Campbell University announced this week that it will add a new Master of Science in Public Health Degree that will start next fall. In a prepared statement, the University said the program will address the shortage of public health professionals and focus on rural health disparities.

The degree will be offered through Campbell’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The school will start accepting applications for the two-year program in November, with classes beginning in August 2012.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently released $32 million to 904 community health centers nationwide, as part of an initiative to enhance the quality and coordination of health care services through the patient-centered medical home.

Eighteen community health centers in North Carolina are among the recipients, each receiving $35,000 made available by the Affordable Care Act. The grants provide supplemental funding to  help health centers achieve recognition as patient-centered medical homes, through care planning, support for team-based models of service delivery, and system upgrades.

North Carolina grantees include:

Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, Inc.              Ahoskie

Medical Resource Center for Randolph County, Inc.          Asheboro

Western NC Community Health Services, Inc.                    Asheville

Piedmont Health Services, Inc.                                            Carrboro

The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc.             Charlotte

Lincoln Community Health Center, Inc.                                Durham

Stedman-Wade Health Services, Inc.                                   Fayetteville

Gaston Family Health Services, Inc.                                     Gastonia

Blue Ridge Community Health Services                               Hendersonville

First Choice Community Health Centers                              Mamers

Tri-County Community Health                                              Newton Grove

Robeson Health Care Corporation                                        Pembroke

Wake Health Services, Inc.                                                   Raleigh

Rural Health Group, Inc.                                                       Roanoke Rapids

Greene County Health Care Incorporated                            Snow Hill

Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc.                    Washington

New Hanover CHC                                                                Wilmington

Carolina Family Health Centers, Inc.                                    Wilson

North Carolina has been awarded a $7.4 million Community Transformation Grant by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The grants are used to support planning and implementation of state and community projects to reduce chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

“The cost of managing chronic diseases in North Carolina is $6 billion and rising – and that only accounts for the three risk factors of tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor nutrition,” State Health Director Jeffrey P. Engel, MD, said. “This investment in prevention will help control costs, but more importantly, will save lives, reduce disability and improve the quality of life for millions of North Carolinians.”

The Community Transformation Grants focus on three priority areas: tobacco-free living; active living and healthy eating; and evidence-based quality clinical and other preventive services, specifically prevention and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

In North Carolina, the Division of Public Health will work with agencies, organizations and local coalitions to:

• Build upon recent success with second-hand smoke exposure in public places;
• Make communities more walkable and bikeable through land-use and transportation policy;
• Make public places such as schools more accessible for physical activity, through joint-use agreements that allow people to walk on a school track after school hours; and
• Increase access and affordability of healthy foods in convenience stores, farmers markets and farm stands, with an emphasis on expanding access in low-income communities.

Click here to learn more about Community Transformation Grants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries with no co-pay or deductible. Take advantage of each office visit and start protecting your patients as soon as your 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine arrives. And don’t forget to immunize yourself and your staff.  Get the Flu Vaccination – Not the Flu.

Remember – Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered under Part B benefits. Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For information about Medicare’s coverage of the influenza vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational resources for healthcare professionals and their staff, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp.

As the 2011-2012 flu season approaches, the NC Division of Public Health (DPH) is offering some facts that physicians may wish to share with staff and patients:

• The 2011-2012 trivalent season flu vaccine will include pandemic 2009 H1N1 virus. That’s the same virus used in the 2009 H1N1 monovalet vaccine.
• The CDC recommends universal flu vaccination. Everyone six months of age and older should receive a flu vaccine.
• Health care personnel are particularly encouraged to receive flu vaccine, not only to protect themselves from the disease, but also to help prevent transmission of the flu to patients, co-workers, family members and others.

A higher dose formulation of an inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine (Fluzone High-Dose) for use in people age 65 years and older is available. Fluzone High-Dose contains four times the amount of influenza antigen compared to other inactivated seasonal influenza vaccines. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has not expressed a preference for Fluzone High-Dose or any other licensed inactivated influenza vaccine for use in people age 65 and older.

Please, this flu season: protect yourself, protect your patients, protect your family–Get your flu vaccine.

As we have done with past severe weather-related events, the NCMS is prepared to implement its emergency/disaster plan in the event Hurricane Irene disrupts and damages physician practices or other health care delivery facilities in eastern North Carolina. We are partnering with the Old North State Medical Society (ONSMS) in order to enhance our communication wtih physicians across our state. We want to thank ONSMS President Edward Treadwell, MD, and Executive Director Thea Monet for making this possible.

On Thursday, Governor Perdue declared a state of emergency and President Obama approved federal aid to assist state and local responses to the storm. Forecasts at midday Friday indicated that the center of Irene was expected to make landfall in the vicinity of Cape Lookout around 9:00 am Saturday. Advisories showed Irene had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. Forecasters did not expect the storm to strengthen before making landfall. High wind warnings were issued for eastern North Carolina for Saturday, effective from 6:00 am to midnight. Heavy rains capable of producing flash floods were expected, beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday.

State emergency officials reported that storm shelters were opened in North Hampton, Wilson, Halifax, Nash, Wilson and Johnston Counties. Wake County was on stand-by to open an evacuation shelter, should the shelters in the eastern counties exceed 50 percent capacity. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in several coastal communities.

As many NCMS and ONSMS members will recall from Hurricane Floyd, high winds and floods can quickly displace physicians and their practices. Should you experience an extended storm-related disruption, or you become aware of a physician who has had such an experience, please contact Mike Edwards at the NCMS, medwards@ncmedsoc.org or 919-833-3836, ext. 112.

The NCMS emergency/disaster plan includes:

•  Serving as a key contact point to assist physicians affected by the storm
  • Call: 800-722-1350 or 919-833-3836
• Communication of important information to physicians in private practice and component medical societies in storm-affected areas
• Coordinating and communicating requests for volunteers, equipment, donations and other needs
• Serving as a liaison with the Division of Public Health, State Emergency Management and other agencies in communicating advisories, alerts, updates and other storm-related information important to physicians and component medical societies
• Creating online resources including phone numbers and other information to help physicians during the post-storm recovery

NCMS is prepared to utilize a variety of communication tools to reach physicians, including our Doctor to Doctor blog, NCMS Webpage, Twitter, Facebook, email, fax and phone calls. As past experience has demonstrated, power outages can affect locally available communication, so we will try to provide information using several sources and encourage physicians to periodically check the NCMS website, http://www.ncmedsoc.org/, for updates and other information.

Here are some helpful links for storm-related events:

CDC Hurricane Information for Health Care Professionals: www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/hcp.asp

American Red Cross Information on Disaster and Emergency Preparedness:

Getting Assistance: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=6cde1a53f1c37110VgnVCM1000003481a10aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Preparedness Information:  http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=46de1a53f1c37110VgnVCM1000003481a10aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

NC Division of Emergency Management: http://www.nccrimecontrol.org/Index2.cfm?a=000003,000010

NC Department of Public Health (DHHS): http://publichealth.nc.gov/

NC State Government Hurricane Information: http://www.ncgov.com/NCHurricane.aspx

Hurricane and Health Safety (NC DHHS): http://www.ncdhhs.gov/hurricanes/

Please feel free to share this information with your physician colleagues and staff and know that we are here to help you. 

Robert Seligson, EVP, CEO, NCMS, rseligson@ncmedsoc.org.

Cancer survivors, 16-39 years of age who were diagnosed at age 21 or younger, now have a special resource where they can ask questions about medical or psychological issues facing adolescent/young adult survivors of cancer. The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivor Hotline officially opened August 16 and also is available to family members or friends (18 years or older) of cancer survivors, and to health care providers.

There are two ways to access the Hotline:

(1) Page 800-604-8215, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday

Leave a phone number and a provider in the Childhood Cancer Survivorship clinics at UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Asheville, or Wake Forest University will call you back within 30 minutes.

(2) Email  survivingcancer@med.unc.edu

Leave an email address and a provider will be back in touch within 24 hours on weekdays.

The Hotline is funded by a grant from the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research ( http://www.rallyfoundation.org/ ). You can learn more at http://unclineberger.org/yesican/.

Click here to download a flyer that can be given to patients or posted in your office.

The North Carolina Division of Public Health (DPH) has informed the NCMS that it has updated information in memos that were originally sent to physicians and other providers in 2009 about DPH surveillance of vector borne diseases. The memos are available on the NCMS website, http://www.ncmedsoc.org/. DPH updates information about these diseases yearly.  NCMS wishes to thank State Public Health Veterinarian Carl Williams, DVM, DACVPM, for this update.

Read the latest information about Diagnosis and Surveillance for Tick Borne Rickettsial dieases (TBRD) and Arboviral diseases.

Click here to read the latest information on Diagnosis and Surveillance for Lyme Disease.

A video is now available on VaccineShop.com® to help physicians and other providers learn more about the Fluzone Intradermal vaccine microinjection system, the clinical profile, and how to administer Fluzone Intradermal vaccine.  The vaccine is licensed for use in patients 18 to 64 and is available for the upcoming flu season.

Vaccine manufacturer sanofi pasteur is offering an unbranded Flashcard that explains the clinical rationale for Fluzone High Dose, for people over 65 years of age. The company reports that it has already started shipping the vaccine and is tracking ahead of schedule for all flu dose shipping.

Click here to read the 2011 Fluzone High-Dose Newsletter.

The North Carolina Medical Society and the North Carolina Dermatology Association are among eighty-six national and state medical and specialty societies that have expressed opposition to federal legislation to repeal a tax on indoor tanning services. In a letter to Senator Olympia Snowe (R, Maine), the organizations stated that they “strongly believe in the advancement of public policies that promote prevention and education about skin cancer and reflect the dangers of indoor tanning.” Citing numerous scientific studies that tanning bed use increases the risk of developing all forms of skin cancer, the organizations noted that the indoor tanning tax serves as the only national policy that “acts as a deterrent to the harmful behavior and significant health risks of indoor tanning.”  Click here to read the letter.

Nine North Carolina school-based health centers will be receiving more than $2.27 million in federal grants created by the Affordable Care Act for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program. Grants totaling $95 million were awarded Thursday to 278 school-based health center programs across the country to help clinics expand and provide more health care services.

North Carolina grantees:

 The grants are the first in a series of awards that will be made available to school-based health centers under the Affordable Care Act, which provided for a total of $200 million for 2010 through 2013 for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program. To learn more abour the program, visit www.hrsa.gov/ourstories/schoolhealthcenters.

The North Carolina Division of Public Health announced Tuesday that five recipients will benefit from $1.6 million in federally funded grants for the state’s implementation of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. The program is a provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and seeks to improve health and development outcomes for young at-risk children through evidence-based home visiting programs.

“Home visitation programs are common in other countries, and have been used effectively in the United States to improve children’s health outcomes,” State Health Director Jeffrey Engel, MD, said. “Providing families with support and access to information will create healthier environments for our children, making them better prepared for success in life.”

Grant applications were limited to counties or areas determined to be “high need,” based on premature birth rates, informant mortality rates, domestic violence and other factors.

Community grant recipients include:

• Center for Child and Family Health, Durham
• Gaston County Health Department
• Buncombe County Department of Health
• Toe River Health Department, Mitchell and Yancey Counties
• Northampton County Health Department (serves Northampton, Halifax, Edgecombe and Hertford Counties)           

The NC Early Childhood Advisory Council will serve as the state advisory group for the grant program, which will be linked with various state-level early childhood initiatives housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. Also participating will be the NC Head Start Collaborative Office and the NC Partnership for Children.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers, physicians and other health care providers not to feed SimplyThick to infants born before 37 weeks. The infant formula is a thickening agent for management of swallowing disorders and may cause necrotizing entercolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition characterized by inflation and death of intestinal tissue.

In a statement released May 20, 2011, the FDA says it first learned of adverse events linked to the product on May 13, 2011. To date, the agency is aware of 15 cases of NEC, including two deaths, involving premature infants who were fed SimplyThick for varying amounts of time. The product was mixed with mothers’ breast milk or infant formula. The illnesses have been reported from four different medical centers around the country.

SimplyThick is sold in packets of individual servings and in 64-ounce dispenser bottles. It can be purchased from distributors and local pharmacies.

Learn more about this FDA Safety Alert at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm256257.htm.

Effective Wednesday, June 1, 2011, a new state law will ban the sale of synthetic cannabinoids (K2) and other synthetic stimulants such as mephedrone and methyenedioxyprovalerone (MDPV). Senate Bill 7 Add Controlled Substances, adopted March 16, 2011 and signed the next day by Governor Perdue, bans the sale of the substances which have been marketed as innocuous items like “incense” or “bath salts” in convenience stores and other shops.

Child advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies supported the ban, which will affect products with brand names like “Silver Spic,” “Diamond Spice,” “Yakatan Fire Spice,” “PEP Spice,” and “Fire ‘n Ice.” Synthetic stimulants also have been sold legally as bath salts or plant food with various names including “Ivory Wave,” “Bliss,” and “White Lightning.”

“These products have been marketed and sold legally but their intent is to get users high by smoking or snorting the product,” said State Health Director Jeffrey Engel, MD. “Our concern is the potential for dangerous side effects, such as hallucinations, possible seizures and rapid heart rate. Some states have even seen deaths related to these products.”

Preliminary studies indicate that synthetic marijuana substances like K2 have three to 100 times more potent than THC, the active ingredient found in marijuana. Producers spray cannabinoid onto flowers, herbs and tobacco, and then sell it in stores as potpourri or incense and label it as “not for human consumption.”

In 2010, there were more than 100 emergency department visits related to synthetic cannabinoids, with the majority of patients being young people ages 13-24.  The N.C. Poison Control Center also reported an increased call volume due to synthetic drugs.

Read a news release from the NC Department of Health and Human Services, which was issued when the bill was passed by the General Assembly.

North Carolina Public Health (NCPH) is offering a one-page flyer, Can Your Child Hear You?, in observance of Better Hearing and Speech Month. The flyer is available in English and Spanish versions and is designed to help parents address concerns about a child’s speech and hearing with a physician.  Download a copy of the flyers for your patients at:

English version: http://www.ncmedsoc.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/canyourchildhearyou.pdf

Spanish version: http://www.ncmedsoc.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Can-Your-Child-Hear-You_article-_Span2011_final.pdf