Mississippi: Schools Invited to Participate in Nutrition Study
The Agatston Research Foundation invited the Moss Point School District in Mississippi to participate in a study that will test the value of nutrition and lifestyle education and fitness initiatives in the public school setting. The district would be required to alter lunch menus to include more healthy foods and collect weight, height, gender and age data from each student annually during the three- to five-year period of the study.

New Jersey: State Struggles to Implement Needle Exchange Programs
New Jersey is struggling to enroll injection drug users in three needle exchange pilot programs due in part to a lack of funding. The state government allocated $10 million toward drug treatment but did not fund the needle exchange programs. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, at least 43 percent of the state's 48,000 reported HIV/AIDS cases were transmitted through needles.

National: Awareness of Heart Attack Signs Lags in U.S.
According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, many U.S. residents are not aware of all five warning signs of heart attack. The study found that 30 percent of whites, 16 percent of blacks, and 14 percent of Hispanics were aware of the five warning signs and which actions to take in response. The study also found marked knowledge differences between states.

South Carolina: Gov. Sanford to Sign Health-Care Bill for Small Businesses
This week Gov. Mark Sanford will sign a bill that allows a group of at least 10 small businesses to join together to negotiate cheaper health insurance rates. Current state law allows only businesses with a minimum of 1,000 employees to join together to negotiate cheaper rates.

Tennessee: Governor Urges Restructuring of Long-term Care
Gov. Phil Bredesen has recommended restructuring of how long-term care is provided to elderly and disabled residents in the state. The governor proposed a $20.7 million expansion of community care. At present, the state spends 98 percent of its funds for long-term care on nursing home stays. The proposed legislation will create expanded programs for those who need home care.

Kentucky: Eastern Kentucky Bears High Cervical Cancer Rate
Women in Eastern Kentucky have a cervical cancer rate more than one-third higher than the national average. Poverty, lack of health insurance, doctor shortages and transportation problems are some of the reasons for high incidence and mortality from cervical cancer in the region. Using Kentucky tobacco, researchers at the University of Louisville are trying to develop a low-cost version of the vaccine against human papillomavirus (the primary cause of cervical cancer) that would sell for less than $3. The current vaccine called Gardasil costs about $360 for a three-shot series. Also, initiatives such as Faith Moves Mountains are working to improve cervical cancer screening in the region.

New Generation of Tobacco Products Threatens Efforts to Reduce Tobacco Use, Save Lives in U.S.
This report describes how tobacco manufacturers take advantage of the lack of government regulation to design and market products that recruit new young users, create and sustain addiction to nicotine, and discourage current users from quitting. The report highlights the request of leading public health organizations urging Congress to pass pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products and their marketing.

New Resource for Preventing Diabetes in African-Americans
This toolkit by the National Diabetes Education Program is designed to encourage faith-based and community leaders to actively promote diabetes prevention among African-Americans. The toolkit includes 12 interactive group sessions covering topics including how to encourage families and individuals to increase physical activity, to make healthier food choices and to understand food serving sizes.

State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments---United States 2006
This recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the need to increase Medicaid coverage of tobacco-dependence treatments. The report indicates that approximately 35 percent of Medicaid recipients are smokers and an estimated 14 percent of Medicaid costs are attributable to tobacco use. The report also points out that tobacco-dependence treatments are highly cost-effective.

States Turn Challenges Into Opportunities, Advancing Cervical Cancer Prevention Efforts
This state-by-state comparison report released by Women in Government shows that states are making progress in the fight against cervical cancer, but still face barriers in terms of racial and socio-economic disparities in cervical cancer incidence, mortality, and a lack of access to care. According to the report, that 37 states received good ratings and 14 states and Washington, D.C. received fair ratings on their efforts to prevent cervical cancer.

Diabetes-Related Health Costs Soared to $174 Billion in 2007
According to this recent report by the American Diabetes Association, diabetes cost the United States $174 billion in 2007 in direct medical care costs and lost productivity. Much of the diabetes-related expenses stem from the treatment of complications caused by diabetes, while spending for routine preventive care to treat the condition is relatively low. The report also provides state-by state estimates of the cost of diabetes.

CDC Awards $24 Million for IT-Driven Pandemic Preparedness Projects
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will award $24 million in grants for projects that use health information technology to help communities prepare for and respond to pandemic flu. The grantees will undertake demonstration projects to create an electronic laboratory data exchange to support influenza surveillance, to integrate state-based immunization systems to track pandemic countermeasures, and to develop a statewide electronic mortality reporting system.

Average Annual Health Care Use and Expense for Shingles Among U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2003-2005
This brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that in 2003, 2004 and 2005, 1.1 million persons per year had shingles or its complications and .9 million sought medical treatment. Treatment for shingles cost $525 per person. The estimates are based on data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

The American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2007
This annual report card by the American Lung Association grades each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on their tobacco control policies on smoke-free air, cigarette tax, tobacco prevention spending and youth access to tobacco products. According to the report card, 21 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have passed comprehensive smoke-free air laws. Twenty five states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have cigarette tax rates of $1 or higher, and nine of those 25 states are at or above $2 per pack.

Other Resources

The Synthesis Project
This brief by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides information on pay-for-performance initiatives being pursued by state Medicaid programs and private health care plans. The brief includes information on the structures and policy as well as implications of the pay-for performance initiatives.

National President's Challenge
The National President's Challenge is a new fitness program that begins March 20. It encourages individuals ages 6 and older to register on the President's Challenge web site, be active at least five days a week, and log that activity on their personal activity tracker.

CSG Annual Meeting Resolutions
The Council of State Governments monitors a host of issues that impact state governments. These issues are often brought before CSG's task force members at the spring and annual meeting through policy resolutions. At CSG's recent Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, the Health Task Force considered and passed four policy resolutions. They addressed public health and climate change, smoking cessation, cervical cancer education programs and patient-centered medical homes. Please click on the link above to view the complete text of each resolution.

CDC Launches Redesigned Spanish Web site 'CDC en Espanol'
This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Spanish-language Web site, CDC en Espanol, provides accurate, up-to-date information in Spanish on health issues of special interest to Hispanic communities, including information on a wide range of health promotion and disease prevention topics.