What else needs to be done to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay—-and to ensure the livelihood of those who make a living on it?
Archive for the ‘Health & Science’ Category
The Health of the Bay
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009A New Pandemic: How Has It Affected You?
Friday, October 2nd, 2009H1N1 (swine flu) is moving through Maryland, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last month the state reported its seventh H1N1-related death.
Have you or anyone you know caught the bug? How has it impacted you? What are your thoughts on this flu and its vaccine?
O’Malley: Health Care Reform Necessary to Fix State Budget
Thursday, October 1st, 2009The state’s ailing budget cannot be cured without first gaining control of rising health care costs, said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley during a phone conference Thursday morning organized by the Democratic National Committee.
“[Health care costs are] the single largest part of our budget,” O’Malley said, and one that could “crowd everything else out of the picture.”
Maryland has made $735 million in cuts to this year’s state budget and is searching for an additional $300 million to cut in order to balance the budget when the fiscal year ends in June.
O’Malley cited education and public safety as services that may be at risk if health care costs are not put in check soon.
Speaking Thursday in support of President Obama’s goals for health reform, O’Malley said the state’s health care costs grow at a rate of 7 or 8 percent every year and promise to continue to do so if no changes are made.
“If we do nothing it’s going to be nearly impossible for us to be able to keep up with those escalating costs,” he said.
Maryland Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Dorchester, agreed that health care might play a role in fixing Maryland’s budget, but said it shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all.
“There is a possibility that the health care plan will help Maryland’s budget, but our problems are deep and we’re going to have to face some tough cuts in an election year 2010 session,” Colburn said. “We have to move ahead no matter what they do in Washington.”
O’Malley praised the federal government for stepping in to help the state at a time when it needs it, comparing the challenge Maryland faces with those of small business owners who also must scramble to find a way to provide affordable health care to their employees.
“I think the key, the real key, is making sure everyone is covered,” O’Malley said.
- By Capital News Service’s Karen Anderson.
Foundation Stays Suit on Chesapeake Cleanup
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009The Chesapeake Bay Foundation suspended its lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency filed in January over Chesapeake Bay cleanup, according to a CBF news release Wednesday.
The foundation said it will hold the suit while it monitors EPA action on bay cleanup mandated by President Obama’s Chesapeake Bay executive order, which required that plans be made and executed for bay restoration.
“Since then EPA has begun to step up to the plate,” said CBF President William Baker in a written statement.
“As many actions that should be included in a final settlement may not be resolved until EPA has completed the notice and comment process and issued the final strategy in May, a stay is appropriate,” Baker said. “If, during negotiations, we do not believe that EPA is making the necessary commitments, the stay order allows us to reinstate our suit and proceed with litigation.”
CBF will stay the lawsuit until June 30, 2010, according to John Surrick, director of media relations at CBF.
- By Capital News Service’s Aleksandra Robinson
Sick Midshipmen Quarantined at Naval Academy
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
An outbreak of suspected H1N1 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis has led officials to quarantine infected students in an isolated area of the Bancroft Hall dorm. The first case of H1N1 was confirmed on Sept. 10, and since then, seven total cases have been confirmed, according to a statement from Deborah Goode, director of media relations at the Academy.
Since the outbreak began, the number of students with influenza-like illness quarantined in Bancroft Hall has been as high as 75, but now is decreasing, and as of Tuesday, 30 students remained isolated, Goode said.
In addition to educating midshipmen on flu prevention and good hygiene, Academy officials are asking midshipmen every morning if they’re experiencing flu-like symptoms, hand sanitizer is being made available at locations throughout the campus and common areas such as bathrooms and locker rooms are being cleaned more frequently in an effort to contain the spread of the virus, the statement said.
Midshipmen in isolation are receiving “continuous monitoring by staff and medical personnel,” as well as meals, fluids, and laundry and bed linen services, the statement said.
In a letter addressed to family and friends of midshipmen, Commandant of Midshipmen Capt. Matthew Klunder said the Academy is also in the process of providing e-mail access and DVD players to isolated midshipmen.
“I am most proud of them as they deal with this unfortunate situation, but we are all pitching in to make their stay as comfortable and pain free as possible,” the letter reads.
All midshipmen have now been vaccinated for seasonal influenza, and when the H1N1 vaccine is ready, the Academy will implement a plan to vaccinate midshipmen and military staff, the statement said.
- By Capital News Service’s Megan E. Gustafson.
Md. Company to Be First H1N1 Vaccine Provider
Friday, September 18th, 2009Maryland’s MedImmune will be the first manufacturer to provide H1N1 vaccines in United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today.
3.4 million doses of the needle-free nasal spray will be available in the first week of October, says Dr. Jay Butler, chief of 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force.
The number of doses of H1N1 vaccine of all types is eventually expected to increase to 20 million a week.
MedImmune, which has received a U.S. government order for about 13 million doses of the nasal spray, will be manufacturing 40 million to 50 million doses total, says Karen Lancaster from MedImmune’s public relations office.
– By Capital News Service’s Sharmina Manandhar
Obama Heckler Has History of Disruptive Behavior
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
Andrew Beacham, a 26-year-old intern for Operation Rescue Insurrecta Nex, was ejected Thursday after disrupting President Obama’s health care speech at the University of Maryland.
“I did it because the emperor has no clothes,” Beacham said. “Every time the government puts forth a new proposal, they just find different ways to fund abortion.”
According to Insurrecta Nex, a conservative anti-abortion group based in Washington, D.C., Beacham was also arrested for disrupting Obama’s Notre Dame commencement speech and Sonia Sotomayor’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing.
Beacham was escorted out of the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center by campus police.
“I was detained briefly,” Beacham said. “They asked for some of my personal information, but after that I basically was allowed to walk out of the building.”
– By Capital News Service’s Tina Irgang
Obama Seeks Help on Health Care Reform
Thursday, September 17th, 2009President Obama tells thousands gathered at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center that he needs their voices and help to reform the health care system.
What are your thoughts on his proposal?
Take Precautions Against Rabid Bats
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009Summer is almost over, and that means it’s time to get ready to carve pumpkins for Halloween, plan Thanksgiving and weatherproof your home for winter.
But this year add another item to your fall to-do list: bat-proofing. It’s not just a creepy matter, but a health concern. Nine bats tested positive for rabies recently, according to the Prince George’s County Health Department.
The department suggests a number of ways of keeping the bats out of your home.
- Examine your home for holes that might allow bat entry. Any opening larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked.
- Use window screens, chimney caps and draft-guards beneath doors to attics.
- Make sure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
- Contact the animal management division at (301) 780-7200 to report a bat found in your home.
Health Officer Dr. Donald Shell says rabies can be a fatal disease, and “increased awareness about bats and rabies can help people protect themselves, their families and their pets.”
The department also encourages residents to reduce the risk of contacting rabies by teaching children not to handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, and washing any wound from an animal thoroughly with soap and water and seeking immediate medical attention.
–By Capital News Service’s Sharmina Manandhar
Advocates Converge in Annapolis for Developmental Disabilities Day
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009ANNAPOLIS – With a husband deployed in Afghanistan, Mountain Knotter needs help from the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration to care for her two autistic children, but she’s been told to wait six more years.
Knotter is one of 18,750 individuals who has requested services from the administration but has been forced to wait for years because the state does not have enough money, said agency representatives.
Charged by the desire to fix the funding shortage, hundreds of people, including Knotter, converged on Annapolis Wednesday for Developmental Disabilities Day to support legislation to increase the state tax on alcohol by 5 cents.
The tax would generate about $80 million annually, with $29 million of that to be used exclusively to fund the agency’s services. Another portion would be diverted into the state’s general fund.
Advocates also came to the capital to back legislation that would remove the word “retarded” from state codes and laws and replace it with “intellectual disability.” The bill passed unanimously in the House Feb. 20.
Abolishing the use of a hurtful word may be easier than raising the alcohol tax in a tough economy.
Delegate Bill Bronrott, D- Montgomery, a sponsor of the bill, did not appear swayed by the challenging fiscal outlook.
“I am with you with respect to the resources that are needed to address this outrageous waiting list,” he said in his address to the audience gathered in the Miller Senate Building.
When the meeting ended, the crowd led a charge across the street to the legislative offices, armed with signs, photos and personal stories of strife. Knotter made her first plea to a legislative aide in the office of Senator Norman Stone, Jr., D-Baltimore County.
“My son is the main issue because he requires 24-7, one-on-one care,” she said, before handing the aide a small tin with a plastic nickel inside to represent the alcohol tax that could get her the services she needs.
Knotter spent $15,000 last year to make changes to her home that would accommodate her son, Noah Knotter, during his frequently violent outbursts, including building fences and a padded room.
Now, she says she has no money left to hire the help she needs to care for her son or her daughter, who is also autistic and “has to stay in her room all the time” to shield her from her brother’s tantrums.
“The situation actually became so desperate that a couple of months ago I took my little 8-year-old boy to a residential facility — it’s a group home for autistic boys.” Knotter said.
She said things would improve if she could get two hours of help per day.
“I’d really like to bring him home, but I can’t do that unless things are different than they were before,” she said.
By Capital News Service’s Erika Woodward