public health

Love NOLA: One Step Forward In Mental Illness

Brett Will Taylor — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:26:13 +0000

My, how we love our characters in New Orleans. Which is a good thing.

Locals still talk about Ruthie the Duck Girl, even though she died in 2008. In my neighborhood of Tremé, we have a tall man with a scraggly beard who pushes a grocery cart around, having random conversations with a street corner. Or an empty can.

Study Asks if Apps Can Help Pregnant Women Control Weight Gain

Susan Hidalgo-Smith — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 12:37:00 +0000

Dr. Karen Elkind-Hirsch is part of a group of researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Woman's Hospital who will be following 306 pregnant women with smartphones.

New Orleans Awarded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Roadmaps to Health Prize

Paul Maassen — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:51:27 +0000

New Orleans is one of six cities in the United States to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Road Maps to Health Prize, a $25,000 award dedicated to improving health at the population level.

Shreveport Medical Students Treat 1,300 Kenyans

Kate Archer Kent — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

A group of medical school students from LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport recently returned from Africa where they provided medical treatment to 1,300 people living in a remote area of Kenya. The students work through a nonprofit they formed several years ago and partner with other global mission organizations. According to Dr.

Shrimp Trawling Comes With Big Risks

Scott Hensley — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:44:00 +0000

Think your job is bad? Quit whining, unless you're a shrimper in the Gulf of Mexico.

Commercial fishermen have the highest rate of on-the-job fatalities of any occupation in the country — 116 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2010. A majority of the deaths happen when a fishing vessel sinks. About a third occur when someone goes overboard.

But 10 percent of the more than 500 deaths of commercial fishermen between 2000 and 2009 involved entanglement with machinery on deck, according to government figures.

Louisiana, Miss. Among 29 States With Lots Of Flu

The Associated Press — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000

The early start to flu season that's sweeping the country hasn't spared Louisiana and Mississippi.

While the outlook for the rest of the season isn't clear, experts are encouraging people to take precautions such as getting a flu shot and making it a practice to wash hands often to prevent the spread of germs.

Pregnancy Weight Study Looking for 306 BR Women

The Associated Press — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Doctors in Baton Rouge are looking for 306 overweight, pregnant women to participate in a study of whether getting advice by smartphone can help them control weight gain as well as meeting with a coach or doctor.

Loyola Student's Anti-Obesity Effort Wins Grant

The Associated Press — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

A Loyola University student has won a grant to help teach health care providers at a New Orleans area school counseling skills aimed at reducing childhood obesity.

The $4,000 grant from the American Nurse Practitioner Foundation is going to Monica Alleman, a student in Loyola's Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

St. Tammany Fire District Picks Medical Director

The Associated Press — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Dr. Fredro Knight has been appointed medical director for St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District 4, which operates in the Mandeville area.

The Times-Picayune reports he will oversee all aspects of the districts emergency medical services.

9 People Ill After Eating Cameron Parish Oysters

The Associated Press — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Louisiana's health department has recalled oysters from one Cameron Parish harvest area and has closed it to shellfish harvesting because nine people got stomach illness after eating oysters gathered there.