More than 2,900 newborns screened & diagnosed with sickle cell disease Under Illinois Program SPRINGFIELD, ILL.—(ENEWSPF)—September 6, 2011.  September is National Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is reminding families that newborn screening, parental education and comprehensive care can markedly reduce this debilitating illness.[Read More…]

Product Can Be Dangerous; Extreme Caution Urged CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–September 2, 2011.  The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) today issued a statewide consumer alert to warn residents of potential fire and explosion hazards surrounding the recreational use of alcohol-fueled gel fire pots. While the product is designed as a[Read More…]

Palfrey was past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has been a pediatric clinician and teacher for over 30 years WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–September 2, 2011.  First Lady Michelle Obama today announced that one of the country’s leading pediatricians, Judith S. Palfrey, M.D., will lead her Let’s Move! childhood obesity initiative[Read More…]

Cambridge, Massachusetts–(ENEWSPF)–September 2, 2011.  About 27 million Americans suffer from arthritis, and more than three million of those cases result from a joint injury, often in the knee, that provokes slow and steady cartilage deterioration. A new study from MIT suggests that a steroid drug currently used to treat inflammatory[Read More…]

“People using cannabis are less likely to be obese than people who do not use cannabis,” authors say Colombes, France–(ENEWSPF)–September 1, 2011.  The prevalence of obesity in the general population is sharply lower among marijuana consumers than it is among nonusers, according to an analysis published online this week in[Read More…]

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.–(ENEWSPF)–September 1, 2011.  Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer among women in the United States and the fifth leading cause of cancer death. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer is 1 in 67, and her risk of dying from it is 1 in 95. During September,[Read More…]

Atlanta, GA–(ENEWSPF)–September 1, 2011.  Immunization rates for children 19-35 months of age for most vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing or being sustained at high levels, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rates for most of the long-standing recommended vaccines are at or above 90 percent,[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–September 1, 2011. Today, health insurers seeking to increase their rates by 10 percent or more must submit their request to state or federal reviewers to determine whether they are reasonable or not. This rate review program, created by the Affordable Care Act, will bring greater transparency, accountability, and,[Read More…]

CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–September 1, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn yesterday announced $30.5 million funds allocated from the capital program to build and renovate 14 community health centers throughout Illinois. The Illinois Jobs Now! funding will help the state to improve health outcomes for medically underserved Illinoisans, reduce health care spending and save taxpayers[Read More…]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(ENEWSPF)–August 31, 2011. About 10 years ago, scientists discovered a new type of genetic material called microRNA, which appears to turn genes on or off inside a cell. More recently, they found that these genetic snippets often go haywire in cancer cells, contributing to tumors’ uncontrollable growth. A team[Read More…]