Tufts Medical Center News Headlines
Week of April 23, 2007 - April 30, 2007
The following headline stories are re-printed from the Tufts Medical Center News, Tufts Medical Center's weekly publication.
World Asthma Day Celebrated at Tufts Medical Center
Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children in conjunction with Tufts University, will host an Asthma Awareness Health Fair on Tuesday, May 1 in celebration of World Asthma Day 2007.
The event will be held in the Atrium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will have a range of activities, including asthma screenings for adults and activity tables where children can learn asthma self-management skills. Everyone will also have theopportunity to watch a special interactive play, “Buster Has Asthma,” which will take place in the Atrium at 11:30 a.m.
Displays and activities will be staffed by physicians and other health care professionals, all of who can answer asthma questions. Interpreters will also be available. Educational materials about smoking cessation, asthma self-management, and environmental control will be available in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Books and crafts will also be given for children to bring home.
As part of this year’s World Asthma Day, Bill Yee, MD, Acting Chief of Tufts Medical Center’s Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy Division, and Amy Simon, MD, Director of Tufts Medical Center’s Asthma Center, will participate in an expert panel discussion at the State House from 2 to 4 p.m. In addition, Assistant Secretary General Andray Pirogov of the United Nations World Health Organization, keynote speaker at the State House event, will make a special visit to Floating’s Pediatric and Adolescent Asian Clinic.
“World Asthma Day is an annual event, organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma to work with health care professionals and public health officials around the world to reduce the burden of asthma,” said Simon. “We’re happy to be able to provide free screenings as well as information on asthma to the Medical Center community and our neighbors and are proud to host Assistant Secretary General Pirogov of the UN’s WHO.”
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. Symptoms include breathing problems such as shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. World Asthma Day, which will take place in dozens of countries around the world, focuses on encouraging health care workers, governments, and the general public to work toward better treatment and control of this common respiratory illness.
The World Asthma Day celebration at Tufts Medical Center was made possible through the efforts of Community Health Programs, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Division, Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy, as well as the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
Tufts Medical Center to Help Neighbors Get Health Coverage as Part of “Cover the Uninsured Week”
Tufts Medical Center is joining a state wide effort to help community members learn about the different health coverage options now available to them. In response to the impending July 1 mandatory deadline for Massachusetts residents to enroll in a health plan, Tufts Medical Center employees will staff an information table in the Atrium with pamphlets in multiple languages – including Chinese, Russian and Spanish – regarding eligibility, enrollment and different insurance options on Wednesday, April 25.
These events will coincide with national Cover the Uninsured Week, taking place from Monday, April 23 to Sunday, April 29.
The Medical Center will also provide additional financial counselors as part of the event to answer questions and direct people to patient financial services so that uninsured residents are able to enroll on that same day.
A recent poll from the Massachusetts Health Association shows that the number one health-related concern among Bay State residents is having high quality health coverage.
“According to recent estimates, more than half a million Massachusetts residents are currently uninsured,” said Tufts Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Ellen Zane. “Through this outreach effort, we at Tufts Medical Center are working together with other health care providers and advocates to raise awareness of this serious issue and acting as a resource for the members of our communities.”
For a full listing of the different events that are taking place in Massachusetts during Cover the Uninsured Week and for more information on resources, visit www.gethealthcoverage.net.
Now in its fifth year, Cover the Uninsured Week leads efforts around the country to bring together business owners, educators, students, patients, physicians and other organizations to focus on the uninsured. This year, the eyes of the nation are on Massachusetts, as our health care reform law serves as a model for access to affordable quality health care.
Tufts Medical Center Researchers Find Health Benefits of Breastfeeding For Both Infants and Mothers
There is evidence that breastfeeding decreases infants’ and mothers’ risks of having many short-term and chronic diseases, according to a report by researchers from Tufts Medical Center’s Institute of Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies. The team, led by Stanley Ip, MD, and Joseph Lau, MD, conducted a comprehensive review of research on the short- and long-term effects of breastfeeding on both infant and maternal health in developed countries.
The report found that breastfeeding reduced infants’ risk of ear infections by up to 50 percent, decreased the risk of serious lower respiratory tract infections by 72 percent, and also lowered the risk of a skin rash similar to eczema by 42 percent. Children with a family history of asthma who had been breastfed were 40 percent less likely to have asthma, and children who were not prone to asthma had a 27 percent reduced risk of developing asthma compared to children who were not breastfed. Breastfeeding also reduced the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes by about 20 percent. These benefits were seen in infants who were breastfed for three or more months. Breastfeeding also reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 39 percent compared to infants who were not breastfed.
The report also found that breastfeeding was associated with fewer episodes of diarrhea during infancy, decreased incidence of childhood leukemia, and decreased deaths from sudden infant death syndrome. The report found no clear relationship between breastfeeding and improvement in IQ. In premature infants, breastfeeding decreased the occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious gastrointestinal infection that often results in death.
For health outcomes in mothers, the report found that women who breastfed their infants had up to a 12 percent reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes for each year they breastfed. Breastfeeding decreased the risk of ovarian cancer by up to 21 percent, and also decreased the risk of breast cancer by up to 28 percent in mothers whose lifetime duration of breastfeeding was 12 months or longer.
Women who did not breastfeed their infants were more likely to have postpartum depression, but unmeasured factors—such as depression that was undiagnosed prior to giving birth—may have increased the rate of depression seen in this group. Breastfeeding did not increase the risk of fractures due to oseteoporosis. The effect of breastfeeding on a woman’s weight could not be determined based on the available studies.
“The results of this report show that a history of breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of many diseases in both infants and mothers from developed countries,” said Ip. “However, because the data in this review were gathered largely from observational studies, causality cannot be automatically inferred based on these findings. For future studies, clear subject selection criteria and definition of ‘exclusive breastfeeding,’ as well as reliable collection of feeding data and blinded assessment of the outcome measures will help.”
The report was nominated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health and prepared by a team of researchers led by Ip and Lau at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at Tufts Medical Center. The EPCs develop evidence reports and technology assessments on topics relevant to clinical, social science/behavioral, economic, and other health care organization and delivery issues—specifically those that are common, expensive, and/or significant for the Medicare and Medicaid populations. Tufts Medical Center’s EPC is one of 13 such centers nationwide.
Other researchers included Mei Chung, MPH; Gowri Raman, MD; Priscilla Chew, MPH; Nombulelo Magula, MD; project manager Deirdre DeVine, Mlitt; and Thomas Trikalinos, MD, PhD.
Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Developed Countries can be found online at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/brfouttp.htm. Copies of the report are available free of charge by contacting the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or 1-800-358-9295.
AHRQ is the lead federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.
Richard Dupee, MD, to Take Part In Panel Discussion on Aging
Richard Dupee, MD, Tufts Medical Center’s Chief of Geriatrics, will participate as a panelist to discuss The Healthcare Gap in Caring for Older Americans on Wednesday, May 9, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sponsored by Dovetail Health, the conference is free to the public and will take place at the Harvard Medical School Conference Center.
Topics will include what networks are currently in place to address senior citizens health care needs and what solutions are needed to help fill this gap; what local healthcare institutions are doing to prepare for an influx of patients as the “Baby Boom” generation ages; how adult children are dealing with the care needs of their parents; and what new options exist to meet the lifestyles and demands of this new generation of seniors.
“The lack of geriatric training in many medical schools is one of the greatest gaps in medical teaching,” said Dupee. “Fortunately, we at Tufts University School of Medicine have a strong program during second year training. We’re going to need doctors to take care of the Baby Boomers.”
For more information on the panel discussion, call 781-292-3544 or email mgagalis@dovetailhealth.com.
Reminder: Autism Awareness Day
April is Autism Awareness Month and Floating Hospital’s Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN) will host an Autism Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 25 at Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children. The schedule of the day’s events is as follows:
· 10 a.m. to noon: Display in the Atrium lobby. Representatives from the CCSN and other community organizations will provide information and be available to answer questions about autism spectrum disorders.
· Noon to 1 p.m.: Pediatric Grand Rounds. Karen Levine, PhD, Clinical Director of Autism and Developmental Disabilities Services, Cambridge Health Alliance, will speak about “Replays,” a new play-based technique used to help children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
· 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.: Luncheon in Pediatric library on Floating 2. Kira Apse from the Autism Consortium will talk about an upcoming autism research study taking place at Floating Hospital this June.
The CCSN also encourages interested individuals to attend Autism Awareness Day at the State House on Monday, April 30 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Great Hall. For more information, contact Bernadette Murphy Bentley at 617-636-1305.