Cultural Competence

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Stop & Shop is expanding a program to educate children about nutrition, the Ahold USA-owned supermarket chain said.

The chain announced that it would update and expand the Passport to Nutrition program to organizations that educate and work with children, such as schools, summer camps and scouting groups. The announcement follows a similar announcement last week by Landover, Md.-based sister chain Giant Food.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Actress Jennie Garth, known for her role on "Beverly Hills 90210," on Monday partnered with Alcon to launch the Eye Saw Good campaign, an initiative that highlights the important role that good eye health and clear vision play in a person's life. The campaign has been set up to inspire people to help provide good eye health and vision correction for children in need across the United States. The campaign is simple: see good, share good and make good happen.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food is revamping a program designed to promote health and wellness among children, the supermarket chain said.

The Ahold USA-owned chain, also known as Giant-Landover to distinguish it from fellow Ahold chain Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Pa., said it would introduce a newly updated and expanded Passport to Nutrition program to organizations that educate and work with children, including schools, summer camps and scouting groups.

NEW YORK — One admittedly unhealthy way to feel better about a bad situation is to remind oneself that someone, somewhere has it worse. The latest news on obesity might serve such a purpose for Americans, according to a new report.

CHICAGO — In a multiethnic group of adults, low vitamin D concentration was associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease events among white or Chinese participants, but not among black or Hispanic participants, according to a study in the July 10 issue of JAMA.

NEW YORK — The U.S. Public Health Service has awarded a Touro College of Pharmacy student for his efforts to educate the public about health care.

NEW YORK — A dramatic increase in the number of women dying from opioid painkiller overdoses has health officials alarmed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday results of an analysis showing that nearly 48,000 women died of prescription painkiller overdoses between 1999 and 2010, with the rate of women dying this way in 2010 increasing more than five-fold during that time. The number of men who died from prescription painkiller overdoses in 2010 increased by 265% over 1999.

One of the most effective levers pharmacists and other health professionals can pull to curb the nation’s $2.7 trillion healthcare bill is boosting patients’ adherence to their prescription drug treatment regimens. But who’s holding the handle?