Health

Employer’s Health and Safety Responsibilities

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:41:49 +0000

Employers have responsibilities for the health and safety of their employees. They are also responsible for any visitors to their premises such as customers, suppliers and the general public. Find out more about your employer’s duty of care.

Risk Assessments

Your employer has a ‘duty of care’ to ensure, as far as possible, your health, safety and welfare while you are at work. They should start with a risk assessment to spot possible health and safety hazards. They have to appoint a ‘competent person’ with health and safety responsibilities (usually one of the owners in smaller firms, or a member of staff trained in health and safety) for businesses employing five or more people. For businesses employing five or more people, there must also be:

All employers, whatever the size of the business, must:

Making the workplace safe and healthy

So that the work premises provide a safe and healthy place to work, your employer should:

What to do next

Information provided by Direct Gov

Employers Health and Safety Responsibilities is a post from: Health

The Orange County Organic Mattress Company

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:49:06 +0000

Keyword: orange county organic mattress

There are a ton of great products that are available through the organic county organic mattress company, PJs Sleep Company. In recent years this company has quickly grown to become one of the biggest companies in the industry. This is because of the great selection of products they have but mainly because of the excellent and professionally staff that are always on hand to guide you through the process of buying a new mattress. A lot of people that are shopping for a new mattress often get frustrated with the process. However, this process is made incredibly easy with PJs Sleep Company. If you are considering buying a new mattress, there are many things that you must keep in mind. Often times people get confused with the different sizes of mattress. With all of the great services that this innovative company provides, this process has been made extremely easy.

There are many great products available but perhaps the biggest new trend is organic products. For those of you that are unfamiliar with these products, we have put together the following information to help you understand all of the amazing benefits to these great organic products. The basic idea and benefit of organic products like these is the fact that the cotton used to make them does not utilize any of the harmful toxins that are normally used grow and manufacture traditional style cotton. These toxins are known to do a lot of damage to the health of workers and their families as well as the wildlife that live in the surrounding area. This is why so many people that are concerned about wildlife and the environment have decided to use these types of products. There are also many other benefits of using these types of organic products such as reduced irritation for people that suffer from allergies during the night. So next time you have to purchase an organic mattress or organic mattress accessory products, look no further than the orange county organic mattress company, PJs Sleep Company.

The Orange County Organic Mattress Company is a post from: Health

Travel Health and Yellow Fever

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:37:50 +0000

The recent massive increase in business and recreational travel outside of the UK, has led to the need for dedicated Travel Health Centers. This is because a considerable proportion of travelers end up with a Health problem ranging from Diarrhoea to Malaria or Yellow Fever. Most of the Health problems contracted through traveling are preventable through appropriate Travel Health advice, precautionary measures and Vaccinations

Globetrotters Travel Clinics are one stop shops for all of your Travel Health needs. We are dedicated to providing quality Travel Health advice and services, as well as premium Travel Health Products.

With vaccine preventable illnesses accounting for only a small proportion of Health problems whilst abroad, at Globetrotters we give individuals, business travellers and students the advice and information they need to stay healthy both whilst overseas and on their return.

Our Services:

Private, specialist suggestions, personalized to your accurate journey and health wants, whether you are travelling on business or for happiness.

The full range of travel vaccines, at all times in supply. (We keep large supplies of all vaccines, to care for our travellers from the effects of periodic vaccine shortages).

Yellow FeverYellow Fever vaccination – we are an certified centre.

The latest malaria medication and advice: – backed up by a wealth of experience in caring for travellers bounce for the world’s mainly inhospitable spaces.

Up-to-the-minute news and information about malaria, health risks and outbreaks around the world.

Customised medical kits and other recommended health-related products.

Maximum convenience: consultation via prior arrangement.

Call-out team available: ideal for groups, corporate travellers, and families.

All in our own, fully-resourced, multidisciplinary medical centre.

At Globetrotters we offer a personal service provided by experienced travel health nurses, we are accredited yellow fever centers and offer full pre and post travel health screenings as well as all available travel vaccinations.

Author Detail :

This article has been provided courtesy of Global Travel Clinics – http://www.globetrotterstravelclinics.com/ the one stop shop for all of your Travel HealthTravel Health needs.

Travel Health and Yellow Fever is a post from: Health

Nurses: Leaders in Health Reform

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:48:03 +0000

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of dedicated people to change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
This is an unprecedented year for transformational health system change. It is not only important for nurses to be involved ~ it is Critical!
The illness care system is in crisis. People seek basic health care in hospital emergency rooms, 51% of the American population takes medication, and our greatest killers, obesity and lifestyle diseases are escalating.
As treatment costs rise exponentially, the number of people covered by health insurance is decreasing. Often modern illness care results in financial bankruptcy. These trends are disastrous.
Additionally, the current economic down turn requires that solutions be radical, cost-effective and immediate in order to turn the tide.
The system cannot survive if we continue to focus exclusively on a medical model of symptom diagnosis and treatment. The trends demand a radical shift toward helping people learn how to become and stay well.
What profession focuses on helping people become and stay well? Nursing!
With the overwhelming mandate for change demanded by our recent election, a window of opportunity is open for health system evolution. Not a revolution that throws out the medical model, rather an evolution that expands the system to include a continuum of care supporting and promoting health from birth through the life-span and transition into death.
There will never be a more critical time for Nurses to Show-up, Speak-up and Step-up to Make a Difference for the Health of America. If you are ready to seize this unprecedented opportunity to influence how the health system evolves, now is the time.
Now is the Time to Show-Up as a Leader.
Nurses led every major health reform in history. Nightingale reformed hospital and battlefield health. Lillian Wald began reforming public health as a nursing student, later establishing the Henry Street Settlement to provide care to the poor and immigrant population. Mary Breckinridge, a nurse-midwife, reformed maternal-child and family health by founding the Frontier Nursing Service, educating and employing nurse-midwives, and establishing family care centers in the Appalachia Mountains. Margaret Sanger reformed reproductive health and Dame Cicely Saunders, known for her role in birthing the hospice movement, emphasized the importance of palliative care.
Today, nurses are showing up to lead by creating innovative health care delivery models and shaping public policy.
Now is the Time to Speak-Up as a Nurse.
Nurses once again rank #1 as the most trusted professionals in the annual Gallup Poll. Talk with your public. They want to know what you think. What nurse has not received a call at all hours from family and neighbors asking for advice or counsel before seeking medical care?
Nurses comprise the largest number of health care providers. The mandate of our license is to serve the public and advocate for safe, effective and accessible health care. Let the public hear your views.
Speak up with other nurses. Share your concerns and ideas as colleagues and team members. Form a nursing mastermind group to refocus your practice on health and create innovation together in whatever nursing arena you practice.
Speak up with your legislators, the people who decide the scope and limits of your nursing practice.
Now is the Time to Step-Up as a Professional.
If the purpose of nursing is helping people become and stay well then nursing is about not only attending patients in hospitals and other tertiary care settings. Only 3% of the population is in an institution. The other 97% needs nursing in the form of primary care, health education, health coaching and wellness.
Who will decide the future of Nursing and Health Care? Your Legislators will!
When I was President of the WV Nurses Association, I learned that the only thing more important than big money in influencing legislators is big numbers.
We sent out the Call and Nurses Showed-Up in record numbers to Unite at the Legislature. These nurses filled the galleries of the House and Senate to overflowing. As a result, we were able to support the passage of three bills including landmark needle stick and mandatory overtime protection, and block a fourth, which allowed unlicensed personnel to dangerously perform nursing functions. The legislators heard the nurses’ message loud and clear!
The nurses, who Showed-Up, Spoke-Up and Stepped-Up for that challenge protected the public and the ability for all nurses to practice safely and effectively.
Will You Show Up as a Leader to meet today’s challenge of health system reform, Speak Up as a Nurse to advocate for the health of all Americans and Step-Up as a Professional to articulate the cost-effectiveness and need for expanding access to professional nursing care?
Borrowing from our President-Elect ~ “Together, We Can”!
2008 Aila Accad

Nurses: Leaders in Health Reform is a post from: Health

Language Translation For Health And Safety

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:30:53 +0000

Health and safety is a daily part of modern life and an ever increasing part our working lives. In the UK you have a wide range of standard documents such as method statements, risk assessments COSSH assessments, Health and Safety Manuals etc.
Often when you purchase machinery or a substance you will find it originated in another country made by people who speak a different language. But it will (or should) come with instructions for usage in the language of its destination country. Such technical manuals will no doubt have been translated into possibly many languages. This will have been completed with the assistance of a translation agency.
However, people now migrate between countries more then ever. We need only look at the migration in the EU. For example we have Polish people arriving into Britain and workers from the Ukraine now replacing them in Poland. People are on the move.
Businesses are using this migration of skill and or cheap labour. But often the migrant worker will speak limited amounts of the new language(when they arrive) and read / write it this new tongue even less. This causes potential health and safety issues if not considered and addressed. This is where language translations should be considered.
Under English law a person is deemed to have read something if they have signed it. But surely we enter a grey area if the person can obviously not read in the language?
This is a larger concern to directors and business owners as they now can be made personally responsible for such issues as corporate manslaughter’.
We must also consider the growing claims culture’. After an incident could your migrant worker, Motivated by a large pay-out, suddenly lose their ability to communicate in English? And how will you prove that they are reducing their language abilities? Incidences of similar abuse already occur with native workers do they not?
With these issues in mind, will your insurance company start to question your policies in regards language translation? The question must be when will this issue become serious enough for them to require action.
They only true way to avoid this is to consider language translation as part of the initial employment cost of migrant workers and as part of the health and safety audit. If you cannot be sure that your employee can read documents related to the health and safety parts of their job you will need to have a translation available in their language.
Likewise, if they are to be given any interactive training, interpreting will be required if language levels are not high enough. For the larger business it might be possible to give additional health and safety training to a member of staff who can speak in these other languages and ensure they both receive the translations and understand any training given. They can then assist or manage the training of these new staff.
As stated at the beginning on this article, equipment manuals are often translated into many languages. On this basis you may be able to obtain copies of manuals with translations into the languages of your migrant team. These translations should be a consideration on future pre-purchase discussions.
Some readers may be dismissing the above statements. If that is the case, visit the HSE’s (Health & Safety Executive) website and you will see that they already show translations of various documents into 28 languages!

Language Translation For Health And Safety is a post from: Health

Health Insurance Info

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:08:22 +0000

Five Ways to Cut your Health Insurance Costs Nearly one-third of all health-insurance premiums increased to 30 percent or more. At that rate, the average cost of health insurance per employee will exceed $3,000. Seventy-three percent of senior executives believe health-care costs will continue to increase 20 percent or more each year for the next three years. The message here is clear: If you haven’t already gotten serious about cutting your company’s health-insurance costs, now is the time. It can be done. The first thing you should do is learn how the system works–or doesn’t work. Most small employers spend fewer than four hours a year thinking about their company health plans. Learn what your options are. Your insurance agent can help you shop for cheaper plans. But don’t stop there. Compare plan benefits, insurance-company records, and service guarantees. Consider Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans and HMOs (health-maintenance organizations), even if your agent doesn’t handle them. The Blues in some areas, offer clear advantages to small companies. Experts regard HMOs as the best buys in health care. Find out if your company is eligible for new, low-cost health insurance plans now available in five states. In addition, foundation-funded pilot projects in several parts of the country are demonstrating that it is possible to cut health-coverage costs 30 to 40 percent. In short, health insurance isn’t as simple as it used to be. And the pace of change is accelerating, offering new hope for a truce in the business battle with exploding health-care costs. The next couple of years present as much potential for change as at any time in the past 20 years. You can be part of that change by putting at least some of the following 5 ideas to work for your company. 1) Increase Cost Sharing By Employees This recommendation is at the top of every consultant’s list. Small companies tend to pay far more of their workers’ total health-care bill than large companies do. Yet research shows that insulating employees from the costs of care encourages unnecessary use of health services. Fifty-two percent of the companies responding to the Nation’s Business health survey said they pay 100 percent of their employees’ health-insurance premiums. But 45 percent said they intended to implement or increase employee contributions to these premiums. An equal number said they plan to increase employee deductibles. Insurance companies first attached $100 deductibles to major-medical plans in the early 1950s. But 40 percent of employers still set deductibles at $100 or less. Raising a $100 deductible to $250 would cut premium costs for single coverage by about 11 percent. A $500 deductible would cut costs by about one-fourth. A $1,000 deductible would save about one-third. 2) Allow Employees To Pay For Health Premiums With Tax-Free Dollars Set up a so-called flexible spending account, which allows your employees to pay their share of health-insurance premiums and un-reimbursed health-care expenses with pretax dollars. A flexible spending account could save employees 20 cents to 35 cents on the dollar, because state and federal income taxes and Social Security taxes are not imposed. Moreover, the company saves by reducing the employee’s base salary on which it pays Social Security and other taxes. Hire an outside payroll accounting firm to handle the paperwork. You can pay the service fee and still come out with a net savings. The monthly administration fee would run between $2 and $5 per employee. 3) Transfer High-Risk Employees To The State’s High-Risk Pool Insurance premiums soar whenever someone in a small-group plan becomes very ill–with cancer or heart disease, for example. As an employer, you should explore the possibility of moving employees with serious health problems into a state high-risk pool and then negotiating a lower premium for the healthy members of your group. 4) Switches To An Open-Enrollment Blue Cross And Blue Shield Plan Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans operate as de facto high-risk pools in a number of states by providing “open enrollment” periods during which any group can buy insurance. Among the 74 Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations nationwide, 21 offer open enrollment. All the Blues once used community rating to set premium levels. But that began to change in the 1960s when commercial insurers started to lure away firms with low risks by offering them cheaper health insurance. 5) Replace Your Traditional Health Plan With An HMO Unlike traditional health insurance, HMOs cover all medical needs, including routine preventive care, for a flat monthly fee that typically is less expensive than traditional health insurance. Moreover, two types of HMOs, the staff and the group models, have proven to be more effective at controlling costs than any other form of health-care delivery. Staff models employ physicians directly and put them on salary. For more articles related to this subject and others please visit Health Insurance.info

Health Insurance Info is a post from: Health

Degree in Health Administration Programs

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:38:47 +0000

Over the past few years, the health industry is growing at rapid pace and as a result the demand for health management/caring professionals has boomed proportionately. If we look at the present scenario the need for qualified, well trained and dedicated health managing personnel are relatively high in comparison to last year. Consequently, today the ratio of students selecting a health administration course or going for a degree in health administration has grown dramatically. A health care administration degree actually prepares you to manage various issues within the health care industry effectively.

Not long ago, the professions liking administering or managing health issues or health-centers were just considered to be merely a data management element. But the present picture depicts a different story. Today health administration has steadily become one of the quickest growing sections of health care. In fact, it is predicted that the field will see a steep growth in the need for qualified health-care personnel and administrators in coming next few years. However, a degree in health administration from reputed college can put you in a position to fulfill this demand in just over two years. These days there are numerous health care administration training and nursing colleges that offer programs or courses that not only address this need but give your career a giant push.

Earning a master’s or bachelor’s degree in health administration allows you to widen your career opportunities, as you could find yourself working in different places like Hospitals, Medicaid, Public Health Departments and Rehabilitation Centers. Moreover, you may even earn a lot more money. Besides this, you may even advance your healthcare career and become an administrator, manager, or supervisor. The major highlight about attaining a health administration degree is that the degree incorporates business and healthcare knowledge and in many countries the program is also well accredited by the commissions or bodies on Accreditation of Healthcare Education. At the end of doing your health administration degree, you will also gain a thorough understanding of critical health care issues and how to evaluate the deficiencies within the system.

Once you complete the course, you can acquire a responsible possible like health administrator, where you won’t be just responsible for analyzing or interpreting healthcare service but as an invaluable member of health network you will be the supporter for insuring that the quality of service is uphold. As a graduate, you will have the learn tools to improve the systems within healthcare organizations like Hospitals, Medicaid, so that patient needs are served more efficiently. In addition, the course also provides you with opportunity to enhance your management/administrative backgrounds through a curriculum that primarily focus on theories and contemporary practice applications.

This health administration degree help you achieve expertise in health care service leading to other high positions in health care. Alternately, it is important that you choose the program that is accredited and affiliated to a well-ranked institution or university. Practical and clinical training is also essential for health administration program. So you should have a clear knowledge about the kind of practical lessons that institute plans to provide you.

Without doubt, deciding to follow a career in the health care and accomplishing a health administration degree is a dignified and rewarding decision.

Degree in Health Administration Programs is a post from: Health

Where Do I Find the General Information on the Hillsborough County Public Records Website?

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:37:23 +0000

Finding the type of General Information that you are looking for on the Hillsborough County public records website can be a bit of a wild goose chase depending upon the nature of the General Information you happen to be looking for. There is General Information available there on the web site about the Clerk of Court, the duties of the Court Clerk and a dictionary of the most common legal terms that people are going to hear and will likely be dealing with as they fill out any forms and deal with the legal system while they deal with everything through the courts. If you have any other questions that do not fall into this category but rather they relate directly to a court case or a legal matter that you are involved in or know someone who is having to deal with going to court at the municipal or county level then you need to know what you and they will be dealing with. There are so many different questions that you will have and might not know where to look for those answers or even know who to talk to. This is why most of the people and businesses have been putting together a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of their website or in their printed/written literature so that people can get the answers to these questions so that you are able to understand what you are getting into. There are bound to be questions asked about Felony and Criminal matters, Mental Health matters, County Civil matters and several other types of matters. This is why there are FAQ sections everywhere that you look so that you can find out what you need to know about just about any of the legal matters that you might be dealing with. If you have gotten a ticket or need to file any type of legal paperwork you will need to know what fees you will be paying when you are filing that paperwork. There are going to be fees that you will have to pay when you are filing any type of legal paperwork; you also need to know what fines you will have to pay if you get a ticket or are convicted of a crime in criminal court and have to pay restitution to if you are found guilty in a criminal or civil proceeding. Knowing what you will have to pay ahead of time will save you a few headaches in the end

Where Do I Find the General Information on the Hillsborough County Public Records Website? is a post from: Health

Free Health Insurance for College Student – is it Essential to Have College Health Insurance?

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:09:56 +0000

Now that you have finally completed your high school education and are now pursuing your dreams by attending college, there are a few things that you need to ponder over other than just worrying about studies. One such thing is the aspect of health insurance. All this while beginning from your childhood till you reached 20 years of age, you were covered under the health insurance of your parents and will no longer be covered under it. This will be a difficulty as you are not working now as you are in college. So, how do you tackle this problem? You need to consider taking up a college health insurance plan. But, make sure to go over the details of the plan to ensure that the plan is best for you.

The benefits provided through college health insurance plans vary from one institute to the other. Although the popular belief is that many wrongly assume that these services are for free. Although consultations and checkup will not be charged in anyway, the individual has to bear expenses like lab tests or consulting a specialist. If services are availed at the health center of the college, the insurance will usually cover the expenses and nothing is paid by the student. But, if a specialist outside the campus is consulted, the coverage goes down and a high deductible is usually necessary.

If the student suffers from any preexisting problems, these are not covered if treated even at the college campus health center. Although treatment can be availed, the expenses need to be borne by the student themselves. It also poses way for fresh trouble as any illness that arises as a complication of the preexisting illness is also not covered by the college health insurance plan.

Since college health insurance plans can vary from one campus to the other, it is best to thoroughly learn about the benefits provided by your college health insurance plan. Check if the insurance plan provides coverage during your holidays when the college is not functioning and classes are not on. This needs to be checked as any mishap or illness during your holidays might not get coverage as your college health insurance may not be active during this period. While some plans provide coverage during this period, others might not.

Also, check about the details provided with the plan. See if the plan belongs to HMO type or you can just visit any physician under the plan? This is important to keep in mind for you to seek proper care in case of any medical emergency because if you have to visit a physician or hospital within a prescribed network you will be in trouble if you visit someone outside the given network.

Although it is debated on both sides about the essentiality of a college student opting for college health insurance, there is no ultimate answer. But, if you are planning on taking up one, it is best to thoroughly understand every benefit and detail about the plan so that you will not be in for a surprise when any emergency arises. While the insurance does not come free of cost, it will definitely be useful in case of any medical expenses due to an unexpected illness or a mishap.

Free Health Insurance for College Student – is it Essential to Have College Health Insurance? is a post from: Health

2009 Health Care Reform Bill, Pros & Cons – What About the Constitution?

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:20:34 +0000

There is daily coverage of the 2009 Health Care Reform Bill pros and cons. The coverage is incessant and well it should be.This health care plan will change our lives. However, there is a fundamental question that is ignored, what about the Constitution?

Very recently, Speaker of the House Pelosi was asked by CNS News, “… where does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?” Her response was, “Are you serious? Are you serious?” CNS News: “Yes, yes I am.”

Later, Pelosi’s press secretary went on record as saying, “That is not a serious question.” My question: “Asking for Constitutional clarification is not a serious question?”

I have another question just how many of our Senators and Representatives do you think have actually read the Health Reform Act? Yes, I think you are right. Not very many.

Regardless, it seems to me that it is not within Congress’ or President Obama’s authority to dictate to any citizen whether an individual must carry health insurance. How about you? How do you feel about it?

It is like automobile seat belt laws. I know that there is evidence to support the use of seat belts. Still, in my naive way of thinking, I cannot accept being fined for not wearing my seatbelt. There is no evidence that my not wearing a seatbelt will hurt any one else.

So then, this law, the seatbelt law, is a law for my own good. A law passed by those that know better for my own good. Whatever happened to my unalienable rights? I realize that those unalienable rights are not part of the Constitution but they are words on which this nation was founded (The Declaration of Independence).

Some would argue that enacting a Public Health Policy requiring health insurance under penalty of prosecution falls under the Congress’ Constitutional prerogative or right and duty “to promote the general welfare”. I agree.Promoting the general welfare is Congress’ obligation. However, it is not their prerogative, duty or right to dictate the general welfare. Promoting and dictating are two distinct words with completely different meanings.

Any law that would require a citizen to insure himself for his own protection under penalty of prosecution is not promoting. That is dictating. It is enforcement, not a suggestion.

Do not confuse the likes of auto liability insurance, which is an enforced law in most of the country, with a required health insurance mandate.

Liability insurance protects you from the consequences of someone else’s actions. If someone causes harm or damage to you or your property, you have recourse. Liability insurance protects you from someone else’s negligence not your own.

Requiring liability insurance is promoting the general welfare. That mandate protects you from others. Health insurance protects you for you. It does not protect you from someone else.

Requiring me or anyone else to have medical insurance under penalty of prosecution is just plain wrong.

Maybe we should also require mandatory life insurance, so that I can pay those exorbitant funeral costs. What do you think?

There are many events and issues that deserve honest non-partisan review. Tony Perez is the editor of just such a review.

2009 Health Care Reform Bill, Pros & Cons – What About the Constitution? is a post from: Health