Education is just what the doctor ordered; a call to protect SNAP; plus, learn what’s behind latest figures that show highway deaths declining. These top stories and more in public health headlines today, Wednesday, December 12.
Huffington Post – Congress: Do No Harm to SNAP
From the day I entered medicine, I was taught a simple rule: first, do no harm. As debate continues on a compromise for the next Farm Bill, the vast majority of which authorizes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Congress should heed that advice.
Politico – Some Republicans OK with defense cuts
It’s been an article of faith for the GOP: Thou shalt not cut defense spending. But with the sequester threatening to slash hundreds of billions from the Pentagon budget, a surprising number of Republicans are ready to violate that commandment.
The Public’s Health – Could education equal medication for treating chronic disease?
Almost six months ago, at a community meeting in South Philadelphia, I heard the following story, one that tragically illustrates a powerful connection between education and health: A 17-year-old girl, born in Mexico and brought to Philadelphia as a young child, took her life — in large part because she saw no opportunity to pursue a college education after graduating from South Philadelphia High School, a milestone that she would have reached this coming June.
New York Times Green Blog – The Budding Health Care Costs of Climate Change
Images of physical damage have been prominent in the news coverage of Hurricane Sandy – the charred frames of houses in Breezy Point, Queens, for example, or a roller coaster submerged in the Atlantic City breakers. Far less conspicuous are long-term health effects, from increased rates of tetanus and respiratory disease to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Hill – Sierra Club ranks best and worst transportation projects for the environment
A prominent environmental group has ranked the best and worst transportation projects in the country for the health of the U.S. environment. The list, from the San Francisco-based Sierra Club, is part of the the environmental group’s effort to move America “beyond oil.”
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – New NHTSA Analysis Shows 2011 Traffic Fatalities Declined by Nearly Two Percent
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today released a new analysis indicating that highway deaths fell to 32,367 in 2011, marking the lowest level since 1949 and a 1.9 percent decrease from the previous year. The updated 2011 data announced today show the historic downward trend in recent years continued through last year and represent a 26 percent decline in traffic fatalities overall since 2005.
