The Pump Handle - A Water Cooler for the Public Health Crowd

Food Safety & Nutrition Public health ROI: Foodborne illness network is saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars

March 18, 2016 Kim Krisberg

In another example of the value of investing in public health, a recent study finds that PulseNet, a national foodborne illness outbreak network, prevents about 276,000 illnesses every year, which translates into savings of $507 million in medical costs and lost productivity. That’s a pretty big return on investment for a system that costs just $7.3 million annually to operate.

Government Obama’s regulatory czar and (sort of) transparency

March 17, 2016 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

President Obama’s regulatory czar testified before Congress on Tuesday and proclaimed the transparency of his office’s operations. His claims about disclosures of private meetings don’t jive with my experience.

Agriculture Occupational Health News Roundup

March 16, 2016 Kim Krisberg

Vox explores the mental health impact of medical errors on health care workers; California policymaker announces efforts to protect women janitors from sexual assault; farmworkers call on fast food chain Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program for better wages; and a judge upholds a worker’s social media rights.

Injury Control & Violence Not an “accident”: Albert James Speed, 25 suffers fatal work-related injury in McCalla, AL

March 15, 2016 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Friday, March 4 in McCalla, AL.

Women's Health US unintended pregnancies declined between 2008 and 2011

March 14, 2016 Liz Borkowski, MPH

Although the US still has a long way to go in preventing unintended pregnancies, an article published earlier this month in the New England Journal of Medicine had some good news: The proportion of US pregnancies that were unintended dropped from 51% in 2008 to 45% in 2011.

Public Health Practice Leading pediatrics association urges doctors to screen for poverty

March 11, 2016 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Poverty and poor health often go hand-in-hand. However, the effects of poverty may be especially profound for children, who are moving through critical developmental and educational phases in their young lives. Knowing that this social determinant of health can lead to a lifelong struggle with poor health and disease, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now calling on pediatricians to screen their young patients for poverty.

Environmental Health Making the case for safer paint strippers

March 9, 2016 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

A painter named Jason, who nearly died from using a methylene chloride-based paint stripper, teams up with the California Department of Public Health to make the case for using safer alternatives.

Child Labor More evidence that paid sick leave is good for working families and public health

March 8, 2016 Kim Krisberg

It seems obvious that workers with paid sick leave are more likely to stay home and seek out medical care when they or a family member is ill. But it’s always good to confirm a hunch with some solid data.

Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Zika research: Microcephaly, stem cells, and, Guillain-Barré

March 7, 2016 Liz Borkowski, MPH 2Comment

Over the past few weeks, new published research has provided more evidence linking Zika virus to poor health outcomes

Environmental Health Study: Fracking wastewater wells more likely located near communities of color and poverty

March 5, 2016 Kim Krisberg 3Comment

During the years that community health researcher Jill Johnston lived and worked in San Antonio, Texas was experiencing an explosion of fracking. She and the community partners she worked with on environmental health issues had a strong hunch that most of the fracking wastewater wells were being located near communities of color. So, they decided to dig a little deeper and quantify the pattern.