// founder Budd_y Bolden. Both husband and wife are slated to attend the screening at Shiloh. which is pastored by the Rc'v. Paul -Lowe. to answer questions from the audience. For tickets, call Arnice Wall at J 16-577-61 23 .-Tickets ca n also he purchased from the women of Shiloh . Staying Safe in Your Car ri ? The IflflYft flnGEtou Research [eiiter j on (HmofliTY Health ' Wake Forest University Baptist MEDICAL CENTER Motor-Vehicle accidents claim the lives of more than 41 .(XX) people every year and are the #1 cause of death for children in the US. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). almost 38.(XX) people (of all ages) died and 2.5 million people were injured in traffic crashes in 2007 (most recent statistics available). In 2007. 1.670 children under the age of 14 were killed in motor vehicle accidents, and approximately 2 0 0.000 w e r e injured! Of these chil dren. nearly half were unre strained. The N H T S A also found t h a t although A f r i c a n Americans' use of-prop er safety restraints (e.g. seaineiis anu car seal?.; nas increased, they still only are restrained 78 percent of the time, compared with 86 percent for whites. Overall, only 82 percent of persons in the United States use proper safety restraints when driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Let's talk about what we can do to reduce these harrowing statistics. Using proper restraints To reduce the risk of serious injury in an accident, it is important that every one in a vehicle be safely restrained. Research has shown that proper safety restraint use reduces the risk of fatal injury in a motor vehicle accident by 45 percent, and reduces the risk of moder ate to critical injury by 50 percent. The NHTSA estimates that in 2007, proper use of safety restraints saved 20.171 lives. Since 1975. it is estimated that proper safety restraint use has saved nearly 250,000 lives in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizes that each child should be seated in an age- and size-appropriate safety seat. Use- child safety seats or booster seats starting the day your child is born to the day he or she reaches age 8 or 80 pounds. This is the law in North Carolina!! According to NHTSA, child safety scats reduce the risk of death in car acci dents by 71 pcrcent for infants and ,54 percent for toddlers between the ages of I and 4. There are infant safety seats as well as child safety seats: some are con vertible and can be adjusted as your child grows. Make sure the safety scat fits in your car and is installed correctly. Be sure to read the user manual for the safety seat so you know how it works and how it can be properly installed in your vehicle. For a list of places where See Safety on UNC study: Bicultural Latinos are healthier CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Latino teens who embrace both American culture and their native culture are much happier and healthier, accord ing to a study conducted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers interviewed 281 Latino youths and parents in North Carolina and Arizona. The questions they were asked were designed to measure their lifestyle and mental health. Participants answered accord ing to how much they agreed with each question (for exam ple, from "not at all" to "very much"), resulting in scores on 1JNCG Phot.. UNCG's Martica Bacallao. a scale for each measure. "We found teens who maintain strong ties to their Latino cultures perform better academically and adjust more easily socially," said Dr. Paul Smokowski, an associate pro fessor at the UNC School of Social Work. "When we repeated the survey a year later, for every l-point increase in involvement in their Latino cultures, we saw a 13 percent rise in self-esteem and a 12 to 13 percent decrease in hopelessness, social prob lems and aggressive behavior. "Also, the study showed See Latinos on A9 Forsyth involved in trial for new tumor drug SPEClAi TO THE CHRONICLE The Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center at Forsyth Medical Center is participat ing in a national trial of the experimental drug Avastin to treat glioblastoma, a fast-growing tumor of the brain or spinal cord". Forsyth Regional Cancer Center (FRCC) is participating in the third phase of the trial, testing the effectiveness of Avastin in conjunction with standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments for patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma. This phase of the trial will enroll 7(H) participants nationwide, ana fKi^ is one 01 in first sites in the country to partici pate. "Avastin has been shown to be effective in treating various types of cancer, with a low risk of serious side effects, so our hope is that it will improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors when it is added to standard-of-care treatments," says Dr. Volker Stieber, a radiation oncol ogist at the FRCC. "Phase III is the highest level of research for a drug, so we are excited to be part of a study that could advance treatment I for patients with this type of cancer." ' In May, the U.S. Food and Drug AVASTIN (bevacizumab) For Intravenous Use 1 w SWSU?H VlAl NO r*t%l>v?)ivts ?k un kwio foanoN WASTINT Administration approved the use ol Avastin to treat gnoDiastomas inai nave noi responded to other therapies based on results from two Phase II studies that showed Avastin reduced tumor size in some glioblastoma patients. The new study evaluates this drug in newly diagnosed, never-treated glioblastoma patients. Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor in humans, accounting for about half of all primary brain tumor cases. Despite its prevalence, however, glioblastomas occur in only two to three cases per 100.000 people in North America and Europe. In Forsyth County, three out of four patients diagnosed w ith glioblastoma are diagnosed at Forsyth Medical Center. The FRCC is currently screening patients for enrollment in the clinical trial. Eligible patients may qualify if they are newly diagnosed adults able to undergo partial removal of their tumors. Once enrolled, participants will remain in the study for up to one year. For more information, call the Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center at 336-277 8887.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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