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Access To Abortion Services In Kansas Hindered After Closure Of Tiller's Clinic
After the murder of abortion provider George Tiller and the closure of his Wichita, Kan., clinic, residents of the city face about a three-hour drive to the nearest abortion provider, a distance experts say is not uncommon for access to abortion services in southern and midwestern states, the Wichita Eagle reports. Jenny O"Donnell of the Abortion Access Project said that southern and midwestern states have the heaviest restrictions on abortion, adding that "substantial populations don"t have an abortion provider" in states such as Mississippi and Arkansas. According to 2005 statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, 87% of U.S. counties have no abortion provider; the figure rises to 94% of counties in the Midwest and 96% of counties in Kansas. The number of abortion providers in Kansas declined from 15 in 1992 to seven in 2005, while the number of providers nationwide dropped from 2,380 to 1,787 over the same time period, according to Guttmacher. Experts say the decline is the result of several factors, including public pressures, increased regulation that has driven up the cost and complexity of providing abortion and a general trend in the health care industry toward consolidated, more specialized practices.Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, said that the decrease in the number of abortion providers is misleading on some levels. The decline primarily has occurred among hospitals and small providers who perform a few procedures a year, while major clinics that specialize in abortion have remained essentially stable, Saporta said. Peter Brownie, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the group"s clinics have experienced an increase in contacts from women from south-central Kansas since Tiller"s clinic closed a little more than one week ago. He added, "At the present time, there"s no place between Denver and Kansas City where a woman can obtain abortion care. That"s a significant barrier for women throughout the state that have that need." NAF has established a national hotline to offer referrals for women who have to make new arrangements for abortion care because of the closure of Tiller"s clinic, Saporta said (Lefler, Wichita Eagle, 6/9).
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Access To Abortion Services In Kansas Hindered After Closure Of Tiller's Clinic
After the murder of abortion provider George Tiller and the closure of his Wichita, Kan., clinic, residents of the city face about a three-hour drive to the nearest abortion provider, a distance experts say is not uncommon for access to abortion services in southern and midwestern states, the Wichita Eagle reports. Jenny O"Donnell of the Abortion Access Project said that southern and midwestern states have the heaviest restrictions on abortion, adding that "substantial populations don"t have an abortion provider" in states such as Mississippi and Arkansas. According to 2005 statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, 87% of U.S. counties have no abortion provider; the figure rises to 94% of counties in the Midwest and 96% of counties in Kansas. The number of abortion providers in Kansas declined from 15 in 1992 to seven in 2005, while the number of providers nationwide dropped from 2,380 to 1,787 over the same time period, according to Guttmacher. Experts say the decline is the result of several factors, including public pressures, increased regulation that has driven up the cost and complexity of providing abortion and a general trend in the health care industry toward consolidated, more specialized practices.Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, said that the decrease in the number of abortion providers is misleading on some levels. The decline primarily has occurred among hospitals and small providers who perform a few procedures a year, while major clinics that specialize in abortion have remained essentially stable, Saporta said. Peter Brownie, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the group"s clinics have experienced an increase in contacts from women from south-central Kansas since Tiller"s clinic closed a little more than one week ago. He added, "At the present time, there"s no place between Denver and Kansas City where a woman can obtain abortion care. That"s a significant barrier for women throughout the state that have that need." NAF has established a national hotline to offer referrals for women who have to make new arrangements for abortion care because of the closure of Tiller"s clinic, Saporta said (Lefler, Wichita Eagle, 6/9).
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California HIV/AIDS Advocates To Appear At Hearing On Proposed Budget Cuts
On Friday, HIV/AIDS advocates in California will appear at the state Legislature"s Budget Conference Committee hearing to urge lawmakers to block proposed health-related budget cuts, the Bay Area Reporter reports. According to the Reporter, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"s (R) latest budget proposal includes cutting $67.8 million from state HIV programs and an additional $12.3 million from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Anne Donnelly of Project Inform said, "We realize we may have to take cuts to our programs. But let"s make sure they are minimized and that we continue to deliver the essential services to those people living with HIV and those also at risk." Next week HIV/AIDS advocates also plan to convene on the steps of the state Capitol to protest the proposed budget cuts (Bajko, Bay Area Reporter, 6/4).
Diagnostics

Merck Issues Statement On WHO Study Showing First Evidence That Elimination Of River Blindness Is Feasible In Africa

Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®). As the discoverer and manufacturer of Mectizan, Merck decided in 1987 to donate the drug to all who need it for as long as necessary until river blindness is eliminated as a public health problem. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program is one of the longest-running disease-specific drug donation and public/private partnership programs in history. "When Merck made the decision more than 20 years ago to donate Mectizan to help fight river blindness, we dreamed that a milestone like this might some day be possible," said Richard T. Clark, chairman, president and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc. "It gives me and thousands of Merck employees and retirees enormous satisfaction and pride to know we are playing a role in eliminating a dreaded disease that has ravaged villages and millions of people and generations of families." Since the program"s inception, Merck has donated 2.5 billion tablets of Mectizan at an estimated value of $3.75 billion. Recently, Merck pledged up to $25 million in support of an initiative with the World Bank, the World Health Organization and other partners to eliminate the disease in Africa. The Mectizan Donation Program now reaches more than 80 million people in Africa, Latin America and Yemen annually. For more information about the Merck Mectizan Donation Program and Merck"s corporate responsibility efforts, visit here. Merck


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