Research Blog : health, current events

The Health Care Reform Act turmoil

SuDocQueen@evpl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Opinions and concerns abound about this issue, sometimes to the point that the facts get obscured. Can I separate all the facts from the fiction? Nope, I can be duped and sucked in as easily as the next person. But I can tell you where to go to form your own opinions undiluted by anyone else with an agenda. Thomas from the Library of Congress is an excellent site for following legislation and the workings of Congress. As a matter of fact, Thomas has made it easy for people right now. You don't even have to search for the House's health care bill. They've put up a direct link on the very front of their website. From that link, you can then read a summary of the bill, see what Committees it's been referred to, see who is sponsoring it, and read the bill word for word yourself. Be warned, the bill's over 1,000 pages long and very dense to read! That doesn't mean I think it's not worth reading; I'm just saying don't expect to skim through it on your lunch hour unless you belong to Mensa. :)

You can also get some very useful links from Congressman Brad Ellsworth's "Online Office." He has the PDF of the full bill, just as Thomas does, but he additionally has links to the committee work being done on the bill.

And while we're talking Congressmen, if you want to share your opinion, do you know who to share yours with? Indiana's Senators are Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar, while Evansville's Congressman is Brad Ellsworth.

Lastly, here's on other place I like to go when I'm inundated with opinions, http://factcheck.org/. They appear non-partisan to me. They've debunked pro and con statements surrounding the health care debate. And, their website/services don't exist solely for the health care debate (it just looks that way right now :). Take a look at their Archives or Ask Factcheck to see some of the other political issues they address.

New Webzine Looks at Area Lifestyle Trends

potentate@evpl — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:55:00 GMT

Evansville Intelligencer is a new webzine launched in April 2009 with content on area health, dining, society, natural and architectural sites, and politics. It's free, easy to use, and readers may comment on the posts.

Do Not Flush!

wag.mado@evpl — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:28:00 GMT

You may remember a time when it was common practice to flush outdated/unused medications down the toilet. Well, that practice has caused some disturbing consequences resulting in the FDA promoting guidelines on proper disposal of drugs. There are still a few drugs that should be flushed, but the majority are to be disposed of following specific guidelines in order to safeguard life and protect the envioronment.

If you want to dispose of things once a year, you can always take your unused meds and other toxic substances to "Tox Away Day" at Robert's Stadium on September 12, 2009. A list of environmental pollutants can be found on the City of Evansville's website along with the hours they will be accepting materials for disposal. Tox Away Day is for Vanderburgh and Posey County residents only.

Maybe you are interested in learning more about what type of pollutants are making their way into our water. If so, you can listen to NPR's Fresh Air for April 20, 2009 where Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Hendrick Smith reports that disturbing chemicals from our everyday activities are showing up in water supplies around the globe. He is interviewed by Terry Gross to promote PBS's Frontline - Poisoned Waters, which airs on Tuesday April 21, 2009.

Since protecting our environment can seem like a monumental task, many people decide to start with small basic steps and gradually add something new each year. As Earth Day approaches this week, maybe each of us can add one thing to our daily routine which would help lessen the burden on our beautiful planet. And, what a better time to do it than now.

What's an "Ozone Alert" and how should you respond to one?

Bufkinite@evpl — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:49:00 GMT

A recent number of days where Evansville issued Ozone Alerts have resulted in questions about just what that means, what health risks there are, and how a person should take care of themselves during an Ozone Alert.

The city of Evansville has a page on its web site explaining what events will result in an Ozone Alert being issued, and other useful information in living through it.