Weekly Dose of Health News September 8 – 12, 2014

Read about the Gates Foundation committing $50million to help fight the Ebola virus outbreak and two new vaccines that could be available in November, as well as new regs out by DEA on collecting old meds and other recent health related headlines in our Weekly Dose!

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced a new regulation this week that allows for the collection of unused prescription drugs at hospitals, pharmacies, health care clinics and other authorized collectors. The new rule will also allow consumers to mail unused controlled substances to designated collectors and will allow long term care facilities to collect unused controlled substances from residents. The new rule is designed to help combat the rise in opioid and heroin abuse.

The NYS Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services has announced a joint hearing on their statewide comprehensive plan, which will be videoconferenced to nine locations on October 2.

Three new cases of meningitis have been diagnosed in New York City among gay and bisexual men in the last two weeks. All have been hospitalized and are being treated. This outbreak is similar to the one that ended in February 2013.

Two new vaccines to prevent the Ebola virus could be available in November. If so, health care workers in West Africa will be the first to receive the vaccines. The two vaccines have not yet been studied on humans. The Ebola virus has killed 2,100 people so far, primarily in West Africa.

The New York Times editorializes on health care spending trends under the Affordable Care Act.

The Urban Institute looks at children’s health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

The Gates Foundation is committing $50 million to help fight the Ebola virus outbreak and will direct funds toward medical supplies and emergency operations in effected countries, as well as work with the public and private sector on drug development.

Here is an updated New York State Department of Health list of upcoming meetings which incudes the Early Intervention Coordinating Council, the Drug Utilization Review Board and the AIDS Advisory Council.

The New York State Department of Health has announced that it is monitoring a respiratory virus that has been reported in Midwest states.

The New York Times examines the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs.

The New York Academy of Medicine, the New York State Health Foundation and the NYU School of Medicine is sponsoring a population health summit at the Academy of Medicine on October 28.

Premiums for employer-based health insurance coverage are on schedule to rise three percent in 2014.