Insights

<p>Empowering patients has been a health care mantra for at least a decade. But patients can only do so much to protect themselves from harm, especially when it comes to hospital-acquired infections.</p>

<p>Who knew that Tennessee had the highest percentage (41%) of high school kids who drank more than one sugary soda a day? Check out these story ideas from a new CDC state-by-state report on “food environments” for children.</p>

<p><span style="font-size: small;">In this week-long series, North Carolina Voices - Mental Health Disorder, health reporter Rose Hoban explores North Carolina's long difficulty with finding housing for people with mental health problems. </span></p>

<p>New community health laws proposed in California, noisy health care is bad for patients, no fast-track Supreme Court decision on health reform, plus more from our Daily Briefing.</p>

<p>This morning I decided I needed to let off some steam because I had far too many possible comments circling my brain to get them out in one session! Luckily, I was reading <a href="http://virginiahughes.com/2011/04/25/analysis-finds-weak-evidence-for-m…; target="_blank" title="Virginia Hughes reviews autism treatment efficacy">Virginia Hughes</a> talking about a review of treatments for autism.</p>

<p>Many professions have their version of a post-event analysis of what went wrong, and how to prevent it. The autopsy report is medicine's. Journalists can find a trove of stories in a review of death certificates.</p>

<p>Why are part-time elected officials in California getting such expensive full-time health benefits? Answers and more in our Daily Briefing.</p>

<p>Daniela Velazquez wades through reams of data on childhood obesity in her community and lives to tell the tale.</p>

<p><span style="color: #000000;">As a Brit looking back on the AHCJ conference which ended just a week ago, I have to say that the overwhelming impression I took away was that Americans appear to love their health insurance companies more than almost anything else, and that US health journalists appear to be less critical and analytical in approaching health reform and health policy than when they report on new drugs and treatments.</span></p>

<p>Journalist Liz Scherer talks with Antidote blogger William Heisel about why we medicalize menopause and other life transitions in a wide-ranging conversation about media coverage of women's health.</p>