Preparations for second national Primary Health Care MECA begin.
Bargaining was initiated last month for the 2008 Primary Health Care (PHC) Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) and 82 new workplaces want to join the MECA. Bargaining was initiated with the original 577 parties from the inaugural MECA and the 82 new parties. NZNO advocate Chris Wilson said...

Hear us now! A powerful force for health care reform.
A VETERAN FORCED TO LEAVE SCHOOL and declare bankruptcy to deal with her health care needs and expenses ... A mother who moved her family across the country so she could care for her aging father and advocate for him after poor quality care during a hospitalization threatened to...

Largest challenge to receiving health care is financial.
VITAL SIGNS Largest Challenge to Receiving Health Care Is Financial Financial reasons 47% Time constraints 36% Time it takes to get an appointment 32% Physician's hours are not convenient * 23% Hassle of getting to the physician * 11% Distance to the physician * 9% Difficulty finding a doctor...

Why health care reform will not happen.
Although I am a strong and consistent supporter of health care reform, I may have become a bit jaded from the unsuccessful efforts I've witnessed over the past 20 years. To have real reform, it is necessary to provide adequate health insurance to all Americans. This, in...

Managing health care incidents.
A new national incident management system, designed to improve safety in hospitals and other health facilities, was launched last month. It will provide a systematic approach to the classification, prioritisation and management of health care incidents in New Zealand. According to Health Minister David Cunliffe, the new...

Teaching professional health care practice: considering the elements of emotions and artistry.
Abstract This commentary addresses the need to maintain a role for emotions and artistry in human services and health care practice and discusses some approaches to including these issues in teaching at the tertiary level. ********** THE LAST DECADE has seen policy initiatives...

Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs.
Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, October 2007, 456 pages, ISBN 100309111072. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cancer Care for the Whole Patient, a report requested by Congress and the National Institutes of Health, addresses the...

LEAP at the opportunity recommend a health care provider--help MNA.
The MNA Board of Directors voted at their March meeting to partner with Care Seek, a health care provider recommendation site, in a mutually beneficial project. The program is called LEAP--Let Experts Applaud Providers. LEAP encourages you, the licensed professional nurse, to recommend excellent health care providers....

Culture-specific care for Indigenous people: a primary health care perspective.
ABSTRACT This article argues that a primary health care approach is an appropriate conceptual framework for addressing the health needs of Indigenous people. Primary health care is strategic, focusing on equity, access, empowerment and intersectoral partnerships as essential elements for maintaining health. Stereotypical notions of Indigenous ill...

Value and increased cost sharing in the American health care system.
It is not news to readers of this journal that Americans pay more than citizens of other countries for health care. Moreover, along many dimensions of quality it appears that we receive less health in return for this spending. Media reports commonly mention that our health care system is...