Submissions should be no more than 150 words in length and should describe the initiative, creativity or impact on physical activity demonstrated by the nominee. Nominations should be received no later than January 11, 2002. Awards will be announced at a national event celebrating World Health Day on April 5, 2002.

10/18/01

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that some medical products made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may expose patients to unsafe amounts of the toxic chemical di-2-ethylhexyl-phthalate (DEHP). The agency released the findings in its long-awaited safety assessment on DEHP, which is used to soften PVC medical devices such as bags and tubing used to administer fluids, medication, blood, oxygen, and nutritional formulas to patients.

The FDA's scientific assessment found that DEHP may not be safe for infants, children and adults receiving certain medical treatments that involve PVC medical devices. The FDA expressed concern for adults and infants undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), infants undergoing exchange transfusions, adults undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, all patients receiving enteral nutrition, nursing infants of mothers on hemodialysis, and infants receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN).

10/17/01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold a live satellite broadcast on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 4-5:30 p.m. EDT, and a re-broadcast on Monday, Oct. 22, from 5-6:30 p.m. EDT, aimed at helping health care workers correctly recognize, test, diagnose, treat and report potential cases that could be attributed to anthrax. The broadcast also will include an overview of CDC readiness and response to recent events.

"Anthrax: What Every Clinician Should Know" will feature Tommy Thompson, Secretary, Department of Health & Human Services, and Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH, Director, CDC, on the panel of experts. A question-and-answer session will enable participants nationwide to pose questions to panelists via fax or e-mail during the program.

10/12/01

Medical waste should not be incinerated due to the availability of viable alternatives that are safer, cleaner, do not produce dioxin and are just as effective at disinfection, according to a report released today by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), an international coalition of doctors, hospitals and public health advocates with 335 members in 36 countries.

The long-awaited report, released today in more than a dozen communities around the world, is the most comprehensive information available to date on the pros and cons of alternatives to medical waste incineration. It explores the environmental and economic impacts, among other considerations, of about 50 specific technologies.

10/10/01
To meet healthcare providers' need for knowledge about disaster care, the Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis (OJKSN) is launching the quick-response special feature, "What We Know About Terrorism, Disasters, and Health". This special feature will reflect what is known about human response to terrorism and disaster; and what is known about health interventions and disaster response. The first installment will be published on October 11, 2001, and will be FREE OF CHARGE at http://www.stti.iupui.edu/library/ojksn/.

Research evidence and other knowledge sources, examples, and experiences will be assembled to guide us in delivery of high quality care.

OJKSN urgently seeks authors to write integrative reviews and best practice guidelines. We are calling together an Expert Panel to serve as peer reviewers for this feature; if you have expertise, you are invited to nominate yourself or others. Experts in this field are asked to identify important knowledge sources (print and web) for consideration.

10/09/01
A radio report this morning on NPR revealed that a second case of anthrax exposure was confirmed in a co-worker of the 63-year-old Florida man who died from the disease late last week. The second man has been hospitalized but has not yet become ill from the disease, the report stated. The building where both men worked (for the tabloid The Sun) has been closed down for testing of the ventilation system, as have other buildings in the immediate vicinity.

As the towers fell, I stood stunned at the reports.

10/05/01

10/05/01
If you want to explore new and emerging knowledge in the area of patient safety you will want to attend The Mandate for Health Care Safety: Solutions to Protect Patients and the Public, October 25-27, 2001 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC.

John Nance, JD, Founding Board Member, National Patient Safety Foundation, will share lessons learned from other industries that accepted the challenge to improve safety. Greg Pawlson, MD, Executive Vice President, National Committee for Quality Assurance will identify policies and organizational/financial resources for improving quality and patient safety and Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, FAAN, Member, Committee on Quality of Health Care in American, Institute of Medicine will share strategies for nursing to unleash its power to impact the safety of health care in America.

10/05/01

The American Red Cross needs help to provide compassionate assistance, grief counseling, and/or information to those affected by the recent tragedies experienced by our nation. Nurses and mental health professionals from the metropolitan Washington, DC area are needed to answer calls placed to a toll-free national compassion and information hotline. This new hotline is designed to immediately meet family and individual needs resulting from the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. Healthcare professionals are being asked to volunteer for 4 hour shifts. Training is scheduled for first time hotline volunteers; briefings and de-briefings are included during each shift worked.

To volunteer to help, please call 703-208-9793 or 703-206-6538. Please identify yourself as a nurse and/or a mental health professional. Take your license with you when you report for duty. (note: If you are a retired, inactive or student nurse, your service is desired, but your assignment may differ somewhat from that of the registered nurse.)

10/04/01

Albany, NY - In keeping with the effort to return to business as usual following the devastating attacks of September 11, the New York State Nurses Association is proceeding with plans to hold its 100th annual convention in New York City on November 1-4.

"We want to demonstrate our support for the citizens of New York by coming to the city to celebrate our Centennial," said Martha Orr, RN, NYSNA executive director. "We also want to encourage and thank our members who were directly involved in caring for the victims of the attack."

NYSNA represents registered nurses at St. Vincents Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, which received many of the those injured following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Hundreds of NYSNA members from other parts of the city and state volunteered to help, and many continue to provide counseling and care to victims and their loved ones. NYSNA's Wall Street office, just a few blocks from Ground Zero, was closed for a week following the attack but is once again in operation.

The convention, which will be held at the Hilton New York in Manhattan, will feature a keynote address by Coretta Scott King. More than 30 hours of continuing education will be offered, including sessions on care of the elderly, recent developments in breast cancer treatment, pain management, and diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis C. Dozens of products and services of interest to nurses will be featured in the exhibit hall on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

10/04/01
The American Nurses Association (ANA), the largest association representing the professional interests of registered nurses, has an exciting, challenging opportunity for a seasoned professional to provide academic, scientific, fiscal and administrative oversight of the Ethnic Minority Fellowship Program (EMFP) as stipulated by federal funding agencies. This position is responsible for working collaboratively with Directors of the other Minority Fellowship Programs to plan interdisciplinary enhancement experiences for nurse Fellows; maintaining a high level of knowledge about national and regional policies related to nursing education and members of racial and ethnic populations; and representing and/or presenting the EMFP at various conferences and in academic settings. The successful candidate is required to have a PhD in nursing, master's in psychiatric/mental health nursing and a minimum of five years of experience related to the development of careers of individuals from racial and ethnic backgrounds. Experience in an academic institution at the graduate level is preferred. Experience with racial and ethnic populations as scholar-clinician or researcher. Additional requirements include: a broad knowledge of psychiatric-mental health theory and practice as well as history of successful grant writing, monitoring and evaluation.