NEWS
October 2006
The Nurse Leadership of AARP
For the first time, three nurses lead AARP as president-elect, board
chairwoman, and board member.When Jennie Chin Hansen, MA, RN,
assumes the presidency of AARP in 2008, she will be the first Asian
American and first nurse to hold that position. Joanne Disch, PhD, RN,
FAAN, is board chairwoman, and Joanne Handy, MS, RN, is a board
member of AARP.
Weight Loss Can Reduce Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal
Women
Confirming the belief that weight loss is a controllable factor for can-
cer, a study published this summer in JAMA concludes that women
should avoid gaining weight both before and after menopause to
decrease their breast cancer risk.According to an article in the Los
Angeles Times, previous studies have established the connection between
fat and breast cancer. Fat tissue produces estrogen, which fuels tumor
growth in some kinds of breast cancer.
Other risk factors include a family history of the illness, early onset
of menstruation, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
The new report followed more than 87,000 women for 26 years
and found that gaining 22 pounds or more after menopause increased
the risk of breast cancer by about 20%,but losing at least that much
reduced the risk of breast cancer by 40%.The risk was reduced even
further, by 60%, if women kept the weight off for at least 4 years.
The story can be found at www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/
nation/la-sci-breast12jul12,1,6061826.story?coll=la-headlines-nation.
CDC Assigns Priority for New Meningitis Vaccine
As reported in USA Today this summer, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) says the new meningitis vaccine from Sanofi
Pasteur, MCV4, is experiencing a high volume of demand.The CDC
website says,“Vaccine will be allocated in both the public and private
sectors based on estimates of monthly needs as well as available supply.
Providers should defer vaccination for people 11-12 years of age and prioritize
adolescents at high school entry who have not previously received MCV4 and
college freshmen living in dormitories(www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/
mmwrhtml/mm5520a11.htm).Updates on supply and allocations will be
provided when available.”
Updates on MCV4 and other vaccines are available at www.cdc.gov/
nip/news/shortages/default.htm.
Institute of Medicine Releases
Preventing Medication Errors
Report
Preventing Medication Errors, a report
issued by the Institute of Medicine
(IOM) on July 20, puts forward a
national agenda for reducing medication
errors based on estimates of the inci-
dence and cost of such errors and evi-
dence on the efficacy of various preven-
tion strategies.The report finds that an
average of 1.5 million medication errors
occur every year, costing an estimated
$3.5 billion.The report also outlines a
comprehensive approach to decreasing
the prevalence of these errors.This
approach will require changes from cli-
nicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others
in the health care industry; from the
Food and Drug Administration and
other government agencies; from hospi-
tals and other health care organizations;
and from patients.
Go to www.iom.edu/CMS/3809/
22526/35939.aspxto read the IOM
press release and order the full report.
Guide to Helping Students With
Diabetes Released
The National Diabetes Education
Program has created a guide that pro-
vides school personnel, parents, and stu-
dents with a framework for managing
diabetes and includes user-friendly tools,
copier-ready action plans, a diabetes
primer, and a review of school responsi-
bilities under federal laws.
To download or order, go to
ndep.nih.gov/resources/school.htmor call
800-438-5383.
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