Staff Accountant,

Whitman-Walker Health

Program Evaluator,

Medical Assistant, 

Bowser appoints new senior officials for education, human services 

By Patrick Madden, WAMU 88.5, December 15, 2014

On Monday, DC Mayor-Elect Muriel Bowser announced her new appointments for Education and Health Care. Jennifer Niles will be the new deputy mayor of education, Kevin Donahue will be the new deputy city administrator and Brenda Donald will become the next deputy mayor of health and human services. Additionally, she will keep D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

What happens next in the contract controversy surrounding D.C. inmate medical care? 

By Tina Reed, Washington Business Journal, December 17, 2014

Since 2006, Unity Health Care has provided health care in the city's jails. However, Mayor Vincent Gray was planning to introduce a measure to the D.C. Council to grant a three-year, $66 million contract to Tennessee-based Corizon Health Inc. The Mayor chose to withdraw the measure due to concerns related to inmate treatment by the company.

Federal prosecutors charge 14 in deadly meningitis outbreak

By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post, December 17, 2014

After a deadly outbreak of meningitis caused by unsanitary injections of steroids, which led to the death of 64 people, Congress has passed legislation granting the FDA broader authority to oversee compounding pharmacies.  

Nearly 2.5 million consumers have selected health plans on federal marketplace

By Mary Agnes Carey, Health Kaiser News, December 17, 2014 

Federal officials have said that more than 1 million people have selected health plans during the fourth week of the health law's open enrollment. Administration officials estimated on Tuesday that about 9 million people would enroll in the exchanges by the end of 2015.

Belly fat tied to sudden cardiac death 

By Jan Hoffman, The New York Times, December 17, 2014 

Researchers have discovered that abdominal fat is tied to sudden cardiac death. The study found that, independent of other risk factors, including hypertension, general obesity and high cholesterol, a higher waist to hip ratio doubled the risk of sudden cardiac death.

The CEO of D.C's Community of Hope has devoted her life to helping the homeless 

By John Kelly, The Washington Post, December 16, 2014 

Kelly Shane McSweeney, president and CEO of Community of Hope, has dedicated her life to making a difference. Her start in the Peace Corps in the Sierra Leone had a strong impact on her.  After receiving her MBA from Georgetown, Kelly joined Community of Hope as CEO, growing the organization significantly from a budget of $1.5 million in 2001 to nearly $16 million now.

Pakistan keeps on vaccinating despite tough terrain and terror threat

By Jason Beaubien, NPR, December 18, 2014

The country of Pakistan has been making progress in vaccinating children. However, the terrain and attacks by the Taliban on health workers and the police who protect them make the process difficult. In 2013, the country saw vaccination rates at 60-85 percent of the population against diseases like measles, tuberculosis, polio and meningitis compared to near zero in 1980. Pakistan's military has opened up areas that were blocked off from reach by the Taliban to increase immunization rates.  

People who feel younger at heart live longer

By Jen Christensen, CNN, December 17, 2014

Results of a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who felt younger than their chronological age had a lower death rate. Research also shows that an optimistic attitude and an adherence to maintaining their health also help people live a longer life.