NIH Needs Health Scientists

The National Institutes of Health are hiring several health scientist administrators and scientists.They want exceptionally talented,knowledgeable and motivated individuals for their dynamic organization.
Health Scientist Administrators(Program Officer and Scientific Review Officer)are needed for specialties ranging from Alcoholism to Economics,Genetics,Gerontology,Psychology,Sociology and more.Positions will be advertised until August 20.For information,visit www.jobs.nih.gov/hsa
Scientists(Biologist and Chemist) are needed for specialties ranging from Bioinformatics,Histology and Immunology to Microscopy.Positions will be advertised until August 13.For information,visit www.jobs.nih.gov/biologist and www.jobs.nih.gov/chemist
An excellent Federal Government Benefits Package and opportunities for professional development are offered.Discover a career at NIH:It's about life.

Green Spaces May Help

Some people who live within a 1km radius to green spaces such as parks or gardens have modestly lower rates of 15 out of 24 major diseases,Dutch researchers found in a groundbreaking study recently.This was especially true for mental illnesses.Those with a 90% green environment were rather less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than those with only 10% green surroundings.
Other diseases that were less common in some living near nature include diabetes,asthma,digestive trouble,back and neck conditions.The researchers studied the medical records and residences of 345,000 people in the Netherlands,as reported by general practice physicians rather than people themselves,as in previous studies.Their results were published in the December 2009 Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
It may be that those who live near parks and gardens get more exercise,breathe better air and have less stressful sensory stimuli than other,more urbanized citizens,which is resulting in somewhat better health prospects for some of them.The effect was strongest for those in lower socioeconomic strata and did not obtain in heavily urbanized areas.

Budget Jeopardizes Student Health

In Frederick County,Maryland,school health rooms are staffed by health technicians,and these are supervised by registered nurses.Today,when an RN leaves her position,she is not being replaced for budgetary reasons.That means the RN's job must be done by the remaining nurses.RNs have gone from supervising two schools each to supervising three to four schools.As well,five schools lack a full-time health technician.When an HT isn't there,a school administrator mans the health room,rather than someone trained in the health culture.Such is the situation in this economic downturn as described by Dr.Barbara Brookmyer,Chief Public Health Officer,as she addressed a recent Board of Education meeting.She pointed out how serious this was for diabetic children,who need ongoing help with medication,glucose monitoring and so on.
BOE member Daryl F. Boffman said he was appalled that society has come to this point.Board President Kathryn B. Groth noted that some schools aren't close to an ambulance,so it could take some time for a professional emergency response.Dr.Brookmyer,who was supported by several of the school health staff who also attended the meeting,pleaded for the BOE to raise the issue with the County Commissioners,who control the purse strings.It was a scene undoubtedly being played out across the cash-strapped country,if not the developed world.