When a Hartford health care facility failed to adequately respond to a tuberculosis exposure in December 2011, its interim senior vice-president for operations, director of nursing and its coordinator of its Healthy Start program actively tried or were associated with efforts to raise awareness among fellow employees, management and the public about the potential dangers. Among other things, they cooperated with public and workplace health agencies that investigated.

The fight to protect public health is more important than ever. The Senate is moving quickly — and secretively — on their version of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. While we don’t know the content of the bill, we do know that the House-passed repeal bill — the American Health Care Act — would cause over 23 million people to lose their health care, restructure Medicaid, pare down essential benefits like maternity and newborn care, result in the loss of over a million American jobs, and zero out the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

The American Heart Association (AHA) wants to set the record straight: scientific research overwhelmingly supports limiting saturated fat in the diet to prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

A study by chemists at the University of Connecticut offers new evidence that electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are potentially as harmful as tobacco cigarettes. Using a new low-cost, 3-D printed testing device, UConn researchers found that e-cigarettes loaded with a nicotine-based liquid are potentially as harmful as unfiltered cigarettes when it comes to causing DNA damage.

The Trump administration announced yesterday that it will delay a rule requiring changes to nutritional labels on processed foods. The reason for pushing back the July 26, 2018 compliance date: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says manufacturers need more time to enact the changes.

Dermatologists strongly recommend the use of sunscreen to reduce exposure to the Ultraviolet (UV) radiation that can cause skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the U.S. When that exposure occurs on the job, 74 percent of Americans believe businesses with outdoor workers should provide sunscreen for their employees to use while at work – according to a study commissioned by Deb Group, a company that offers a professional range of UV Protection creams.

More than 80 percent of people in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed what the World Health Organization (WHO) deems safe. Poor air quality can lead to the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, the WHO said.

Not only will stamping out tobacco use help prevent illness and death, it will also – according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) -- reduce large-scale environmental degradation.

A new study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers in collaboration with leading experts concludes that physical activity should be routinely assessed during the doctor-patient encounter, and that clinicians should design in collaboration with their patients a detailed physical activity plan with goals that should be set and monitored. The study uses concepts from public health and behavioral economics to provide practical advice to clinicians on effective counseling to patients. The study appears early online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

A Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil may enhance the cardioprotective benefits of high-density lipoproteins (HDL—the “good” cholesterol) compared to other diets, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation.