PharmaLeaders - National Health News

A Labor Day tribute: When night falls, night workers rise [The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:37:00 +0000

Sept. 05--CLICK ON THE FACES ABOVE TO SEE A FULL-SIZED PORTRAITS AND WATCH A VIDEO PROFILE OF EACH GRAVEYARD-SHIFT WORKER, USE THE GALLERY ICON IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER TO CHOOSE ANOTHER PROFILE

They labor while the rest of us sleep. They labor so that the rest of us can sleep peacefully or so that we have a place to go when rest eludes us.

Graveyard-shift workers drive police cars to protect us, wait in firehouses to rescue us, work in hospitals to heal us. They pave roads, make pancakes, brew coffee and stock grocery shelves at night so we can...

Designing screens for the unlettered [Hindustan Times, New Delhi]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:36:00 +0000

Sept. 05--For once, illnesses were forgotten as a group of elderly patients beamed at each other in a remote Karnataka hospital. They were hearing a computer speak in the native Kannada. The woman showing them the gadget, 32-year-old Indrani Medhi, was equally thrilled.

Several months later, Medhi found herself on the list of 35 "outstanding innovators under the age of 35" by MIT's Technology Review publication for her research work on enabling even the illiterate to operate a computer.

Medhi was trying to demonstrate a text-free health information system to the patients who were first intimidated by the device, but later...

The Barnett Shale search for facts on fracking [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:32:00 +0000

Sept. 05--First in a three-part series

Tarrant County Commissioner J.D. Johnson recalls precisely when the 260-foot-deep water well at his rural home became polluted in August 2005.

"It occurred when they fractured the wells," he said, referring to two Barnett Shale natural gas wells drilled on his 15 acres in northwest Tarrant County. "Immediately after they fracked those wells, the water turned everything in our house that it came into contact with a dark gold color, like a mineral color."

White clothes that were being washed turned gold. So did the interiors of toilet bowls. His home's white stone exterior was too,...

BRIEF: Tino print sale benefits Children's Hospital [The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.]

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:21:00 +0000

Sept. 05--Part of the proceeds from the sale of a new Robert A. Tino painting benefits East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

Money from the sale of "River Ride" by the Sevierville artist will go to the endowment for the hospital's special services fund. That fund helps patients' families with special needs to benefit the child and help him or her recover immediately after his or her illness.

"River Ride" features a trio of children enjoying a summer afternoon "tubing" along the Pigeon River near the Greenbriar entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "River Ride" consists of 25 artist's proofs, 25...

BRIEF: Radiothon raises $241,340 for Connecticut Children's Medical Center [The Hartford ...

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:07:00 +0000

Sept. 05--HARTFORD -- The 8th annual Children's Miracle Network Radiothon raised a record $241,340 for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, broadcasting over 39 hours from Thursday through Saturday.

The event, on WDRC, 102.9 FM, aired live from the One World Cafe at the hospital in Hartford. Last year, the radiothon raised $229,370.

Jerry Kristafer, host of the Big D Morning Show, was on the air for the full 39 hours. He was joined by Floyd Wright, Larry Wells, Mike Stevens and Grahame Winters from WDRC.

"We are so grateful to the DRC-FM listeners. They are true 'Miracle Makers' whose generosity ensures that...