Toronto Star Examines Efforts Of Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmother To Grandmother Campaign In Africa

The Toronto Star on Monday examined the efforts of the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign in Africa, particularly Swaziland. According to the Star, a 12-member delegation of Canadian grandmothers recently traveled across sub-Saharan Africa to record the stories of African grandmothers and AIDS orphans to relay back to Canada (Black, Toronto Star, 5/26).

Express Scripts Reaches 9.5M Settlement With 28 States Over Allegations Of Misleading Consumers To Obtain Rebates

Officials from pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts on Tuesday said the company has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle lawsuits brought by 28 states and Washington, D.C., alleging it defrauded the states and D.C., the AP/Denver Post reports..

Opinion Piece Takes On Attack Aimed At Kan. Gov. Sebelius' Abortion-Rights Support

A recent syndicated column by Robert Novak, the "redoubtable right-wing hit man, " criticizing Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) for her actions as governor on abortion-related issues is an example of the Republican Party's "hard cultural right" attempting to "revive abortion's single-issue virulence in this presidential cycle, " Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten writes in an opinion piece.

States That Rank High In Measures Of Children's Health Tend To Have Lower Rates Of Uninsured Children, Higher Health Costs, Study Finds

Children in states with higher rates of insured children are more likely to receive higher-quality health care, according to a Commonwealth Fund study released Wednesday, McClatchy/Kansas City Star reports. Researchers used data on 13 health care indicators to rank all 50 states and Washington, D.

Risk Factors For Spread Of HIV In Afghanistan High, Health Ministry Says

Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is relatively low in Afghanistan, the country's Ministry of Public Health recently said that the potential risk factors for the spread of the virus are high, Reuters reports.In a statement, the ministry said that 435 HIV cases have been reported in Afghanistan but that there are an estimated 2, 000 to 2, 500 cases among the country's 26 million people.

Connecticut AG Says Legislation To Expand State Worker Insurance Pool Would Not Affect Current Contracts, Increase Costs

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) said legislation that would allow workers at small businesses, municipalities and not-for-profit groups to join the state employee health insurance pool would preserve, and not change, the existing contracts the state has with insurers, the Hartford Courant reports.

Boston Globe Publishes HIV AIDS-Related Editorial, Opinion Piece

The Boston Globe recently published an HIV/AIDS-related editorial and opinion piece. Summaries appear below.

Cumulative Radiation Exposure Shows Increased Cancer Risk For Emergency Department Patients

According to a new study, patients are receiving estimated doses of radiation from medical diagnostic imaging studies, such as CT (or "CAT") scans, that may be detrimental to their long term health, putting them at an increased risk of developing cancer.

Rate Of Hospital-Acquired Infections Increases In New York State, Report Finds

The rate of hospital-acquired infections has increased in New York state, possibly due to the ability to track a larger number of infections rather than an actual increase in infections, according to the author of a recent study, the AP/Albany Times Union reports.

Competitive Bidding Program Threatens Patient Access To Life-Saving Durable Medical Equipment

Stephen J. Ubl, President and CEO of AdvaMed, released the following statement after Linwood A. Staub, President of Global V.A.C. Therapy at Kinetic Concepts, Inc.