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Health Briefs
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Business New Haven
7/12/1999
By:
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Less Pain, More Gain
The state's Office of Health Care Access has approved a new service that will allow Connecticut residents suffering from kidney stones to be treated faster - and closer to home. Connecticut Lithotripsy, a newly-formed company located in Farmington, will offer portable lithotripsy services statewide. "Connecticut had one of the lowest number of lithotripsy units per area of any New England state," explained Brian Stone, Connecticut Lithotripsy's president. "As the portable lithotripsy service in nine acute-care hospitals becomes available, patients will no longer have to wait three to four weeks before treatment, significantly reducing the pain as a result of shorter waits."
Closing the Generation Gap
The Jewish Home for the Aged in New Haven has received a contribution from Bernice and Lester Margolis to help fund an inter-generational program to link JHA residents with school children from throughout greater New Haven. Last year the home and Ezra Academy in Woodbridge started the "Dor L'Dor" program, which offers students from kindergarten through grade 8 opportunities to meet home residents and participate in activities together. The purpose of the program is to help young people break through common stereotypes of the elderly and nursing homes, and strengthen relationships between people of different generations.
CuraGen in Pharmocogenomics Partnership
CuraGen Corp. of New Haven has announced a product discovery and pharmacogenomics agreement with COR Therapeutics Inc., which specializes in the development of products for the treatment and prevention of severe cardiovascular diseases. Under terms of the pact, CuraGen will apply its "SeqCalling," "GeneCalling" and "PathCalling" technologies, related services and pharmacogenomics expertise to identify new drug therapeutics for use in the company's internal drug development programs. COR retains the rights to certain specific therapeutics emanating from the agreement. CuraGen may also receive milestone and royalty payments for products developed by COR as a result of the collaboration.
An Ounce of Prevention, Pt. I
A news conference and opening ceremonies for the new Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby took place May 21. The ceremonies featured federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Jeffrey Koplan, Connecticut State Health Comissioner Joxel Garcia and Yale University Dean of Public Health Michael Merson. The Yale-Griffen Prevention Research Center, created with a $3 million grant from the CDCs, is one of 23 centers in the nation, the only prevention center in Connecticut, and the first to be established at a hosptial.
Telephone Rage
According to a survey by the Fairfield County Medical Association (FCMA), HMOs in Connecticut keep physicians' offices on hold for an average of 18 minutes per telephone call, with more than half of these phone calls yielding "unsatisfactory" results. The survey, conducted in March and April, revealed that when physicians' office staff telephoned HMOs for such things as subscriber verification, pre-authorization for health-care services or to check the status of a claim, the doctors' staffs were placed on hold for between six and 31 minutes, depending on the company. "The delay in obtaining such things as timely pre-approval before services can be given to patients is both aggravating and costly for physicians and their patients," noted FCMA President Frank J. Scarpa, M.D.
An Ounce of Prevention, Pt. II
The study of tamoxifen and raloxifene (STAR), one of the largest breast-cancer prevention studies ever, is now recruiting volunteers at more than 400 centers across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, including the Yale Cancer Center and Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven. The trial, which will include 22,000 postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer, is designed to determine whether the osteoporosis-prevention drug raloxifene (Evista) is as effective in reducing the incidence of breast cancer as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) has proven to be. In a previous study tamoxifen, which is currently approved by the FDA for use to prevent the incidence of breast cancer in women with increased risk of the disease, reduced the chance of developing beast cancer by about half, but increased the chances of developing certain other diseases.
New Stroke Medications in Clinical Trials
St. Vincent's Medical Center and Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut are participating in a stroke research study involving clinical trials of medications designed to reduce the effects of strokes. The trials emphasize the importance of early recognition and treatment in minimizing the effects of stroke. While the best medical treatment and outcome require that patients receive treatment within three hours of onset of symptoms, people often fail to heed the warning signs of stroke. The drugs being tested may extend the time frame within which a stroke can be most effectively treated from three to 24 hours.
Grant To Increase Job Access
The New England Council and Children's Hospital has been awarded a grant from the National Institute for Rehabilitation Research & Training to identify ways to increase job access for people with disabilities. According to Children's Hospital research, while unemployment rates have been hovering at four percent or less, more than seven out of ten people with disabilities are not in the workforce, although surveys indicate that many of these people would be inclined to work if given the opportunity. The grant provides for the establishment of a rehabilitation research and training center on state systems and employment to bring together public and private sectors to develop a comprehensive approach to the issue. Researchers will identify practices that have been effective at assisting people with disabilities in entering the workforce, including federal, state and local policies which have supported entry or return to work.
NHIP Honored for Accomplishments
The Bridgeport Hospital-led Neighborhood Health Improvement Partnership (NHIP) has received the 1999 Community Service Award from the Connecticut Hospital Association for efforts to improve the health of residents of Bridgeport's East End and East Side. NHIP comprises more than 50 individuals representing health and social-service agencies, government, business, educational and religious organizations, community groups and concerned citizens. Through focus groups and door-to-door surveying, NHIP has identified community perceptions and health risk behaviors among the target population. Some of NHIP's accomplishments since its 1995 formation include implementation of a mentoring program for pregnant women to encourage and suppport them in obtaining prenatal care, rehabilitation of a home for pregnant teens and a "warm line" phone service to assist teens with dating, sexuality, HIV and related issues.
This Doc Breaks Bones
Reconstructive surgery is an option for some diabetics otherwise facing amputation, according to University of Connecticut physician Ray Sullivan, M.D. Foot amputation, a complication of diabetes, is often necessary due to bone deterioration and dead nerves. But Sullivan is one of a handful of U.S. surgeons who rebuilds the foot by breaking bones, realigning them, inserting rods and placing plates on the sole of the foot, a process known as plantar plating.
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