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UPCI Joins ExCell Research Study Using Stem Cells For Leukemia And Lymphoma Patients
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) and the Gamida Cell - Teva Joint Venture announced today that the Institute has joined an elite group of cancer centers in Europe, the United States and Israel that are now enrolling patients to participate in the ExCell research study.
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Washington Times Opinion Piece, Editorial Discuss DOJ Nominee Johnsen
The Washington Times recently published an opinion piece and an editorial discussing President Obama"s nomination of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department. Summaries appear below. ~ Mickey Edwards/William Sessions, Washington Times: The Senate should "act expeditiously to approve" Johnsen"s nomination because "her views on the limits of presidential power are precisely what the Constitution envisions and conservatives have long championed," Edwards, vice president of the Aspen Institute and author of "Reclaiming Conservatism," and Sessions, a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight, write in a Times opinion piece. According to the authors, Johnsen "made her views clear" on the limits of presidential power when she joined a bipartisan group of lawyers that declared that the Office of Legal Counsel should promote "presidential adherence to the rule of law." Edwards and Sessions write that Johnsen is being criticized for "being blunt, unserious and critical of presidential policies." However, these attacks are unwarranted, they write, noting that in the legal profession, "a little blunt talk to a client -- in this case, the president of the United States -- might be required." Edwards and Sessions continue, "What is needed in the Office of Legal Counsel is a person with the constitutional understanding to know that even presidents with whose politics she agrees must obey both the Constitution and federal statutes and who has the gumption to say so, even if the advice won"t be well received" (Edwards/Sessions, Washington Times, 5/21).~ Washington Times: The editorial states that Johnsen "is so radical" that 31 Republican Indiana state senators on Monday sent a letter to Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) asking them to oppose her confirmation. The Republican senators called Johnsen"s views supporting abortion rights "extremely radical" and said she often uses "harsh, sensationalizing rhetoric" in her writings on Supreme Court cases, the editorial states. According to the editorial, Johnsen"s "political advocacy shows a profound disregard for the courts" proper role" because she considers the courts "as making up just another political, policymaking branch of government, not as bodies restrained by the Constitution or existing laws." The editorial continues that Johnsen is "guilty" of "asking judges to impose their own policy preferences" in favor of abortion rights "against the dictates of existing constitutional law." The editorial concludes, "Someone with such contemptuous views of the Constitution should not be the Obama administration"s chief constitutional interpreter" (Washington Times, 5/21).
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Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Feature Highlights Recent Blog Entries
"Blog Watch" offers readers a roundup of health policy-related blog posts.The blogosphere is buzzing about the GOP "alternative" health reform proposal from Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.), and Reps. Devin Nunes (Calif.) and Paul Ryan (Wis.). Known as the Patients" Choice Act (.pdf), it would create state-based private health insurance exchanges and provide U.S. residents tax credits to subsidize coverage premiums. Yuval Levin of conservative stalwart The Corner calls the plan "the best comprehensive health care proposal Republicans have produced to date, and shows that at least some in the party understand the need to engage the issue with a grasp of the differences between underlying problems (like cost control) and symptoms of those problems (like access to coverage), and with an actual appreciation for economic incentives and pressures." Marguerite Higgins of the Heritage Foundation"s The Foundry says the plan "features several important conservative principles for health care reform that would allow free-market solutions to take root in the broken U.S. health care system, and give patients more decision-making power with their health care dollars."But Michael Cannon of the libertarian Cato@Liberty blog says he is "troubled" by aspects of the plan that are "self-contradictory." He writes, "On the one hand, it lists "No Tax Increases" as a core concept. Do its authors not know that imposing price controls on health insurance premiums imposes a tax on healthier-than-average consumers? And where do they think the money for "risk-adjustment" payments will come from? Heaven?" The New Republic"s Jonathan Cohn seems to agree, saying, "The details are pretty unappealing, except where there are none; and the whole thing is presented as the antithesis of big government when, in fact, it too would require at least some government intervention." Overall Cohn thinks the plan indicates good news for Democrats, concluding, "Passage of a bill seems ever more likely, to the point where potential opponents feel they must offer alternatives that embrace some of the same concepts."The Washington Post"s Ezra Klein examines the structure of the plan, calling it "the bastard child of the Massachusetts health reforms and the McCain campaign proposal." He also seems to think it"s positive news for reformers, adding, "But it"s still a step forward for the Republican Party. It"s an admission that individuals can"t go it alone. That the state has a large and important regulatory role to play. The business model of insurers is not simply broken but actively cruel. A Republican Party that accepts the principles of this plan is a Republican Party that is much likelier to accept the principles of Obama"s eventual plan." He notes that GOP leadership was not involved in the proposal.Interesting elsewhere:
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Mental Health America Bestows Highest Honor To Georgia Mental Health Professional Sharon Jenkins Tucker

Mental Health America announced Sharon Jenkins Tucker of Decatur, Georgia, as its 2009 recipient of the Clifford W. Beers Award. Tucker was recognized for her outstanding achievements in mental health advocacy during Mental Health America"s Centennial Gala on June 11. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN). Named after the organization"s founder, the Clifford W. Beers award is the highest honor Mental Health America bestows on an individual annually. Since its inception in 1976, the Beers award recognizes a consumer of mental health whose attitudes, actions and advocacy fervently carry out Beers" legacy of improving conditions for, and attitudes toward, those living with mental illness. "In the spirit of Clifford Beers, Tucker has dedicated herself entirely to helping better the lives of all individuals with mental health conditions," said Dr. David L. Shern, president and CEO of Mental Health America. "As a peer specialist, she contributes her knowledge and life experiences as a mental health consumer so others may live productive and healthier lives." Through her tireless efforts with GMHCN, Tucker has secured two statewide Consumer Networking Grants sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and has been involved with the training and certification of more than 500 Certified Peer Specialists. Tucker most recently established Georgia"s first Peer Support and Wellness Center. The Center is run by certified peer specialists employed by GHMCN and supports mental health consumers by connecting them with wellness res in the community. Under Tucker"s leadership, the Center works to promote lives centered on wellness, not illness. A certified peer specialist herself, Tucker attributes her ability to help others not only to her role as an advocate, but also to her real life experience of living in recovery following personal struggles. When working as a counselor for West Virginia University, Tucker felt her life completely falling apart. "I lived with crippling depression, despair and self-loathing for years and years," said Tucker. "I thought I would retire from that job, but my illness did not allow that to happen. Between the symptoms and the subsequent behaviors associated with them, I was fired and thrown in the street." Faced with homelessness or hospitalization, Tucker credits her ability to work as her salvation. She became a behavioral health advocate and found that her qualifications-this time her experience living with mental illness, rather than education and work credentials-helped her connect and advocate for those with whom she worked.."I knew how to connect," she says, "because I had been there, done that and wore that T-shirt every day." Celebrating 100 years of mental health advocacy, Mental Health America is the country"s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With our more than 300 affiliates nationwide, we represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation-every day and in times of crisis. In 2009, we are marking a century of achievement with a year-long Centennial Observance: "Celebrating the Legacy, Forging the Future." Mental Health America


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