Economic Downturn Will Have Severe, Far-reaching Effects On Global Health
The health of millions of people worldwide is at risk as a result of the financial crisis, says Dr Andrew Robertson, in an editorial published online in Emerging Health Threats Journal. The world economy is currently in the midst of the most significant recession since the 1930s. The crisis has proved devastating for national economies, and the effects on health care will be felt worldwide as health spending falls, unemployment rises, and international aid is cut.
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A small study published in this week"s Veterinary Record reports that veterinarians do not receive adequate training in order to deal with the growing "customer care" expectations of dog-owners. Basing their findings on surveys and semi-structured interviews, the Scandinavian researchers used a representative sample of 105 dog-owners and breeders. They evaluated their attitudes towards their pets and vets in Norway and Iceland. In the sample, 99 people were
dog-owners. Most seemed to feel the relationship they had with their dog was on a same level as a relationship they might have with another family member. Approximately 73 percent (three out of four) said their pet was a "best friend" or "essential" part of their lives. 
A new study finds more seniors are covered by a Medicare drug plan and report greater savings, but gaps in coverage and other problems still persist. U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News reports: "The number of older Americans with access to prescription drug coverage has ballooned since Medicare"s Part D program was rolled out almost four years ago, a new analysis finds, yet seniors" ability to pay for needed medications remains a concern due to limitations
in coverage and rising drug plan costs." The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation led the study that assessed access and affordability and appears in the July 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (note: KHN is a program of Kaiser Family Foundation). U.S. News & World Report notes: "Unlike Medicare"s hospital and medical insurance programs, Part D benefits are offered through private insurers and drug plans that contract with the government. 
Congress is starting to tackle long-term care through a measure for a national long-term insurance program, according to the New York Times The New Old Age blog. The Times reports: "Generally overlooked in the debate over health care reform... is the C.L.A.S.S. Act, a bill introduced by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, that would establish a national long-term care insurance program. The idea has circulated for years, but now advocates think there"s
a real possibility such a plan will be incorporated into whatever health care bill emerges from Congress. The C.L.A.S.S. Act (short for Community Living Assistance Services and Support, if you"re wondering) could transform the way people pay for long-term care. 
The Alabama Department of Corrections has expanded to all inmates a re-entry program that provides newly released inmates with HIV/AIDS "with information on obtaining licenses [and] other documents and preparing for returning to life outside prison," the AP/USA Today/Montgomery Advertiser reports (Hunter, 7/22). "In the past, prisoners at the end of their sentences were sent back into the free world with minimal assistance, not the in-depth services the inmates
with HIV and AIDS had received," according to AP/WZTV.com. The expanded Alabama Prison Initiative will allow all inmates to enroll in classes that provide them with "practical tips" and guidance "that will hopefully help keep them from returning," the AP/WZTV.com reports (7/22).