In reversal, Mich. agency releases H1N1 documents
Filed under: Government, Health journalism, Public health, Public records
Michigan’s Department of Community Health has reversed an earlier decision to withhold documents about how the state has spent money on H1N1 prevention.
Todd A. Heywood of the Michigan Messenger reports the department had turned down a Freedom of Information Act request from that publication for “information related to a $25,000 budget item for the involvement of the Civilian Air Patrol. It also refused to release information about an exercise which was budgeted at nearly $50,000 and refused to identify which ‘partner agencies’ had received gloves, masks and other supplies purchased by the department.”
In its denial, the department said releasing the information would violate the state’s anti-terrorism laws. Heywood reports the documents that have been released do not appear to have any relationship to terrorism or national security.
“It’s absurd to think that releasing plans for preventing and treating H1N1 would compromise the state’s security or increase its vulnerability to terrorism,” said Charles Ornstein, president of AHCJ’s board of directors and a senior reporter at ProPublica.
“I’m pleased the Michigan Department of Community Health released the requested documents, and I hope reporters in other states will ask for similar information.”
AHCJ has been concerned about the withholding of information about H1N1 around the country. Last fall, an informal poll of AHCJ members and a review of press releases and news reports revealed a wide variation in what information local and state health officials are disclosing about H1N1 deaths.
At the time, Felice Freyer, chair of AHCJ’s Right-to-Know Committee, said, “in some places, officials are withholding more information than necessary, perhaps because of a lack of clear guidelines about what should be revealed. This comes at a high cost; health officials lose the public’s trust when they hide information. Anyone may wonder: If they won’t even say how old the victim was, what else are they concealing about the sicknesses affecting my community?”
After being approached by AHCJ, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers agreed to organize a group of state officials, public information officers and health-care writers to develop guidelines on reporting deaths that are of concern or interest to the public. We will learn more details soon, says Freyer, a reporter at The Providence (R.I.) Journal, but “we are happy that ASTHO agrees the issue is worthy of discussion and intends to include us.”
In California, Ryan Sabalow of the Redding (Calif.) Record Searchlight put together a local take on ongoing inconsistencies in how local health departments release outbreak-related information to the public. He wrote about examples from local health departments and explained the nuances of when and how certain health departments choose to disclose infections, and how inconsistent those standards can be in practice.
(Hat tip to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.)
Canadian workshop examines H1N1 coverage
The H1N1 pandemic was a unique event, with developments unfolding quickly, leading to communication problems about the crisis, according to a speaker at a workshop in Montreal last week.
The Concordian, the student newspaper at Concordia University in Montreal, reports that the university’s departments of journalism and exercise science hosted a workshop on “Politics of Health Information: Reflections on a Pandemic.”
Dr. Simon Bacon, from Concordia’s department of exercise science, participated in the 2nd Annual Health Communication Workshop and said, “This was something that happens very rarely and it was going so fast that there were communication problems between each level.”
A report on how to improve communication between scientists and journalists is expected to be completed and posted online in about two months.
AHCJ finds uneven disclosure of H1N1 deaths
Filed under: Government, Health journalism, Public health
An informal poll of AHCJ members from across the country, as well as a review of press releases and news reports, reveals that there is a wide variation in what information local and state health officials are disclosing about H1N1 deaths.
In some places, health officials have held press conferences at which they released age, gender, city of residence and the place and time of death. In other places, officials have refused to reveal the age or gender of people who have died. Some states update tallies of deaths on their Web sites, others issue press releases, some release information only if asked and some remain silent even when asked.
“We understand the need for health officials to protect the privacy of those with H1N1,” says Felice J. Freyer, chair of AHCJ’s Right-to-Know Committee. “But, in some places, officials are withholding more information than necessary, perhaps because of a lack of clear guidelines about what should be revealed. This comes at a high cost; health officials lose the public’s trust when they hide information.”
AHCJ is preparing a guide for journalists who have difficulty getting basic information about deaths that are of public interest. The organization also hopes to work with public health officials on national level to encourage greater openness.
Read more …
Resources for journalists covering flu
Filed under: Health journalism, Health policy, Tools
AHCJ member Stefanie Friedhoff has led a Nieman Foundation effort to bring together as much pandemic flu material as possible in one spot. The CoveringFlu.org guide not only helps reporters with the science, historical context and journalism involved, but also with practical safety considerations.
Much of the content came out of a 2006 conference, The Next Big (Health) Crisis - And How to Cover It, presented by the Nieman Foundation and cosponsored by AHCJ. It brought journalists together with scientists, public health officials, medical experts, academic researchers, law enforcement officers, public policy experts, and Homeland Security officials to talk about how best to prepare for the possible arrival of pandemic flu.
Read edited excerpts from a lengthy transcript from the event:
- Interactions of journalists and sources
- A focus on the science
- Understanding the risk - What frightens rarely kills
- Reacting to the crisis
- Press lessons from the 1918 pandemic flu
- Preparing for pandemic flu
- Reporting from the frontlines
- The many dimensions of the avian flu story
- Communicating news of an outbreak
- Preparing for the crisis
- Books about influenza
AHCJ also has these resources for journalists covering flu stories:
- Avian and pandemic influenza tip sheet, by Maryn McKenna
- Covering avian flu and pandemics: Tips for smaller newspapers/broadcast operations
- Pandemic preparedness: Tips to cover recent supplemental funding to states
- Avian & pandemic flu resources
- Bringing international stories home
- Resources for covering H1N1 flu, pandemics and preparedness
- Preparing your community for pandemics
- Pandemic/avian influenza: Epidemiology and challenges
- Pandemic influenza: Planning and coordinating the response
- Public health crisis preparation: Linda Rosenstock
Will pharmacists play a role in H1N1 vaccinations?
In some states, pharmacists can administer influenza vaccinations. However, laws do differ from state to state. Some states allow pharmacists - who must be certified - to give flu shots based on an established protocol agreed upon with a physician. Other states, such as Oklahoma (until Nov. 1), require patients to obtain a prescription from a doctor before a pharmacist can administer a vaccine.
The differing standards and regulations have the potential of creating barriers to access for vaccinations, something that should be of concern as the H1N1 vaccine makes its way to health care providers.
In Oklahoma, for example, I saw about a dozen people arrive at a pharmacy counter for their flu shots, only to be told they had to get a prescription. Those people left the pharmacy, presumably to visit their doctor, a visit that likely required a co-pay or other payment. Every time someone left, I had to wonder whether they would follow through and return with a prescription. In my case, I went to a walk-in clinic where I only waited a few minutes - though I had to fill out several forms - then had my vitals recorded and answered a series of questions, first from a nurse and then from the doctor. I then returned to the pharmacy, filled out more forms very similar to what I had completed for the doctor and waited until the pharmacist was available to give me a flu shot. The whole process took about two hours - time that many people can’t afford to spend.
Presumably, states are allowing pharmacists to give influenza vaccinations to increase the public’s access and boost immunizations. But are the regulations guiding such vaccinations working or are different barriers being created? It remains to be seen whether pharmacists will be giving H1N1 vaccinations, but a number of organizations are discussing the possibility.
Carolyn C. Ha, Pharm.D., of the National Community Pharmacists Association, has provided a state-by-state breakdown of requirements for pharmacist-provided immunizations.
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials recently released an “Operational Framework for Partnering with Pharmacies for Administration of 2009 H1N1 Vaccine” that includes information about requirements in each state. (contact: Paula A. Steib, senior director communications, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, 202-371-9090 ext. 3173)
The American Pharmacists Association has provided information about vaccine distribution. The organization is working with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, state associations, CDC, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to get pharmacies included in each state’s 2009 H1N1 influenza virus immunizing program.
The CDC’s has contact information for state/jurisdiction officials and guidelines for clinicians. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices also will have information about H1N1 vaccinations.
For more about the certification process for pharmacists, read “Incorporating an Immunization Certificate Program into the Pharmacy Curriculum,” from the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and from the American Pharmacists Association.
Resources for covering flu and pandemics (#swineflu)
As journalists may be preparing to cover the outbreak of swine flu that has been identified in Mexico and the United States, AHCJ has some resources to offer.
The Next Big (Health) Crisis - And How to Cover It: AHCJ cosponsored a 2006 conference at Harvard about news coverage of the next big health crisis, with a focus on the emergence of the next influenza pandemic. The event, presented by the Nieman Foundation and sponsored by the Dart Foundation, AHCJ and the National Center for Critical Incident Analysis, brought journalists together with scientists, public health officials, medical experts, academic researchers, law enforcement officers, public policy experts, and Homeland Security officials to talk about how best to prepare for the possible arrival of pandemic flu.
Avian and pandemic influenza tip sheet: While this tip sheet deals mainly with bird flu, it does have important information about controlling and preparing for pandemic flu.
Avian and pandemic flu resources: Includes conference presentations by health experts about flu and preparing for disasters.
Check back for more resources - we are in the process of reviewing and compiling what we have available.
Update
A more complete list of resources for reporters is now available on the AHCJ Web site.
CDC monitors H1N1 swine flu-human reassortment
DemFromCT, in the Health Care Friday feature on DailyKos.com, calls our attention to an H1N1 swine flu-human reassortment that the CDC is monitoring.
The post includes links to a CDC page that is updated daily with the number of cases, a Washington Post story and more about it from Science.
According to The Washington Post:
More than 50 scientists and epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta are studying the strain, and dozens of public health investigators in Southern California are looking for more cases among the those who had contact with the children.
Note: DemFromCt features health care on the DailyKos blog every Tuesday and Friday - it’s worth checking out.
Update
A complete list of resources for reporters is available on the AHCJ Web site.
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Spend a week at the CDC studying public health, meeting sources. Apply for the AHCJ-CDC Health Journalism Fellowships today!
- Reporting on the intersection of health, environment
- Tip sheet: Covering cuts to Medicare reimbursements
- Briefing: Reporting on health reform between now and 2014
- Covering high-risk insurance pools: Tips for reporters
- Health care reform has passed: What's next?
- Health and education: Covering these intersecting beats
- Reporting on the business of health care
- Health reporting resources for journalists on state and local government beats
