Weekly Edition – April 10, 2012
April 10, 2012 
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In this week’s edition:: Job injuries among youth prompts calls for better safety standards Job injuries among youth prompts calls for better safety standardsDozens of American youth under the age of 20 die on the job each year while thousands more are injured, often due to poorly regulated work environments, according to a new report released by the Colorado School of Public Health. “We don’t tend to think of child labor as a major issue in the U.S. but we should,” said the study’s lead author Carol Runyan, Ph.D., MPH, and professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. “Laws governing the employment of youth ages 14 to 17 in this country are often very lenient and in the case of family farms virtually non-existent.” Runyan, who led a group of American and Canadian scholars and public health professionals on the project, is now calling for stricter oversight of working conditions for the young including those employed in agriculture. “Work can help young people develop skills, explore career options, earn money and gain self-esteem,” she said. “But without adequate safeguards in place, work can also be dangerous for youth.” The report, published last week in Public Health Reports, found that 88 youths under age 20 died from work-related injuries in 2010 while 20,000 missed work in private industry due to occupational-related illness or injury. Young people comprise a significant part of the U.S. and Canadian labor force. More than 17.6 million workers under age 25 are employed in the U.S. In Canada, nearly three million workers between ages 15 and 24 were employed in 2010. Runyan said that while work holds many positives for young people, it can also expose them to unsafe tasks and environments with limited supervision. Keeping food safe, Rep. DeGette says gains being made on ensuring food safetyThe United States is on course for a comprehensive food safety system for the 21st century, but bureaucratic and financial hurdles remain, according to comments made by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. DeGette, who represents Colorado’s First Congressional District, spoke about “From Farm to Fork: Protecting Our Nation’s Food Supply” at the Anschutz Medical Campus Monday, April 9, 2012. About 60 people attended the Colorado School of Public Health event, in addition to 20 people watching a live stream at Colorado State University. DeGette said food safety has made gains, especially thanks to the Food Safety Modernization Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama about a year ago. “American families can know that the food safety system we’re trying to put in place is a food safety system for the 21st century,” she said. “Before this law, food safety structure in America was largely unchanged since the 1930s.” It remains a significant problem, however, as last summer’s listeria outbreak shows. That outbreak, traced to a Holly, Colo. cantaloupe grower, was the nation’s deadliest foodborne-illness outbreak since 1924, infecting 146 people in 28 states and causing 30 fatalities, DeGette said. In all, foodborne illnesses cost the United States $152 billion annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that food hazards cause 48 million illnesses in the nation each year, including 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, DeGette said. “These are staggering numbers, and when you hear them in the abstract they’re horrifying. But they’re not nearly as horrifying as the stories we hear from actual victims of food poisoning.” U.S. Surgeon General Leads Walk to Celebrate National Public Health Week at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusThe American Public Health Association and Metro Mayors Caucus Join One-Mile Walk at the Colorado Center for Health and Wellness to Underscore the Importance of Small Steps toward Better Health Story originally published online at the Colorado Center for Health and Wellness Press Room As part of her initiative to promote joy in becoming and staying healthy, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, led a one-mile fitness walk April 4, 2012, through the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado. Dr. Benjamin visited the Rocky Mountain State to promote National Public Health Week and the National Prevention Strategy – America’s plan for better health and wellness. The Walk began at the University’s new Colorado Center for Health and Wellness and is one of the first events to underscore its mission to offer individuals, organizations and communities access to its state-of-the-art programs, resources, research and activities to promote healthy living and disease prevention. Dr. Benjamin was joined by James O. Hill, PhD, executive director of the Colorado Center for Health and Wellness; Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA); and members of the Metro Mayors Caucus. Members of the campus and local communities joined the Surgeon General on the trek through the Anschutz Medical campus. The walk is one of many efforts taking place across the country during APHA’s National Public Health Week to advance the Surgeon General’s goals of prevention and wellness. “Emphasizing disease prevention and wellness is critical to reaching our national goal of creating a model health system. If each and every one of us commits to promoting good health in our homes, communities and families, we can create a ripple effect from coast to coast,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin. “We are thankful for the U.S. Surgeon General’s vision and leadership in making the National Prevention Strategy, a major theme of this year’s National Public Health Week, a reality for Americans.” Continue reading online at the Colorado Center for Health and Wellness Press Room Save the Date | Spring Public Health Forum at CSUAttend the spring public health forum at Colorado State University Friday, April 27, 2012 8:30 am -2:10 pm in Pathology, Room 103. The forum is hosted each semester on both the Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The CSU forum will feature capstone presentations and posters from 14 graduating master of public health students. If you are interested in attending the event, please contact Assistant Director Kendra Bigsby, Kendra.Bigsby@colostate.edu. Details on the Anschutz Medical Campus forum will be released later this semester. American Public Health Association opens call for national award nominationsThe American Public Health Association is now accepting nominations for the association’s 2012 awards program. Awards will be presented at the 140th APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 27-31, 2012, in San Francisco. Award descriptions, criteria and the nomination form are available at www.apha.org/about/awards. The deadline for nominations is April 20, 2012. Please consider nominating a Colorado School of Public Health community member for one the 2012 awards: Sedgwick Memorial Medal – recognizes an individual for outstanding accomplishments in the field of public health and is APHA’s oldest and most prestigious honor APHA Award for Excellence – honors a living individual for creative work in applying scientific knowledge or innovation to improve community health David P. Rall Award for Advocacy in Public Health – recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to public health through science-based advocacy Martha May Eliot Award – honors a professional worker in the field of maternal and child health Milton and Ruth Roemer Prize for Creative Local Public Health – is awarded to a health officer of a county, city or other unit of local government in recognition of outstanding creative and innovative public health work Helen Rodriguez-Trias Social Justice Award – is awarded to an individual who has worked toward social justice for underserved and disadvantaged populations Sidel-Levy Award for Peace – is presented to an APHA member who has made outstanding contributions to preventing war and promoting international peace Jay S. Drotman Memorial Award – recognizes the career of a promising young public health professional or student Student Assembly Public Health Mentoring Award – recognizes an APHA member for their essential role of mentoring in public health and leadership development Alumni news and notesWe are proud to share in the celebration and success of our alumni. If you are a graduate of the school or one of our predecessor programs, then share your news and updates. You can submit updated information to Colorado.SPH@ucdenver.edu. Please include your name, e-mail, program and graduation year. Heather Kennedy MPH ‘10 MPH-community and behavioral health alumna Heather Kennedy now works as a Research and Evaluation Coordinator for the Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy program at Children’s Hospital Colorado. The Ponzio Creative Arts Therapy Program offers art, dance/movement, music, and yoga therapies for pediatric patients in the psychiatric and medical units. During her time with Children’s, Heather has developed and implemented evaluation and research projects to assess the impact of these therapies on patients. In her work, she’s found that all four therapies have produced clinically and statistically significant changes in mood of adolescent patients, that staff perceive the program as having a meaningful impact, and that families who participate in multi-family groups benefit from the safe environment and interactions with other families. Heather also participated as a Research Assistant for the DSM-5 pediatric field trials. Alumni – you can also connect with the school, your faculty, fellow alumni and current students through our new LinkedIn Group. Join today. Public Health MattersUpcoming Events | View details about these events online In the News | Visit Public Health Newsroom Public Health Job Opportunities | View details about these opportunities online |
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