Health Care

March 8, 2013

You would think getting a sane right-to-know bill passed in the Maryland legislature right now would be a done deal—right? Not so much. Industry opposition has killed a safe, sane and not-at-all burdensome Pesticide Reporting and Information Act, currently being considered by Maryland legislators, the three previous times it’s been introduced. Our public health and environmental experts, who are working to protect us, have been denied data to help them determine which pesticides may be impacting our children’s health and our waterways. This bill will provide them with that knowledge.

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Ruth Berlin

Environmental Health Health Care

March 7, 2013

I remember very clearly the day I first learned that the vast majority of chemicals used in consumer products are unregulated by the government. Until that point I believed (as many people mistakenly do) that if I could buy it in a store it must have passed safety testing. Boy was I wrong. Out of...

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Michelle Noehren

Environmental Health Health Care

March 5, 2013

[Crossposted from the Huffington Post ] When is a flame retardant not a flame retardant? When it is no more effective in retarding flames than, well, nothing. Since fire safety experts and government studies say that chemical flame retardants as they are used in many products are not effective,...

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Charles Margulis

Health Care

March 4, 2013

I know first hand that Medicaid saves lives and reduces medical costs. When I was pregnant with my son, I went into preterm labor at 26 weeks. I had medical coverage through Medicaid, so when I noticed that something felt off, I went directly to the hospital. Without Medicaid, I would have been...

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Charlie Rose

Health Care

February 27, 2013

This week, my five-year-old son finally mastered the art of making his own morning cereal. It’s a big milestone but honestly, but I'll save the real celebration for when he can do it without spilling milk everywhere. It’s one thing to start something but another to finish the job without leaving a...

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Ashley Boyd

Health Care Blog Carnivals

February 26, 2013

Good news arrived earlier this month in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on breastfeeding rates. The CDC found that from 2000 to 2008, the percentage of women overall who initiated breastfeeding increased from 70.3 percent to 74.6 percent. During the same time...

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Diana N. Derige

Health Care Blog Carnivals

February 26, 2013

As I travel the country in my consulting work, I’m always asking everyone and anyone if they knew of any African American IBCLC's. Sometimes I use my intrepid journalism skills and other times I must use more grapevine and Underground Railroad-like pathways. In some cities, there are stories and...

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Kimberly Seals Allers

Health Care Blog Carnivals

February 26, 2013

Baby Amor was born on February 6, 2012, weighing 1.92 pounds. He had surgery – with many complications – and was held in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cook County Stroger Jr. Hospital for seven months. In March 2012, with generous support from the VNA Foundation , HealthConnect One and...

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RoiAnn Phillips

Health Care Blog Carnivals

February 26, 2013

There’s no doubt about it – public awareness and support for breastfeeding is at an all-time high. In fact, we just may be reaching the “tipping point.” Recent years have seen an unprecedented level of attention and commitment to improving the “landscape of breastfeeding support” and the media has...

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Cathy Carothers

Health Care Blog Carnivals

February 26, 2013

Reflecting on Black History Month, we have a tendency to hear stories about the Rosa Parks, Mahalia Jackson, Jackie Robinson-type icons who broke through color barriers to lay the foundation of a better future for people of color. As a doctoral student studying public health, I am proud that in the...

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