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Three provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) intended to enhance care transitions and prevent avoidable outcomes for the Medicare population are found to have inadequately addressed the needs of older, vulnerable recipients of long-term services and supports, according to George Washington University School of Nursing Assistant Research Professor Ellen Kurtzman, MPH, RN, FAAN.

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A team of George Washington University researchers have received federal funding to study the effects earthquakes have on nuclear reactor cores. The findings of the research have implications for nuclear reactor construction and analysis well into the future.

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The second edition of Law and the American Health Care System was released by Foundation Press on May 15, 2012. Building on its 1997 predecessor, the second edition textbook offers a comprehensive vision and analysis of the intersection of law and the U.S. health care system. Law and the American Health Care System arrives at a time of unprecedented change in how health care is organized, financed, and delivered. Throughout its major fields of study, the book focuses on how a dramatically changing legal environment influences—and in turn is influenced by—a dramatically evolving health care system.

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GW Professor, Dr. Michael Irwig, author of a 2011 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, titled, “Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss,” is available to speak with media about the recent changes required by the FDA to include a warning about possible persistent sexual side effects on packaging of the drug, Propecia. Dr. Irwig continues to study men with long-term effects of this drug.

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A new article titled, “An HIT Solution for Clinical Care and Disaster Planning: How One Health Center in Joplin, MO, Survived a Tornado and Avoided a Health Information Disaster,” by the Geiger Gibson /RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, was released today in the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics (OJPJI). It examines the experience of a community health center in the aftermath of the major tornado that swept through the American Midwest in the spring of 2011, and provides insight into key information technology planning issues, especially those related to patient records and health center data, essential to disaster survival and recovery.

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A study of 7,424 privately insured colon cancer patients found that managed care presence in the market and hospital competition increased the likelihood laparoscopic surgery to treat colon cancer lowered costs, a national team of researchers led by a professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

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George Washington University Professor Jeffrey P. Blomster’s latest research explores the importance of the ballgame to ancient Mesoamerican societies. Dr. Blomster’s findings show how the discovery of a ballplayer figurine in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca demonstrates the early participation of the region in the iconography and ideology of the game, a point that had not been previously documented by other researchers. Dr. Blomster’s paper, Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico, is featured in the latest issue of Proceedings in the National Academies of Science (PNAS).

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As a federal appeals court considers the legality of Texas’ family planning “affiliation regulation,” a new report provides a preliminary assessment of the impact of the Texas rule on preventive care access by low-income women.

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Jean Johnson, dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing, and Richard R. Teaff, president of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, will jointly sign a memo of understanding formalizing a partnership between the two institutions that will allow nurses in rural Virginia to receive advanced education and continue providing health care services in their communities. Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash is scheduled to speak at the signing.

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Dozens of George Washington University students will be collecting used cell phones in 15 of Metro’s busiest stations during the morning rush hours on Wednesday, April 25. Dozens of George Washington University students will be collecting used cell phones in 15 of Metro’s busiest stations during the morning rush hours on Wednesday, April 25. The one day collection drive is all for a good cause. The used cell phones and other portable electronic devices, such as tablets and iPods will be recycled, and the proceeds will go to fund maternal and child mobile technology health projects in Mali, Malawi and Nepal.

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A new paper titled, “Multi-State Plans under the Affordable Care Act,” was released today by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW). Authored by Trish Riley and Jane Hyatt Thorpe of the GW Department of Health Policy and funded by The Commonwealth Fund, the paper examines key issues related to the development of multi-state plans (MSPs), a new type of insurance coverage created by a provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). MSPs will be administered through the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and offered across state lines through the new state health insurance exchanges. The findings in this paper are based on interviews with federal and state policy makers and other stakeholders, and are intended to inform the development and implementation of MSPs.

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The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services announces the 2012 winners of the distinguished Emerging Leader award at its 8th annual symposium, held at the National Association of Community Health Centers Policy and Issues Forum on Saturday March 24th, 2012.

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Two new policy research briefs analyze health centers’ growth over the past two decades and Medicaid’s role in propelling and sustaining that growth. The analyses chronicle federal health center growth initiatives pursued by Republican and Democratic Administrations alike, as well as the 2011 retrenchment in the growth trajectory. The studies also document the relationship between more expansive Medicaid coverage policies for low income adults and more robust health center size, staffing, and patient care capacity.

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The George Washington University’s Brian Richmond and team of researchers say chimps use two legs to reach and carry scarce resources.

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The 8th Annual Geiger Gibson Symposium, which celebrates the achievements of health centers and commemorates the groundbreaking work of Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, founders of the U.S. health centers movement and pioneers for health and human rights, will take place on March 24 at 10:30 am, at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Policy and Issues Forum in Washington, D.C. The meeting is the largest gathering of health center clinicians, executive directors, State and Regional Primary Care partners, board members and advocates on record.

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The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, in collaboration with the RCHN Community Health Foundation, has announced the establishment of the Julio Bellber Fellowship in Community Health Policy Research. The Fellowship, named in honor of RCHN Community Health Foundation’s President and CEO, is part of a $1.75 million gift from the Foundation to the School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy announced in June, 2011. This is the second of two major gifts from the Foundation, which help support the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy in the School’s Department of Health Policy.

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GW will present the 2012 Abraham White Scientific, Humanitarian, and Public Service Awards, which honor individuals who have made unique contributions to science and medicine.

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Researchers from the Department of Health Policy in the GW School of Public Health and Health Services have found that an increased “scope of practice” for advanced practice nurse practitioners is not associated with lower wages for primary care physicians, based on comparisons in states with more liberal and more restrictive policies.

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A new report titled, “Role of Community Health Centers in Providing Services to Low-income Women,” released today by the Geiger Gibson /RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative in the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the significant role community health centers (CHCs) play in providing services to low-income women of childbearing age (defined as age 15-44). The authors found that nationally, community health centers provide a medical home for approximately 5.4 million women of childbearing age, or more than one in five low-income women annually. The report also addresses the role of CHCs in mitigating health disparities and identifies the challenges that they will need to overcome to expand capacity and serve a greater number of high-risk, low-income women.

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Today, Margaret C. Dunkle, Lead Research Scientist at the GW School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy, will be inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame for being an author, activist, and unsung heroine of Title IX, the 1972 landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in schools and colleges receiving federal funding.

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A new article by researchers from the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative in the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the multiple opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve the health of low-income women through the use of community health centers. Appearing as a commentary piece in the March 7, 2012 issue of the journal Women’s Health Issues, “Opportunities and Challenges for Community Health Centers in Meeting Women’s Health Care Needs,” also outlines the challenges many community health centers face because of primary care workforce shortages and federal funding cuts.

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The George Washington University hosted a celebration March 2, 2012, marking the first step in the construction of the new School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) Building. The event was a held at the site of the Warwick Memorial Building located at 2300 K Street, NW, which will be de-constructed to make room for the new, state-of-the-art School building. The demolition will begin in this month, with construction of the new facility scheduled for completion by the spring 2014.

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Michael S. Irwig, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine, Anton Trinidad, M.D., PhD., associate professor of Psychiatry, and Matthew St. Peter, a fourth year medical student at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, co-authored an article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine entitled, “Self-Castration by a Transsexual Woman: Financial and Psychological Costs: A Case Report.” Dr. Irwig and his co-authors discuss the case of a transsexual woman who presented to the emergency room after undertaking self-castration.

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Dr. Lynn Goldman, Dean of the GW School of Public Health and Health Services is available to comment on the human health aspects of the newly announced UN initiative for climate change and clean air aimed at reducing short-lived climate pollutants

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A new analysis of state laws that require health care workers (HCWs) to accept influenza vaccination as a condition of employment has been issued by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. The report was funded by AHRQ, CDC, NVPO and OHQ on behalf of the Federal Increasing Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Workers Working Group.

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A new report from researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines evidence on the use of health care by Americans, finding that all adults—including those without health insurance—are in the health care market. How and when the uninsured enter the market for health care, as well as the services they use despite being uninsured, has emerged as a critical underlying issue in the debate over whether Congress has the constitutional power to establish a minimum coverage requirement for nearly all Americans.

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Melissa Perry, Sc.D., M.H.S., professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services and adjunct associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, led an observational study indicating that environmental exposure to organochlorine chemicals, including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p’-DDE (the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT) can affect male reproduction. The research was published online on Dec. 21, 2011 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

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New research by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services indicates that including comprehensive tobacco cessation benefits in Medicaid insurance coverage can result in substantial savings for Medicaid programs. The study, titled “The Return on Investment of a Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Program in Massachusetts,” published by the open access journal PLoS ONE, found that every dollar spent in program costs resulted in an average program savings of $3.12, which represents a $2.12 return on investment. The research shows that investing in smoking cessation programs can result in lower levels of smoking, which in turn lead to reductions in hospital admissions for heart related problems and significant savings for Medicaid. The financial support for the research came from Partnership for Prevention.

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A new analysis, by the GW School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, on constitutional challenges to Health Care Reform has been released.

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Dr. Susan Wood, former FDA Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health and associate professor of Health Policy and Director of the Jacobs Institute at The GW School of Public Health and Health Services is available to comment on the FDA’s action denying the application to lift the age limit for sale of Plan B, or the morning after pill. This decision would have enabled retailers to sell Plan B on the shelf, as opposed to behind the pharmacy counter, where it is currently sold.

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The year’s highest science honor for high school students was awarded today to biochemistry research on cancer stem cells and an innovative use of gaming technology in the area of leg injuries and prosthetics in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, America’s premier science research competition for high school students.

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WASHINGTON – A new report from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services’ Department of Health Policy (GW) uncovered an overall wage differential between those of normal weight and those who are obese, especially when it comes to women. The research, released today, demonstrates the impact obesity may have on a person’s paycheck.

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Avi Dor, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Health Policy, GW School of Public Health and Health Services, was a co-author of a study, in collaboration with Teva Pharmaceuticals, that found that higher patient adherence to disease modifying therapies, like glatiramer acetate (GA), an immunomodulator drug currently used to treat multiple sclerosis, reduced inpatient costs, outpatient costs, and other medical expenses in a national sample of multiple sclerosis patients. This research was published in the December issue of the Journal of Medical Economics.

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A new Supplement of the peer-reviewed journal, Women’s Health Issues, a publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services, provides in-depth information about gender-specific health considerations of U.S. women and girls in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The special Supplement, which includes recommendations for national strategic programmatic improvements to meet their needs, was sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Additional funding support for the Supplement was provided by the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration and the NIH National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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A new report titled, “A Natural Fit: Collaborations Between Community Health Centers and Family Planning Clinics,” released today by the Geiger Gibson /RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the financial and long-term health impact of collaborations between Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and family planning clinics. The researchers found that building formal affiliation arrangements between community health centers and family planning programs has the potential to improve access to comprehensive care while drawing on the expertise of both types of safety net providers.

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The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, the RCHN Community Health Foundation (RCHN CHF), and Rho have partnered with The Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN) to implement a $4 million collaborative initiative titled the Community Healthcare for Asthma Management and Prevention of Symptoms (CHAMPS). The initial program will focus on five non-profit, federally qualified community health centers (CHCs) located in: Tucson, AZ; Grand Rapids, MI area; and Rincon, PR.

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Numerous studies and clinical trials have demonstrated that the use of Automated External Defibrillation devices (AEDs) can dramatically increase the survival rate of someone who suffers “sudden cardiac arrest,” (SCA), especially in high-density public places, such as shopping malls, hotels, sports arenas, and airports. SCA kills more than 300,000 people a year in the U.S. The survival rate for ventricular fibrillation–related SCA is time-dependent. Every minute in delay until an AED is applied to the patient’s heart, results in a 7 percent to 10 percent decline in survival rates.

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A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the potential economic benefit, including job creation opportunities, from investments in community health centers.

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Audi took the top rank in the second-annual Prestige 100®: China IQ, which measures the digital footprint of 100 prestige brands in China, the world’s fastest-growing luxury market.

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More than 30,000 children under the age of five have perished in Somalia in the last two months as a result of the famine that has stricken the country. With the tenth anniversary of September 11th approaching, the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) wants to bring a global focus to its annual Commitment to the Community day and has decided to address one of humanity’s basic needs—adequate and quality nutrition. GW SMHS is pleased to be partnering with the DC chapter of Kids Against Hunger to provide 60,000 meals to feed the famine-stricken families in the Horn of Africa.

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On August 16, 2011, Dr. Alfred Hamilton from the School of Public Health and Health Service at George Washington University and Dr. Jay Conyers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) moderated a symposium on the George Washington University campus titled, “The Role and Future of Health Information Technology in an Era of Health Care Transformation.” The symposium featured keynote speakers from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

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Julia Hidalgo, ScD, MSW, MPH, research professor in the Department of Health Policy at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services, served as a guest editor to a special supplement of the peer-reviewed journal, AIDS Patient Care and STDs. The supplement can be accessed at www.liebertpub.com. The supplement focuses on overcoming the challenges unique to young men of color who have sex with men, a growing segment of the HIV-positive population, and evaluated strategies for providing HIV testing, treatment, and retention in care. The supplement presents the innovative outreach and treatment models derived from the “YMSM of Color Initiative,” which is a Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) Initiative of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau.

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A new policy research brief released today by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services examines the financial impact of community health centers in North Carolina, a state known for its primary care innovation.

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Dr. Alan G. Wasserman, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the George Washington University, elected to board of directors of Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society

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A new Supplement of the peer-reviewed journal, Women’s Health Issues, a publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services, shows the tremendous growth and diversity of VA women’s health research in recent years. The special Supplement was sponsored by the Health Services Research and Development Service, in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development with support from the Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care group.

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The Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health will host a media teleconference call to present research from the July/ August Women’s Health Issues supplement titled, “Health and Health Care of Women Veterans and Women in the Military: Research Informing Evidence-based Practice and Policy.” The teleconference call will feature several researchers who will explain their work and take questions from teleconference attendees.

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Chimpanzees, the closest living relatives to humans, do not experience a decrease in brain volume as they age like humans do, according to a study by George Washington University researcher Chet Sherwood and his colleagues.

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The RCHN Community Health Foundation and the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services today announced the launch of CHroniCles, a dynamic, multi-media website dedicated to the living history of the community health center movement.

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Researchers from the Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services have released an analysis of the HHS Proposed Rule related to the Health Benefit Exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. The newly-proposed rule outlines federal requirements states must meet in order to operate an Exchange, as well as standards related the qualified health plans (QHPs) sold through these Exchanges.

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Women know that preventive services for women includes family planning. Today the IOM confirmed that contraception is prevention and is part of the prevention package that should be covered by all health care plans. By reducing co-pays and deductibles for women getting contraception, this will help women and couples plan their families, space their children, reduce unintended pregnancies, and promote better health for women and children. Preventing unintended pregnancies is the best way to prevent abortion.