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Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH)

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FRESH is a new program of the New York City Planning Board that utilizes zoning regulations to encourage the establishment of neighborhood full-line grocery stores in low-income and underserved communities.

Medical Home Model

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 A medical home offers each patient a personal clinician with a practice that provides better access and effective care coordination within the context of an ongoing relationship.  The Commonwealth Fund stresses that the emphasis on primary care reduces costs and improves quality.  For example, a medical home pilot project at Geisinger Health Systems in Pennsylvania resulted in a 20% reduction in hospital admissions.  In a medical home model, primary care clinicians and allied professionals provide conventional diagnostic and therapeutic services, as well as coordination of care for patient

Surgical Safety Checklist

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A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the pre-surgery safety checklist developed by the World Health Organization is significantly effective in reducing complications, including death, during surgery.  The study utilized data from hospitals in eight different countries and the strength of the results have led hundreds of health organizations and societies to push for rapid and widespread implementation.  According to the WHO, every year 7 million patients suffer complications following surgery, half of which are likely to be preventable.  Before now, man

Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program

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The Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program addresses healthcare disparities and cardiovascular disease in African American men through creativity, innovation and hard work. In barbershops, volunteers screen men for diabetes, check their blood pressure and educate them about the risk of smoking and the health benefits of exercising and eating well. The program's goal this year is to hold screenings in 750 barbershops and reach 25,000 men in 50 cities. By spring 2009, the campaign had already hit New Orleans, Chicago, St.

City Sprouts

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Citysprouts creates learning gardens in schoolyards, and supports teachers' use of the gardens as a direct extension of their classroom teaching.

Flood-Tolerant Rice

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An international research team, led by scientists from California and the Phillipines, recently succeeded in the use of precision breeding to create a species of rice that can withstand the floods that often contribute to food scarcity in developing nations.  The researchers isolated a gene called 'Sub1" that is tolerant to elongated water submersion, without using genetic modification, so they will avoid some regulatory hurdles.  The researchers anticipate the rice will be especially impactful in India and Bangladesh, where they first tested the breeded plants.

CalPERS E-Prescription

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CalPERS, the nation's largest public pension fund, launched a pilot program in 2009 to accelerate the use of electronic prescription of pharmaceuticals by providers in multiple health plans.  The leaders of the initiative note that the use of automated data provides physicians with critical real-time safety information, and electronic transmission saves both time and money.  The pilot will serve as an important step in determining barriers and best practices for e-prescription, as it is an important agenda item for expansion to wider populations according to both California's Governor Schwa

23 and Me

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23 and Me, a new company founded in 2006, allows members to order a DNA testing kit online, and after spitting into a tube, send their sample to a lab that will give private feedback on genetic traits, health, and ancestry.  The web-based tools through the company's website then provide forums for members to develop communities and discuss results, as well as participate in advancing genetic research through online surveys.

CIMIT: Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology

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A non-profit consortium of Boston teaching hospitals and engineering schools, CIMIT fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among world-class experts in medicine, science and engineering, in concert with industry and government, to rapidly improve patient care.  CIMIT seeks solutions to unsolved clinical problems by integrating the solution-rich environment of engineering and science centers and the problem-rich environment of clinical stakeholders.

Codman Square Health Center

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The Codman Square Health Center is a community-based, outpatient health care and multi-service center.

Health Care Insurance Individual Mandate Enforcement

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In 2008 and 2009, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to implement and enforce an individual mandate on health insurance. Through coordination with the Department of Revenue, Massachusetts residents must submit proof of creditable health insurance coverage on their state tax returns, or face a penalty equal to the amount of their personal exemption.