Health Briefs: new school dental center
Welcome to Cincinnati Health Briefs, a quick dose of news from around Cincinnati coming to you on Mondays. Got a story tip or a smart remark? Twitter @apsaker,asaker@enquirer.com or 513-768-8489.
A third dental center in Cincinnati Public Schools has opened, thanks to $30,000 in grant money. The Withrow Dental Center on Madison Road opened in May, thanks to the Greater Cincinnati Foundation chipping in $20,000, plus $2,500 each from the Philip and Sheila Cohen Fund and the the Spanbauer Family Fund, and another $5,000 from the Alexander Moore Family Fund.
The money will be pay start-up personnel costs. Withrow Dental Center will provide care to between 1,800 and 2,000 students at Withrow High School in Hyde Park and nearby elementary schools as well as East Side residents. The Cincinnati Health Department runs the center, as well as the other two dental centers at Oyler High School in Lower Price Hill and Deaconess at West High-Dater in Westwood.
Using certain medications
in children with Down Syndrome
A new study at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on drugs and children with Down syndrome shows that teens and young adults are more likely to be on psychotropic medications than children under 12.
The study shows the odds of being on a psychotropic medication increased with age for all classes of medications studied. For 12- to 18-year-olds, the odds of being on a stimulant significantly decreased with age, while the odds of being on a medication from other classes of drugs remained stable over time.
“Variations in medication use over time in children and teens with Down syndrome suggest that the type and severity of neurobehavioral problems likely change over time, too,” says Julia Anixt, a developmental pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and co-author of the study.
The study is published online in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
Children’s Fisher joins
patient-safety board
Michael Fisher, president and chief executive officer of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, is leading the board of directors for a new national organization that aims to look at patient safety.
Fisher was elected at the first board meeting of the Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety.
Also serving on the board are officials from Nationwide Children's Hospital, Cardinal Health, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, UH/Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Cook Children's Health Care System, Quality and Safety First and Primary Children's Hospital.
SPS began in Ohio in 2009 as a network of eight children's hospitals and has expanded to more than 80 hospitals in North America.
Toll-free number
for summer lunch programs
The U.S. Agriculture Department estimates that last year in Ohio, only 10.8 percent of kids who received free or reduced-price school lunch during the school year also received summer meals. But if you need help finding a free lunch for your child, the Agriculture Department has a toll-free hotline.
During summer months the USDA National Hunger Hotline provides information about meal sites where children 18 and under can get free, nutritious meals. The hotline is 866-348-6579 or 877-842-6273 for Spanish from Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Your Health Briefs scribe tried the number and found more than a dozen places in Greater Cincinnati.
Salvation Army bells will
ring through July
The Salvation Army set a $70,000 goal for the 2015 “Christmas in July” Campaign, which supports children and youth programs in Greater Cincinnati.
The iconic red kettles with bell-ringers will be at many area Kroger stores through July. Donations can be made by calling 800-825-2769 or by sending a check to The Salvation Army at 114 E. Central Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Last year, more than 2,000 local children were reached by The Salvation Army’s programs that include after-school, summer enrichment/day camp and Camp SWONEKY. Through these programs, area children are provided with meals, mentoring, and tutoring, and participate in a wide range of physical, social and skill development activities.
Drug studied at Christ Hospital
gets closer to FDA approval
Two drugs for lowering cholesterol levels that have been under study at The Christ Hospital for four years are a step closer to approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Two weeks ago, a panel that advises the FDA recommended the agency approve Praluent (alirocumab) and Repatha (evolocumab). If the FDA agrees, those two drugs would be the first members in a new class of medicines that protect against heart attacks and strokes.
The Lindner Center for Research and Education at The Christ Hospital has been testing Praulent, a Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals drug, and Repatha, created by Amgen, since 2011.
Patients in the clinical trials have seen LDL cholesterol, often referred to as the bad cholesterol, drop by at least 60 percent. The drugs work by inhibiting an enzyme that degrades LDL-C receptors in the liver, cutting the liver’s ability to wash LDL-C from the blood. Inhibiting the enzyme increases LDL-C receptors and allows the liver to remove LDL-C from the bloodstream thereby lowering the cholesterol level.