As part of a new program to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption, health care providers in Massachusetts and Maine are now offering vouchers worth $1 per day to members of low income families.  Read more.

Thanks to a $2 million grant from the GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GE, school-based health centers in New Orleans will be able to continue providing valuable healthcare services. Grant funds awarded to School Health Connection, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, will help provide comprehensive preventive, primary care and primary mental health services for enrolled school students. Read the full article.

It’s back to school time, which means school supplies, clothes and getting kids get the shots they need before starting school. Immunizations protect kids from a variety of ailments, and the risks of vaccinations are very small compared with the health risks associated with the diseases they prevent. Each child who isn’t vaccinated gives those germs a chance to spread to other children. If all kids get their shots, we can put an end to deadly childhood diseases. To find out which shots your child needs, visit Healthfinder.gov. For resources in Louisiana, visit Shots for Tots.com

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) is developing a proposal to request a waiver that seeks to secure new funding to sustain and build upon the existing primary care and outpatient mental health services in community-based health clinics that are supported in part by the federal Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant (PCASG) ending in September 2010. A public meeting to engage the community in the proposal process will be held Tuesday, August 3, 2010 from 6:00pm-7:00pm at the ASHE Cultural Arts Center at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New Orleans. Click here to view the Concept Paper and other waiver related documents. A hard copy of the Concept Paper is available for viewing at the New Orleans Health Department in New Orleans City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street, room 8E18. To find a quality community health clinic in the New Orleans metro area, visit www.GNOcommunity.org or call (504) 872-0750.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals recently added new features to www.healthfinderla.gov, a comprehensive online resource that allows users to compare cost and quality of services offered by hospitals, nursing homes, and public and private health care plans. The site now includes information to compare dialysis facilities and home health care options and a physician locator that helps you find physicians, specialists, and other health care providers in your local area. Visit the site.

Recent studies of school based health centers (SBHCs) show that school-based clinics positively impact different aspects of student health and life. SBHCs provide access to primary and preventative care for uninsured and under-insured students. A Michigan State University study surrounding SBHCs found that students attending schools with a clinic were more physically active, ate healthier, and were more satisfied with their health than students withoug access to a SBHC. Here in Louisiana, research on SBHCs shows that access to a SBHC helps make students less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug use, unsafe sexual activity, violence, and smoking. Click here to read more about the Michigan findings and click here to read more about the impact of SHBCs in Louisiana.

One of the best things all patients can do to improve their own healthcare is to ask their doctors lots of questions. This is especially true when starting a new medication. The Mayo Clinic advises everyone to make sure they understand key information about their prescription and offers a list of questions to be prepared to ask your doctor when taking a new medication. Read more.

Beginning September 23, a new national law will require health insurance companies to cover many forms of preventive care free of charge. Under the new rules, co-payments, deductibles, and all other charges will be eliminated for health interventions designed to catch diseases before they develop into serious conditions. Some of the services that the law will cover include medical tests for blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol, screenings for cancer, HIV, obesity, and depression, routine vaccinations, prenatal care, regular wellness visits for infants and children, and counseling to help people stop smoking. One of the main motivations for the law is that people currently use only half as much preventive care as experts recommend. Read more.

Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a serious and growing concern nationally. HAIs are infections that people get while receiving treatment for another health issue. HAI infections result in over 86,000 deaths per year and result in huge costs to healthcare systems. While a cause for concern, the good news is that these infections are easily preventable if healthcare professionals are diligent about maintaining sterile conditions and closely monitoring patients. Programs advocating for HAI prevention awareness have shown that adopting a few simple measures can reduce the rate of HAIs by two-thirds and save hospitals $200 million in just 18 months. Click here to read more about studies on HAIs and their costs. Click here to read about the Department of Health and Human Services’ plan to reduce the burden of HAIs nationally.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals’s (DHH) Shots for Tots program will be hosting several back-to-school immunization events at public health units in southwestern Louisiana this July and August. Immunizations are a safe and effective way to prevent children from catching many infectious diseases that may need serious medical treatment later. Shots for Tots helps keep Louisiana among the national leaders in child immunization rate. Medicaid patients must bring their Medicaid cards to have the cost of the immunizations covered, and there will be a $10 co-pay for patients with health insurance. No children will be turned away because of inability to pay. All parents are asked to bring their child’s immunization records to the event. Click here for more information and a schedule of all the immunization events.