Insights

<p>If you're trying to stay on top of the health reform debate and don't have time to scroll through thousands of Google News hits, here's a handy guide to some leading blogs that do it for you and offer great analysis to boot.</p>

<p>With over 60% of Americans looking to the internet for health information, the question for those of us who care about health is, "how do we increase the chances of people finding <em>good</em> information?" There are a few components to this question. First, what kind of information is available? Second, how is it found? And third, who is producing it, and for what purpose? Here are a few observations which are, unfortunately, not yet supported by data, but may serve as a starting point for future discussion.</p>

<p>Dr. Charles McKay understands the human heart better than most of us.</p> <p>He has authored or co-authored hundreds of research papers about various aspects of cardiac care. He helped write the joint American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association <a href="http://www.acc.org/qualityandscience/clinical/guidelines/valvular/dirin… for valvular heart disease treatment</a>. Some of his work has been cited more than 1,000 times by other researchers.</p>

<p>The <a href="/">California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships</a> wrapped up a thought-provoking and fruitful <a href="http://annenberg.usc.edu/Events/2009/091109CAEndowmentHealthJournalism… session</a> on the health blogosphere today, with an often- hilarious, back-channel Twitter conversation <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23uscblogcon">here</a&gt;.

<p>A dentist drives through the dark alleyways of New Jersey in the dead of winter, visiting morgues where he cuts out bones, slices out tendons and peels off layers of skin from corpses. With coolers packed with human flesh, he then drives to a smoking factory where the body parts are turned into things that are put into other people's bodies, without them ever knowing. </p>

<p>Evan George at the Los Angeles Daily Journal, a newspaper focused on the legal community, wrote a great investigative series about disability insurance last month. He spoke to Antidote <a href="/blogs/qa-los-angeles-daily-journals-evan-george-investigating-disability-insurance">last week </a>about how he got started on the project. The second part of the interview is below. It has been edited for space and clarity.</p><p><i>Q: Did you start small or did you immediately dive into looking up all 500+ cases?</i></p>

Please visit my website at http://www.ashbywolfe.com/ to view my most recent post and further updates.

Most recent site update: 11/8/09
Most recent blog post: 11/4/09

Place-based policy

I recently had the privilege to attend the semi-annual CCLHO (California Conference of Local Health Officers) meeting in Oakland, California. This meeting represents an opportunity for county public health officers (often physicians) to collaborate with each other face-to-face.

<p>I am a journalist with twenty five years of experience. I have worked as reporter in United States and Mexico. During the last ten years I worked for a weekly newspaper Enlace, which is part of the San Diego Union-Tribune. During that time, I covered two very important issues for Latinos: Education and Health.</p>

<p>While covering Education, I met Maria Chavez, former Executive Director for the San Diego County Office of Education, Migrant Education Program, a federal program focusing in the education of farmer-workers and their children, in San Diego and Orange Counties.</p>

<p>SAN MARCOS, CA.- A María Chávez su gordura le molestó por años. Pero fue hasta que el sobrepeso trajo a su vida dolor y pérdidas que se decidió a combatirlo.</p>
<p>Chávez, 48 años, es directora de Educación Migrante en el condado de San Diego y Orange. Un programa de apoyo educativo dirigido a los hijos de campesinos y sus padres.</p>
<p>Chávez pesaba 184 libras hace año y medio cuando empezó una nueva forma de vida. Ya perdió 26 libras y quiere eliminar dos más para llegar al peso recomendado por el médico.</p>
<p>Pero no es todo.</p>