“CAREGIVER CHARGED: Police say a daycare provider caused brain injuries ... - WHO-TV” plus 4 more |
- CAREGIVER CHARGED: Police say a daycare provider caused brain injuries ... - WHO-TV
- HEALTH & WELLNESS: Breastfeeding builds a healthy foundation for your ... - Abbotsford News
- Trial set for 2010 for parents of injured Des Moines infant - Des Moines Register
- AARP Survey: Economic Downturn Hurting Health Care Coverage and Access - All American Patriots
- Survival plight - The Guardian
| CAREGIVER CHARGED: Police say a daycare provider caused brain injuries ... - WHO-TV Posted: 01 Oct 2009 08:51 AM PDT  An at-home daycare provider in Des Moines is facing felony child endangerment charges. Thirty-four-year-old Melissa Watts was arrested Tuesday, nearly two-weeks after an infant in her care was hospitalized. Watts is accused of hurting four-month-old Emiliano Ramirez. The baby was hospitalized with brain injuries on September 15th, shortly after he was picked up from Watts' daycare. Doctors performed brain surgery on Emilio and he was released to his parents. Emilio's condition is being closely monitored for any medical changes. Copyright © 2009, WHO-TV   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| HEALTH & WELLNESS: Breastfeeding builds a healthy foundation for your ... - Abbotsford News Posted: 01 Oct 2009 11:50 AM PDT GUEST COLUMN Breastfeeding can be a wonderful experience for both mother and baby, and as we approach Canada's World Breastfeeding Week (Oct. 1 to 7), it is important to remind ourselves of the benefits breastfeeding offers, and to address the common concerns that many new mothers share. Experts in Canada and around the world recommend that healthy full-term babies be fed only breast milk for the first six months after birth. After six months, parents can gradually introduce solid foods while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years of age and beyond. Breast milk is widely recognized as the best food to help babies grow and develop. It is custom-made by each mother for her own baby and contains the perfect amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals. The valuable antibodies contained in breast milk help prevent disease and may reduce the risk of developing allergies. Breastfeeding has benefits for the mother as well. Research suggests that breastfeeding provides a measure of protection against breast cancer, ovarian cancer and weak bones later in life, and due to the calories used to produce milk, breastfeeding can also contribute to the loss of weight gained during pregnancy. Despite all these benefits and the six-month recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding, the rates of breastfeeding among Canadian women are lower than desirable. The Maternity Experiences Survey conducted by the Public Health Agency of Canada found that while 90% of Canadian women began breastfeeding following the birth of their child, 25% introduced other liquids (such as water and formula) within a week or two after birth. Also, at the six-month mark, only 14% were breastfeeding exclusively, with 54% reporting only some breastfeeding. The reality of breastfeeding is that it can be both challenging and rewarding. Both mother and baby need patience and persistence to get used to breastfeeding, but the effort will undoubtedly prove worthwhile. The following tips will help make breastfeeding a successful and enjoyable experience. • Breastfeed within the first hour after birth — babies are often more alert and interested in feeding in the first hour following birth. • Instead of timing feeds by the clock, look for your baby's early signs of wanting to feed, such as rooting, licking his lips or putting his hands to his mouth. • Find a position that is most comfortable for you and your baby. • Take care of yourself — try to rest when your baby is sleeping, eat healthy meals, and stay well hydrated. • Ask for help when needed — there are many groups and individuals available to help you, including public health nurses, lactation consultants, the La Leche League, your doctor or midwife, family or friends who have breastfed. We know that breastfeeding is important for many health reasons but there are also other reasons to consider breastfeeding beyond the six-month mark. The closeness and comfort experienced during breastfeeding contributes to an intimate and special relationship between mother and child. Breast milk is also convenient, always the right temperature, economical and better for the environment. For more information on where to get breastfeeding advice and support, see the Public Health Agency of Canada's free and new breastfeeding brochures called 10 Great Reasons to Breastfeed your Baby and 10 Valuable Tips for Successful Breastfeeding at www.publichealth.gc.ca/breastfeeding. – column provided by Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer and head of the Public Health Agency of Canada.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Trial set for 2010 for parents of injured Des Moines infant - Des Moines Register Posted: 01 Oct 2009 02:41 PM PDT The trial of two Des Moines parents accused of multiple counts of child endangerment after their baby nearly died this summer will not be held until next year. Jonas Neiderbach and Jherica Richardson, both age 20, waived their right to a speedy trial on Thursday, paving the way for the two to go to trial in 2010. The parents face eight counts each of child endangerment stemming from injuries suffered by their infant son, Ethan Neiderbach. Both have pleaded not guilty. Some 734 pages of evidence in the case are already under review by prosecutors and defense attorneys. On Thursday, Polk County judge Artis Reis weighed arguments for and against reducing the eight endangerment counts down to one felony. She is expected to make a decision in the next 14 days. A status conference on the case will be held in December. Neiderbach and Richardson are blamed for the multiple broken bones and brain injuries suffered by Ethan, who was brought unresponsive to a hospital on July 8. A juvenile court judge is expected to decide in February who should parent the baby, who was left brain-damaged and remains in a long-term care facility in the metro area. Richardson's sister and her husband, Shannon and Dan Nelson, have overseen Ethan Neiderbach's care. Some veterans in Iowa's child-welfare system criticized the state's handling of the case, saying social workers knew the baby was born with drugs in his system and that he suffered a broken arm before he nearly died. The case has prompted Iowa's Department of Human Services to change its response to questionable abuse cases.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| AARP Survey: Economic Downturn Hurting Health Care Coverage and Access - All American Patriots Posted: 01 Oct 2009 06:13 AM PDT Boomers Skipping Care, Likely Driving Up Future Costs; 1 in 5 People in Medicare Have Experienced Waste, Fraud or AbuseSeptember 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—As AARP continues to fight for health care reforms that will reduce costs and improve access to coverage, new survey data released today find many older Americans—particularly baby boomers—need help more than ever. The AARP Closer LookSM survey finds more than one-third of boomers (36 percent) and nearly a quarter of people 65-plus (23 percent) are not confident their insurance and savings would cover the costs of a major illness. "The evidence is clear that older Americans need the health care system fixed—whether they're boomers in the private insurance market or seniors in Medicare," said AARP Executive Vice President John Rother. "No one should ever be forced to skip a prescription or a doctor's visit because they're worried about the cost." Even boomers with health coverage often go without the treatment they need. More than a third (34 percent) of people 45 to 64 reported postponing health care treatments in the last year because of the economic downturn. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) reported not filling a prescription, cutting pills in half or skipping doses of a prescription. Even more in that age group (27 percent) had trouble paying medical bills. In the same age group, 12 percent reported being uninsured, with the vast majority having been without coverage for at least one year. This group of uninsured boomers—estimated to be more than 7 million Americans—risks serious health complications and higher costs later in life, with 87 percent skipping treatments and 55 percent cutting back on prescription drugs. Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that people who are uninsured in their 50s and 60s use more services when they enter Medicare, placing a greater burden on the program and their own wallets. Among the Medicare population (Americans 65-plus), the poll found individuals were less likely than boomers to go without needed treatment, though many still postponed care (17 percent) or skipped medications (12 percent) because of the turbulent economy. Health reform proposals under consideration on Capitol Hill would add more preventive benefits and improve drug coverage for people in Medicare to better help this population get the screenings and treatments they need but sometimes struggle to afford. Several health reform provisions would also crack down on the waste, fraud and abuse that nearly one in five people in Medicare (19 percent) reported experiencing, including duplicative tests and bills for items or services they did not receive. A vast majority of those in Medicare (80 percent) felt cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse should be a top priority in health care reform. Proposals now in Congress would eliminate billions of dollars in Medicare waste, fraud and abuse by stepping up enforcement, improving care coordination and reducing subsidies to private insurance companies. Methodology General health care questions were asked of Americans age 45 and older. RDD telephone interviews were conducted from July 22 – August 3, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 939 respondents 45 years of age or older. Of those, 100 respondents were Hispanic and 103 respondents were African-American. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.20% at the 95% confidence level. For questions regarding Medicare waste, fraud and abuse, AARP conducted a survey of the 65-plus population. RDD telephone interviews were conducted from July 23 – August 9, 2009 among a nationally representative sample of 624 respondents 65 years of age or older. Of those, a total of 112 were Hispanic. The margin of error for total respondents is +/-3.92% at the 95% confidence level. Weights are applied to allow unbiased generalization to the overall 65+ cohort. Both surveys are available at http://www.aarp.org/research/surveys/money/econ/trends/articles/closer_l... Source: AARP  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Survival plight - The Guardian Posted: 22 Sep 2009 05:51 PM PDT  Baby Amy Makumbi, born prematurely, has made a remarkable recovery as a result of her emergency transfer to the Royal London hospital's specialist neonatal unit. Photograph: Martin Argles At 1.57pm, paramedic Grahame Pickford switches on his ambulance's siren and blue lights, leaves the Royal London hospital in the capital's East End, and turns right, weaving in and out of traffic that parts helpfully. Ajay Sinha, a consultant in neonatal medicine, sits behind him, while charge nurse Benjie Bermundo rides in the back. A mere 29 minutes later, they arrive at Queen's hospital in Romford, Essex. Speed is essential as they are here to collect a precious cargo. Amy Makumbi, not yet 24 hours old, is very unwell after going into foetal distress not long before she was born the previous day. She had opened her bowels into the womb and passed some infant stool, known as meconium, into the amniotic fluid, which she then inhaled into her lungs. As a result, she has persistent pulmonary hypertension, a potentially fatal condition that means she is unable to breathe unaided. The team urgently needs to get Amy back to the Royal London so she can receive specialist care that Queen's cannot provide. The baby has been artificially paralysed with medication to keep her stable and is breathing with the help of a ventilator. After detailed discussion with colleagues at Queen's, the team moves Amy with great precision from the hospital's incubator into the large hi-tech one that occupies much of the back of their ambulance, which is specially equipped to deal with very sick babies. After last-minute checks on her tubes and vital signs to ensure she is fit to travel, Sinha announces "we're ready to roll", and the return journey begins. Pickford, Sinha and Bermundo have some of the most unusual and most stressful jobs in the NHS. They are part of the specialist team of doctors, nurses and paramedics, based at the Royal London, who staff the city's neonatal emergency transfer service 24/7. They deal solely with some of the most vulnerable patients in the NHS – seriously ill newborn babies, who may have been born prematurely (as early as 23 or 24 weeks), have suffered complications at birth, or have a congenital defect such as a faulty heart. Their job is to get the babies as quickly as possible from the hospital where they were born to whichever hospital can offer the best treatment to maximise their chances of recovery or just survival. "I like the job because I get a lot of satisfaction from it," Pickford explains. But he adds: "Sometimes, it's upsetting because you are dealing with small babies, and you are bound to be affected by that. But some days are nice because you go out and feel that you've made a difference – like today. That doesn't happen all the time. "It's very frustrating because we can't help all the babies we get asked to help. We can't really cope with all the calls we get asked to do. And the calls often come close together, so sometimes you've got two sick babies but only one can be treated at one time. We have to decide which sick baby gets seen first. Some have to wait three or four hours, and that can make a big difference to their health." Nobody pretends that the medical help given to newborns is one of the NHS's great successes. In May 2008, MPs on the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) warned that newborn babies' lives were being jeopardised because neonatal units had too few staff and were struggling to cope with increasing demand. A few months earlier, a National Audit Office inquiry had found that while things had got better, "further improvements to the service are being limited by shortages in nursing staff, a lack of cots in the right place at the right level of care, and a lack of widespread specialist 24-hour transport". That concern prompted the Department of Health to set up a taskforce to investigate the situation and recommend improvements. After several delays, it is finally due to report within days. Every year, around 82,000 newborns – about one in 10 of all babies – need some sort of care in one of the UK's 222 neonatal units. The rising birthrate, increasing obesity, the growing number both of older and younger mothers, and other factors such as poverty, ethnicity and popularity of fertility treatment mean their numbers are increasing by as much as 5% a year. Of those 82,000, about 48,000 end up in a special care baby unit that treats babies with non-life-threatening conditions (called level 1 care). Another 12,000 are cared for at the next level in a high dependency unit (level 2 care). The other 22,000 have to spend time in an intensive care unit (level 3 ) because, for example, they need to be ventilated, undergo major surgery, weigh less than 1kg, or were born at less than 28 weeks gestation. The trouble is that the NHS's ability to care for such sick babies has not kept pace with this growing demand. There are too few specialist cots, and special care baby charity Bliss estimates that the NHS needs 1,700 more specialist neonatal nurses. A typical neonatal unit has three vacancies, but some have dozens. The shortages of cots and nurses together mean that in 2006-07 each neonatal unit was forced to close its doors to new admissions once a week, according to the PAC. Amy's case illustrates the strength and weakness of neonatal care. She was born in Queen's and moved into its neonatal intensive care unit. But the complexity of her condition meant that neither the Romford hospital nor any other hospital in Essex could look after her properly because they provide care only up to level 2. The Royal London, 15 miles away, is the nearest level 3 centre and can offer two things that the Queen's cannot: one-to-one care, and nitric oxide to help Amy's breathing. Amy was lucky that London is one of the few parts of the UK to have a team of specialist staff on constant call, and that its team was free to move her. Sometimes, as Pickford says, delays are inevitable. Nandiran Ratnavel is the consultant in charge of the neonatal transfer team, which comprises six doctors, nine neonatal nurses and eight paramedics. Between them, they offer round-the-clock cover not just within greater London but, overnight, also in neighbouring Kent, Surrey and Sussex, though those three counties' equivalent services are finally going 24/7 on 5 October. Ratnavel recalls how, when the idea for the service was first discussed, it was agreed that London's size meant it had to have enough personnel to have two teams doing emergency transfers. Yet they still have just one, despite requests for emergency transport having jumped from 770 in 2004-05 to 1,221 in 2008-09. Lack of cots It's no wonder that Andy Cole, Bliss chief executive and a member of the taskforce, says that neonatal care inexplicably does not get the priority it deserves. The NHS's lack of cots means that each year around 5,000 babies have to be transferred, either before they are born or soon after birth, to be looked after in a hospital that may be many miles away from the baby's parents' home. This causes major practical problems for families. Ratnavel says: "Cot capacity is a definite problem and it can be hard sometimes to accommodate a newborn baby needing intensive care in a hospital near its home, which means that we need to send some babies further afield because there's no cot available in London." In April, Michaela Southworth was just 22 weeks pregnant when doctors at the Royal London told her that her first baby was due to arrive at any time. But the Royal London did not have a cot available to look after a baby who was going to need the most high-level intensive care. Frantic calls to all the other level 3 centres in London revealed that none of them had a spare cot either. With anything less than level 3 care, Southworth's baby would not have survived. Her son, Nathan, ended up being born on 1 May – at 24 weeks and one day's gestation, and weighing just 620 grammes (1lb 6oz) – 30 miles away at the Luton and Dunstable hospital in Bedfordshire, which was the nearest suitable unit that could take him. Southworth's husband, Darren, faced a 90-minute drive there and the same back every time he wanted to see his profoundly ill newborn son. Really scary While Southworth is hugely grateful that the NHS performed minor miracles to keep her son alive, she recalls: "When I was told that there was no cot [available] in all of London, it was really scary. It was the middle of the night, and I was already worried because we had been told that we were going to have a baby that probably wasn't going to survive. So to have to travel on top of that was another problem at a difficult time." Nathan has started breathing on his own, is doing as well as can be expected, and is now being cared for in the Royal London's neonatal unit, four-and-a-half months after his birth. And Amy Makumbi has made a remarkable recovery from a condition that can cause brain damage and even death. The world of neonatal medicine waits to see if the imminent taskforce report will result in desperately needed improvements to save more children like Nathan and Amy. See pictures from behind the scenes at the Royal London hospital's neonatal unit at SocietyGuardian.co.uk  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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