ACPM Headlines 5/9/13 - American College of Preventive Medicine

ACPM Headlines 5/9/13

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1. ACPM SUBMITS CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY TO SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE

ACPM has submitted congressional testimony to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education requesting an increase of approximately $10 million for preventive medicine residency training programs in FY 2014 funding. In separate testimony, ACPM requested $25 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Current funding is $3.8 million and $3.5 million, respectively, for the two programs. Proposed FY 2014 funding levels will not be announced until the full Senate Appropriations Committee meets to consider the FY 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill this summer.

For more information, please contact Paul Bonta at pbonta@acpm.org.

2. INVEST IN PREVENTIVE MEDICINE BY MAKING A GIFT TO ACPM TODAY

As we begin a new year we look back to thank all of the donors who supported the ACPM with a generous gift in 2012. We thank you for allowing us to continue our work and ask you to please consider making a gift in 2013.

Contributions from members like you are critical to our efforts to continue to promote the practice, increase opportunities to expose young physicians and physicians-in-training to career opportunities in the practice, research and teaching of preventive medicine, and ensure our work continues in future generations.

Making an online contribution toACPMis quick, easy and safe (w/SSL encryption). All contributions are warmly welcomed and appreciated (regardless of amount).

Please help us continue our important work by making a gift to ACPM today. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible and helps support your profession in a long lasting and meaningful way!

3. THE COMMUNITY GUIDE RECOMMENDS CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR CVD PREVENTION

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force), a group of independent public health and prevention-focused experts providing findings and recommendations for The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide), has recommended physicians use clinical decision-support systems (CDSS) to implement cardiovascular disease prevention. These computer-based systems provide tailored patient assessments, can be incorporated into electronic health records, and can provide reminders, alerts, and recommendations for treatments and services. The Task Force found sufficient evidence supporting the effectives of these systems in improving screening and provision of services, tests, and treatments for cardiovascular disease among patients.

Please see the Task Force Finding & Rationale Statement for more information.

ACPM News

4. YPS ISSUES CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The ACPM Young Physician Section (YPS) is now accepting nominations for members who are interested in representing ACPM's YPS as a delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA)YPS Assembly. After two rounds of elections, one of two delegate positions remains available.

ACPM YPS delegates act as liaisons between the ACPM YPS and the AMA YPS Assembly. Twice a year, ACPM's YPS sends two delegates to the AMA's YPS assembly, at which more than 100 AMA YPS delegates meet in conjunction with each AMA House of Delegates meeting to establish AMA YPS policy. ACPM YPS delegates have full voting privileges in the Assembly. Delegates also provide policy information and develop tools and services targeted for the individual young physician members of ACPM.

Delegates must be AMA members and able to attend the semi-annual AMA YPS Assembly without financial assistance. ACPM does not subsidize travel or registration.

The two upcoming AMA conference dates are:

June 15-19, 2013 in Chicago, IL- Hyatt Regency Chicago
November 16-19, 2013 in National Harbor, MD- Gaylord National Hotel

Please submit your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Statement of Interest by October 15, 2013 to ACPM's YPS President, David Shih, MD, MS, FACPM,with a copy to Camille Sanders, ACPM's Membership Manager. Acceptance of nominations will close at 5:00pm (Eastern) on this date. Visit http://www.acpm.org/?CallforNominations for more details on submission instructions and schedule of deadlines.

5. ACPM ONLINE CAREER CENTER OFFERS NEW SERVICES

ACPM’s redesigned Online Career Center offers job seekers an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource that connects healthcare organizations and related affiliates to highly qualified professionals in preventive medicine. New enhancements to the Center provide members with access to the complimentary Career Learning Center and Career Tips section. The Career Learning Center will help candidates understand the importance of personal branding during the pursuit of job opportunities, offer networking tips, and offer practical advice on developing powerful résumés. The Career Tips section offers answers to common questions that may arise during a job search.

Additionally, the ACPM Online Career Center now offers additional premium services, at cost. These premium services include career coaching with highly-qualified consultants, reference checking/employment verification services, social networking profile development, professional résumé/CV writing services and more!

ACPM’s Online Career Center is a free service that connects job seekers with access to employers and jobs with a preventive medicine or public health focus. Registered job seekers may post résumés, browse available jobs based on specific criteria, archive up to 100 jobs for future viewing or later submission, and create search agents to provide email job notifications. All registered job seekers also gain access to the National Healthcare Career Network (NHCN), a group of nearly 300 top healthcare organizations and professional societies. ACPM's alliance with the NHCN helps job seekers gain access to a diverse pool of employment postings.

Visit ACPM’s Online Career Center today to register and explore all it has to offer.

6. ACPM SEEKING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS

Take advantage of a unique opportunity to advance the field of preventive medicine by serving as a subject matter expert for the College. ACPM is creating a pool of experts to serve as paid consultants on future national, regional, or local initiatives aligned with ACPM’s mission and activities. Member participants will be matched to relevant projects aligned with their skill sets and interest areas as projects emerge. These subject matter experts will contribute to the advancement of the field and ACPM’s strategic goals, participate in exciting initiatives of federal agencies and other large sponsors, and, for more junior members, receive significant points toward ACPM Fellowship and opportunities for advancing in the ACPM leadership pipeline.

Interested members should send a letter of interest that includes a summary on what you consider to be your area of expertise and CV/résumé to Maureen Simmons, MA, CFRE, Chief Development Officer. You may also reach Ms. Simmons with any questions on 505-220-0605.

Policy and Practice

7. EXECUTIVES EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH PREVENTION FUND ALLOCATIONS

ACPM executive director Michael Barry, CAE, joined 121 other executives from local, state and national organizations on a sign-on letter to President Obama opposing use of Prevention and Public Health Fund (The Fund) dollars for implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the President siphoned $332 million from The Fund to help offset the costs associated with the design and implementation of health exchanges required to be up and running by the start of the open enrollment season on October 1, 2013.

The letter notes, "Enrolling more people in health insurance is critical to ensure people gain access to life-saving and life-extending services, including essential preventive services. However, it is just as important that people have access to the support they need outside the doctor's office to become and remain healthy to potentially avoid those life-threatening health situations. We are concerned that further cuts to the Prevention Fund will compromise our ability to make progress on cost containment, public health modernization and wellness promotion.”

8. HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES URGE $10 MILLION FOR PMR FUNDING

Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) organized a sign-on letter to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Chairman Jack Kingston (R-GA) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) requesting $10 million in FY 2014 from the Prevention and Public Health Fund for preventive medicine residency (PMR) training programs.

In urging for increased funding for PMR training programs, the letter states, "preventive medicine is the only one of the 24 medical specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties that requires and provides training in both clinical medicine and public health. Despite being recognized as an underdeveloped national resource and in shortage for many years, physicians training in the specialty of Preventive Medicine are one of the only groups of medical residents whose graduate medical education (GME) costs are not supported by Medicare, Medicaid, or other third party insurers. Training occurs outside hospital-based settings and therefore is not financed by GME payments to hospitals.”

Rep. Green was joined by 17 other Representatives on the letter. They were: Reps. T. Bishop (D-NY), Conyers (D-MI), Davis (D-CA), Dingell (D-MI), Fattah (D-PA), Hastings (D-FL), Johnson (D-GA), Kildee (D-MI), B. Lujan (D-NM), Peters (D-MI), Pocan (WI), Rangel (D-NY), Ruppersberger (D-MD), Sarbanes (D-MD), Slaughter (D-NY), Wilson (D-FL), and Vela (D-TX).

ACPM president Halley Faust, MD, MPH, FACPM recently delivered a thank you letter to Rep. Green for his leadership in organizing the sign-on letter.

9. USPSTF RELEASES FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIV SCREENING

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released its final recommendation for HIV screening, issuing a "Grade A” recommendation for screening of adolescents and adults aged 15 to 65 years old. Under the Affordable Care Act, this recommendation will result in coverage of HIV screening by health insurance plans. In its rationale statement, the USPSTF found significant evidence that both conventional and rapid HIV antibody tests are accurate in diagnosing HIV and given the risks associated with the disease, they concluded that the net benefit in screening all adults under 65, adolescents aged 15 to 18, and pregnant women was substantial.

In addition, the USPSTF recommended screening for children and adolescents under age 15 and adults over 65 years if they have risk factors for HIV infection.

Research and Reports

10. ONE IN FIVE ADULTS MEET OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES

Only 20 percent of U.S. adults meet both the aerobic and muscle strengthening components of the federal government's physical activity recommendations, according to a CDC report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly. The data is based on self-reported information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System—an annual phone survey of adults aged 18 and over conducted by state health departments.

Nearly 50 percent of all adults in the U.S. are getting the recommended amounts of aerobic activity and about 30 percent are engaging in the recommended muscle-strengthening activity. Women, Hispanics, older adults and obese adults were all less likely to meet the guidelines.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging, or a combination of both. They also recommend adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups, or activities using resistance bands or weights. These activities should involve all major muscle groups and be done on two or more days per week.

11. SUICIDE RATES INCREASE IN MIDDLE-AGED AMERICANS

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials report substantial increases in suicide rates among adults aged 35-64 in the United States, according to data featured in the May 3^rd edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Within the report, Suicide Among Adults Aged 35-64 Years—United States, 1999-2010, study authors note that the annual age-adjusted suicide rate increased 28.4% over the ten-year period.

While suicide rates increased across the board, certain groups, such as American Indian/Alaska Natives and Whites, as well as men aged 50-59 and women aged 60-64 experienced the steepest increases. The economic downturn and increasing availability of prescription opioids leading to more intentional overdoses were listed as potential contributing factors.

12. ADULTS CONSUMING LESS ADDED SUGARS, BUT STILL TOO MUCH

Americans are consuming less added sugar in their diets, according to a study released by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although health experts say they still consume too much. An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that added sugar intake has declined in people ages 2 and older, from about 18% of total calories in 1999-2000 to 14.6% of total calories in 2007-2008. The decrease is mostly a result of the decrease in sugar-sweetened soda consumption, which is the single biggest contributor of added sugars to the diet for all age groups, according to the study’s lead author.

Added sugars are sugars added to processed and prepared foods, like cake and regular soda, but not sugar added at the table. Men consume about 335 calories a day from added sugars; women, 239 calories. The current intake of added sugars far exceeds the amount recommended by the American Heart Association. AHA advises that men consume no more than 150 calories a day from added sugars, or about 9 teaspoons. For women, it's no more than 100 calories a day, or about 6 teaspoons of added sugars.

Announcements

13. NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS SEEKS INJURY EPIDEMIOLOGY FELLOW

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics is seeking a survey statistician/health scientist to serve for at least 24-months with the Aging and Chronic Disease Statistics Branch in the Office of Analysis and Epidemiology. This Senior Service Fellow will focus on injury epidemiology—planning and conducting research studies in emerging trends, health disparities, injury effects on health outcomes and health service utilization, and social and physical functioning post-injury.

To qualify, you must be either a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, have successfully completed a doctoral degree in epidemiology/statistics, medicine, economics, or health sciences and have at least one year post-doctoral experience. Applications will be accepted through May 31.

For more information on additional qualifications and how to apply, please visit the CDC website.

14. IN MEMORIAM: ANTRONETTE YANCEY, MD, MPH, FACPM

Antronette Yancey, MD, MPH, FACPM, known as Toni, passed away last week at her Los Angeles home of lung cancer, according to the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She was 55 and a non-smoker and one of the country’s most vocal leaders in the physical activity and cardiovascular disease prevention movement. Long before First Lady Michelle Obama launched a national conversation on physical fitness, Yancey was talking about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and the benefits of exercise, colleagues said.

"It was her vision that said, 'Let's incorporate exercise in small bursts of activity that anyone can do anywhere,'" said Dr. Linda Rosenstock, former dean of UCLA's public health school. "She really was a leader." Following Yancey's death, many Twitter followers posted that they were doing instant recesses in her honor.

A well-published researcher, Yancey wrote dozens of academic articles about obesity, nutrition, physical fitness and chronic disease prevention. But she also was committed to real-life solutions to public health problems, said David Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University. "It's not just about crunching numbers," he said. "It's about devising practical solutions that people can really use right now. Toni really epitomized that."

At UCLA, Yancey taught at the public health school and co-directed the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. Her co-director, Roshan Bastani, said Yancey was passionate about social justice and became a role model for minority students. Bastani said when she started working with Yancey more than 20 years ago, very few people were talking about the importance of changing the physical environment. "People are embracing that now, but she was talking about this years and years and years ago," she said. "She really was a pioneer."

Yancey joined ACPM in 1996, and became a Fellow in 2001.

15. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS: SALIVE AND WALLACE

Former ACPM Mid-Atlantic Regent Marcel Salive, MD, MPH, FACPM and Fellow Robert Wallace, MD, MsC, FACPM have published a commentary in the April 25 issue of Preventing Chronic Disease, titled "The Dimensions of Multiple Chronic Conditions: Where Do We Go From Here? A Commentary on the Special Collection of Preventing Chronic Disease.”

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