| Calendar of Events |
4/7-13- National Public Health Week
4/11-Title X Ahlers Overview
4/21-22- Reducing the Risk Training
4/23-24- Montana Family Planning Training |
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Quote of the Week
Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.
~ Louisa May Alcott |
| Title X Ahlers Overview | | |
 Title X Ahlers Overview
Join us for a Title X Ahlers Overview on Friday, April 11th from 1-2 pm. The first 30 minutes will be an overview of the Ahlers capabilities for Title X clinics. The second half will be for questions and answers. The webinar will be recorded and emailed out following the presentation.
Meeting information:
To start or join the online meeting
Go to https://hhsmt.webex.com/hhsmt/j.php?MTID=m33f1ca7fc8374c136467a8e235d7d273
Audio conference information
To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the meeting, or call the number below and enter the access code.
Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada): 1-877-668-4490
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300
Access code: 577 594 685
Meeting Password: 1234 |
| Montana Family Planning Training | | |
April 23-24, 2014 ~
Holiday Inn Downtown ~ Helena, Montana
Registration Closes April 11th! Click here to Register.
The Montana Family Planning Training will be held in Helena, MT on April 23-24 at the Holiday Inn Dowtown. There is an optional skills building session prior to the conference, clinicians only, that will include Nexplanon training and Vulvar Dermatological review.
For more information on Keynote Speakers go to the Montana Family Planning Training Website and check out the agenda. |
| Employment Opportunities | | |
Employment Opportunities
The Family and Community Health Bureau is recruiting two positions:
1) Supervisor of the Children's Special Health Services section (#00702), and
2) Public Health Nurse Consultant (#37084) to administer the grant, "Integrating Systems of Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs."
Full job announcements can be viewed by clicking the link below and entering the respective position number in the Position/Listing Number Search field.
https://svc.mt.gov/statejobsearch/ |
| Public Health Advisor Position | | Region VIII - Denver, CO
HHS-OASH-MP-14-1078196
HHS-OASH-DE-14-1078235
DUTIES:
- Manage or evaluate public health programs, projects, or study activities associated with assigned public health programs.
- Identify potential problem areas, formulate program responses, and recommend program improvements to identify and resolve program problems that may adversely impact timelines or the successful completion of project plans and objectives.
- Establish systematic methods for program execution and advocacy that include identification of objectives, evaluation criteria, and legal and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Collect and interpret data and information from a variety of sources; prepare responses to inquiries; compose advanced issue and background papers; and prepare a variety of reports and other substantive program documentation.
- Provide oversight and technical management of public health contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements addressing a wide variety of public health issues.
- Lead development of public health messages with subject matter experts and prepares appropriate end-products for communicating public health information to target audiences.
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| April is STD Awareness Month | | April is STD Awareness Month
April is STD Awareness Month, and in 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is promoting STD prevention as a part of HIV prevention. Studies show that people who have STDs such as gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis are more likely to get HIV. And the same behaviors that put a person at risk for acquiring these STDs also put them at risk for HIV. Check out these various CDC resources to help promote STD Awareness Month to your networks. Also, check out the GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign for additional youth-focused materials such as posters, flyers, buttons and other resources that can be downloaded and printed. Spread the word and get yourself tested! |
| National Public Health Week | | National Public Health Week April 7-13, 2014
NPHW kickoff forum
To kick off NPHW, APHA will host a forum to kick off a nationwide discussion on "Creating the Healthiest Nation Through System Transformation" on Monday, April 7, at 1 pm EDT. The event will feature a panel discussion on how the public health community can work in tandem with traditional and nontraditional partners to champion health for all and implement strategies to close the gap on health disparities.
Speakers will include an introduction from APHA Executive Director Georges Benjamin, MD, and a keynote address from Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, MD, MPH. The event will be held at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC, and will also be a live webcast to provide accessibility across the country.
Please RSVP for the forum by Friday, April 4, at 5 p.m. EDT. |
| Sexual Assault Awareness Month | |
Healthy Teen Network and Sexual Assault Awareness Month
This campaign provides tools on healthy adolescent sexuality and engaging youth. Learn how you can play a role in promoting a healthy foundation for relationships, health, and sexual violence prevention.
One way to get involved in SAAM is to participate in weekly twitter chats throughout the month. Twitter chats will be held every Tuesday at 2 pm ET. Follow @NSVRC on Twitter and use the #saam and #tweetaboutit hashtags to join the conversation.
The SAAM Day of Action will be observed on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. This is nationally recognized in the United States as a specific day to focus awareness on sexual violence prevention. Through coordinated planning of special events, advocates can raise awareness, media attention, and national momentum for ending and preventing sexual violence.
Check out these Healthy Teen Network Resources:
Widening Our Lens
This brochure presents a comprehensive strategy to address the impact of child maltreatment, interpersonal, and family violence on youth.
Interpersonal Violence and Adolescent Pregnancy
This report examines the links between interpersonal violence and teen pregnancy. It also explores the implications for practice and programs and offers possible next steps for the field.
Boys Will Be Boys
Research tells us that boys are exposed to child maltreatment and family violence at rates similar to girls, suffer different types of violence than girls, and experience their own gender-specific responses. These young male survivors are prone to certain sexual, reproductive, and parenting behaviors because of their exposure. |
| Special Victims' Counsel for Sexual Assault Victims Webinar | | |
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month
In recognition of April as Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month, please join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Council on Combating Violence Against Women (CCVAW) and U.S. Coast Guard for a teleconference on the Special Victims Counsel program which was created to better protect the rights of victims in sexual assault cases.
Improving the availability and quality of response support for sexual assault victims is one of four strategic goals outlined in the Coast Guard's plan to eliminate sexual assault from our service. As part of the implementation of this plan, Rear Adm. Frederick J. Kenney, Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Coast Guard, authorized the creation of Special Victims' Counsel who provide legal advice and counsel to eligible personnel including, Coast Guard active duty, dependents and reservists on active duty, who are victims of sexual assault.
Please RSVP to VAWA@hq.dhs.gov with your name and organization for teleconference access instructions.
- WHO: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Council on Combating Violence Against Women and U.S. Coast Guard
- WHAT: Teleconference with the U.S. Coast Guard on
- WHEN: Thursday April 3, 2014 from 1:30 - 2:30 P.M. Eastern Time
- RSVP: By Tuesday, April 1 to VAWA@hq.dhs.gov
On March 21, 2013, DHS announced the creation of the Council on Combating Violence Against Women in an effort to ensure the effective administration of laws preventing violence against women. The Council will also coordinate the Department-wide collaborative effort to combat violence against women.
Sincerely,
Council on Combating Violence Against Women
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
VAWA@hq.dhs.gov |
| Connecting Clinical Care and Community Interventions to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | | Successful Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Connecting Clinical Care and Community Intervention.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm, Eastern Time Zone
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm, Central Time Zone
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm, Mountain Time Zone
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm, Pacific Time Zone
Description
The DHHS Office of Population Affairs and the Family Planning National Training Center for Service Delivery is pleased to announce this webinar for administrators, program staff, health educators and outreach workers of health programs and community-based organizations serving teens, as well as anyone interested in learning more about teen pregnancy prevention efforts.
Research demonstrates that clinical and educational contraceptive services as well as behavioral interventions are needed to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy. In this webinar, Title X-funded family planning providers will share lessons learned about how to provide high quality clinical services to teens. Providers will also describe ways that clinical providers and community-based organizations that provide behavioral interventions can work together to reach and effectively serve teens in their communities.
Fees
The webinar is offered free of charge. |
| National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | | |
The 2014 National Day is Coming!
The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (May 7, 2014) is little over a month away and we would like to encourage everyone concerned about teen pregnancy to do whatever they can to support this fun and informative online event. Last year, more than 450,000 people participated in the National Day and we hope that you will join us to help make this year's event an even greater success success.
This year's National Day Quiz will again feature a highly customizable and interactive design that encourages teens to explore and play while learning some critical lessons about avoiding risky sexual situations. Here are just a few highlights from this year's quiz:
- Avatars: Teens will be allowed to create their own avatars-digital representations of themselves and their friends like the ones above-that will be inserted directly into the quiz's scenarios. We hope that allowing teens to personalize their version of the quiz will lead to a richer, more absorbing experience and a deeper connection to the quiz's messages.
- Social Sharing: Throughout the quiz, teens will also have the opportunity to take "snapshots" of their avatars and post them to Facebook and Twitter to share their creations and encourage others to take the National Day Quiz.
- Mobile: In response to the ever-increasing number of teens accessing the Internet on mobile devices, we are offering a mobile-friendly version of the National Day Quiz for smartphones and tablets.
We hope that the National Day Quiz will help your efforts to focus teens on the importance of avoiding teen pregnancy and other consequences of sex. Stay tuned for more details as the National Day approaches.
For more information on this year's event, please visit the National Day section of our website |
| The National Campaign Highlights | | |
The Shriver Report Meets Guy.
The Shriver Report has garnered quite a bit of attention over the past month or so as they focus the nation's attention on trends and transformations in American life and the shifting roles of women. Earlier this week, the Shriver Report sat down and chatted with Guy Nottadadi from Bedsider about guys and birth control.
Everyone is Doing It.
That is, seemingly everyone is taking part in the annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Get a sample newsletter article, press release, National Day Resolution/Proclamation language, sample social media messages, and promotional materials from our online National Day portal. Find out what others are doing nationwide to celebrate the National Day.
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| Youth Violence Prevention Webinar | | |
Youth Violence Prevention: A Public Health Approach
Monday
April 7, 2014
Webinar: 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET
About the Webinar:
Violence is a major issue facing youth, and it comes in many different forms. For Youth Violence Prevention week, the Children's Safety Network is hosting a webinar featuring Howard Spivak, Director, Division of Violence Prevention at the CDC. Dr. Spivak will be joined by Sarah Bacon, Lead Behavioral Scientist for CDC's National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention. The webinar will provide an overview of the magnitude and burden of youth violence and how CDC is addressing current challenges in the public health approach to youth violence. Effective existing prevention strategies will be explored, as will directions for expanding the evidence for population-level impact. The webinar will close with a discussion of the ongoing work across federal agencies to streamline efforts and bring effective violence prevention to a national scale.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER |
| Afaxys and HRA Partner to Relaunch Ella | | | HRA Pharma and Afaxys join forces on emergency contraceptive ellaź in the USA
Charleston, SC - HRA Pharma (www.hra-pharma.com) and Afaxys Pharmaceuticals, a division of Afaxys, Inc. (www.Afaxys.com), announced today that the companies have formed a commercial partnership to supply ulipristal acetate (UPA), a selective progesterone receptor modulator, to the U.S. market. The product is commonly known as ellaź in the U.S. where it has been available since 2010.
ellaź is a next-generation emergency contraceptive developed by HRA Pharma specifically for emergency contraceptive use. ellaźwas originally approved as an emergency contraceptive by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2009 and subsequently by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010
It is anticipated that the partnership of these two companies working closely together in the contraceptive field will make ellaźmore widely available to women all over the U.S.
Afaxys Pharmaceuticals is a unique pharmaceutical company that specializes in serving the public health sector and has a proven track record of success in working with large safety net, family planning organizations including family planning clinics; college and university health centers; community health centers; and city, county, state and federal facilities. [1]
Commenting on the newly formed association between the two organizations, Erin Gainer, CEO of HRA Pharma, said, ''We are looking forward to this collaborative relationship that we anticipate to prove successful in improving women's access to ulipristal acetate emergency contraception in the USA. Having the same mission and goals as Afaxys with regards to empowering women with choice and options means we will achieve positive results, together."
CEO of Afaxys, Ronda Dean added, ''It is at the heart of the Afaxys business model that we help address the lack of access to affordable contraception for women all over America. We are pleased to add ellaź to our portfolio of contraceptive options. We are looking forward to workingwith HRA Pharma, as it is clear that we have complimentary values and a shared commitment to develop awareness of emergency contraceptive options." |
| Unplanned Pregnancy Risk with St. John's Wort | | |
Unplanned Pregnancy Risk with St. John's Wort
The UK Medicinal Products and Healthcare Regulatory Agency is warning women using hormonal contraception to avoid the herbal remedy, St. John's wort.
The MHRA reports that two women with implantable contraceptives containing etonogestrel experienced unplanned pregnancies while taking the herbal supplement, most commonly used for mild depression. Since 2000, the MHRA has tallied 19 suspected contraceptive/St. John's wort interactions, with 15 resulting in unplanned pregnancies.
When first reported in the Daily Mail by medical correspondent Jenny Hope, commenters assailed her and the newspaper saying that this herb-drug interaction was "old news" and that such contraindications are spelled out on the package inserts of herbal products sold in the United Kingdom. "Everyone" knows of this in the UK, so they say.
But this may not be the case in the United States.
Indeed, we have known since the late 1990s that St. John's wort supplements contain a chemical that substantially increases the liver's capacity to metabolize other drugs, in most cases rendering them less effective. This effect was first noticed in Swiss organ transplant recipients who inexplicably started experiencing transplant rejection symptoms. Doctors later learned that the patients had been taking St. John's wort and that it was accelerating the breakdown of their transplant rejection drug, cyclosporine.
The GlaxoSmithKline researcher, Steven Kliewer, and his colleagues demonstrated in 2000 that the component, called hyperforin, induced the production of CYP3A4, an enzyme responsible for metabolizing ~50% of prescription drugs. Among these are progestin contraceptive drugs like etonogestrel and, to a lesser extent, the estrogenic component of oral contraceptives.
But unlike commenters at the Daily Mail, I'm not so sure that this is old news to U.S. readers. Part of the reason is that herbal product labeling is not as stringently regulated as in the UK. This excerpt of a package insert for a British St. John's wort product very clearly spells out all the different drugs where one might expect interactions with the herb.
In comparison, here is a typical warning from a similar product in the U.S.
"CAUTION: Do not use this product while taking any prescription drug without the advice of your prescribing physician. Avoid excessive exposure to U.V. radiation (e.g. sunlight, tanning) when using this product. Not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating women. Keep out of reach of children."
On one hand, saying that one shouldn't take the herbal supplement with "any prescription drug" pretty much covers it. But I tend to find the British version more compelling, particularly where it spells out hormonal contraceptives at the top of the list.
But - for our American readers - did you know that you weren't supposed to take St. John's wort if you were also using hormonal contraceptives?
I'm not so sure this is old news on this side of the pond. |
| Life is Short - Smile! | | |
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