In a recent Health Affairs Blog post, David Keller traces the…

                                                                                                      "I think what happens in NYC is going to be very important as it will set a precedent.  But I think the only way to get consumers to by smaller sizes is if the big ones disappear."  That is the…

The Great Recession has moved middle class and working class into precarious living arrangements.  Some individuals are living with friends at times moving frequently, perhaps several nights a week, to another friend's or acquaintace's apartment or home. In some instances, individuals are renting a sofa from an acquaintance for eight hours sometime during the day or night to have a safe place to sleep.  We don't consider individulas with somewhat unconventional living arrangements homeless…

Primary care is experiencing rapid changes under health reform.  You may be familiar with the emphasis on health information technology, patient centered medical homes, and efforts to expand the health workforce.  However, integration of mental health into primary care settings is also a by-product of health reform. 

The video features Jurgen Unutzer, MD, MPH, MA, the driving force behind the IMPACT Model-an evidence based model of…

She calls it propaganda gardening.  Pam Warhurst is the co-founder of England's Incredible Edible.   Incredible Edible takes over vacant land and creates community gardens.  All done without a "flippin' strategy document."  

You're going to see a major intensification of lobbying at the state level by the hospitals and the doctors," said John Gorman, a health-care consultant and former lobbyist. "They will scream for this money because they would rather see

more people covered under Obama's signature initiative than…

I wonder if this video was held in the "can" until the Supreme Court's health reform decision.  My question is: who is the target population for this message. The message seems a bit muted for the general population.  Seasoned health care sector practitioners are not easily swayed by high production values.  In any event, take a look.

A huge collective sigh of relief was heard across the nation this morning when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Affordable Care Act will be the law of the land.  Foes and supporters will be pouring over gallons on of ink and gigabytes and information this weekend trying to determine the meaning and devilish details of the decision.  Below are are few same-day reactions from population health organizations across the country.  Click on the link after each quote to read complete…

TAKE A LOOK…

Cross-sector collaboration is one of the latest buzz phrases in public health.  However, it is rare to hear of technology sector collaborations between healthy built environment advocates and technology types such as computer programmers and electrical engineers. Health care  has taken advantage of…

In the United States, the Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer.  The well-organized among us have switched out double-pane windows and planted veggies we can cook on the grill wheeled to the patio for the first "eat & greet" of the season. Good weather,…

The first question that came to mind when I heard about the House vote was-why?  We've come to expect the unexpected from the right-tilting House.  There are the obvious answers: brandishing Tea Party credentials in preparation for the November election; right to privacy…

The emphasis on the built environment in public health is hard to escape.  Conferences, podcasts, webinars.......you name it......there is a discussion concerning getting people to walk more frequently in their daily lives.  The task for public health practitioners is to bring evidence to discussions in order to inform decision makers on parks, transportation, and planning boards to consider public health goals in their deliberations. 

If asked, anyone working on community health…

In January, the Institute of Medicine released the report Living Well with Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action.  The report may strike some…

Transportation planning is increasingly being recognized as an important platform for population health improvement.  While air quality may be the first health issue to come to mind,  transporation planners and engineers influence how our communities are configured and determine the "walkability" &…

The relationship between health and education is well-documented; however, public health limits its engagement with the education sector to activities related to interventions that contribute directly to population health measures such as immunizations and more recently…

This is an excellent webinar regarding disparities in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in the Latino and African American populations. Click on the audio & PowerPoint slides.  The video of the presentation appears below

Description: A recent survey revealed that only one third of cardiologists acknowledged the existence of racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular care in general, and only 5% agreed that disparities existed in their own practice. Several…

FoodNavigator USA is my one-stop-shop for food and beverage industry points of view on public health interventions.  The commentary is predictable, but what is most interesting is the "logic" supporting positions taken by the website's contributers.  But an opinion piece on the Cornell systematic review of studies concerning food environments and eating was a bit of a shock.  Caroline…