Health

Officials at the University of Maryland have pledged to spend an additional $5 million on student mental health services at the state's flagship College Park campus over the next 10 years, the largest investment in counseling services there in decades. The decision was made this week following years of stagnant investments in psychiatric services at the university's counseling and health centers, despite large spikes in student demand. It comes on the heels of a murder-suicide involving a mentally ill student just off campus in February, which shined a spotlight on the imbalance between counseling services and demand.

Republican Scott Brown, above, defeats Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in the race for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward M. Kennedy. Brown's upset victory leaves President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders with fallback options to salvage a health care overhaul providing insurance to all Americans. And most of those fallbacks are fraught with political peril. Article, PG 10

The American Visionary Art Museum is taking a characteristically fresh and different look at the state of our increasingly crowded planet on Sunday, with a free, day-long Eco Conference featuring presentations from indigenous artists and a variety of scientists, plus a pair of films on mountaintop coal mining and crop circles. (Didn't I say it would be different?) Keynoter is Sandra Steingraber , noted ecologist, author and cancer survivor who has focused on environmental links to cancer and human health.  Other featured speakers include marine toxicologist Susan Shaw and Hopkins-educated epidemiologist Shira Kramer . The conference, which begins at 10 a.m., has been organized to complement the museum's current exhibition, "All Things Round: Galaxies, Eyeballs and Karma," which celebrates "the circular and voluptuous nature of life," according to the museum's relase.  Among other subjects, the original artwork explores the much-discussed implications of the Mayan calendar ending in 2012.  The museum is at 800 Key Highway, at the base of Federal Hill park.  For more info, check avam.org or call 410-244-1900.

ViPS Inc., a Towson health software firm, is being sold to WebMD Corp. for $160 million, the New Jersey firm announced yesterday. While WebMD said it could not discuss its plans in detail until the deal closes, the sale is expected to have minimal impact on privately held ViPS' management and its nearly 400 employees. The purchase is expected take 30 days, including an antitrust review. The acquisition would join two companies in the business of processing and analyzing medical claims for insurers and doctors.

Smog can be hazardous to your health. They ought to put a label on it that says so....

This letter is written in response to the article "Panel urges obesity tests for kids as young as 6" by Kelly Brewington (Jan. 18). Ms. Brewington has done a thorough review of this topic, and we applaud the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for calling attention to this alarming trend, a trend that has significant impact beyond just the weight of our community. Research is clear that poor nutrition and physical inactivity has broad reaching consequences. America's childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last 30 years, exposing 9 million kids to a variety of potential long-term health consequences.

As someone who has loyally voted for the Democratic party for 51 years, I am grateful for what has taken place in the health care reform debate. Democrats should take time , however, to thank Republican National Committee Chairman Micheal Steele for the manner in which he criticized the shouters and the spitters who sought to disrupt the health care reform debate. Denny Olver

There are three main areas in public health that need continued vigilance, said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, now Howard County's health officer after serving as Baltimore's health commissioner for 13 years. The first is substance abuse, which has led to much of the violence in Baltimore. Next is a lack of primary care, contributing to obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the city. Third is the city kids' preparedness for school, including immunizations. "[Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake]

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday another step toward making sure doctors have the most accurate information about prescription drugs. Starting June 30, the agency will require manufacturers to provide the approved uses and serious side effects of their products in computer code that can be easily sent to physicians' computers and hand-held devices. Frustrated with the complexity of official sources of drug information, many physicians have turned to private services that present the information in an easy-to-use format.