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ITEMS OF INTEREST OR NEW RESOURCES

March 25, 2009

Smokers in Michigan can get free nicotine patches, gum or lozenges from the state to help them quit smoking or chewing tobacco.

The Michigan Department of Community Health said Wednesday it is offering up to an eight-week supply of the products through April 30 or while supplies last.

To get the products, smokers must call the Michigan Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-480-7848 and enroll in smoking cessation services. They'll receive a personal coach who will help them set a quit date and provide coaching sessions over the telephone.

Callers must be 18 years or older and meet basic health requirements. The nicotine patches and other products are free regardless of a caller's income or insurance. The Quit Line can be called 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

March 10, 2009

On October 8, 2008 Neuronetics announced that its medical device (NeuroStar TMS Therapy system) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of depression. The University of Michigan Depression Center is in the process of setting up a clinic that will offer treatment using the NeuroStar TMS Therapy system. This treatment option will be available sometime in April 2009 through the Depression Center. However, just because it is approved, it does not mean that insurances will immediately cover the cost for treatment. If you are interested in learning more, call the Depression Center intake line: 800-525-5188.

February 26, 2009

I recently learned about the website Emerging Solutions in Pain from an inservice on pain management. It is a valuable resource for clinicians and individuals dealing with pain.

February 7, 2008

Check out the BNI-ART Institute web site to read about Motivational Interviewing. To see slides with video clips explaining and demonstrating motivational interviewing/brief intervention techniques, go to the BNI-ART Institute (Brief Negotiated Interview and Active Referral to Treatment) web site maintained by the Boston University School of Public Health. Click on the Curriculum link on the left side of the page. Click on Brief intervention techniques when it drops down.

November 14, 2006

In September, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced a new drug plan that would offer 291 of the most commonly prescribed generic drugs for $4.00 for a 30 day supply. Originally the pilot program was only available in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, with plans to expand to more states during 2007. Customer response has been so overwhelming that Wal-mart has decided to expand the list to 314 generic prescription medications and to expand the target area to include a total of 27 states.

Yes! the Walmart/Sam's Club $4.00 generic prescription program is now available in Michigan. There is a link in the attached email to view/print the medications currently covered. You do not have to be a member of Sam's Club to use their pharmacy. I would advise calling the specific store pharmacy to see if they are participating in this plan, because the medication list says "In select stores only."

For information on the 27 states and the generic drugs, go the the WalMart pharmacy site

 

June 15, 2006

the Michigan Telecommunications Act, the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) is now offers the Lifeline Program that gives more low-income elders monthly discounts on basic local telephone service.

To be eligible for Lifeline, the household income of a senior adult must be at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or that person must participate in Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), federal public housing assistance, and/or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Those interested in participating in the Lifeline Program should contact their local telephone company. For more information, call toll-free 800/292-9555.

April 5, 2006

Claridge JA. Croce MA. Weinberg JA. Forsythe RM. Miller C. Fabian TC. The real predictors of disposition in patients with spinal cord injuries. Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care. 60(1):178-86, 2006 Jan.

Check out this article available online through U of M Medline. Notes that the discharge disposition is determined by type of insurance available to cover the cost of rehabilitation (acute vs subacute). Other research in SCI field notes that placement in sub-acute settings leads to more complications, increased mortality and reduced quality of life.

 

March 8, 2006

Are you a patient in a hospital and would like to set up a website? Check out: CarePages which is used by the U of M. Family members can upload their own information, give out their password, etc.

 

June 30, 2005

Ever wonder what medical research shows about the efficacy of treatments?

A new site, patientINFORM.org is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. The objective is to present up-to-date research available about the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The site offers free acces to selected medical-journal articles and provides plain-language explanations of what the studies mean, how they compare with what's already known and how patients should weigh them in making treatment decisions.

The Journal of the American Medical Association runs a Patient Page in each issue which discusses a topic. I am starting to maintain a listing of the topics, because I haven't discovered an easy way to search the Journal to locate a list.

June 1, 2005

Shear, K., E. Frank, et al. (2005). "Treatment of Complicated Grief: A Randomized Controlled Trial." JAMA 293(21): 2601-2608.

May 24, 2005

Articles of interest:

Social Work Admission Assessment Tool for Identifying Patients in Need of Comprehensive Social Work Evaluation Carla Boutin-Foster, Sona Euster, Yvette Rolon, Athena Motal, et al. Health & Social Work. Silver Spring: May 2005. Vol. 30, Iss. 2; p. 117

Treatment manuals for long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis . E. Caligor Clinical Neuroscience Research 2005, 1-12.

May 20, 2005

Article of interest (old but good): Psychological Practice in Primary Care Settings. Practical Tips for Clinicians. From Professional Psychology Research and Practice. (1998)

Check out the practice guidelines put out by the VA system. Includes information on diagnoses and interventions. Flow charts and links included. References cited for research on efficacy. Good ones for PTSD/ASD; Depression, substance abuse as well as components in medical conditions like low back pain, amputation, etc.

 

Web site for County Health Plans (for uninsured, low income) around Michigan.

 

Cape Health Plan medicaid HMO no longer provides transportation for patients to or from Washtenaw County. per Carrie Ross 4/28/05

Looking for a resource in Michigan? Check out Comnet the Network of Non-profit Community Agencies. They now have a search engine as well as a listing of their membership. Memberships that have websites have those listed as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last modified on: Wednesday, 25-Mar-2009 14:40:02 EDT