Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health Friday Notes

Special thanks to Pat Bednarz who represented MASN so wonderfully and professionally along side First Lady Sue Snyder at the Immunization press conference on September 10!

September 12, 2014
In this issue
MCMCH, Child Health Advocacy Partners Release Issue Briefs
First Lady Sue Snyder, Physicians, Nurses Urge Parents to Update Children's Immunizations
Study Shows Possibility of E-cigarettes as Gateway Drug
Many U.S. Kids Missing Out on Preventive Care, CDC Says

MCMCH, Child Health Advocacy Partners Release Issue Briefs

MCMCH has again partnered with fellow advocates and health professionals--Michigan Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics, School-Community Health Alliance of Michigan and the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital--to produce five policy briefs and a website as a resource for policymakers, and to provide background, data, and contact information to facilitate a dialogue between candidates, voters, and providers as we approach the November election.

The briefs focus on timely policy priorities in five key topic areas: Immunizations, Infant Mortality, Mental Wellness, Obesity, and Oral Health. The full briefs can be found at the new website: childhealthfactsmichigan.org.

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First Lady Sue Snyder, Physicians, Nurses Urge Parents to Update Children's Immunizations As School Begins

Michigan's First Lady Sue Snyder and a coalition of Michigan physicians and nurses held a press conference this week to urge parents to help make sure their children are ready to learn this fall by updating their immunizations.

"Kids learn best when they're safe and healthy," Mrs. Snyder said. "Ensuring our Michigan kids get the vaccines they need is one of the easiest and best ways to help them learn and thrive and keep classrooms healthy."

Mrs. Snyder noted a high correlation between low immunization rates and higher rates of dangerous infection.

"The occurrence of measles and whooping cough infections in the U.S. are higher than they've been in a generation," said Dr. Rachel Christensen of the Michigan Osteopathic Association and the Michigan State University Associate Pediatric Residency Director at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. "Not only do low immunization rates pose a threat to the lives of individual children and families, they also present our state with a significant public health concern. Time passes and younger people forget the dangers of terrifying diseases like polio and smallpox, so they become complacent. But that is exactly the wrong thing to do if we're trying to make sure these illnesses are eradicated forever."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Michigan has the 4th highest non-medical exemption rate in the nation. More than 5.3 percent of Michigan parents simply choose not to immunize their children.

In 2011, less than 72 percent of Michigan 2 year old children were up to date on their recommended vaccines, and only 63 percent of adolescents were up to date on their recommended vaccines leading to dangerous outbreaks of preventable diseases.

Michigan's health care providers and advocates, including MCMCH, Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Osteopathic Association, Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Michigan Association of School Nurses, the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan and the Michigan Association of Health Plans are united in their effort to better educate parents about the importance of childhood immunizations.

The coalition has developed two graphics suitable for sharing on social media; download PDF files on infant immunizations and Michigan's immunization statistics, or share the graphics from MCMCH's Facebook page.
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Study Shows Possibility of E-cigarettes as Gateway Drug
Nicotine - whether it comes from a traditional or electronic cigarette - could be a gateway drug to marijuana and cocaine, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"While e-cigarettes do eliminate some of the health effects associated with combustible tobacco, they are pure nicotine-delivery devices," said co-author Dr. Denise B. Kandel, a professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University Medical Center and a research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Kandel and her husband, Eric, also of CUMC, reviewed her research dating back to 1975 that purported nicotine to be a gateway drug. But they weren't sure if that was because nicotine was a readily available drug or because there was something in it that altered other drugs' effects.

To investigate that, they also went over previous studies they did on mice that found that rodents exposed to nicotine had altered brain chemistry and activated genes that deal with rewards. They had given those mice nicotine and found that the cocaine worked at an amplified effect. And it only worked if mice were given nicotine first and cocaine second, not the other way around.

"One drug alters the brain's circuitry in a way that enhances the effects of a subsequent drug," Dr. Eric Kandel said.

Then, Dr. Denise Kandel looked at 2004 data and found that cocaine dependence was highest in users who started the drug while smoking cigarettes. This meshed with her findings that mice exposed to cocaine days after exposure to nicotine didn't show the amped effects of the drug - the nicotine and cocaine use had to be taken within a small window.

The scientists say that e-cigarettes pose the same risks for addiction to nicotine and, as a result, cocaine, as traditional cigarettes, especially during adolescence when the brain is developing.

"Nicotine clearly acts as a gateway drug on the brain, and this effect is likely to occur whether the exposure comes from smoking cigarettes, passive tobacco smoke or e-cigarettes," they said.

This is the latest study to call into question the safety of electronic cigarettes. Recent research showed that they emit toxic metals in the air, and the World Health Organization made recommendations earlier this month calling for the prohibition of indoor smoking and sales and advertising to minors.

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Many U.S. Kids Missing Out on Preventive Care, CDC Says
Millions of infants and children aren't receiving recommended medical care aimed at detecting and preventing disease, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Preventive services that kids and teens are missing out on range from basic medical care to vaccinations and screenings that can have a lifelong impact on their health.

The appraisal, published in the Sept. 12 issue of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also revealed large disparities between groups when it comes to receiving preventive services.

For example, uninsured children are less likely than insured kids to receive these services, and Hispanic children were less likely than non-Hispanics to have reported vision screening.

Specifically, the CDC found that:

Parents of eight out of 10 young children had not been asked by their doctor to fill out a formal screening questionnaire to detect developmental delays.
More than half of children and teens had not visited a dentist in the past year, and nearly nine out of 10 had not received a dental sealant or fluoride treatment.
About half of infants who failed their initial hearing screening did not receive the follow-up testing needed to diagnose potential hearing loss.
Two-thirds of children between 1 and 2 years were not screened for lead poisoning.
One in five children had not had a vision exam by age 5.
One-quarter of doctor visits by children younger than 18 didn't include a blood pressure check.
Four out of five teenage smokers got no help quitting, either through counseling or a cessation program.
Nearly half of teenage girls had not received their first recommended dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer.

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Contributors to this Issue
Columbia University Medical Center
HealthDay
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Quick Links . . .

National Child Passenger Safety Week - September 14-20, 2014 In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children. In 2012, a total of 1,168 passenger vehicle occupants aged 0-14 years died as a result of a motor vehicle traffic crash. During 1975-2012, child restraints saved an estimated 10,157 lives of children aged 0-4 years. Seating position also contributes to child passenger safety. September 20 is designated as National Seat Check Saturday, when drivers with child passengers are encouraged to visit a child safety seat inspection station to have a certified technician inspect their car seat and give hands-on advice free of charge. Additional information and an inspection station locator are available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Promotional materials (in English and Spanish) are available at http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/cps

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Health Innovation Grants Applications Due Sept. 22

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for organizations interested in applying for Health Innovation Grant funds for one-time projects up to $35,000 that demonstrate an innovative approach to improving the delivery of Michigan's health services. Applications are due Sept. 22. Applicants may be public, non-profit and private organizations. MDCH is looking for projects that may be replicated and have clearly defined outcomes. Organizations are encouraged to include matching funds in their proposal in support of their proposed initiative.

Details on the RFP are available here.

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Next Michigan Health Endowment Fund Listening Tour Stop September 15

The Board of Directors of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund is conducting a listening tour to gain a better understanding of the health issues confronting Michigan residents, and to familiarize the public with the purpose of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.

The listening tour will be comprised of at least six sessions located throughout the state. The next session is September 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Northwood University, Griswold Communications Center in Midland.

Register online for the September 15 session here. The agenda is available here. Check the Michigan Health Endowment Fund website for details on upcoming sessions.
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Nominations Accepted for 2015 MI-AIMH Conference Awards

At the 2015 MI-AIMH Biennial Conference, "Working Together for the Health and Well-Being of Infants, Toddlers and Their Families: Caring for the Whole Child," MI-AIMH will recognize three individuals who will be awarded the Selma Fraiberg, Betty Tableman and Hiram E. Fitzgerald Awards. The Conference will take place May 17-19, 2015 at the Kalamazoo Radisson in Kalamazoo.

Nominations are due no later than December 5, 2014. Learn more here.