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CONTENTS: SPECIAL PREVIEW OF JUNE 2008 AAPHP/AMA MEETINGS AND CALL FOR ASSISTANCE
CONTENTS:
1) AAPHP Annual Meeting - Chicago, June 14, 2008
Ron Davis, MD, MS, AMA President, Invited speaker
2) Resolutions for AMA Annual Meeting
3) Dr. Nitzkin updates: FDA tobacco control,
Job Market Initiative, and PSTK workshops
4) From the CDC, Rabies vaccine supply issues
5) Smallpox Rx may help adenovirus
6) Global health: deaths of chronic diseases
exceed infectious diseases
7) HSPH newsletter: Life expectancy worsens
8) HSPH: HIV prevention
9) MMWR contribution includes AAPHP President-elect -
Amoebic meningo-encephalitis
10) Please Help Us to Help You
1. AAPHP Annual Meeting - Chicago, June 14, 2008
The next Annual Meeting of the American Association of Public Health Physicians will be held in Chicago in conjunction with the AMA on SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2008 from 5:30 PM--7:30 PM in the New Orleans Room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Chicago's River Walk at 151 East Wacker Drive. Ron Davis, MD, MS -- AAPHP member and current AMA president -- will speak on pertinent public health issues of our times. Elections will be held. The outgoing AAPHP President, Dr. AL RAUSA will be honored for his 2 years of service.
Dr. KEVIN SHERIN will be installed as the new AAPHP President, along with other elected officers.
Please make every effort to attend. Members and non-members are welcome to attend, at no charge.
For questions, please contact the AAPHP President, Dr. AL RAUSA by phone
662-453-4582 or by e mail: Alfio.Rausa@msdh.state.ms.us, or
AAPHP President-Elect and editor of this e news, Dr. KEVIN SHERIN by phone
321-239-2718 or by e mail: kevin_sherin@doh.state.fl.us.
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2. Resolutions for AMA Annual Meeting:
AAPHP RESOLUTION A-2008
Subject: Public Health Hazards associated with Landscaping Services
Submitted by: American Association of Public Health Physicians
Joseph L. Murphy, M.D. Alternate Delegate and
Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH, Delegate
Whereas, the landscaping services are rendered nationwide by professionally organized businesses as well as private individuals in both residential and business settings, and
Whereas, the employers, the workers, the site inhabitants and their pets all share in the risks of potential injury and exposure, and
Whereas, the frequency of use and efficiency of such practices and equipment as would protect the eyes, ears, lungs, limbs and skin of those workers as well as those around them remains undetermined, be it therefore
Resolved, that our AMA collaborate with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other pertinent federal agencies as well as appropriate medical specialty societies in identifying and recommending strategies to prevent and reduce the potential public health hazards created by various landscaping services (including lawn-mowing, fertilization, weed, insect & grub control, tree & bush care, debris removal, fence, driveway, rock garden & stone path construction requiring use of saws, and a full spectrum of motorized equipment) for workers, inhabitants of service sites, their pets and the environment, and report back at the I-2008 AMA meeting, and further,
Resolved that our AMA study the burdens to the physicians injured patients, the public health systems, the workers and disability compensation programs and the liability imposed upon various parties in case of injuries caused by landscaping services, and report back at the I-2008 AMA meeting.
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Subject: Prevention of FIREARM VIOLENCE: A Public Health Crisis
Submitted by: American Association of Public Health Physicians
Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH, Delegate and,
Joseph L. Murphy, MD, Alternate Delegate
Whereas, the Gun Violence in our society continues to kill more of our citizens, young and old, each week in different geographical areas and diverse environments and impacts our lives adversely, while placing enormous burdens on our already strained public health systems; and
Whereas, the U.S. Supreme Court has recently upheld a person’s constitutional right to bear arms, and the sales of various guns across the country show no signs of slowing down; and
Whereas, in many recent cases, it has become known that the people who committed violence with a firearm had sought help for a medical or psychiatric disorder in recent past, has had recent difficulties in their relationships or at work or school which were known to their co-workers and family members, and had acquired the firearm or ammunition “legitimately”
within a few days before using it to kill others; and
Whereas, a constitutional amendment and enactment of new laws limiting firearm sales in various jurisdictions will require protracted efforts and invite legal challenges, and
Whereas, strong regulatory measures which will protect the public, can be developed and put in place quickly and may include such measures as a mandatory 30 day waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a firearm during which appropriate criminal background and medical bureau checks can be conducted and a police clearance obtained; affidavits from two known individual referees certifying that based on their knowledge, the purchaser poses no immediate danger to others; a medical examination for the purpose of a medical clearance certifying an individual’s ability to possess and safely operate a firearm (similar to the periodic certification required of the drivers of large commercial trucks); satisfactory completion of a comprehensive Firearm Safety Course etc.; be it therefore
Resolved, that our AMA adopt a public health leadership role in the prevention of firearm violence by calling for establishment by the U.S.
Congress of a multidisciplinary Federal Firearm Safety Board, funded by user fees, which will be charged with promptly developing uniform requirements for purchasing and safekeeping of all types of firearms by civilians other than those in law enforcement across the country.
AAPHP Resolution for A-2008.
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Subject: Greening our AMA
Submitted by: American Association of Public Health Physicians
Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH, Delegate and
Joseph L. Murphy, MD, Alternate Delegate
Whereas the health care industry is the second most intensive energy consumer in the U.S., spending $8.3 billion on energy use per year; and
Whereas our AMA has policies urging the medical community to participate in energy efficiency activities in all medical facilities (including reducing and recycling waste), and encouraging physicians to be spokespersons for environmental stewardship; and
Whereas our AMA has policies recognizing that conventional energy production causes multiple health risks (including mercury pollution and ground-level ozone production) that should be addressed; and
Whereas our AMA President recently urged us to make our “practices greener in ways that are ecologically sustainable, are safe for public health and the environment, and promote good patient care”; and
Whereas the time is generally ripe for such action, as evidenced by the “greening” of the Canadian Medical Association, and by Kaiser Permanente and more than a dozen other leading health care organizations recently launching the Global Health and Safety Initiative, a partnership to green the health care industry and improve patient and worker health and safety; and
Whereas our AMA has recently expanded its recycling program, however, there is also a need to move towards other important goals including carbon neutrality, water conservation, zero waste, healthy and sustainably-developed foods and buildings, and avoidance of toxic chemicals/materials; and
Whereas, the NIH’s Bethesda campus is now saving >$5 million annually in energy costs through an energy audit and intervention process; be it therefore
Be it resolved that our AMA conduct an audit of its operations to identify opportunities to conserve energy, reduce waste, save money, and protect the environment and human health and present those audit findings and potential strategies to achieve a “greener” AMA to the House of Delegates at its I-08 meeting.
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Subject: Memorial Resolution: Dr. EDWARD PRESS, MD, MPH
Submitted by: American Association of Public Health Physicians
Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH, Delegate and
Joseph L. Murphy, M.D. Alternate Delegate
Whereas, Dr. EDWARD PRESS was an AMA member from 1981 until 2005, and
Whereas, Dr. PRESS obtained his MD from NY University-Bellevevue Hospital School of Medicine, and MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health, and
Whereas, Dr. PRESS during his illustrious medical career served as a Major in the United States Air Force during World War II, started the first poison control center in the United States in Chicago in 1953, served as the Chief Public Health Officer in Oregon from 1967 until 1979, and was an Emeritus Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Emeritus Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine, and
Whereas, Dr. PRESS was a Past President of the American Association of Public Health Physicians, and
Whereas, Dr. PRESS passed away on September 7, 2006, be it therefore
Resolved, that our AMA pass a resolution commending and memorializing Dr.
EDWARD PRESS’ honorable service to the public and the noble profession of medicine, and that a copy of this resolution, if adopted, be shared with his family and the Governor of Oregon.
***
Subject: Compilation of the AMA President and Board Chair’s Written Materials
Submitted by: American Association of Public Health Physicians
Joseph L. Murphy, M.D. Alternate Delegate and
Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH, Delegate
Whereas, the published essays, columns and speeches by our AMA President and the Board Chair are informative and important elements of our AMA history, yet remain ubiquitously scattered in a variety of print and electronic formats, and
Whereas, these writings express the personal perceptions, scholarship and unique viewpoints of our elected leaders regarding the most important issues of their time in office, and
Whereas, many of our members, including those in the House of Delegates and various sections, would benefit from receiving and reading a conglomeration of these items, and
Whereas, such a compilation could prove valuable in the recruitment and retention of AMA members; be it therefore
Resolved, that our AMA compile annually, in an electronic and/or print format, the pertinent written materials authored by our AMA President and the Board Chair, during their respective terms of office, starting with the
2007-2008 terms.
***
With AAPHP Board support, we signed on as cosponsors of Resolution #218, "Support the Removal of Limiting Charges for Physicians' Services Under Medicare" by Kansas, New Jersey and Oklahoma Delegations, especially based on our concerns regarding diminishing access of care for Medicare patients.
Florida was also strong in its support of that resolution.
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3. Dr. Nitzkin updates: AAPHP Tobacco Control Task Force
The major issue on the AAPHP tobacco agenda is the bill currently under consideration in both Senate and House (S.625/H.R.1108) known as the "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." This deceptive piece of legislation was negotiated between the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CFTK), as the self-appointed representative of the public health community and persons representing the Altria/Philip Morris company. Despite the fanciful hype promoting this bill as one that would dramatically decrease teen smoking and save millions of lives -- this bill, if passed in anything close to its current form, would do more harm than good. While it does have wording, which, if taken out of context of the rest of the bill, would give the impression of major authority being given to the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry -- severe limitations on FDA authority, elsewhere in this bill’s 160 pages, tie FDA's hands behind its back and effectively prevent any meaningful action. Opponents of this bill, including those from AAPHP who have taken the time to thoroughly read it, think of this measure as the Philip Morris protection act.
In a remarkable advocacy program, CTFK, in collaboration with the American Lung Association (ALA) have secured the sign off of large numbers of health-related and other organizations, on the basis of their description of the benefits of this bill. They have also secured sponsorship of large numbers in both the House and Senate. In every case that we have been able to determine, each of these legislators and sponsoring organizations have proceeded on the basis of the summary descriptions -- basically outsourcing the due diligence to analyze the bill before endorsing it to CTFK and ALA. ALA has even gone so far as to oppose amendments that might convert it to a bill with public health value on the basis that any such amendments would kill the legislation if Philip Morris withdrew its support.
The AAPHP analysis of this bill is posted on line at www.aaphp.org, under "tobacco issues." Any AAPHP members interested in yet additional background information, or willing to assist us in advocating for preventing passage of this bill in its current form should feel free to contact Dr. Joel NItzkin, Chair of the AAPHP Tobacco Control Task Force at jln-md@mindspring.com or
504 899 7893.
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Job Market Initiative
The Job Market Initiative (JMI) was initiated six and a half years ago for the purpose of increasing the number and quality of jobs specifying a requirement or preference for physicians with Preventive Medicine Board Certification. At its peak, about four years into the JMI, we were running over 200 jobs being listed at any point in time, and we were receiving spontaneously generated thank-you notes and calls from both job applicants and employers who found excellent matches though our web site. Due to lack of volunteer support, currently the project is limited to the 9-15 jobs posted by employers aware of our site, and hits have decreased from over 500 per month to about 150. If steps cannot be taken to reinvigorate the JMI effort, it might be eliminated.
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Preventive Services ToolKit
The Preventive Services ToolKit is an AAPHP initiative, funded by a CDC grant to teach policy and advocacy skills to public health and healthcare professionals for the purpose of expanding and enhancing the delivery of preventive services in clinical, public health and community settings.
Dr. Nitzkin wants our partners to know that his current limitations due to family health matters are progressing well and that the project can be conducted by distance based learning or in the very near future, onsite with prior arrangements. Contact jln-md@mindspring.com or 504 899 7893.
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4. From the CDC, Rabies vaccine supply issues:
Graciously shared with us via zoonotic epidemiologist Rebecca Baer, MPH, at the Washington State Department of Health:
"As you may have heard, there is concern about a limited supply of rabies vaccines in the US. Starting May 19, 2008, rabies vaccination is only available as post-exposure prophylaxis, not pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Attached is a letter from one of the vaccine manufactures, Sanofi Pasteur, to health care providers and here is a CDC link with more information explaining the situation:
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/news/2008-05-20_PreEVax.html."
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5. Smallpox med may also help adenovirus infections:
According to UPI, researchers at St. Louis University believe that they have discorvered a small pox drug which may also be efficacious against adenovirus in a paper published by the Online version of the Proceedings of the national academy of sciences CMXOO1 works by greatly reducing the ability of the virus to multiply in key organ systems such as the liver.
HealthDay http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=615656
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6. Data indicate more people may die from chronic ailments than from infectious diseases:
The AFP reports that World Health Organization officials are concerned about the enormous impact of chronic disease associated with the western lifestyle, most notably on heart disease and stroke. There is a shift from infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDS, TB and Malaria to the non communicable chronic diseases. By 2030 more than 75% of deaths wil be related to the chronic preventable diseases caused in large measure by tobacco use, sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYzgRUhVZl_Z2Spvt6Z2YNOuGQrw .
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7. HSPH newsletter: Life expectancy worsens:
According to the most recent HSPH newsletter, life expectancy is worsening or Stagnating for Large Segment of the U.S. Population Diseases related to smoking, high blood pressure and obesity contributing to worsening health, particularly for women.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2008-releases/life-expectanc
y-worsening-or-stagnating-for-large-segment-of-the-us-population.html?tr=y&a
uid=3688924
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8. HSPH: HIV prevention:
Harvard School of Public Health’s newsletter also recommends a major shift in HIV prevention priorities which effectively addresseses risk factors and helps reduce multiple sexual partners.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2008-releases/major-shift-in
-hiv-prevention-priorities-needed.html?tr=y&auid=3688923
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9. MMWR contribution includes AAPHP President-elect -
Amoebic meningo-encephalitis
MMWR this past week published case reports of Naegleria fowlerii and Primary Ameobic Meningo-encephalitis in Florida, Texas and Arizona. AAPHP’s president-elect contributed to this report.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5721a1.htm
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10. Please help us to help you:
AAPHP accomplishes its work with a maximum of volunteer labor and a minimum of cash expense. We are proud to make the E-News and other AAPHP materials available without charge to physicians and medical students interested in public health.
If you haven't done so already, please download AAPHP's 2008 Membership Form right away at http://www.aaphp.org/Membership/2008MembForm.pdf and send it to us by fax or postal mail. Please make your 2008 membership as generous as you can. Consider "Supporting" or "Sustaining" membership for 2008 if you are able to do so.
AAPHP is a 501(c)(6) professional membership organization that informs and represents Public Health Physicians. AAPHP dues may be deductible as an "ordinary and necessary" business expense under the Internal Revenue Code.
Details may differ based on your individual situation.
AAPHP dues can be paid by credit card -- either by faxing the membership form to (847) 255-0559 or by calling the AAPHP Secretary's secure mobile/voicemail at (360) 870-2483.
Please also tell your friends and colleagues about AAPHP's representation of Public Health Physicians. E-News subscriptions are still free, on request, to any interested physician or medical student. We welcome new subscribers and members.
Thank you for your support!
Kevin Sherin, MD, MPH (ksherin@yahoo.com) AAPHP President-elect and E-News Editor
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