Tag: health
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Diabetes Alert Day Focuses on Risk Factors of Prediabetes and Diabetes
In 2014, diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death both in Alabama and the nation at large. According to statistics from the Alabama Department of Public Health, 13.5 percent of Alabama adults have diabetes. As part of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Alert Day® on Tuesday, March 28, make sure you know the dangers of…
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What is a Business Associate Agreement, and Why Should You Care?
Health care providers are primarily concerned with the treatment and wellbeing of their patients. They gather and maintain tremendous amounts of protected health information[1] (PHI) throughout the treatment process and commonly share that PHI with third parties who assist them with carrying out their work. This process of sharing PHI with a third party, non-workforce…
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Scale Back Alabama Kicks Off 11th Year
A new year is the perfect time to shed those extra pounds, and the state’s largest weight loss and physical activity competition can help you do that. Scale Back Alabama is an 8-week statewide program that encourages Alabamians to eat healthier, exercise, and have fun while doing it. Cash prize drawings are held for teams…
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New CDC Study: Changes in Breast Cancer Death Rates by Age Group
Breast cancer death rates among women decreased during 2010-2014, but racial differences persisted, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings show changes for death rates from breast cancer by age group for black and white women, the groups with the highest death rates in the United States.…
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Health Care Personnel Need Flu Shots, Too
The Alabama Department of Public Health, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Hospital Association have issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of health care personnel receiving influenza vaccinations, urging this simple but significant infection prevention measure to protect patients. Influenza is a serious illness that can lead to hospitalization…
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Flu Shots Recommended for Those 6 Months of Age and Older
The Alabama Department of Public Health encourages annual vaccination of all persons 6 months of age and older against influenza. One major change for the 2016-2017 season is that children and adults should receive a flu shot instead of nasal spray vaccine. This national recommendation was made because the nasal spray vaccine did not work…
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Rural Medicine at a Crossroads
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Alabama Medicine magazine Part 1 – Feeling the Physician Shortage Pinch Living in a small town means everyone knows everyone, a tip of the hat speaks volumes, and the nearest neighbor may be a mile down the road. Physicians in these communities…