Cultural Competence

CARLISLE, Pa.—Numerous strategies for combatting the epidemic of childhood obesity have emerged lately, but one could argue that among the most effective are those that happen where people get their food.

NEW YORK — Meningococcal meningitis is rare but can kill preteens and teenagers in as little as a day. Yet many kids still engage in behaviors that put them at risk of contracting the disease despite not being vaccinated.

WASHINGTON — The surgeon general on Monday issued a release promoting breast-feeding in support of World Breast-feeding Week, Aug. 1 through 7.

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — Chickenpox is the scourge of many a schoolchild and usually a convenient, if itchy and feverish, reason to stay home for several days, but it also has been fatal for many who catch it — until recently.

According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, since a vaccine for varicella, the virus that causes chickenpox, became available in 1995, deaths from the virus have been virtually eliminated.

CHICAGO — Access Community Health Network and Walgreens have extended their relationship to co-develop an integrated program to provide accessible preventive and primary health care for underserved populations, Access said Monday.

As part of the partnership, Walgreens will work with Access on the following initiatives:

• Create a pharmacy and therapeutics committee that will provide prescribing guidelines for all Access health centers to help every patient receive cost-effective, high-quality drug therapies;

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Children with Type 1 diabetes may achieve better blood-sugar control if their parents are more authoritative with them, a new study has found.

WASHINGTON — The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board said that its certification and advanced training programs, developed by the Pharmacy Technician Workforce Coalition of the Triad, support the development of a highly skilled pharmacy technician workforce in North Carolina.

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Polyglot Systems and CarePoint have partnered to help healthcare providers communicate medication instructions more effectively to patients, the two companies said Thursday.