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OSHA
and AHA Announce Alliance
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The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a strategic
alliance with the American Heart Association. The alliance calls
for OSHA and the AHA to develop training and education programs
on automated external defibrillator (AED) implementation and to
work together to create and promote wellness programs.
For more information,
visit the American Heart Association web site at http://www.americanheart.org
or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at http://www.osha.gov.
Hepatitis
C Vaccine Testing
Researchers at St. Louis University are conducting human testing
of a hepatitis C vaccine. It is estimated that over 150 million
people are infected with the bloodborne infection. Researchers will
study the safety and effectiveness of three strengths of the Chiron
Corporation’s investigational vaccine.
For more information,
visit St. Louis University website at http://www.slu.edu.
Click on “Search”, then type in “hepatitis c vaccine”.
Protecting
Your Patients’ Privacy
It has been almost one year since the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPPA) took effect. The first-ever federal
privacy standard intended to protect patients’ medical records
and health information, HIPPA was developed by the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide a benchmark of federal
protections for consumers. Specific state laws that provide additional
protections to consumers are not affected.
The new privacy
protections limit the ways that health plans, health care providers,
and other covered entities may use the personal medical information
of their patients. According to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, the
Privacy Rule “strikes a common sense balance by providing
consumers with personal privacy protections and access to high quality
health care.”
For more information
about HIPPA and how it affects you, visit the Health Resources and
Services Administration website at http://www.hrsa.gov/website.htm.
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