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In his first interview since becoming interim president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Vladeck -- despite a calm, easygoing manner -- made it clear that more change is on the way. (snip) "The rules of the game in this place have changed, and they haven't been changed by us," he said. "Even though the state is our lifeblood, we cannot, as a matter now of law, engage in some of the kinds of behaviors that have existed in the past. Some of the kinds of things that have (been) reported -- that may have become...

2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has introduced new Hillarycare legislation in Congress, saying the measure will bring the nation "one step closer to the goal of expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare to all Americans.” In a statement posted to her official Senate web site on Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton said her "Small Employer Health Benefits Program Act" will allow small businesses to deliver healthcare coverage the same way the federal government does under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Under the bill, she explained, employers would be able to negotiate for lower costs and employees would have access to a...

Former Governor and current State Senate President Dick Codey sponsors the legislation. He says, "We would be the first in the country to build a building dedicated solely to stem cell research." He adds, "We would be using existing tobacco bond monies so, we're not spending new money." $150 million dollars would be needed leading many critics to ask, "What else could that money be used for?" Codey says, "This is about saving lives in the future." He asks, "If the cure for diabetes or something else came out of this New Jersey facility, wouldn't that be a great legacy…it...

WASHINGTON (Feb. 28) - Former President Clinton, a reformed overeater, urged state governors on Tuesday to embrace a long-term effort to change the nation's culture of too much food and too little exercise. He warned the governors that failure to change the nation's eating habits will weaken the economy and threaten the lives of its children. "We have a huge cultural problem and unless we change it our children may grow up to be the first generation with shorter lifespans than we had," the former Arkansas governor told the National Governors Association at the last day of its annual winter...

MATTRAI, Pakistan, February 27, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A young woman was raped by three men in retribution for refusing to perform illegal abortions in a rural community in the western Punjab last Wednesday.Rubina Kousar, 26, worked as a nurse in the Mattrai health center. She refused to carry out abortions on two women, reported the Telegraph, despite six months of constant pressure from the women’s families.“In the past our staff have been subjected to this type of victimization for refusing to carry out illegal abortions, but they have not raised their voices for fear of retribution,” said Riaz Hussein,...

MONTREAL (CP) - It may take a special tax to help fight what one Canadian sociologist calls the "obesogenic food environment" - the junk food that's prominently displayed in supermarkets and schools. Anthony Winson of the University of Guelph said high-sugar and high-fat products are "aggressively promoted" every week in grocery stores. "You can have maybe 20 special displays in a supermarket that are around every corner promoting types of high-sugar, high-fat products, whether they be candy bars or soft drinks," Winson said in an interview. He said the displays are advantageous for retailers because they bring in extra revenue....

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Hundreds of volunteers throughout the state will hit shopping malls and grocery stores Saturday at 9 a.m. as they kickoff efforts to gather nearly one million signatures needed to place an initiative on the November 2006 ballot that would provide critical funding to reduce smoking, keep emergency rooms open, fund health insurance for children and expand nursing education. "This initiative will save lives, by raising the tobacco tax and funding urgently needed community emergency and related health care services," said Paul Knepprath of the American Heart Association of California. "This is the broadest coalition that's ever come together to...

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR HALEY BARBOUR Governor Barbour’s “Healthy Kids” Initiative Protect Mississippi’s Kids from Tobacco and Drugs The health of Mississippi’s kids is at risk from many factors, whether it is cigarette smoking or exposure to illegal drugs. Mississippi needs and deserves a constitutional and comprehensive plan to prevent our kids from getting hooked on tobacco just as Mississippi needs to beef up our efforts to stop our kids from getting hooked on drugs. We can do both with the $20 million which has been unconstitutionally diverted to the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi annually since December 22, 2000. As...

Former Gov Codey was pretty busy signing many items into NJ law before Corzine stepped up this week. One of the Amendments Codey signed into law is the Model School Nutrition Program. http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/PolicyQA.pdf I became curious because it seems to be an initiative of the USDA. I always thought it was the FDA that dealt with foods and labeling. Anyway, the School Nutrition Policy is an effort of another initiative called Healthy People 2010. The Model School Nutrition Program is the first implementations of the Healthy People 2010 Project. The USDA, State and Local levels are presenting this as a...