Health Emergency Declared for Texas, La.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The federal government did everything possible to prepare for Hurricane Rita, the nation's disaster management chief said Friday as authorities declared a public health emergency in two states before the storm's strike. From sending mass quantities of supplies to Texas and Louisiana to putting troops on standby, the Bush administration's mobilization for the storm sharply contrasted with its widely criticized preparations for Hurricane Katrina.

Hospital Develops Programs To Aid Nurse Retention
Benton Courier
While a nationwide nursing shortage continues, Saline Memorial Hospital is taking steps to reward nurses on staff at the hospital in Benton. The SMH Board of Directors has approved a recommendation from the Nurse Recruitment and Retention Committee to establish a reward program. The program involves awarding a $500 bonus to nurses who achieve certification status in their particular fields.

Overworked Nurses Equals Morale Crisis
myKawartha.com
For a nurse working at the local hospital, 12-hour shifts often turn into 14-hour shifts, lunch is rarely taken and coffee breaks are frequently missed. "It's a tough, tough thing but morale is falling," says Louise Flaherty, a registered nurse and local president of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA). "We need to hire nurses now. This is a really big issue in this community." Wendy Fucile, vice-president and chief nursing officer at the local hospital, concurs.

Doctor slices red tape, opens makeshift clinic in Miss.
USA TODAY
Five days after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, Charles Runels, a former emergency room physician living in Daphne, Ala., couldn't wait any longer. He decided to plunge into Mississippi to see what he could do to help. So Runels set up shop on a picnic bench outside a church and began treating people for tetanus, lacerations and bacterial infections.

Westerners seek cheap medical care in Asia
Newsweek
It's the latest in outsourcing - Asian doctors study in the United States or Britain, acquire their skills and reputations in hospitals there, then take them back to their home countries and wait for the business to come to them.

Statistics Expert Testifies in Vioxx Case
The Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Even short-term use of the painkiller Vioxx can double the risk of heart attack and death, a medical statistics expert testified Thursday in a product liability trial, a finding that manufacturer Merck & Co. misrepresented. Testifying on behalf of a postal worker who is suing the drugmaker, University of Washington biostatistician Richard Kronmal said company-sponsored tests showed that patients who took the now-withdrawn painkiller suffered serious side effects to blood vessels almost immediately.

Medicare Lines Up 9 Insurers for Drug Plan
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration announced Friday that nine insurers have been approved nationwide to provide prescription drug coverage through the new Medicare benefit that kicks in Jan. 1. In addition, several other companies have been approved to provide coverage on a regional basis. As a result, beneficiaries will have at least 11 prescription drug plans to choose from, and in larger states, such as New York and Texas, beneficiaries can choose from among 20 plans.

Study: 'Superbug' Germ Kills 3 in Chicago
The Associated Press
Three Chicago-area children have died of a toxic shock syndrome-like illness caused by a superbug they caught in the community and not in the hospital, where the germ is usually found. The cases show that this already worrisome staph germ has become even more dangerous by acquiring the ability to cause this shock-like condition. "There's a new kid on the block," said Dr. John Bartlett of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, referring to the added strength of the superbug known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

Judge Rejects Vermont Workers' Rx Effort
New York Newsday
MONTPELIER, Vt. -- A federal judge said the Bush administration acted legally when it refused to let Vermont state workers import low-cost prescription drugs, but he also said he approved of the state's goal. Dismissing a lawsuit filed by the state last year, U.S. District Judge William Sessions said this week that Vermont had failed to show that the Food and Drug Administration had any responsibility to certify the state's proposed medication-import program.