Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:
Health1.
Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers; USA Today, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: The non-profit facility is one of a growing number of hospitals using their patients' health and financial records to help pitch their most lucrative services, such as cancer, heart and orthopedic care. As part of these direct mail campaigns, they are also buying detailed information about local residents compiled by consumer marketing firms — everything from age, income and marital status to shopping habits and whether residents have children or pets at home.
2.
New York City defends health ads that frighten the viewer; The New York Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: The city’s health department uses no sugar-coating in its latest ads, which feature images of overweight people whose mobility is impaired to warn of the dangers of ever-growing portions of unhealthy food and soft drinks.
3.
For diabetes patients, oases in the food desert; Chicago Tribune, February 1, 2012
Brief Introduction: Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2009, Moore, 58, has reduced her blood glucose levels significantly through healthy eating and daily exercise. But a lack of supermarkets in her North Chicago neighborhood makes it difficult to maintain a nutritious diet — a crucial ingredient in controlling the disease.
Education1.
School reform organization gets average grades; Chicago Tribune, February 6, 2012
Brief Introduction: Over the last decade, a nonprofit teaching academy with strong political ties has launched an education revolution inside Chicago Public Schools, tearing down and rebuilding some of the city's worst-performing schools.
2.
Settling school disputes before they escalate; Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Such programs have been around for decades, but at Maclay, peer mediation has only recently become one of many strategies to reduce the number of violent incidents. Since the program began in 2010, it has steadily helpe
d lower the number of instructional days lost to suspensions but has yet to make strides when it comes to physical altercations.
Race1.
For some black women, economy and willingness to aid family strains finances; Washington Post, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: Across the country, black women are bearing a heavier responsibility for family and friends than their white counterparts, even as they struggle to emerge from an economic downturn that has hit them harder. A survey by the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation
reveals that black women have more trouble paying their bills or getting a loan than white women. And they are trying to regain their footing in a world where more than half feel as though they do not have the skills and education to compete for a job.
2.
Diversified Americans resisting census race labels; The Seattle Times, February 5, 2012
Brief Introduction: When the 2010 census asked people to classify themselves by race, more than 21.7 million — at least 1 in 14 — went beyond the standard labels and wrote in such terms as "Arab," "Haitian," "Mexican" and "multiracial."
