What’s Good for GM is Good for Your Health
The exodus of workers from the auto industry is leading to more workers in the medical profession, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Big 3 auto companies are currently negotiating a new contract with the Union of Auto Workers (UAW), and are hoping to use this period to reduce the number of younger workers on their staff. Part of the strategy includes a buyout that offers up to $15,000 per year for educational costs, in addition to health benefits and half their annual salary for four years. Ford Motor Co. told the Journal that 40 percent of its former workers are now studying in a medical field, with the most popular being nursing, radiology, dental hygiene and pharmacology. The other companies do not keep track of where their former employees go. However, UAW has stated that many of these workers are now applying for a health-related program. The popularity of the health field stems from salaries that are comparable to those earned in the auto field and jobs that are less sensitive to economic downturns and outsourcing.
Breast Cancer Mortality Higher in Black Women
While African-American women are less likely to develop breast cancer than other women, those that do are more likely to die from it. A new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that black women are more likely to have estrogen-receptor (ER) negative tumors, an aggressive tumor that is less responsive to the anti-estrogen therapies that are more successful with ER-positive tumors. Thirty-nine percent of diagnosed black women have ER-negative tumors, compared to 22 percent of white women. “The fact that breast cancers in black women are more aggressive biologically suggests that we need to focus more of our research energy on developing better treatments targeting ER-negative tumors,” lead study author Dr. Catherine Lee said in a press release. The study also found that black women have a higher incidence of breast cancer at younger ages, and tend to be diagnosed at a later stage in the disease than white women. “These findings also point to a need for improved cancer education and screening in black women, particularly those in younger age groups,” added Lee.
Low Compliance with Prevention
Eighty-seven percent of the 1,256 U.S. hospitals surveyed by the Leapfrog Group do not have all of the recommended policies in place to prevent many of the most common hospital-acquired infections, according to a new study. Each year 2 million people contract an infection during their care; 90,000 of them die. The survey asked about prevention of four common infections, as well as hand washing (see below).
Infection Type or Preventive Practice % of Hospitals with Full Compliance
| Aspiration- and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia |
38.5% |
| Central Venous Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection |
35.4% |
| Surgical Site Infection |
32.3% |
| Influenza |
30.7% |
| Hand Hygiene |
35.6% |
A full analysis of the data gathered this year by the Leapfrog Group, which represents major corporations and public agencies that buy health benefits, will be released on September 18.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Parents Held Responsible
Parents who knowingly permit underage drinking in their homes, with the result that someone is injured or killed, could face felony charges under a new law signed by the Illinois Governor on August 31. Sponsored by Senator Susan Garrett, SB 158 was drafted after two students who had been drinking at a party died in a car crash, reports the Chicago Tribune. Previous law allowed misdemeanor charges with possible jail time and a fine. The new law provides for one to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine. “This isn’t meant to be heavy-handed,” the Senator said. “The key word here is ‘knowingly.’ The only way parents can be subject to this is if they clearly know what’s going on.” Meanwhile, an investigation by the Cook County Daily Herald found that, despite stricter laws, a large number of repeat offenders in the state continue to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Over the past four years, Illinois has passed 24 drunk-driving laws and increased awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, but the Daily Herald found that 20 percent of alcohol-related crash fatalities in the state are caused by drivers who have had a drunken-driving arrest within the previous three years.
© Copyright 2007, State Health Notes
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