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Category: Health

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Update on Maternal and Child Health Indicators under NHM

    Source: Government of India

    Update on Maternal and Child Health Indicators under NHM

    India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio drops significantly from 130 to 97 per lakh live births

    Neonatal Mortality Rate drops 65%, outpacing global average

    Infant Mortality Rate in India falls by 69%, significantly exceeding global decline of 55%

    Under-5 Mortality Rate plummets 75% in India, surpassing global reduction of 58%

    India’s out-of-pocket expenditure as a share of Total Health Expenditure has fallen from 64.2% in 2013-14 to 39.4% in 2021-22

    Posted On: 18 MAR 2025 7:32PM by PIB Delhi

    As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of the country has significantly declined by 33 points from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 in 2018-20 per lakh live births.

    Similarly, as per Sample Registration System (SRS) 2020, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of the country has declined from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 28 per 1000 live births in 2020. Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) has declined from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 20 per 1000 live births in 2020. Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 32 per 1000 live births in 2020.

    Over the past 30 years, as per United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group report (UN-MMIEG 1990-2020), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined by 83%, compared to the global reduction of 42%. Similarly, the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) in India has reduced by 65%, compared to 51% globally, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined by 69% in India compared to 55% globally and Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) declined by 75% in India surpassing the global reduction of 58%.

    The key technological advancements introduced under NHM for facilitating patient care are follows:

    • U-WIN (Digital Vaccination Platform): The U-WIN Portal, launched in October 2024, is developed for the complete digitization of vaccination services and maintaining vaccination records for pregnant women and children from birth to 17 years under the Universal Immunization Programme.
    • Tele-MANAS (Mental Health Helpline): The Government has launched a “National Tele Mental Health Programme” on 10th October 2022, to further improve access to quality mental health counselling and care services in the country.
    • MMU Monitoring Portal: Tracks Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) via GPS, enhancing field healthcare services.

    To ensure the availability of essential drugs, diagnostics and to reduce the Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) of the patients visiting the public healthcare facilities including marginalized communities, the Government of India is providing financial support by implementing Free Drugs Service Initiative (FDSI) and Free Diagnostic Service Initiatives (FDSI) under National Health Mission (NHM) across all States and UTs.

    As per the National Health Accounts Estimates, the Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) as percentage of Total Health Expenditure (THE) has declined from 64.2 % in 2013-14 to 39.4% in 2021-22.

    The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

    ****

    MV

    HFW/ Update on Maternal and Child Health Indicators under NHM /18 March 2025/2

    (Release ID: 2112476) Visitor Counter : 18

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shapiro Administration Highlights Multimillion Dollar Investments Improving Care for Older Pennsylvanians

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    March 18, 2025 – York, PA

    Shapiro Administration Highlights Multimillion Dollar Investments Improving Care for Older Pennsylvanians

    Shapiro Administration officials from the Departments of Health (DOH), and Aging (PDA) visited Country Meadows of York-West to highlight the success of investments that helped optimize its workforce and improve resident safety.

    Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2025-2026 budget proposal includes $7.5 million to invest in more quality investment projects (QIP) for long-term care facilities.

    “Residents at nearly 100 long-term care facilities across the Commonwealth positively benefitted from participating in quality investment pilot projects over the past two years,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “Continuing to invest in these efforts benefit both the residents living in the facilities and the health care professionals who are dedicated to delivering the care older adults rightfully deserve.”

    Speakers Include:
    Amy Wagaman, Senior Vice President of Operations for Country Meadows
    Dr. Debra Bogen, DOH Secretary
    Gabrielle Szymanski, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Aging

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: US Department of Labor announces confirmation of Keith E. Sonderling as Deputy Secretary

    Source: US Department of Labor

    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced Keith E. Sonderling as the 38th Deputy Secretary of Labor.

    Sonderling returns to the department, where he served as Acting and Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division. He most recently served as the Commissioner of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity from 2020-2024. 

    During his first stint at the Department of Labor from 2017-2020, the Wage and Hour Division set records for enforcement collections and educational outreach events. Sonderling also oversaw the development and publication of large-scale deregulatory rules and authored numerous Opinion Letters, Field Assistance Bulletins, and All-Agency Memorandums. In addition, Sonderling was instrumental in developing the division’s first comprehensive self-audit program, which collected more than $7 million for nearly 11,000 workers.

    “Keith’s institutional knowledge and policy expertise will continue to be invaluable in our fight to put the American Worker First,” Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said. “I’m thrilled to have him on the team and look forward to working alongside him to renew the American Dream.”

    “Returning to the U.S. Department of Labor, where I began my career in government, is truly an honor,” said Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling. “In my new role, I am committed to helping Secretary Chavez-DeRemer in advancing President Trump’s labor agenda and most importantly putting American Workers first!” 

    Before entering government service, Sonderling was a partner at Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest law firms. There, he counseled employers and litigated labor and employment disputes. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor at Nova Southeastern University. He has also been a Professional Lecturer in the Law at the George Washington University Law School, teaching employment discrimination.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Long Island Business Owner Charged with Orchestrating $22 Million Health Care Fraud, Kickback and Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Took Advantage of Elderly Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union to Solicit Bribes from Health Care Providers and Defraud Medicare of Millions of Dollars

    Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Oleg Beretsky with conspiring to commit health care fraud, violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, conspiring to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and money laundering conspiracy.  Beretsky was arrested this morning in Naples, Florida.  He will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York,  Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), and Harry T. Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the arrest and charges.

    “As alleged, elderly individuals trusted the defendant to help them with their health care decisions.  Rather than look out for the interests of some of the most vulnerable members of our community, he sold access to those who trusted him to the highest bidder,” stated United States Attorney Durham. “The defendant compounded his crimes by encouraging doctors and health care providers who became part of his scheme to cheat Medicare by billing for work that was not needed or never performed. My Office is committed to protecting both patients and taxpayers from this terrible form of greed.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to HSI’s Fort Myers, Florida, office and the New York City Police Department for their assistance on the case.

    “Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute can divert much-needed federal health care program funds and corrupt the medical decision-making process,” stated HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Gruchacz.  “HHS-OIG works diligently with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations that owners and other providers engage in fraud schemes that prioritize greed over the provision of appropriate health care services to patients.”

    “The defendant and his co-conspirators are accused of pocketing more than $12 million while exploiting the unknowing, innocent public, including victims from immigrant communities,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Alfonso.  “As alleged, he took advantage of people with whom he had forged relationships — only to manipulate them into using certain doctors and services for his lucrative benefit.  HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force is unmatched in its ability to draw from the strengths and equities of all partners involved, with one unified goal being the safety and security of Americans. I commend our partners, including HHS-OIG, IRS-CI, NYPD and HSI’s Fort Meyer’s personnel, for placing the wellbeing of the public above all else.”

    “Millions of dollars were stolen from the American benefits system, and Oleg Beretsky is charged with the crime.  He’s accused of taking advantage of a vulnerable population and funneling stolen Medicare money into his and his co-conspirators’ pockets. IRS-CI is charged with securing trust in the American financial system and actively investigates anyone looking to make a quick buck by stealing from the American public,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Chavis.

    As alleged in court filings, from January 2017 to April 2024, Beretsky and co-conspirators engaged in a health care fraud, kickback and money laundering scheme.  Beretsky was the owner of Obest, Inc., a company in Plainview, New York, that purported to provide health care professionals with billing, consulting and support services.  In reality, Obest’s principal business consisted of referring elderly Medicare patients to doctors and other health care professionals in exchange for kickbacks and bribes.  Many of these patients were immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who Beretsky identified through an employee of a nonprofit social service agency that provided housing and other services to senior citizens in Brooklyn and Queens. Beretsky cultivated relationships with many of these patients, which he used to gain control over decisions regarding their health care providers.  Beretsky then used that control to ensure that only doctors and other providers—including social workers, pain specialists and diagnostic companies—who were willing to pay him would have access to the patients.  On at least one occasion, Beretsky threatened a patient who wanted to continue seeing a provider who had stopped paying illegal kickbacks to the defendant.

    The fee charged by Beretsky was typically based either on how many patients Beretsky referred to the provider or how much Medicare reimbursed the provider for services purportedly rendered to the patients.  To generate more fees for himself and his co-conspirators, Beretsky often encouraged or directed providers to bill Medicare for patients who did not need the services those providers rendered, and in some cases, services that were not rendered at all.  In total, doctors and providers who participated in Beretsky’s scheme billed more than $22 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.  Of that more than $22 million, Medicare paid more than $12.4 million in claims, which was distributed to Beretsky and his co-conspirators.  To hide the illegal source of funds Beretsky received from the conspiracy, Beretsky frequently directed co-conspirators to pay his relatives in cash and transferred money to multiple accounts held in the names of his family members.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, Beretsky faces up to up to 20 years in prison on the money laundering conspiracy count; up to 10 years each on the health care fraud conspiracy and kickback counts; and up to five years on the kickback conspiracy count.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section.  Assistant United States  Attorney Joshua B. Dugan is in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Liam McNett and Timothy Migliaro.

    The Defendant:

    OLEG BERETSKY
    Age:  67
    Naples, Florida

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-91 (RPK)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA and GE HealthCare Collaborate to Advance the Development of Autonomous Diagnostic Imaging With Physical AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GTC — NVIDIA today announced a collaboration with GE HealthCare to advance innovation in autonomous imaging, focused on developing autonomous X-ray technologies and ultrasound applications.

    Building autonomy into systems like X-ray and ultrasound requires medical imaging systems to understand and operate in the physical world. This enables the automation of complex workflows such as patient placement, image scanning and quality checking.

    To accomplish this, GE HealthCare, a pioneering partner, is using the new NVIDIA Isaac™ for Healthcare medical device simulation platform, which includes pretrained models and physics-based simulations of sensors, anatomy and environments. The platform accelerates research and development workflows, enabling GE HealthCare to train, test and validate autonomous imaging system capabilities in a virtual environment before deployment in the physical world.

    “The healthcare industry is one of the most important applications of AI, as the demand for healthcare services far exceeds the supply,” said Kimberly Powell, vice president of healthcare at NVIDIA. “We are working with an industry leader, GE HealthCare, to deliver Isaac for Healthcare, three computers to give lifesaving medical devices the ability to act autonomously and extend access to healthcare globally.”

    Expanding Access to Imaging With Physical AI
    Ultrasounds and X-ray are the most common and widely used diagnostic imaging systems, yet nearly two-thirds of the global population lack access. Enhancing imaging systems with robotic capabilities will help expand access to care.

    NVIDIA and GE HealthCare have been working together for nearly two decades, building innovative image-reconstruction techniques across CT and MRI, image-guided therapy and mammography.

    “GE HealthCare is committed to developing innovative technologies that redefine and enhance patient care,” said Roland Rott, president and CEO of Imaging at GE HealthCare. “We look forward to taking advantage of physical AI for autonomous imaging systems with NVIDIA technology to improve patient access and address the challenges of growing workloads and staffing shortages in healthcare.”

    Isaac for Healthcare Closes Gap Between Simulation and Reality
    NVIDIA will also support other customers with Isaac for Healthcare for use cases including simulation environments. Simulation environments enable robotic systems to safely learn skills in a physically accurate virtual environment for real-world situations, such as surgery, that would otherwise be impossible to replicate.

    Isaac for Healthcare is a physical AI platform built on NVIDIA’s three computers for robotics: NVIDIA DGX™, NVIDIA Omniverse™ and NVIDIA Holoscan. It includes AI models fine-tuned for healthcare robotics that can understand, act and see using enhanced vision and language processing. It also has a simulation framework for developers to accurately simulate medical environments and provides seamless deployment on NVIDIA Holoscan, an edge AI computing platform, to power robotic decision-making in the real world, in real time.

    Simulation options for medical sensors are often limited. With Isaac for Healthcare, developers can now access physics-based digital twins of medical environments, allowing them to import custom sensors, instruments and even anatomies to teach robots how to respond to various scenarios. These virtual environments help close the gap between simulation and real-world implementation, and enable rapid digital prototyping.

    Isaac for Healthcare allows for multi-scale simulation ranging from microscopic structures and surgery suites to full hospital facilities. Easy policy training in simulation allows robotic systems to learn how to respond in various medical scenarios in the operating room, and how to best support physician decision-making and patient care.

    Healthcare Robotics Ecosystem Rapidly Expands
    Isaac for Healthcare can help speed the development of robotic healthcare solutions by simulating complex medical scenarios, training AI models and optimizing robotic applications like surgery, endoscopy and cardiovascular interventions. Early adopters include Moon Surgical, Neptune Medical and Xcath.

    Isaac for Healthcare is enabling ecosystem partners to seamlessly integrate their simulation tools, sensors, robot systems and medical probes into a domain-specific simulation environment. Among early ecosystem partners are Ansys, Franka, ImFusion, Kinova and Kuka.

    Issac for Healthcare is now available in early access.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Janette Ciborowski
    Enterprise Communications
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-734-330-8817
    jciborowski@nvidia.com

    Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, impact, availability, and performance of NVIDIA’s products, services, and technologies; the collaboration between NVIDIA and GE HealthCare and the benefits and impact thereof; and GE HealthCare driving innovation in the diagnostic imaging industry — and these simulation tools being now in reach for the entire healthcare ecosystem are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic conditions; our reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test our products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to our existing product and technologies; market acceptance of our products or our partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems; as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

    Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

    © 2025 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, NVIDIA DGX, NVIDIA Isaac and NVIDIA Omniverse are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f47cd0c2-e934-44d5-aac5-ce681eced9d4

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Bring More Doctors to Nevada

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    Every County In Nevada Is Experiencing A Shortage Of Medical Professionals
    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced a bipartisan bill to bring more doctors to areas currently facing severe shortages, like Nevada. The bipartisan Physicians for Underserved Areas Act would revise the graduate medical education process to increase the likelihood of areas with physician shortages getting more medical residency slots after hospital closures take place elsewhere in the country. Every county in Nevada is experiencing a shortage of medical professionals, and in 2024, Nevada was ranked 45th in the nation with regard to the availability of physicians per 100,000 residents.
    “The dire shortage of doctors in our state is hurting Nevadans’ ability to get quality medical care,” said Senator Rosen. “We know that when more doctors train in our communities, they are more likely to stay here. That’s why I’m working across the aisle to bring more doctors to Nevada by increasing medical residency slots. I’ll keep working on commonsense solutions to ensure families can access affordable, quality health care.”
    “Rural communities in Arkansas and across the country continue to face health care challenges starting with a lack of available medical providers,” said Senator Boozman. “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan solution to ensure more medical school graduates practice in the communities that desperately need them so all Americans, no matter where they live, get the care they need.”
    “At the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, we recognize the critical need to expand Graduate Medical Education (GME) opportunities to address physician shortages in underserved areas,” said Marc J. Kahn, Dean of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “The Physicians for Underserved Areas Act is a crucial step toward ensuring that residency slots are redistributed in a way that prioritizes communities with the greatest need. By streamlining the process and expediting the timeline for GME slot reallocation, this legislation will help fill gaps in healthcare access and strengthen our medical workforce. We fully support this bipartisan effort led by Senator Rosen and Senator Boozman and appreciate their commitment to improving healthcare for all.”
    “Nevada continues to struggle with expanding residency positions to address enduring physician workforce shortages,” said Dr. John Packham, Associate Dean of the University of Nevada, Reno’s School of Medicine. “This important legislation will support efforts by medical schools and teaching hospitals across the state to expand graduate medical education opportunities to prepare and retain tomorrow’s doctors in Nevada.”
    “It is critically important for a clear and immediate pathway to exist from medical school to residency in areas with physician shortages or that are otherwise underserved,” said Dr. Renee Coffman, Co-Founder and President of Roseman University. “Without adequate GME spots, future doctors have no practical ability to stay in communities that need them most. Roseman University thanks Senators Rosen and Boozman for the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act and for their continued efforts in supporting the growth of the health care workforce.”
    “The Nevada Primary Care Association, representing the state’s Community Health Centers, is grateful to Senator Rosen for re-introducing this important legislation,” said Nancy Bowen, CEO of the Nevada Primary Care Association. “Nevada has been blessed with rapid population growth throughout its modern history, but this has come at a cost of persistent and profound health provider shortages. The Physicians for Underserved Areas Act is an important step to increasing the number of providers who are trained in the state and stay to deliver health care to our residents.”
    “The National Rural Health Association strongly supports the Physicians for Underserved Areas Act as a critical step in addressing physician shortages in rural communities,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association. “By ensuring that unused residency slots are swiftly redistributed to hospitals that need them most, this bill will help strengthen the rural health workforce and expand access to care in underserved areas. We applaud Senators Rosen and Boozman for their leadership in advancing policies that prioritize rural patients and providers, and we urge Congress to move quickly on this important legislation.”
    Senator Rosen is working to address Nevada’s health care professional shortage and improve medical care access in the state. Last week, she introduced the  bipartisan REDI Act to increase the number of doctors and dentists in underserved areas by allowing them to defer student loan payments without interest until the completion of their residency or internship programs. Last month, she introduced the bipartisan Train More Nurses Act to address the nursing shortage affecting communities across the nation. Rosen’s bipartisan Maximizing Health Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act was signed into law in 2022 to allow community health centers to use federal funds to establish new mobile health care units to increase access to health care services in rural and underserved communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, DeLauro, Baldwin Demand Detailed Answers on Trump Admin’s Sweeping Mass Firings at Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    Top appropriators press McMahon on how the Department will carry out requirements of federal law and its critical responsibilities despite far-reaching, illegal firings of approximately 50% of staff

    Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Department of Education (ED) demanding detailed answers about the mass firings it has conducted and how it is carrying out requirements of federal law and its critical responsibilities despite the sweeping reductions in force.

    “We write to request your immediate response to questions we have raised about actions taken by the Department of Education and additional questions related to the massive reduction in force announced on March 11,” write the lawmakers. Citing the wide scope of responsibilities the Department is required by bipartisan laws to undertake to help students learn and thrive, the top appropriators in the Senate and House add: “Recent actions of the Department appear to undermine the Department’s obligation under these laws.”

    “The staff at the Department provide real services that impact the daily lives of students and their families from enforcing students’ civil rights and providing transparent information on how our schools are doing to processing critical aid such as Pell Grants to helping low-income students all over our nation attend college and further their careers,” Murray, DeLauro, and Baldwin write. “Firing the people that ensure states, school districts, and institutions of higher education live up to their legal obligations is neither efficient nor accountable.”

    In the letter, the lawmakers note that the Department’s staffing levels have largely remained flat in recent years despite significant growth in the programs it administers and the responsibilities it carries out. They write that the mass layoffs and other detrimental actions risk major reductions in support for and oversight of our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education and threaten vital support for students with disabilities, access to Pell Grants and other financial aid, oversight of student loan servicers, scrutiny of for-profit colleges, and more.

    The letter follows an earlier March 6 letter the lawmakers sent alongside colleagues demanding answers about the chaotic, harmful actions taken by ED since January—which the Department has yet to respond to.

    “Given the profound change to staff, budgets, and agency operations promised by this administration, it is critical that we receive additional information on these staffing reductions and changes to agency operations,” conclude Murray, DeLauro, and Baldwin before posing a series of detailed questions. “The President’s disregard for appropriations and other laws and the need for stability and productivity in government creates an imperative for the Department to provide accurate, timely responses on its use and planned use of taxpayer resources provided by the laws passed by Congress.”

    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

    The Honorable Linda McMahon Secretary U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC  20202 Dr. Matthew Soldner Acting Director Institute of Education Sciences 550 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20024

    Dear Secretary McMahon and Acting Director Soldner:

    We write to request your immediate response to questions we have raised about actions taken by the Department of Education (“the Department”) and additional questions related to the massive reduction in force announced on March 11, 2025.  We believe the Department plays a critical role in fulfilling the purpose of our Constitution to “promote the general welfare of the United States” and strongly support the purposes Congress established for the Department to ensure equal access to educational opportunity, including by administering education programs and carrying out important functions established in law and funded each year by Congress.  However, recent actions of the Department appear to undermine the Department’s obligation under these laws, despite your statement on March 11th that “Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to ensuring efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: students, parents and teachers.”[1]

    According to the Department’s most recent Congressional justifications and prior to this administration’s personnel actions, staffing levels at the Department were largely unchanged from 2016 despite the fact that the discretionary budget for the Department’s programs increased by 16.5 percent and the federal student loan portfolio grew by more than 30 percent between 2016 and 2024.[2] Further, the Department has the smallest staff of the 15 cabinet agencies despite representing the government’s third largest discretionary budget after the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services.[3] The Department also said that it had been tasked with “addressing some of the greatest challenges facing public education today: academic acceleration, students’ well-being and mental health, chronic absenteeism, school safety, and emerging and changing pathways from high school to college and career,” and, “modernizing and improving the entire student aid process to better help students and families, as well as implementing major legislation, including the FAFSA Simplification Act and FUTURE Act.”[4] The staff at the Department provide real services that impact the daily lives of students and their families from enforcing students’ civil rights and providing transparent information on how our schools are doing to processing critical aid such as Pell Grants to helping low-income students all over our nation attend college and further their careers. Firing the people that ensure states, school districts, and institutions of higher education live up to their legal obligations is neither efficient nor accountable.

    We are very concerned that the Department’s staffing reductions will result in significant reductions in the support and oversight of critical Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requirements for state and local educational agencies (SEAs/LEAs) to provide school report cards on the achievement of students, qualifications of teachers, and per-pupil spending in understandable and uniform formats. This is critical information parents, families, and communities need to have about their public schools and public school options that might be available.  The ESEA also requires states to use a portion of Title I-A for grants to implement school support and improvement activities in the lowest performing schools and in schools with historically underserved student subgroups performing significantly lower than other subgroups of students, including through evidence-based interventions.  However, the Department’s recent elimination of federally supported assistance used by SEAs and LEAs to effectively implement these requirements and limited state capacity will likely prevent effective implementation in many states and schools .[5][6][7][8] When combined with these massive staffing reductions, we are concerned that the Department’s ability to monitor or support implementation of the law will be nearly non-existent, leaving students and families with the long-term consequences for the Department’s short-sighted actions. 

    We are concerned that students with disabilities will also be harmed by the Department’s actions.  The Department is required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to monitor and support effective implementation of IDEA requirements.  This includes the evaluation of results and outcomes for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities through the State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report processes intended to improve results and outcomes for more than seven million children with disabilities.[9] It is not clear to us how effective oversight will be conducted at the significantly lower staffing levels created by the Department’s recent actions.

    The Department is also required by law to operate federal student aid programs and conduct oversight and enforcement of colleges and universities to ensure access to postsecondary education for our nation’s students and to help make college more affordable for American families.[10] Some of these responsibilities include ensuring students can apply for Pell grants and other financial aid to go to college, ensuring colleges and universities have the information and resources they need to disburse such aid to students, ensuring colleges and universities protect students’ civil rights, certifying universities compliance with administrative and fiscal rules to ensure low-quality colleges and universities cannot participate in Title IV aid programs, overseeing and approving accreditors, and protecting students and taxpayers from fraudulent universities that leave students with worthless degrees and debt. The vast reduction in force across the office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), the Office of General Counsel (OGC), and other offices puts all of this work in jeopardy.

    However, your stated commitment to ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most rings hollow to us.  Our actions should absolutely start with supporting students, just as we have directed through our federal education laws. The guiding purpose is to direct federal resources so all students have access to a high-quality education and schools close achievement gaps.  For example, our laws include maintenance of effort requirements that generally prohibit SEAs and LEAs from reducing their support for education after receiving federal funds and only use federal funds to supplement, not supplant other funds.[11] It’s the Department’s statutorily required job to enforce these responsibilities.[12][13]  Moreover, ESEA requires school districts receiving Title I-A funds to reserve a sufficient amount of these funds to identify and meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness. The Department has taken important steps in recent years to increase oversight of this provision and planned additional monitoring and technical assistance in fiscal year (FY) 2025.[14]  Without the effective oversight and support of Department staff, we are concerned that students may not benefit from the additional federal resources Congress requires to be made available to identify and meet their needs.

    The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces the nation’s civil rights laws in federally-funded education programs.  Disability discrimination is typically the most frequent complaint received by OCR.[15] While OCR received the highest number of complaints in its history last year—and nearly three times the level in 2009—its staffing declined from 629 to 588 during this period.[16]  Reporting also indicates that a change in priorities at OCR since January 20, 2025, has stalled work on investigations of disability complaints, preventing timely consideration of such complaints and appropriate remedies.[17]  We are greatly concerned that the Department’s personnel actions will only add to delays in remedies that would provide students with disabilities the access to free appropriate education in the least restrict environment as required by federal law.

    Given the profound change to staff, budgets, and agency operations promised by this administration, it is critical that we receive additional information on these staffing reductions and changes to agency operations.[18] The President’s disregard for appropriations and other laws and the need for stability and productivity in government creates an imperative for the Department to provide accurate, timely responses on its use and planned use of taxpayer resources provided by the laws passed by Congress. Finally, we expect all of the questions below are ones the Department itself would have already considered before making significant staffing reductions. We request you provide written answers to the following questions as soon as possible, but not later than, March 21, 2025:

    1. For each program office[19] and in total by appropriation, please provide the number of staff terminated as a result of the March 11, 2025 reduction in force.
      1. What are total expected savings in salaries and benefits in FY2025? 
      2. What share of the Department’s FY2024 budget do these savings represent?
      3. How many remaining staff at the Department were assigned additional duties as a result of staffing reductions since January 20, 2025?
      4. What is the average number of new duties assigned to remaining staff?
      5. Please provide a complete list of office teams terminated as a result of the March 11, 2025 staffing reductions and other staffing reductions and the specific responsibilities of those terminated teams transferred to other office teams.
    1. Please explain how the reduction in force announced on March 11, 2025 reflects a commitment to each of the following as claimed in Secretary McMahon’s statement accompanying the announcement:
      1. How will these staff reductions ensure “that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers”?  Please provide three examples and the analysis supporting the expected changes.      
      2. How do these reductions reflect the Department’s “commitment to… accountability”?  Please provide three examples and the analysis supporting the expected changes.
      3. How do these reductions reflect the Department’s “commitment to efficiency”?  Please provide three examples and the analysis supporting the expected changes.  Further, please explain how the Department’s decisions to cancel evaluation contracts that help us understand what is working and terminate Department grants and contracts that support the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions to challenges identified by state and local education leaders promotes efficiency. 
    1. For the Office for Civil Rights, please provide the number of investigative staff on board after all of the Department’s personnel actions taken since January 20, 2025, including the March 11, 2025 reduction.
      1. Please provide the number of such staff in total and for each region for the immediately preceding pay period to the date including January 20, 2025.
      2. Please provide the average caseload for such staff for the immediately preceding pay period to the date including January 20, 2025 and after all of the Department’s personnel actions taken since January 20, 2025, including the March 11, 2025 reductions.
      3. Please provide the number of complaints pending investigation as of March 11, 2025.
      4. Please provide the number of resolution agreements requiring monitoring for implementation of corrective actions as of March 11, 2025 and September 30, 2024.  What is the average caseload for such work as of September 30, 2024 and after implementation of staffing reductions?    
      5. Please describe any changes planned to OCR’s current Case Processing Manual and explain how each change would improve civil right protections for students attending federally-funded educational institutions.
      6. Please describe any organizational changes planned and explain how each change would improve civil right protections for students attending federally-funded educational institutions. 
    1. In FY2024, the Department was directed to increase its monitoring efforts in order to ensure compliance with the ESEA. However, it appears, as of today, the Department has only completed three consolidated monitoring reports conducted in FY2024 and none in FY2025.[20]
      1. How many ESEA consolidated monitoring visits did the Department complete in FY2024?  When can we expect to see those consolidated monitoring reports made public in order to understand compliance with the law?
      2. How many ESEA consolidated monitoring visits is the Department conducting in FY2025?  When can we expect to see those consolidated monitoring reports made public in order to understand compliance with the law?
      3. How many ESEA consolidated monitoring visits is the Department planning to conduct in FY2026?  When can we expect to see those consolidated monitoring reports made public in order to understand compliance with the law?
      4. How many ESEA targeted monitoring visits is the Department conducting in FY2025?  On what specific requirements of ESEA is the Department conducting this monitoring, and in how many states?  If no such monitoring is planned, please explain why the Department is not conducting targeting monitoring necessary to understand compliance with the law?
      5. How many ESEA targeted monitoring visits is the Department planning to conduct in FY2026? On what specific requirements of ESEA is the Department planning to conduct this monitoring, and in how many states?  If no such monitoring is planned, please explain why the Department is not conducting targeting monitoring necessary to understand compliance with the law?
      6. Please update the monitoring findings in the August 29, 2024 Report to Congress on school improvement[21] to include the status of implementation of each of the actions required and recommendations in the report. 
    1. For the last five years, the Department has conducted an annual review in January of each state’s website to check whether the state has posted state and local report cards, reviewed a subset of ESEA requirements, and followed up with states on noncompliance with requirements. This information is essential to help parents and families understand the resources available at each school, the quality of the school’s educator workforce, and performance of their school.
      1. Has the Department completed this review of each state’s website this year as it has for each of the past five years?  If not, why not?  If so, which subset of requirements was the focus of its review?
      2. How many states has the Department identified the need for corrective actions and engaged states on its findings and plans to remedy noncompliance?   If none, please explain why.
      3. What is the expected timeline for redress of each instance of noncompliance?
    1. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires states that receive ESEA Title I funding to participate in state National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 every two years.  This is important information for parents, families, state and local education policymakers, and federal policymakers on performance of students. In fact, has been cited by this administration as it argues the low NAEP test results are a result of Democrats diverting attention from American students.[22]
    1. Please provide copies of all documents, electronic communications, records, and meeting notes of Department staff from January 20, 2025 through the date of this letter that relate to NAEP.
    2. Please provide an assurance that none of the Department’s actions since January 20, 2025 were inconsistent with the requirements of National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act.
    3. Please provide an assurance that no federal funds will be used in contravention of the requirements of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act.
    4. Please provide an assurance that none of the Department’s actions since January 20, 2025 will alter the validity or reliability of NAEP assessments on the currently approved schedule, including the national assessment required under section 303 of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act.
    5. Please explain the unprecedented decision made earlier this year to cancel the scheduled long-term trend assessment outside of a period of a national emergency.
    1. The Department has critical oversight, support, and technical assistance obligations under the IDEA.
      1. Please provide the number of staff on-board whose job includes responsibilities for Results Driven Accountability activities as of the pay period including January 1, 2025 and the number of such staff upon full implementation of the Department’s March 11, 2025 staffing reductions.
      2. Please identify the timeline for completion of the 2025 and 2026 determinations under IDEA.
    1. The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 ushered in critical changes about the effective use of data and timely development and use of relevant evidence in federal policymaking.  We have consistently supported the Department’s work, which has been recognized for its progress and achievement in this area.[23]
      1. Please provide the number of staff in the Grants Policy Office of the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development as of September 30, 2024 and after the staffing reductions announced on March 11, 2025.  Please describe the specific actions supported by the revised staffing level to undertake work required to advance evidence based policy making, the inclusion of priorities for evidence in discretionary grant programs, support for the use of evidence in formula grant programs, and building of staff capacity to support a culture of evidence at the Department.
      2. Please identify any changes to the staffing, policies, and work of the Evidence Leadership Group as compared to September 30, 2024.  Please share analysis, as applicable, related to the Department’s belief that these changes will better promote the development and use of evidence in the Department’s policymaking and formula and discretionary grant programs.
    1. In 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to modernize and streamline the FAFSA to make it easier for students and their families to apply for federal financial aid to attend postsecondary education. Initial implementation of the law was flawed and led to a chaotic launch of the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Due to a lot of hard work by dedicated Department staff, the roll out of the 2025-2026 FAFSA went more smoothly, yet more remains to be done to ensure the effective implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act and the FUTURE Act. Your staff indicated that the March 11th reduction in force would not impact the ability of students to apply for financial aid,[24] but in reality, it took very little time to show how cuts to Department staff could hurt the functionality of the FAFSA. On March 12th, the FAFSA form had an unscheduled outage of approximately five hours and fired staff had limited access to their computers or phones to help get FAFSA back online.[25] The Department stated the cause of the outage was ”Planned Maintenance,” but when the entire team responsible for systems supporting the FAFSA form[26] was subject to the reduction in force, it calls into question whether that is an accurate representation of what happened to the FAFSA on March 12. Additionally, former Department staff have noted that among those fired on March 11th was a team that worked on FAFSA completion workshops, among other responsibilities, also calling into question whether critical work to boost FAFSA completion rates under the previous administration will continue.[27]
      1. Please describe how the staff reductions will impact the ability of students to apply for financial aid or limit the full functionality of the FAFSA form, including FAFSA processing, school receipt of processed FAFSAs, processing of paper FAFSAs, and FAFSA correction functionality for applicants, institutions of higher education, and states.
      2. Given the substantial cuts to Department staff who manage vendors that implement critical parts of the FAFSA, please describe how remaining Department staff will adequately manage, coordinate across, and oversee these vendors so that functionality for the FAFSA and its data center is maintained.
      3. Please describe how the Department will continue developing the 2026-2027 FAFSA and ensure an October 1st launch as required by Congress.
      4. Please describe how the Department will engage in communication efforts with students and their families to ensure they know federal financial aid is available to them and the FAFSA form is available to fill out.
      5. Please describe how you will continue to report on important FAFSA submission and completion data and maintain monthly briefings for Congress.
      6. Given the large cuts to FSA in this week’s reduction in force, please provide a staffing plan that details which staff will be reassigned to cover the work of those employees who are departing and involved in implementation of the FAFSA to ensure that student aid will continue to be disbursed without interruption.
      7. Please describe how any changes in availability of the call center, including weekend and evening hours, will be sufficient to answer questions from FAFSA applicants and students with questions about their student loans.
      8. Please describe how the Department will meet its statutory requirements to support applicants in the most common languages spoken in the United States?
    1. In FY24, FSA oversaw the disbursement of more than $120 billion in federal financial aid to more than 9 million students across the country and managed $1.6 trillion in student loans held by approximately 45 million borrowers.[28] To help implement the FAFSA and provide student loan services, the Department contracts with vendors and is responsible for ensuring the quality of the work those contractors provide.
      1. According to public reporting, many of the Department staff who oversee these contractors were terminated through the reduction in force.[29] How does the Department plan to oversee the vendors and contractors who are providing these services to student borrowers?
      2. Please describe how the Department will work to uphold strong loan servicing standards across the agency’s vendors.
      3. Reports also indicate that Department staff have met with staff from the Treasury Department to discuss moving the student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department,[30] a change that only Congress can make.[31] Please describe organizational changes being contemplated as they relate to the student loan portfolio and how they comply with current statutory requirements.
    1. Reports indicate that the Ombudsman Group, which helps resolve discrepancies with student loans, helps students identify the right loan repayment option for them, and helps settle disputes between student loan borrowers and their servicers, among other issues,[32]  was deeply affected by the March 11th reduction in force.[33] In the last year, over 130,000 complaints[34] were submitted to FSA and the Student Loan Ombudsman.
      1. What are the Department’s plans to ensure that student loan borrowers are still able to get the support they need when with the wide variety of issues the Ombudsman Group handled?
      2. Will the Department maintain the online portal for student borrowers to submit complaints regarding their student loans and if so, which office at the Department will be tasked with responding to those complaints?
    1. The Borrower Defense to Repayment unit also appears to have been severely impacted by the March 11th reduction in force.[35] As you know, these Department staff review student loan relief applications from student borrowers who were misled or defrauded by the school. Borrower Defense to Repayment is a protection that has been authorized by Congress in the Higher Education Act[36] and provides student borrowers relief from their federal student loans that were taken out under fraudulent, misleading, or illegal acts of their schools. As of 2023, approximately 770,000 student borrowers applied for Borrower Defense to Repayment.[37]
      1. What is the Department’s plan to ensure that it will carry out the statutory requirement to adjudicate the current remaining Borrower Defense to Repayment claims?
      2. With such severe cuts to the people who worked in the Borrower Defense to Repayment unit, please describe how the Department will ensure that current and future student borrowers will be able to submit claims and have them adjudicated in a timely fashion going forward.
      3. What proportion of the remaining staff will be responsible for fulfilling the Sweet settlement, and how will the Department ensure borrowers not included in the settlement are also able to file claims and have them resolved accordingly?
    1. The Higher Education Act requires the Department to carry out numerous oversight responsibilities over the thousands of institutions of higher education that seek to participate in the Title IV program, including eligibility and certification requirements, program reviews, and enforcement of program participation agreements. These requirements help ensure institutions of higher education are on sound financial footing and abide by all requirements of Title IV.
      1. Please describe how the Department will continue to carry out the work of the School Eligibility and Oversight Service Group (SEOSG), including ensuring institutions of higher education can submit initial and updated applications, recertifications, letters of credit, and documents related to program reviews.
      2. Please describe how the reductions in the SEOSG will impact the caseloads of remaining staff at the Department conducting this important oversight work and not lead to increased waste, fraud, and abuse in the Title IV program.
      3. How many program reviews does the Department estimate remaining staff will be able to conduct in FY2025, given the staffing cuts?
    1. For the Office of Institutions of Higher Education Oversight & Enforcement, please provide the number of staff on board after all of the Department’s personnel actions taken since January 20, 2025, including the March 11, 2025 reduction.
      1. Please provide the number of such staff in total and for each work unit under the Office of Enforcement and the Office of Partner Participation and Oversight for the immediately preceding pay period to the date including January 20, 2025.
      2. Please describe any changes planned to investigations and oversight responsibilities under the Investigations Group, the Administrative Actions and Appeals Service Group, and the Resolutions and Referral Management Group, and explain how each change would protect students and taxpayers from misconduct by institutions.
    1. The Office of Student Service is responsible for administering the TRIO, GEAR UP, and other discretionary grant programs. TRIO and GEAR UP implementation takes a significant amount of work due to the large number of grantees nationwide.
      1. Please provide the number of staff on board for the Office of Student Service after all of the Department’s personnel actions taken since January 20, 2025, including the March 11, 2025 reduction.  
      2. Please provide the number of such staff in total and for each work unit under the Office of Student Service for the immediately preceding pay period to the date including January 20, 2025.
    1. The Department enforces an ESEA requirement that must be met by a State, SEA, or LEA that receives ESEA funds to prevent an SEA, LEA, school, or individual acting on behalf of one of those entities from assisting an employee, contractor, or agent who has engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor or student in violation of the law in obtaining new employment. As directed in the Department’s 2024 appropriation, the Department has taken initial steps to improve compliance with this provision of law.[38]  More must be done.
      1. How many staff are actively working on the 2024 directive after all personnel actions taken through March 11, 2025? 
      2. Please provide a description of actions planned and the associated timeline for meeting this directive and assuring compliance with section 8546 of the ESEA. 
    1. The FY2025 Major Management Challenges report issued by Education’s Office of Inspector General found the Department has “established progress” in improving monitoring and oversight of its grantees.[39]  The report further noted “the Department developed plans to address this Management Challenge that included improving its training and technical assistance and broadening consolidated monitoring efforts. These activities have been substantially implemented.”
      1. Please provide the number of staff with responsibilities for implementing grantee monitoring and oversight as of September 30, 2024 and after all personnel actions taken through March 11, 2025.

    Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Roundup: March 18, 2025

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    March 18, 2025

    Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

    On Tuesday, March 18, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Totally Cool, Inc., a Maryland-based manufacturer of ice cream and frozen desserts, and its CEO and owner, Michael J. Uhlfelder. On July 8, 2024, the FDA suspended Totally Cool’s food facility registration after an inspection of the firm revealed L. mono in the facility, as well as numerous failures of the firm to adhere to current good manufacturing practice for food safety, including sanitation requirements for employees and equipment. The consent decree prohibits Totally Cool and Mr. Uhlfelder from directly or indirectly receiving, preparing, processing, packing, holding, and/or distributing any article of food unless and until they meet certain requirements.

    On Friday, the FDA issued a Letter to Health Care Providers to notify providers that we are aware that the United States is experiencing interruptions in the supply of hemodialysis bloodlines (also referred to as set, tubing, blood, with and without anti-regurgitation valve) because of recent supplier issues. The FDA has updated the medical device shortage list to include hemodialysis bloodlines (product code FJK). The disruption in availability of this device is expected to impact patient care and may require adjustments to the clinical management of patients requiring acute or chronic hemodialysis. The FDA expects the duration of this shortage to extend through early fall of 2025. The FDA is recommending health care providers experiencing delays in the supply of hemodialysis bloodlines consider strategies to conserve their use. Health care providers should use their clinical judgment in development and implementation of conservation strategies. The Letter to Health Care Providers includes important information about the hemodialysis bloodline shortage including: 

    Additional information about hemodialysis bloodline products affected.
    Recommendations for health care providers. 
    Actions that the FDA is taking to assess and mitigate the risk. 

    Instructions for reporting problems with a device.

    On Friday, the FDA announced the conditional approval of Felycin-CA1 (sirolimus delayed-release tablets) for the management of ventricular hypertrophy in cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This is the first product approved for use in cats with HCM for any indication. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle. HCM in cats causes thickening of the heart’s left ventricle. It is the most common heart disease in cats and is one of the most common causes of death in cats. The drug is only available by prescription from a licensed veterinarian.
    On Friday, the FDA issued a safety alert warning consumers not to inhale or recreationally use any flavor of nitrous oxide in any size canister, tank, or charger. When inhaled, these products can result in serious adverse health effects, including death. For some individuals who regularly inhale nitrous oxide, this habit can lead to prolonged neurological effects, including spinal cord or brain damage, even after stopping use.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: NVIDIA Blackwell RTX PRO Comes to Workstations and Servers for Designers, Developers, Data Scientists and Creatives to Build and Collaborate With Agentic AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SAN JOSE, Calif., March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GTC — NVIDIA today announced the NVIDIA RTX PRO™ Blackwell series — a revolutionary generation of workstation and server GPUs redefining workflows for AI, technical, creative, engineering and design professionals with breakthrough accelerated computing, AI inference, ray tracing and neural rendering technologies.

    For everything from agentic AI, simulation, extended reality, 3D design and complex visual effects to developing physical AI powering autonomous robots, vehicles and smart spaces, the RTX PRO Blackwell series provides professionals across industries the latest and greatest compute power, memory capacity and data throughput right at their fingertips — from their desktop, on the go with mobile workstations or powered by data center GPUs.

    The new lineup includes:

    • Data center GPU: NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition
    • Desktop GPUs: NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition, NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell and NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell
    • Laptop GPUs: NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell, NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell, NVIDIA RTX PRO 3000 Blackwell, NVIDIA RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell, NVIDIA RTX PRO 1000 Blackwell and NVIDIA RTX PRO 500 Blackwell

    “Software developers, data scientists, artists, designers and engineers need powerful AI and graphics performance to push the boundaries of visual computing and simulation, helping tackle incredible industry challenges,” said Bob Pette, vice president of enterprise platforms at NVIDIA. “Bringing NVIDIA Blackwell to workstations and servers will take productivity, performance and speed to new heights, accelerating AI inference serving, data science, visualization and content creation.”

    NVIDIA Blackwell Technology Comes to Workstations and Data Centers
    RTX PRO Blackwell GPUs unlock the potential of generative, agentic and physical AI by delivering exceptional performance, efficiency and scale.

    NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell GPUs feature:

    • NVIDIA Streaming Multiprocessor: Offers up to 1.5x faster throughput and new neural shaders that integrate AI inside of programmable shaders to drive the next decade of AI-augmented graphics innovations.
    • Fourth-Generation RT Cores: Delivers up to 2x the performance of the previous generation to create photoreal, physically accurate scenes and complex 3D designs with optimizations for NVIDIA RTX™ Mega Geometry.
    • Fifth-Generation Tensor Cores: Delivers up to 4,000 AI trillion operations per second and adds support for FP4 precision and NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, enabling a new era of AI-powered graphics and the ability to run and prototype larger AI models faster.
    • Larger, Faster GDDR7 Memory: Boosts bandwidth and capacity — up to 96GB for workstations and servers and up to 24GB on laptops. This enables applications to run faster and work with larger, more complex datasets for everything from tackling massive 3D and AI projects to exploring large-scale virtual reality environments.
    • Ninth-Generation NVIDIA NVENC: Accelerates video encoding speed and improves quality for professional video applications with added support for 4:2:2 encoding.
    • Sixth-Generation NVIDIA NVDEC: Provides up to double the H.264 decoding throughput and offers support for 4:2:2 H.264 and HEVC decode. Professionals can benefit from high-quality video playback, accelerate video data ingestion and use advanced AI-powered video editing features.
    • Fifth-Generation PCIe: Support for fifth-generation PCI Express provides double the bandwidth over the previous generation, improving data transfer speeds from CPU memory and unlocking faster performance for data-intensive tasks.
    • DisplayPort 2.1: Drives high-resolution displays at up to 4K at 480Hz and 8K at 165Hz. Increased bandwidth enables seamless multi-monitor setups, while high dynamic range and higher color depth support deliver more precise color accuracy for tasks like video editing, 3D design and live broadcasting.
    • Multi-Instance GPU (MIG): The RTX PRO 6000 data center and desktop GPUs and 5000 series desktop GPUs feature MIG technology, enabling secure partitioning of a single GPU into up to four instances (6000 series) or two instances (5000 series). Fault isolation is designed to prevent workload interference for secure, efficient resource allocation for diverse workloads, maximizing performance and flexibility.

    The new laptop GPUs also support the latest NVIDIA Blackwell Max-Q technologies, which intelligently and continually optimize laptop performance and power efficiency with AI.

    With neural rendering and AI-augmented tools, NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell GPUs enable the creation of stunning visuals, digital twins of real-world environments and immersive experiences with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The GPUs are built to elevate 3D computer-aided design and building information model workflows, offering designers and engineers exceptional performance for complex modeling, rendering and visualization.

    Designed for enterprise data center deployments, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition features a passively cooled thermal design and can be configured with up to eight GPUs per server. For workloads that require the compute density and scale that data centers offer, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition delivers powerful performance for next-generation AI, scientific and visual computing applications across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail and media and entertainment.

    In addition, this powerful data center GPU can be combined with NVIDIA vGPU™ software to power AI workloads across virtualized environments and deliver high-performance virtual workstation instances to remote users. NVIDIA vGPU support for the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPU is expected in the latter half of this year.

    “Foster + Partners has tested the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition GPU on Cyclops, our GPU-based ray-tracing product,” said Martha Tsigkari, head of applied research and development and senior partner at Foster + Partners. “The new NVIDIA Blackwell GPU has managed to outperform everything we have tested before. For example, when using it with Cyclops, it has performed at 5x the speed of NVIDIA RTX A6000 GPUs. Rendering speeds also increased 5x, allowing tools like Cyclops to provide feedback on how well our design solutions perform in real time as we design them and resulting in intuitive yet informed decision-making from early conceptual stages.”

    “Early evaluation of the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell technology by GE HealthCare’s engineering team has found the potential for up to 2x GPU processing time improvement on reconstruction algorithms, which could lead to significant benefit to customers,” said Rekha Ranganathan, senior executive and general manager of platforms and digital solutions at GE HealthCare.

    “NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition GPUs enable incredibly sharp and photorealistic graphics,” said Jeff Hammoud, chief design officer at Rivian. “In conjunction with a Varjo XR4 headset and Autodesk VRED, the system delivered the level of crispness necessary for immersive automotive design reviews. With NVIDIA Blackwell support for PCIe Gen 5, we used two powerful 600W GPUs via VR SLI, allowing us to achieve the highest pixel density and the most stunning visuals we have ever experienced in VR.”

    “The 96GB memory and massive AI processing power in the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition GPU has boosted our productivity up to 3x with AI models like Llama 3.3-70B and Mixtral 8x7b, the NVIDIA Omniverse platform and industrial copilots,” said Shaun Greene, director of industry solutions at SoftServe. “We’ve seen immediate performance improvements and, using workstations, can now handle AI workloads that were previously only possible in the cloud or on rack servers — unlocking new possibilities for interactive demos and production workloads in retail, manufacturing and industrial edge applications.”

    RTX PRO GPUs run on the NVIDIA AI platform and feature larger memory capacity and the latest Tensor Cores to accelerate a deep ecosystem of AI-accelerated applications built on NVIDIA CUDA® and RTX technology. With everything from the latest AI-based content creation tools and new reasoning models, such as the NVIDIA Llama Nemotron Reason family of models and NVIDIA NIM™ microservices unveiled today, inferencing is faster than ever. And with over 400 NVIDIA CUDA-X™ libraries, developers can easily build, optimize, deploy and scale new AI applications, from workstations to the data center or cloud.

    Enterprises can fast-track their AI development and deployments by prototyping locally with an NVIDIA RTX PRO GPU and the NVIDIA Omniverse™ and NVIDIA AI Enterprise platforms, NVIDIA Blueprints and NVIDIA NIM, which gives access to easy-to-use inference microservices backed by enterprise-level support. They can also run these applications at scale on the ultimate universal data center GPU for AI and visual computing, delivering breakthrough acceleration for the most demanding compute-intensive enterprise workloads with the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition.

    Availability
    The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition will soon be available in server configurations from leading data center system partners including Cisco, Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo and Supermicro.

    Cloud service providers and GPU cloud providers including AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and CoreWeave will be among the first to offer instances powered by the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition later this year. In addition, the server edition GPU will be available in data center platforms from ASUS, GIGABYTE, Ingrasys, Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT) and other global system partners.

    The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition and NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition will be available through global distribution partners such as PNY and TD SYNNEX starting in April, with availability from manufacturers, such as BOXX, Dell, HP Inc., Lambda and Lenovo, starting in May.

    The NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000, RTX PRO 4500 and RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell GPUs will be available in the summer from BOXX, Dell, HP and Lenovo and through global distribution partners.

    NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell laptop GPUs will be available from Dell, HP, Lenovo and Razer starting later this year.

    To learn more about the NVIDIA RTX PRO Blackwell GPUs, watch the GTC keynote and register to attend sessions from NVIDIA and industry leaders at the show, which runs through March 21. Plus, explore extended-reality demos running on RTX PRO Blackwell GPUs at the XR Pavilion at The Tech Interactive museum.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in accelerated computing.

    For further information, contact:
    Pearlina Boc
    NVIDIA Corporation
    +1-562-275-5781
    pboc@nvidia.com

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: First Nations Australians are more likely to present to hospital with asthma and allergies – new research

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Desalegn Markos Shifti, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Child Health Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland

    Nils Versemann/Shutterstock

    Australia is often called the allergy capital of the world. Allergic diseases – such as allergic asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies – affect almost one in five people. And this figure is expected to rise in the years to come.

    An allergy happens when the body’s immune system mistakenly reacts to certain foods or other substances as if they were dangerous.

    But do allergies affect all Australians equally?

    In a recent study, we looked at emergency department (ED) presentations related to asthma and other allergic diseases in central Queensland. The region has a population of 228,246 according to the most recent Census data, and 7.2% of residents identify as First Nations.

    We found First Nations Australians were almost twice as likely to present to hospital with asthma or other allergy-related illnesses compared to other Australians.

    What we did and found

    We analysed 813,112 ED presentations from 12 public hospitals in central Queensland from 2018 to 2023. The hospitals were spread across regional and remote areas.

    Of the conditions we looked at, asthma was the most likely to bring patients to the ED. This was followed by unspecified allergies, atopic dermatitis (or eczema) and anaphylaxis (a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction). First Nations people were more likely than other Australians to present with each of these conditions.

    Overall, we found First Nations people were almost twice as likely to visit an ED for asthma or allergic diseases compared to other Australians. It should be noted that asthma is not always caused by allergies, and in this study we looked at all presentations for asthma, regardless of the cause.

    Our study also found ED visits for allergic diseases among First Nations people increased over time. They were around 1.5 times more common in 2023 compared to 2018.

    Further, we found a notable peak in asthma-related visits to the ED among First Nations people in 2019. This increase may have been partly due to Australia’s Black Summer bushfires during 2019–20.

    Other research has shown ED visits and hospitalisations for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease increased during the Black Summer bushfires. Exposure to bushfire smoke significantly increases the risk of breathing problems and other health issues.

    The increase in asthma-related ED visits could also be linked to the severe flu season in 2019, as flu is known to trigger asthma attacks.

    We looked at ED presentations for allergic conditions such as eczema and anaphylaxis.
    Ternavskaia Olga Alibec/Shutterstock

    Are these findings surprising?

    National data shows asthma is one of the most commonly reported chronic illnesses for First Nations Australians. More than 16% of First Nations Australians reported they had asthma in 2022–23 compared to 10.8% of the general Australian population.

    So it’s not entirely surprising that hospital presentations for asthma were higher among First Nations people.

    However, we were surprised to find First Nations people visited the ED more often for other allergic diseases. Allergies have not necessarily been recognised as an important concern among First Nations people, particularly in remote areas.

    That said, international studies have reported a higher burden of allergic and atopic diseases (eczema, hay fever and asthma) among the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

    How about food allergies?

    Interestingly, we didn’t find any food allergy cases in our data. But some of the “unspecified” allergies could be linked to food allergies, as could some of the cases of anaphylaxis.

    Australian researchers have found differences in the prevalence of food allergies among different groups, but they lacked specific data on First Nations populations. We know little about how common food allergies are in First Nations Australians.

    In a recent national survey, 12% of First Nations people self-reported an allergy to a food, drug, or other substance (compared to 14% in the overall population). But some cases might go unrecognised or unreported, and these data were not broken down into different types of allergies.

    Allergies have not necessarily been recognised as an important concern among First Nations people.
    Bobbi Lockyer/Refinery29 Australia – We Are Many Image Gallery/Getty Images

    Some limitations

    This is the first comprehensive study, to our knowledge, that looks at asthma and allergic disease-related ED visits among both First Nations people and other Australians in an under-researched part of Australia.

    However, we only looked at asthma and allergic diseases treated in the ED, which doesn’t encompass all cases. For example, some people might visit other health services such as GPs when they’re having a less severe allergic episode.

    Ultimately, we need more research to better understand how common allergies and allergic diseases are among First Nations Australians.

    Why do these gaps exist?

    We don’t know exactly why there are disparities in ED presentations for allergic diseases between First Nations people and other Australians.

    One possibility is that asthma and allergic diseases might be more severe in First Nations people, leading to more hospital visits, even if they’re not more common.

    Another reason could be limited access to specialists, especially in rural and remote First Nations communities. Long wait lists to see allergy doctors and their limited availability in some areas could lead to delays in care and make it harder to get the right treatment. This can worsen asthma and allergic disease symptoms, causing patients to seek ED care instead.

    We want to learn more about how allergies affect First Nations people, especially in regional and remote areas, and whether people have unmet needs. In initial conversations with First Nations Australians living with a food allergy, we’ve heard allergies might not be well understood in rural areas. This could be because they’re rare or because traditional lifestyles offer some protection.

    We’re interested in finding out more, especially whether allergies are a concern for First Nations people, and, if so, how we can support communities to develop targeted and culturally respectful strategies to address them.

    Desalegn Markos Shifti is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded Centre for Food and Allergy Research (CFAR) Postdoctoral Funding.

    Jennifer Koplin receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE), which is supported by funding from the Australian government.

    Renarta Whitcombe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. First Nations Australians are more likely to present to hospital with asthma and allergies – new research – https://theconversation.com/first-nations-australians-are-more-likely-to-present-to-hospital-with-asthma-and-allergies-new-research-251720

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dr. Linda S. Durst Elevated to Fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    New recruit Dr. Linda S. Durst, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine and medical director of the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at UConn Health, has been named a fellow of The American College of Psychiatrists.

    Durst was prestigiously elevated to the rank of fellow at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Psychiatrists in Hawaii on February 20.

    Durst has been a member of the ACP since 2017. Membership in ACP is limited to psychiatrists who have demonstrated outstanding competence in the field of psychiatry, and who have achieved national recognition. The ACP is a not-for-profit honorary association dedicated to providing continuing education to its members, promoting the latest advances in the specialty, and supporting the highest standards in psychiatry.

    In January Durst joined UConn’s faculty from MaineHealth, where she served as chair of psychiatry. She is a board-certified psychiatrist who practices in general behavioral health and specializes in suicide and violence prevention, grief therapy, quality, and safety.

    She received her medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and completed residency training at The Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital.

    “Dr. Durst has an impressive background as a leader in psychiatry, and this important national award from the ACP reflects just that,” shared Dr. David C. Steffens, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at UConn School of Medicine.

    “I am happy to join the UConn Health family and share my knowledge around suicide care, violence screening and quality initiatives with my team,” said Durst. “Returning to the role of Clinician/Educator is very rewarding to me.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Expansion

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today announced a $4 million expansion of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to include licensed professionals serving children and adolescents at programs licensed or funded by the state. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health (OMH), in partnership with the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the funding will provide at least 400 awards of up to $30,000 to help mental health professionals serving youth repay education loans and student debt, provided they work a minimum of three years at eligible mental health programs.

    “The effectiveness of New York State’s mental health care system relies on our ability to attract top professionals to do this critical work,” Governor Hochul said. “By expanding the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment program to programs and facilities serving youth, we can help our state retain existing staff and recruit new professionals and avoid experiencing the shortages seen in many other areas of our nation.”

    The Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program provides up to $120,000 for psychiatrists and $30,000 for other mental health professionals to repay qualified education loans and student debt, provided they remain employed by licensed community mental health programs for three years. Program eligibility includes many licensed mental health professionals, including master and clinical social workers; mental health counselors; marriage and family therapists; creative arts therapists, psychoanalysts, and psychologists.

    A high priority for workforce capacity is in the child and youth behavioral health workforce, due to the youth mental health crisis and the need for mental health professionals to address the national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. The expansion will further focus on eligible licensed professionals serving children and adolescents at community programs licensed, designated, or funded by OMH or OCFS to increase access and availability of mental health services for children and youth.

    The latest expansion of the loan repayment program will extend at least 400 awards to OMH and OCFS providers offering direct care mental health services to children or adolescents. This includes children’s day treatment programs, Home Based Crisis Intervention programs, community residence for eating disorder integrated treatment programs, and voluntary foster care agencies, limited secure programs approved under New York City’s ‘Close to Home’ initiative, and runaway and homeless youth programs.

    New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “Growing our youth mental health workforce is critical in expanding access to mental health services for our young New Yorkers. This expansion of the loan repayment program will help us build a mental health care workforce that is truly responsive to our needs today and long into the future. I applaud Governor Hochul’s continued focus on strengthening our mental health care system and ensuring all New Yorkers have the support they need to live and thrive.”

    New York State Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden said, “The tremendous investments that Governor Hochul has made in the mental health system is responsive to the growing needs for supports, services, and opportunities for those who require intervention, as well as individuals who are critical to the system’s workforce. With one in five people in the U.S. suffering from mental health disorders – and alarming rates of youth and children with high-acuity needs – it is necessary to build the career pipeline to support the mental health system. Our mental health professionals are a critical part of supporting the comprehensive well-being of children and youth. OCFS supports the aims of the governor and the Office of Mental Health to bolster the mental health workforce by extending the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to licensed professionals serving children and adolescents in OCFS licensed programs.”

    An additional $3 million is available for eligible professionals employed by OMH-licensed providers, including comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs, residential treatment facilities, assertive community treatment teams, children’s day treatment, mental health outpatient treatment and rehabilitative services and crisis stabilization centers. This funding is remaining from previous rounds of the program and will support at least 120 awards, including 60 psychiatrists and 60 psychiatric nurse practitioners or psychiatric physician assistants.

    So far, the program has provided roughly $9.6 million annual loan repayment on behalf of 909 community mental health program employees. This includes 77 psychiatrists, 164 psychiatric nurse practitioners and physician assistants and 668 licensed mental health practitioners.

    Governor Hochul established the loan repayment program in 2022 with $9 million in state funding to help community mental health agencies recruit and retain psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. The program was expanded in 2023 with an additional $5 million, allowing licensed mental health professionals to apply for awards.

    Nationally, rising rates of mental illness and substance use disorder have created heightened demand for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, a need that is expected to outpace growth of this area of the workforce. Based on findings from the Center for Health Workforce Studies, New York State is projected to have a shortfall of between roughly 1,180 and 2,650 psychiatrists by 2030.

    The expansion of the loan repayment program reflects Governor Hochul’s steadfast commitment to addressing and improving youth mental health statewide. Her FY 2026 Executive Budget will expand Teen Mental Health First Aid training for high school students to help them respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges; and will add four Youth Safe Spaces across the state to provide a place for young people to access behavioral health wellness resources.

    As part of her landmark $1 billion mental health initiative, Governor Hochul has also significantly expanded access to mental health care and resources for young people and their families –investments that were increased again in the FY25 Enacted Budget. These investments include $20 million in start-up funding and a rolling application process for school-based mental health clinics; and providing $9.6 million to add 12 new Youth Assertive Community Treatment to ensure resources and support are available for more families.

    State Senator Samra G. Brouk said, “As Chair of the Senate Committee on Mental Health, I have actively worked to address the statewide youth mental health crisis while supporting the mental health workforce. I have been fighting to increase support for individuals providing lifesaving care with my legislation to establish a school-based mental health loan repayment program that aids youth mental health practitioners. I applaud Governor Hochul for expanding the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to help our mental health workers continue to deliver high-quality, compassionate services for our young New Yorkers.”

    Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi said, “I’m grateful to Governor Hochul for expanding the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program. This loan forgiveness program helps ensure we have enough qualified professionals to meet the mental health crisis facing our state, particularly impacting our children.”

    Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon said, “Addressing the youth mental health crisis starts with investing in the professionals who are on the front lines, providing essential care and support. Expanding loan forgiveness is a critical investment in our future, strengthening the pipeline of diverse mental health professionals. This will help ensure that young people across New York get the targeted and timely care they need and deserve.”

    Governor Hochul also established the Youth Mental Health Advisory Board, a 30-member advisory board which includes youth between the ages of 11 and 17. The advisory board convenes quarterly and is designed to ensure that youth-informed best practices continue to be incorporated in developing behavioral health programs and policies.

    New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare Executive Director Lauri Cole said, “The 165 members of the New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare applaud Governor Hochul and our tireless colleagues at the Office of Mental Health for having the vision to deliver this important expansion of a critical loan repayment program that focuses on the mental health needs of children, youth and families so we can recruit and retain the workforce needed to serve them. Few things could be more important than ensuring these New Yorkers have quick access to services at a level of care best suited to meet their needs. That can only happen if we incentivize psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed mental health practitioners and others who want to make a difference in the lives of these New Yorkers, but who are often saddled with unmanageable debt.”

    New York State Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies President and CEO Kathleen Brady-Stepien said, “We thank the Governor for prioritizing the mental health needs of youth in the state, and for recognizing the critical importance of the role of our child welfare workforce in the behavioral health spectrum. We are thrilled to see this investment to support staff in achieving their higher education and career goals, as a stable and well-trained workforce is crucial for ensuring quality services, positive outcomes for our children and families, and reduced lengths of stay in foster care.”

    New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health President and CEO Kayleigh Zaloga said, “We greatly appreciate the prioritization of child-serving practitioners, and the inclusion of providers licensed by OCFS in this expansion of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program. It is a welcome step toward strengthening the children’s behavioral health workforce by investing in the practitioners that youth and families rely on. Easing the financial burden of student loan debt is a meaningful benefit that will enable more licensed practitioners to remain in the programs that need them, at a time when community need for behavioral health services continues to rise. As a field largely composed of women, we also want to highlight the value of investing in the children’s behavioral health workforce as a strategy for supporting women’s economic stability at the same time as improving children and families’ access to care.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 18 March 2025 One man’s dream of a hepatitis-free Tanzania

    Source: World Health Organisation

    “I never showed any symptoms,” Shaibu said. “Even now I’m looking healthy, but I live with this disease. That’s why we call hepatitis a silent killer.”  

    After being diagnosed, isolation and grief set in. Shaibu and Latifu were separated from classmates. Due to inadequate awareness and knowledge about the disease, health workers refused to touch them due to fears of contracting the disease and their community shunned them.  

    Recounting the pain he experienced, Shaibu said, “Viral hepatitis changed my entire life, because from there I started to face stigma. That’s when I started to understand the importance of how people should be treated.” 

    Credit: WHO / Vicky Markolefa  

    Caption: Shaibu Issa looks at an old photograph of his brother Latifu Dini, who passed away due to liver cancer resulting from chronic hepatitis B. 

    Beyond stigma, Shaibu and his brother faced another hurdle. The cost of treatment was more than their family could afford, and it required travelling to Dar es Salaam from their rural home near Mtwara in southern Tanzania.  

    The family sold everything and fundraised but it wasn’t enough to cover the brothers’ ongoing treatment, in addition to their university fees. Later, Shaibu and Latifu would overcome all odds and finish university, but Latifu would lose his life to liver cancer. 

    “After losing my brother, it was very bad because I believed I was next,” recalls Shaibu. “But I came to realize many people globally are suffering with this disease and face stigma and discrimination. My brother inspired me to take responsibility to represent these people.  

    I can’t let many people die out there while I can speak,” he says. 

    Using social media to inspire change 

    An estimated 254 million people globally are living with chronic hepatitis B infection, and roughly 1.1 million people die each year from the infection, mostly resulting from cirrhosis or liver cancer.  In Tanzania, there are roughly 1.9 million people living with chronic hepatitis B, and most of the tests and treatments for the infection are either unavailable or unaffordable. 

    Despite many people living the disease in Tanzania, few people are aware of how the disease is transmitted, its symptoms or how it can be prevented. This lack of awareness and resulting misinformation is a key reason people like Shaibu face stigma and discrimination.

    For Shaibu, this presented an opportunity. When Shaibu was first diagnosed, “nobody talked about viral hepatitis,” he said. “The only information that prevailed was false information. I thought that if I needed to raise awareness to people, it’s very easy to meet many people on social media.  
    Today, Shaibu uses multiple digital platforms and also speaks at conferences, schools and universities to raise awareness about the importance of getting vaccinated against the disease as well as getting tested and treated. 

    Credit: WHO / Vicky Markolefa  

    Caption: Shaibu Issa looks at an old photograph of his brother Latifu Dini, who passed away due to liver cancer resulting from chronic hepatitis B. 

    Since Shaibu was not vaccinated as a child against hepatitis B due to the vaccine not being available where he lived, he also works to educate parents about the importance of vaccinating infants at birth, as recommended by WHO.  

    A national plan to tackle hepatitis  

    To respond to the hepatitis burden in Tanzania, the Ministry of Health with support from WHO, developed the Integrated Health Sector HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan, which aligns to the WHO Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs strategies 2022-2030.  In 2023, the country also launched a new integrated HIV and hepatitis programme known as the National AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Hepatitis Control Program. This programme now plans, budgets and implements activities for each of the diseases in unison. 

    “We recognize the immense dedication of advocates like Shaibu, who are at the forefront of this battle against hepatitis in Tanzania,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “The ongoing collaboration between the Ministry of Health, WHO, and local advocates is critical to reducing the burden of hepatitis and achieving a world where no one suffers in silence.” 

    In addition, the Ministry of Health has updated integrated HIV and hepatitis guidelines and is continuing to increase awareness about viral hepatitis through mass, print and social media engagement, including through World Hepatitis Day activities.  

    The Ministry of Health is also providing hepatitis vaccination and treatment for at risk populations, such as, people who inject drugs, people with multiple sexual partners, healthcare workers, people living with chronic liver and kidney disease and diabetes, and immunosuppressed individuals, including people living with HIV. 

    With support from advocates like Shaibu, as well as efforts by the Ministry of Health, in partnership with WHO, the country is committed to fighting hepatitis. For Shaibu, this would be his dream.  

    “My main goal is to make Tanzania, Africa and the world free of hepatitis by encouraging people to get tested and to be vaccinated, but also those who are already infected to access timely treatment,” he said. 

    ———–

    Do you want to receive the latest news on vaccines and immunization? Click here to subscribe to the Global Immunization Newsletter.

    “,”datePublished”:”2025-03-18T17:50:53.0000000+00:00″,”image”:”https://www.who.int/images/default-source/departments/immunization-ivb/feature-stories/tanzania/hepatitisb–advocate-tanzania-who.jpg?sfvrsn=eeffaad4_3″,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”World Health Organization: WHO”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://www.who.int/Images/SchemaOrg/schemaOrgLogo.jpg”,”width”:250,”height”:60}},”dateModified”:”2025-03-18T17:50:53.0000000+00:00″,”mainEntityOfPage”:”https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/one-man-s-dream-of-a-hepatitis-free-tanzania”,”@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”};
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    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can a daily nap do more harm than good? A sleep researcher explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Talar Moukhtarian, Assistant Professor in Mental Health, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick

    Olga Rolenko/Shutterstock

    You’re in the middle of the afternoon, eyelids heavy, focus slipping. You close your eyes for half an hour and wake up feeling recharged. But later that night, you’re tossing and turning in bed, wondering why you can’t drift off. That midday snooze which felt so refreshing at the time might be the reason.

    Naps have long been praised as a tool for boosting alertness, enhancing mood, strengthening memory, and improving productivity. Yet for some, they can sabotage nighttime sleep.

    Napping is a double-edged sword. Done right, it’s a powerful way to recharge the brain, improve concentration, and support mental and physical health. Done wrong, it can leave you groggy, disoriented, and struggling to fall asleep later. The key lies in understanding how the body regulates sleep and wakefulness.

    Most people experience a natural dip in alertness in the early afternoon, typically between 1pm and 4pm. This isn’t just due to a heavy lunch – our internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, creates cycles of wakefulness and tiredness throughout the day. The early afternoon lull is part of this rhythm, which is why so many people feel drowsy at that time.

    Studies suggest that a short nap during this period – ideally followed by bright light exposure – can help counteract fatigue, boost alertness, and improve cognitive function without interfering with nighttime sleep. These “power naps” allow the brain to rest without slipping into deep sleep, making it easier to wake up feeling refreshed.

    But there’s a catch: napping too long may result in waking up feeling worse than before. This is due to “sleep inertia” – the grogginess and disorientation that comes from waking up during deeper sleep stages.

    Once a nap extends beyond 30 minutes, the brain transitions into slow-wave sleep, making it much harder to wake up. Studies show that waking from deep sleep can leave people feeling sluggish for up to an hour. This can have serious implications if they then try to perform safety-critical tasks, make important decisions or operate machinery, for example. And if a nap is taken too late in the day, it can eat away from the “sleep pressure build-up” – the body’s natural drive for sleep – making it harder to fall asleep at night.

    When napping is essential

    For some, napping is essential. Shift workers often struggle with fragmented sleep due to irregular schedules, and a well-timed nap before a night shift can boost alertness and reduce the risk of errors and accidents. Similarly, people who regularly struggle to get enough sleep at night – whether due to work, parenting or other demands – may benefit from naps to bank extra hours of sleep that compensate for their sleep loss.

    Nonetheless, relying on naps instead of improving nighttime sleep is a short-term fix rather than a sustainable solution. People with chronic insomnia are often advised to avoid naps entirely, as daytime sleep can weaken their drive to sleep at night.

    Certain groups use strategic napping as a performance-enhancing tool. Athletes incorporate napping into their training schedules to speed up muscle recovery and improve sports-related parameters such as reaction times and endurance. Research also suggests that people in high-focus jobs, such as healthcare workers and flight crews, benefit from brief planned naps to maintain concentration and reduce fatigue-related mistakes. Nasa has found that a 26-minute nap can improve performance of long-haul flight operational staff by 34%, and alertness by 54%.

    How to nap well

    To nap effectively, timing and environment matter. Keeping naps between ten and 20 minutes prevents grogginess. The ideal time is before 2pm – napping too late can push back the body’s natural sleep schedule.

    The best naps happen in a cool, dark and quiet environment, similar to nighttime sleep conditions. Eye masks and noise-cancelling headphones can help, particularly for those who nap in bright or noisy settings.

    Despite the benefits, napping isn’t for everyone. Age, lifestyle and underlying sleep patterns all influence whether naps help or hinder. A good nap is all about strategy – knowing when, how, and if one should nap at all.

    For some it’s a life hack, improving focus and energy. For others, it’s a slippery slope into sleep disruption. The key is to experiment and observe how naps affect your overall sleep quality.

    Done wisely, naps can be a valuable tool. Done poorly, they might be the reason you’re staring at the ceiling at midnight.

    Talar Moukhtarian previously received funding from UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC).

    – ref. Can a daily nap do more harm than good? A sleep researcher explains – https://theconversation.com/can-a-daily-nap-do-more-harm-than-good-a-sleep-researcher-explains-251630

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HHS, FDA Announce Operation Stork Speed to Expand Options for Safe, Reliable, and Nutritious Infant Formula for American Families

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    March 18, 2025

    Today, under the leadership of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to enhance its efforts to ensure the ongoing quality, safety, nutritional adequacy, and resilience of the domestic infant formula supply.
    “The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” said HHS Secretary Kennedy. “Helping each family and child get off to the right start from birth is critical to our pursuit to Make America Healthy Again.”
    The FDA is announcing a set of actions and initiatives focused on infant formula, such as beginning the nutrient review process and increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. The agency is also encouraging companies to develop new infant formulas and clarify opportunities to help inform consumers about formula ingredients. These enhanced FDA commitments are focused on making sure a strong supply of the sole source of nutrition for formula-fed babies and children remains available for one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations.
    “The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that moms and other caregivers of infants and young children and other individuals who rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs have confidence that these products are safe, consistently available, and contain the nutrients essential to promote health and wellbeing during critical stages of development and life,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, M.D., M.P.H. “Whether breastfed, bottle fed or both, the rising generation must be nourished in a way that promotes health and longevity over the course of their lives.”
    The FDA uses its authorities, both longstanding and newly granted, to uphold the safety, nutritional adequacy and resilience of infant formula and the infant formula supply. The FDA is:

    Starting the nutrient review required by law by issuing a Request for Information in the coming months to start the first comprehensive update and review of infant formula nutrients by the FDA since 1998
    Increasing testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in infant formula and other foods children consume
    Extending the personal importation policy
    Encouraging companies to work with the FDA on any questions regarding increased transparency and clearer labeling
    Communicating regularly with consumers and industry stakeholders as significant developments occur to ensure transparency, including information regarding nutrients and health outcomes
    Collaborating with the National Institutes of Health and other scientific bodies to address priority scientific research gaps regarding short- and long-term health outcomes associated with formula feeding in infancy and childhood across the lifespan

    The FDA remains committed to infant formula safety and nutritional quality and is taking all actions to ensure the U.S. infant formula supply ranks best in the world.
    Related Information

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    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

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    Content current as of:
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: The ceasefire in Gaza Palestine must be immediately restored

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    In the early hours of 18 March, Israeli forces launched strikes right across the Gaza Strip, Palestine, shattering the ceasefire which had been in place since mid-January 2025. In Gaza, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have so far received hundreds of wounded patients, and many more who arrived at facilities dead on arrival.

    MSF is urging Israel not to restart hostilities and to immediately restore the ceasefire and lift a two-week long blockade on supplies. Responding to the latest developments, Claire Magone, General Director of MSF France, issued the following comments:

    “We are horrified by the attacks launched by Israel today on the people of Gaza, shattering the nearly two-month-old ceasefire. Out of the hundreds killed, according to the Ministry of Health, MSF received 75 dead on arrival and scores of wounded in just three of the facilities we support.

    Our staff were completely taken by surprise and found themselves once again having to deal with influxes of mass casualties, many of whom were children.

    In line with the tactics that the Israeli authorities have applied since October 2023, they have once again chosen to collectively punish the people of Gaza – with the explicit approval of their closest ally, the United States – striking with an intensity not seen since the early stages of the war. For over 15 months, before the ceasefire, people in Gaza were indiscriminately killed, mutilated, wounded, and displaced.

    Israeli forces undertaking these latest ruthless attacks and evacuation orders make us fear that a new phase of military operations in Gaza is about to begin. Palestinians in Gaza will simply not be able to withstand this, neither physically nor mentally. Their hopes of recovering at least part of their previous lives are being shattered. 

    Since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, people have been struggling to restore the basics of their day to day lives after a drawn out, devastating military campaign, which has annihilated the very fabric of society in Gaza. Israel has once again cut access to humanitarian aid and basic goods.

    MSF calls for the ceasefire to be immediately restored and for Israel to not restart its campaign of destruction and the nightmarish, massive bombing on the people of Gaza. MSF also calls for the blockade to be lifted, and for people to regain unrestricted access to basic supplies and aid. Injured people and patients requiring urgent medical care should be allowed to seek care outside of Gaza, provided their right to a safe and dignified return is granted.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Embolization Device Recall and Correction: Medtronic Removes Unused 027 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Device with Shield Technology, Updates Use Instructions for 021 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Devices due to Increased Risk of Incomplete Wall Apposition and Braid Deformation

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type.This recall involves:

    removing the Pipeline Vantage 027 device models from where they are used or sold 
    updating instructions for using the Pipeline Vantage 021 device models 

    Affected Product 

    Product Names:

    Removal of unused: Pipeline Vantage Embolization Device with Shield Technology, 027 Compatible (Pipeline Vantage 027 devices)
    Instructions for Use (IFU) update: Pipeline Vantage Embolization Device with Shield Technology, 021 Compatible (Pipeline Vantage 021 Devices)

    Catalog and Serial Numbers: 

    Removal of unused:  REF: PED3-027-350-12, PED3-027-350-14, PED3-027-350-16, PED3-027-350-20, PED3-027-350-25, PED3-027-400-12, PED3-027-400-14, PED3-027-400-16, PED3-027-400-18, PED3-027-400-20, PED3-027-400-25, PED3-027-400-30, PED3-027-450-12, PED3-027-450-14, PED3-027-450-16, PED3-027-450-18, PED3-027-450-20, PED3-027-450-25, PED3-027-450-30, PED3-027-450-40, PED3-027-500-14, PED3-027-500-16, PED3-027-500-18, PED3-027-500-20, PED3-027-500-25, PED3-027-500-30, PED3-027-500-40, PED3-027-550-16, PED3-027-550-18, PED3-027-550-20, PED3-027-550-30, PED3-027-550-40, PED3-027-550-50, PED3-027-600-16, PED3-027-600-18, PED3-027-600-20, PED3-027-600-30, PED3-027-600-40, PED3-027-600-50 and all Pipeline Vantage 027 product lots from B317266 through B817292
    Instructions For Use (IFU) update: REF: PED3-021-350-16, PED3-021-250-14, PED3-021-350-20, PED3-021-250-20, PED3-021-300-16, PED3-021-300-20, PED3-021-275-12, PED3-021-275-16, PED3-021-325-12, PED3-021-325-14, PED3-021-325-16, PED3-021-325-20, PED3-021-250-12, PED3-021-300-14, PED3-021-250-16, PED3-021-300-12, PED3-021-275-14, PED3-021-350-14, PED3-021-350-25, PED3-021-350-12, PED3-021-250-10, PED3-021-275-20, PED3-021-350-18, PED3-021-325-18, PED3-021-275-18, PED3-021-250-18, PED3-021-300-18; and Instructions for Use, Part: M056989CDOC2. All Pipeline Vantage 021 product lots from B317266 through B817292

    Unique Device Identifier (UDI)/Catalog Number:

    UDI
    Device Model

    00847536030398
    PED3-021-250-10

    00847536036215
    PED3-021-250-10

    00847536034884
    PED3-021-250-10

    00847536030404
    PED3-021-250-12

    00847536034891
    PED3-021-250-12

    00847536036222
    PED3-021-250-12

    00847536030411
    PED3-021-250-14

    00847536034907
    PED3-021-250-14

    00847536036239
    PED3-021-250-14

    00847536030428
    PED3-021-250-16

    00847536034914
    PED3-021-250-16

    00847536036246
    PED3-021-250-16

    00847536036253
    PED3-021-250-18

    00847536030442
    PED3-021-250-20

    00847536034938
    PED3-021-250-20

    00847536036260
    PED3-021-250-20

    00847536030466
    PED3-021-275-12

    00847536034952
    PED3-021-275-12

    00847536036284
    PED3-021-275-12

    00847536030473
    PED3-021-275-14

    00847536034969
    PED3-021-275-14

    00847536036291
    PED3-021-275-14

    00847536030480
    PED3-021-275-16

    00847536034976
    PED3-021-275-16

    00847536036307
    PED3-021-275-16

    00847536036314
    PED3-021-275-18

    00847536030503
    PED3-021-275-20

    00847536034990
    PED3-021-275-20

    00847536036321
    PED3-021-275-20

    00847536030527
    PED3-021-300-12

    00847536035010
    PED3-021-300-12

    00847536036345
    PED3-021-300-12

    00847536030534
    PED3-021-300-14

    00847536035027
    PED3-021-300-14

    00847536036352
    PED3-021-300-14

    00847536030541
    PED3-021-300-16

    00847536035034
    PED3-021-300-16

    00847536036369
    PED3-021-300-16

    00847536036376
    PED3-021-300-18

    00847536030565
    PED3-021-300-20

    00847536035058
    PED3-021-300-20

    00847536036383
    PED3-021-300-20

    00847536030602
    PED3-021-325-12

    00847536035096
    PED3-021-325-12

    00847536036420
    PED3-021-325-12

    00847536030619
    PED3-021-325-14

    00847536035102
    PED3-021-325-14

    00847536036437
    PED3-021-325-14

    00847536030626
    PED3-021-325-16

    00847536035119
    PED3-021-325-16

    00847536036444
    PED3-021-325-16

    00847536036451
    PED3-021-325-18

    00847536030640
    PED3-021-325-20

    00847536035133
    PED3-021-325-20

    00847536036468
    PED3-021-325-20

    00847536030688
    PED3-021-350-12

    00847536035171
    PED3-021-350-12

    00847536036505
    PED3-021-350-12

    00847536030695
    PED3-021-350-14

    00847536035188
    PED3-021-350-14

    00847536036512
    PED3-021-350-14

    00847536030701
    PED3-021-350-16

    00847536035195
    PED3-021-350-16

    00847536036529
    PED3-021-350-16

    00847536036536
    PED3-021-350-18

    00847536030725
    PED3-021-350-20

    00847536035218
    PED3-021-350-20

    00847536036543
    PED3-021-350-20

    00847536030732
    PED3-021-350-25

    00847536035225
    PED3-021-350-25

    00847536036550
    PED3-021-350-25

    00847536035263
    PED3-027-350-12

    00847536030770
    PED3-027-350-12

    00847536035287
    PED3-027-350-14

    00847536030787
    PED3-027-350-14

    00847536035294
    PED3-027-350-16

    00847536030794
    PED3-027-350-16

    00847536035317
    PED3-027-350-20

    00847536030817
    PED3-027-350-20

    00847536035324
    PED3-027-350-25

    00847536030824
    PED3-027-350-25

    00847536030862
    PED3-027-400-12

    00847536035362
    PED3-027-400-12

    00847536036680
    PED3-027-400-12

    00847536030879
    PED3-027-400-14

    00847536035379
    PED3-027-400-14

    00847536036697
    PED3-027-400-14

    00847536030886
    PED3-027-400-16

    00847536035386
    PED3-027-400-16

    00847536036703
    PED3-027-400-16

    00847536036710
    PED3-027-400-18

    00847536030909
    PED3-027-400-20

    00847536035409
    PED3-027-400-20

    00847536036727
    PED3-027-400-20

    00847536030916
    PED3-027-400-25

    00847536035416
    PED3-027-400-25

    00847536036734
    PED3-027-400-25

    00847536030923
    PED3-027-400-30

    00847536035423
    PED3-027-400-30

    00847536036741
    PED3-027-400-30

    00847536030961
    PED3-027-450-12

    00847536035461
    PED3-027-450-12

    00847536036789
    PED3-027-450-12

    00847536030978
    PED3-027-450-14

    00847536035478
    PED3-027-450-14

    00847536036796
    PED3-027-450-14

    00847536030985
    PED3-027-450-16

    00847536035485
    PED3-027-450-16

    00847536036802
    PED3-027-450-16

    00847536036819
    PED3-027-450-18

    00847536031005
    PED3-027-450-20

    00847536035508
    PED3-027-450-20

    00847536036826
    PED3-027-450-20

    00847536031012
    PED3-027-450-25

    00847536035515
    PED3-027-450-25

    00847536036833
    PED3-027-450-25

    00847536031029
    PED3-027-450-30

    00847536035522
    PED3-027-450-30

    00847536036840
    PED3-027-450-30

    00847536031043
    PED3-027-450-40

    00847536035546
    PED3-027-450-40

    00847536036864
    PED3-027-450-40

    00847536031067
    PED3-027-500-14

    00847536035577
    PED3-027-500-14

    00847536036895
    PED3-027-500-14

    00847536031074
    PED3-027-500-16

    00847536035584
    PED3-027-500-16

    00847536036901
    PED3-027-500-16

    00847536036918
    PED3-027-500-18

    00847536031098
    PED3-027-500-20

    00847536035607
    PED3-027-500-20

    00847536036925
    PED3-027-500-20

    00847536031104
    PED3-027-500-25

    00847536035614
    PED3-027-500-25

    00847536036932
    PED3-027-500-25

    00847536031111
    PED3-027-500-30

    00847536035621
    PED3-027-500-30

    00847536036949
    PED3-027-500-30

    00847536031135
    PED3-027-500-40

    00847536035645
    PED3-027-500-40

    00847536036963
    PED3-027-500-40

    00847536031166
    PED3-027-550-16

    00847536035683
    PED3-027-550-16

    00847536037007
    PED3-027-550-16

    00847536037014
    PED3-027-550-18

    00847536035706
    PED3-027-550-20

    00847536031180
    PED3-027-550-20

    00847536037021
    PED3-027-550-20

    00847536031203
    PED3-027-550-30

    00847536035720
    PED3-027-550-30

    00847536037045
    PED3-027-550-30

    00847536031227
    PED3-027-550-40

    00847536035744
    PED3-027-550-40

    00847536037069
    PED3-027-550-40

    00847536031241
    PED3-027-550-50

    00847536035768
    PED3-027-550-50

    00847536037083
    PED3-027-550-50

    00847536031289
    PED3-027-600-16

    00847536035805
    PED3-027-600-16

    00847536037120
    PED3-027-600-16

    00847536037137
    PED3-027-600-18

    00847536031302
    PED3-027-600-20

    00847536035829
    PED3-027-600-20

    00847536037144
    PED3-027-600-20

    00847536031326
    PED3-027-600-30

    00847536035843
    PED3-027-600-30

    00847536037168
    PED3-027-600-30

    00847536031340
    PED3-027-600-40

    00847536035867
    PED3-027-600-40

    00847536037182
    PED3-027-600-40

    00847536031364
    PED3-027-600-50

    00847536035881
    PED3-027-600-50

    00847536037205
    PED3-027-600-50

    What to Do

    Do not use and return all unused Pipeline Vantage 027 devices.
    Read updated instructions before using Pipeline Vantage 021 devices.   

    On January 30, 2025, Medtronic Neurovascular sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Recall letter recommending the following actions:
    For affected Pipeline Vantage 027 devices

    Do not use any affected Pipeline Vantage 027. 
    Remove and quarantine all unused affected products. 
    Return affected products to Medtronic with help from your Medtronic representative, who can also help identify suitable replacement products if needed.

    For affected Pipeline Vantage 021
    Download and review labeling updates M067713CDOC2 Rev. A (01/2025) (or M056989CDOC2 Rev. A) for the Pipeline Vantage 021 device. The updated Instructions for Use (IFU) was provided by Medtronic with the letter to healthcare providers and is also available on the Medtronic manuals website at: https://manuals.medtronic.com/manuals/. These instructions should be used when completing any future procedures with Pipeline Vantage 021. 
    The updates aim to help achieve optimal device size selection and stent braid deployment to reduce the risk of complications and patient harms by lowering the incidence of incomplete wall apposition and/or braid deformation. Revisions to the instructions include:

    Considerations to appropriately select device diameter and length accounting for complex anatomy.
    Techniques to deploy Pipeline Vantage compared to Pipeline Shield using a balance of device tension and compression, aiming to achieve adequate wall apposition and in complex vessel anatomies (e.g., tortuous vessels).
    Warnings about the consequences of incomplete wall apposition and suboptimal deployment as well as the increased risk of braid deformation in females, especially in females younger than 45 years of age.

    For all affected devices
    Complete the Customer Confirmation Form included with the letter and email it to neuro.quality@medtronic.com.
    For patients who have already been treated with Pipeline Vantage 027 and 021 devices
    The treating physician should determine the need for follow-up imaging or changes to medical management based on the patient’s overall health. This includes weighing the risks of dual antiplatelet therapy against potential risks for braid deformation. 
    Reason for Recall and Updates to Use Instructions   
    Medtronic Neurovascular is recalling 027 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Devices and updating use instructions for 021 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Devices due to reports of a higher incidence of the flexible, braided tube part of the device failing to properly attach or stay attached to the blood vessel wall (incomplete wall apposition and/or braid deformation) during and after procedures using these devices. Incomplete wall apposition and braid deformation, also sometimes called fish-mouthing, braid narrowing, or braid collapse, are known risks of these devices. The risks were higher in females, especially those younger than 45 years of age.  
    The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including thrombosis, stroke, or death.
    There have been thirteen reported injuries and four reports of death related to the 027 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Device. There have been four reported injuries and no reports of death related to the 021 Compatible Pipeline Vantage Embolization Device. 
    Device Use 
    Pipeline Vantage Embolization Devices with Shield Technology are used to treat bulges in the artery walls (aneurysms) of the brain. These devices are inserted into the blood vessels (endovascular) through a small catheter and delivered to the aneurysm location, where a small, braided tube is placed to block off blood flow to the bulging area. 
    Contact Information  
    Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact their local Medtronic representative or Medtronic Quality Assurance at rs.nvquality@medtronic.com or 1-800-633-8766.
    Additional FDA Resources 

    FDA’s Enforcement Report

    Medical Device Recall Database

    Unique Device Identifier (UDI) 
    The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from manufacturing through distribution to patient use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified, and problems potentially corrected more quickly.

    How do I report a problem? 
    Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

    Content current as of:
    03/18/2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, MORELLE ANNOUNCE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS FEDERAL CANCER CENTER DESIGNATION FOR WILMOT CANCER INSTITUTE

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
    Designation Will Boost Clinical Opportunities, Reputation, And Research $$ For U Of R’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, Upstate NY’s Largest Cancer Provider, Which Has Made Significant Cancer Discoveries And Treats Thousands Each Year
    Schumer, Gillibrand, Morelle All Urged NCI Director To Give This Designation, And Schumer Personally Called Former NIH Director To Advocate For It
    Schumer, Gillibrand, Morelle: Cancer Center Designation Will Boost Fed Support For Wilmot’s Cancer Research And Treatment
    U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and U.S. Congressman Joe Morelle today announced the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute has received the prestigious federal Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Wilmot Cancer Institute is Upstate New York’s largest and busiest cancer provider, and conducts medical research and treats cancer patients.
    “I am proud to announce that following my advocacy, Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute has received the prestigious federal Cancer Center designation. This designation is the ultimate recognition for the world-class staff here in Rochester that they are leading America in cancer research and through their work will make new breakthroughs in cancer treatment and save lives,” said Senator Schumer. “The Wilmot Cancer Institute is Upstate New York’s largest cancer provider, and this designation is a national spotlight to uplift them as one of the top cancer research centers in the country. It means additional funding, better support for our doctors & nurses, increasing clinical opportunities, and enhancing the center’s ability to recruit cancer investigators. I personally called the former NIH director to advocate for this designation last fall and will always fight to ensure New York’s medical researchers have the resources they need to provide the medical care New Yorkers deserve.”
    “The designation of the Wilmot Cancer Center as a federal Cancer Center is a testament to the groundbreaking clinical research, lifesaving treatments, and exceptional patient care that it provides for patients across Upstate New York,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This designation will unlock up to $10 million in additional funding, which will enhance the Wilmot Cancer Center’s ability to advance scientific discovery and improve access to high-quality care for cancer patients. I am honored to have worked alongside Senator Schumer and Representative Morelle to secure this designation, reinforcing the Wilmot Cancer Center’s leadership in the fight against cancer and its commitment to medical excellence, and I extend my congratulations to the University of Rochester for this prestigious designation.”
    “The Wilmot Cancer Institute’s designation as a National Cancer Institute is an historic achievement—one that cements its place among the nation’s premier cancer research and treatment centers. This recognition is not just about a title; it is a testament to the relentless dedication of the doctors, researchers, and caregivers who bring hope to families in their most challenging moments,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “It is deeply moving to see the team that cared for my daughter, Lauren—and so many other families like ours—receive this nationally-recognized symbol of excellence. I’m grateful to the many partners whose advocacy helped make this a reality, and most importantly, to the dedicated team at Wilmot fighting tirelessly for a cancer-free future.”
    “Today is a monumental day for the University of Rochester and the Wilmot Cancer Institute—one that is more than 10 years in the making,” said University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “This National Cancer Institute designation allows us to forge a new path to removing the burden of cancer in our community and throughout upstate New York. From here, our goals are to continue making the discoveries right here in Rochester that advance our understanding of cancer, improve the effectiveness of current therapies, and through research and clinical trials provide new life-saving and life-extending treatments to all of our patients in need. This couldn’t have happened without the strong bipartisan support and efforts from our Congressional delegation. I want to profoundly thank Sen. Chuck Schumer for his unwavering support to the University and the Rochester community that has helped us reach this milestone. I also want to thank Rep. Joe Morelle for his leadership and Senator Gillibrand, Rep. Langworthy and Rep. Tenney for their strong support.”
    The Wilmot Cancer Institute is Upstate New York’s largest cancer provider, supporting 27 counties with a population of more than 3.2 million people. This region, which lacks an NCI-designated cancer center, is one of the largest underserved areas in the nation in terms of access to cutting-edge cancer research and treatment.  There is strong bipartisan support for boosting funding for the Wilmot Cancer Institute, which has made significant cancer research discoveries and treats thousands of cancer patients each year.
    Wilmot Cancer Institute, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is New York’s busiest cancer center outside of NYC, serving a 27-county region with over 3.2 million people, a geographic area larger than Vermont and New Hampshire combined. It operates across 13 locations in a unique catchment area that lacks any other NCI-designated cancer center and faces significantly higher cancer incidence and mortality rates than the rest of the state and nation. If this region were its own state, it would rank second in the country for cancer incidence behind Kentucky. The region includes rural communities and areas of high poverty, including Rochester, ranked third in poverty among the 75 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Additionally, 12 counties in this region are designated as part of Appalachia, further limiting healthcare access, and it has the largest per-capita Deaf population in the country, requiring specialized approaches to cancer care. Cancer disparities by geography, race, and ethnicity are stark, with access challenges and higher rates of smoking, obesity, and inactivity.
    Over the past eight years, Wilmot Cancer Institute has embarked on a bold strategic plan with the goal of becoming an NCI-designated cancer center. Wilmot has significant institutional commitment from the University of Rochester and broad community support and has been successful in recruiting over 30 world-class scientists, doubling accruals to clinical trials, doubling external funding for cancer research, and establishing impactful Community Outreach and Engagement, and Cancer Research Training and Education programs resulting in an elite cancer center worthy of NCI designation.
    The Cancer Center designation provides additional research funding, increases clinical opportunities and patient volume, and enhances ability to recruit cancer investigators, among other benefits. In addition to federal funding, the University of Rochester has committed over $100 million in institutional investment to strengthen Wilmot’s infrastructure, research capabilities, and workforce recruitment.  Based on a based on an estimate from the Center for Governmental Research, the designation is also expected to generate nearly 1,900 new jobs, create $194 million in labor income, and contribute $15 million annually in income and sales tax revenue—making it a major economic driver for the region.
    The members of the New York Congressional delegation – Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Congressman Morelle, Congressman Higgins, Congresswoman Stefanik, Congresswoman Tenney, Congressman Langworthy, and Congressman Molinaro – in fall 2023 wrote a bipartisan letter to former Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute Douglas R. Lowy advocating for this designation, and Schumer also personally called former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli about the University of Rochester’s application. During his direct advocacy, Schumer emphasized that Wilmot’s service area has one of the highest cancer burdens in the country and is one of the largest areas nationwide without access to an NCI-designated cancer center. He underscored how the NCI designation would help boost clinical trials, improve research capacity, and help ensure Upstate New York’s underserved populations receive the best possible cancer care. The lawmakers explained that the Wilmot Cancer Institute has met rigorous standards for research, education, and cancer prevention and patient care and presents a significant opportunity for continued growth and expansion of federally supported cancer research.
    The New York Congressional Delegation’s letter to former Acting Director of the National Cancer Institute Douglas R. Lowy can be found HERE or below:
    Dear Dr. Lowy:
    We write in strong support of the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute’s A1 revised application for a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant. Wilmot has established itself as the leader in cancer care and research in our region and is poised to join other NCI designated centers.
    Last year, we were disappointed to learn that, despite presenting a strong application, the significant needs in our districts, and receiving an excellent score that was better than several of the most recent new Cancer Center Support Grants approved in other states, Wilmot did not receive a Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). However, the University of Rochester remains steadfastly committed to the goal of NCI designation, and over the past two years, Wilmot has worked to address the feedback received from the NCI review committee and strengthen their application. The University has articulated this commitment in its strategic plan, including a financial pledge of over $100 million to Wilmot, and plans to expand the cancer research footprint with additional physical space over the next five years. With NCI designation and the University’s significant commitment, Wilmot will continue to push the frontiers of cancer science, enhance community engagement, and expand collaborations, including with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, the nearest NCI center and a frequent research partner.
    The Wilmot Cancer Institute is New York’s largest cancer provider outside of New York City, providing care for a catchment area that includes 27 counties with a population of more than 3.2 million people. As Upstate New York’s largest cancer center, Wilmot’s 159 oncology physicians and 336 nurses treated over 5,500 cancer cases across 14 regional locations in 2021. Over its nearly 50-year history, Wilmot’s research has led to significant advances in oncology standards of care and has helped lead the way in two of the top five cancer discoveries of the past half century as identified by the American Society of Clinical Oncology: utilizing virus-like particles to create the first approved HPV vaccine and carrying out clinical trials to demonstrate the effectiveness of anti-emetic therapy in patients undergoing chemotherapy. With over $30 million in annual sponsored research funding – including over $14 million in annual direct funding from NCI – Wilmot is leveraging its longstanding strengths within a framework of collaboration through three multidisciplinary programs that study cancer biology, the tumor environment, and cancer prevention and toxicity management.
    Data shows that cancer incidence and mortality is significantly higher in the region that Wilmot Cancer Institute serves, as compared to the rest of New York State and the nation. This catchment area is the equivalent to the size of the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island combined and, if considered as a state, would have the second highest cancer incidence in the nation behind only the State of Kentucky. Approximately one-third of people in this catchment area live in rural communities that are underserved, understudied, and negatively impacted by social factors. Of the 27 counties in this area, 26 have a higher poverty level than the U.S. average, including the City of Rochester, which ranks third in overall poverty among the nation’s 75 largest metropolitan areas, and 12 of the 14 counties that are part of Appalachian portion of New York State. Furthermore, there are drastic and unacceptable cancer disparities by geography, race, and ethnicity among this population. Among other indices of disparity, individuals in Wilmot’s catchment area experience longer delays between diagnosis and the onset of treatment, and higher rates of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
    While New York has seven other NCI-designated centers, we want to stress that the catchment area Wilmot will support is not covered by another existing center representing a large geographic portion of New York State, and has the support of Roswell Park, the closest and only other NCI center in upstate New York. As such, Wilmot has strong bipartisan support from not only the Congressional delegation, but Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature. Given the size of this region and scope and severity of disease, investment in Wilmot’s research infrastructure by the NCI through a Cancer Center Support Grant would allow Wilmot to expand its efforts to reduce the significant burden of cancer on our constituents by guiding efforts and attention where the need is greatest, collaborating with underserved communities to better understand and resolve cancer disparities, providing greater access to clinical trials and innovative treatments, and in turn, offering valuable data to NIH on a unique and currently uncaptured population that would have broader benefits to cancer care and research. Furthermore, an NCI Center would not only have an enhanced public health benefit, but based on an estimate from the Center for Governmental Research, it would also have a significant economic impact to the region adding nearly 1,900 new jobs, creating $194 million in labor income, and generating $15 million in income and sales tax annually.
    Many of us have met individually with the Wilmot team from the University of Rochester to discuss Wilmot’s application, and understand securing this designation remains not only a top University priority, but also continues to garner significant community commitment. It is clear from our discussions that following years of preparation and investment, and consideration of the feedback received from NCI last year, Wilmot is even more equipped with the resources to meet and maintain the rigorous standards for research, education, and cancer prevention and patient care required for NCI designation, and is prepared to capitalize on future opportunities for continued growth. As members of Congress representing upstate New York we are eager for our constituents to realize the benefits of representation by an NCI Center through access to improved research efforts, enhanced prevention programs, and the highest quality subspecialty multidisciplinary cancer care for patients and their families.
    Again, we wish to convey our strongest support for an NCI A1 Cancer Center Support Grant for the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute. Thank you for your full consideration of their application. Please feel free to contact any of us with any questions or concerns you may have.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Foster carers enjoyed a day of recognition, support and inspiration

    Source: City of Derby

    Over 350 foster carers from Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire came together last week at Goosedale Hall for a special event of recognition. The day was all about celebrating the amazing work foster carers do for children in their care and their local communities.

    Organised by Mockingbird, part of Foster for East Midlands Councils, the event focused on the theme: Hope, Healing, and Humour. Foster carers joined in interactive sessions to learn, share experiences, and connect with others.

    Helen Fearn, Trauma Aware Care, discussed the importance of trauma-aware care, while Karen Hazard, Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist and Advanced Sensory Integration Practitioner, explained how sensory therapy can support children’s development. Amy Johnson (BA MA MA Diet & Nutrition Dip L4, and Coach), Director of Feelgood Wellbeing Ltd, shared practical ways to promote wellbeing, and special guest comedian Kiri Pritchard-Mclean brought laughter and warmth as she recounted her own experiences as a respite foster carer.

    Brenda Hall, a foster carer from Derbyshire, said,

    It was so great to come together as foster carers, share our experiences, listen to support, and also laugh. The whole day was amazing, from the crèche for the young children to the keynote speakers and the refreshments. I and other carers felt truly appreciated.

    Another foster carer who attended the event shared their experience, saying,

    Listening to the speakers and being around like-minded people was truly inspirational, and having a day like this to myself was invaluable. Fostering can be both rewarding and challenging, so being able to connect with others, share experiences, and gain new insights really makes a difference. It was amazing to feel supported, appreciated, and reminded of the positive impact we have on children’s lives.

    Local authorities also took this opportunity to thank foster carers for their dedication. Every day, these carers make a huge difference by keeping children safe and supported in their communities.

    Mockingbird is an award-winning program led by The Fostering Network. It helps foster families build strong, supportive communities. This model has been a huge success across Foster for East Midlands Councils, creating a caring network for children and carers.

    Andrea Dore, Mockingbird Team Manager said,

    It was fantastic to see so many foster carers come together and take time for themselves. Fostering can be challenging and events like this provide a valuable opportunity to recharge, share experiences and feel part of a strong support network. The keynote speakers played a crucial role in this, offering expert advice on trauma-aware care, sensory therapy and wellbeing. Seeing carers leave feeling uplifted, inspired and appreciated was truly rewarding.

    Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Lead Council’s Cabinet Member for Foster East Midlands Councils said:

    Foster carers play an essential role in transforming children’s lives, providing them with stability, care and encouragement. This event was a wonderful chance to acknowledge their dedication and give them the recognition they truly deserve. My immense thanks on behalf of the children and young people for your commitment and support. It is immeasurably important for each of them.

    Right now, there is an urgent need for local authority foster carers. Across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire, over 3,300 children are in care, but only half find foster homes. More carers are needed for children of all ages, especially for siblings, teenagers and children with special needs.

    Foster for East Midlands Councils, is a regional fostering hub which was launched in collaboration with four local councils in May 2024 to enhance recruitment and support for foster carers. This dedicated team guides prospective carers through every step of the process from enquiry to application. Once approved the support network of the councils provides 24/7 support and comprehensive training ensuring carers are well-prepared to meet the diverse needs of children in their care.

    For more information, visit fosterforeastmidlands.org.uk, attend a fostering information event, or call us at 0303 3132 950.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nestlé USA Announces Voluntary Recall of a Limited Quantity of Lean Cuisine® and STOUFFER’S® Frozen Meals Due to Potential Presence of Foreign Material

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    March 17, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    March 18, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & Beverages
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential Contaminant – Wood

    Company Name:
    Nestle USA
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Stouffer’s

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Frozen meals

    Company Announcement
    ARLINGTON, VA., March 17, 2025 — Nestlé USA is initiating a voluntary recall of a limited quantity of Lean Cuisine® and STOUFFER’S® frozen meals due to the potential presence of wood-like material.
    This recall is isolated to a limited quantity of batches of the following items: Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli, Lean Cuisine® Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry, and STOUFFER’S® Party Size Chicken Lasagna that were produced between August 2024-March 2025. These products were distributed at major retailers in the U.S. between September 2024-March 2025. This recall does not involve any other Lean Cuisine® or STOUFFER’S® products.
    We are taking this action after consumers contacted Nestlé USA about this issue, including one potential choking incident to date.
    Batch codes can be identified on the side of the product packaging. Please utilize reference images below and look for the ten-digit batch code prior to the best before date.
    Lean Cuisine® Butternut Squash Ravioli

    Batch Numbers: 

    Corresponding Best Before Dates: 

    4261595912

    OCT2025

    4283595912

    NOV2025

    4356595912

    JAN2026

    5018595912

    FEB2026

    5038595912

    MAR2026

    Lean Cuisine® Spinach Artichoke Ravioli

    Batch Numbers: 

    Corresponding Best Before Dates: 

    4311595912

    DEC2025

    5002595912

    FEB2026

    5037595912

    MAR2026

    5064595912

    APR2026

    Lean Cuisine® Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

    Batch Numbers: 

    Corresponding Best Before Dates: 

    4214595511

    SEPT2025

    STOUFFER’S® Party Size Chicken Lasagna (96oz)

    Batch Numbers: 

    Corresponding Best Before Dates: 

    4262595915

    OCT2025

    4351595915

    JAN2026

    5051595915

    MAR2026

    5052595915

    MAR2026

    Consumers who have purchased these products should not prepare or consume the product and should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a replacement or a full refund. For any further support needed, please contact Nestlé USA at (800) 681-1676 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. EST.
    We are actively investigating the source of the wood-like material. We are confident that this is an isolated issue, and we have taken action to address it.
    We are working with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on this recall and will cooperate with them fully.
    The quality, safety and integrity of our products remain our number one priority. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this action represents to both our consumers and retail customers.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    Nestle USA
    (800) 681-1676

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    03/18/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Combatting the measles threat means examining the reasons for declining vaccination rates

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Catherine Carstairs, Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph

    To address anti-vaccine sentiment, we need to listen to parents’ concerns and make it easy for them to get their children vaccinated. (Shutterstock)

    Measles was supposedly eradicated in Canada more than a quarter century ago. But today, measles is surging.

    Public Health Ontario recently announced that there have been 195 cases in the province in the past two weeks and 372 cases since autumn 2024. Many cases have required hospitalization. Last year, a child died.

    The cause of this resurgence is declining vaccination rates.

    Measles is extremely infectious. One person with the measles is likely to infect nine out of 10 of their unvaccinated close contacts. To prevent its spread, we need 95 per cent of the population to be vaccinated.

    Anti-vaccine sentiments

    Our research examines why parents have hesitated or refused to vaccinate their children. Anti-vaccine sentiment is often linked to a now thoroughly discredited 1998 study that suggested a link between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism.

    But our research on the anti-vaccine movement in Canada from the 1970s to the early 2000s suggests that parents’ concerns about vaccines started much earlier than that study, and that parents worry about far more than autism.

    To address anti-vaccine sentiment, we need to listen to parents’ concerns and make it easy for them to get their children vaccinated. We also need to persuade them of the benefits of vaccination, not just for their own children, but for their family members, friends and fellow citizens.

    The anti-vaccine literature is not anti-science. It is filled with statistics and references to scientific studies, although the facts are often wrong. Parents who read this literature need more than the simple reassurance of experts that vaccines are safe and effective. They need to be shown evidence and have confidence that their concerns are being taken seriously.

    One argument that appeared frequently in the anti-vaccine literature is that rates of infectious disease had fallen before the introduction of vaccines.

    While mortality from infectious diseases declined well before vaccination, vaccines played a vital role in further diminishing the toll of infectious disease. Diphtheria is largely unknown today, but before the introduction of widespread vaccination in the years between the First and Second World Wars, it killed hundreds of Canadian children every year.

    Another common argument was that vaccines are ineffective. This argument was often used with respect to the measles vaccine. Because some people are inadequately vaccinated (receiving only one shot for example, instead of two), and because the vaccine is not perfect, there will be some cases of measles even in vaccinated people. Fortunately, these people tend to have milder cases.

    Anti-vaccine texts frequently contain long lists of scary-sounding ingredients in vaccines, similar to what we see for highly processed foods. Thimerosal (ethyl mercury used as a preservative) attracted the most attention. Thimerosal is no longer used in childhood vaccines in Canada.

    The anti-vaccine literature is deeply skeptical about the profit-making motivations of pharmaceutical companies and often mentions past disasters such as the thalidomide scandal that saw thousands of children born with shortened limbs.

    While this is not the only example of inadequate safety testing of new drugs, it is clear that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, used since the early 1970s, has a long safety record and has played a vital role in reducing deaths and illness from the measles in Canada and abroad.

    Anti-vaccine literature also stressed that there were natural ways of building immunity that could take the place of vaccination. We see this today with claims by United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Kennedy claims that poor eating habits are behind the spread of measles in the U.S. This is extremely dangerous. Even the healthiest, best-fed child can get extremely sick with the measles. Not all parents can afford nutritious food. And some children can’t be vaccinated because of medical conditions, leaving them extremely vulnerable.

    Tragedies of the past

    Anti-vaccine parents see vaccines as one of the dangers of our modern, polluted world, and worry that vaccines might have risks that have not yet been recognized. While there are risks with any medical technology, the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the possible dangers.

    A century ago, parents mourned the gruesome deaths of children with diphtheria, which caused a membrane to form across the child’s throat, slowly strangling them to death.

    Mortality from the measles declined in the first half of the 20th century, but in 1945, there was still one measles death for every 100,000 people in Ontario.

    Parents today have little memory of these tragedies, but sadly, they could return. Indeed, a powerful article recently published in the Atlantic Monthly profiled a father who had just lost his six-year-old child to the measles.

    Along with scholars like sociologist Jennifer Reich, who has studied contemporary anti-vaccine parents, we see anti-vaccination sentiment as part of a larger societal trend towards individualism. Parents think about what’s best for their own child, rather than thinking about what’s best for their community.

    At a time when Canadians are bonding together to fight the tariff threat from the U.S., it would be wonderful if we could also come together to fight the scourge of infectious diseases, including measles. The best way to do this is vaccination.

    Catherine Carstairs received funding from AMS Healthcare for this project.

    Kathryn Hughes receives funding from AMS Healthcare for this project.

    – ref. Combatting the measles threat means examining the reasons for declining vaccination rates – https://theconversation.com/combatting-the-measles-threat-means-examining-the-reasons-for-declining-vaccination-rates-252168

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Salford City Council celebrates social workers during Social Work Week 

    Source: City of Salford

    • The awareness week is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of social workers and the impact the profession has on communities
    • Social workers provide a wide range of support, helping children and adults to maximise their life chances and reach their full potential
    • Salford City Council currently provides social care to 5,446 adults and children  

    This year’s Social Work Week, 17 to 21 March 2025, which coincides with World Social Work Day on 18 March, aims to bring people together to celebrate the successes of social workers and to pay tribute to the impact the profession has on communities. 

    Key themes of the awareness week this year are focused on:

    • Data and insight: how to ensure that social workers practice and its regulation is data driven and how this can improve people’s experience of the profession.
    • Education and training: how are social workers supported throughout each step of their career journey and why continuous learning and supervision is essential.
    • Innovation: learnings from the adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve professional practice and where are the ethical tensions.
    • Professional identity: understanding if a greater sense of professional identity is crucial for the future of social work.
    • Safe and effective practice: how professional competence contributes to building public trust in the social work profession and what can be learnt from fitness to practise.

    Social workers work autonomously and collaborate as part of a professional team to provide a wide range of support, helping children and adults to maximise their life chances and reach their full potential.

    In what is very much a rewarding career, the role can be a demanding and emotional one. Social workers are often the unsung heroes, and this is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing work that our social workers do with residents of Salford.

    They advise, help and protect children and adults with support needs from harm or abuse and support them to live independently. From helping keep a family under pressure together to supporting someone with mental health problems, learning disabilities and those on the autism spectrum, social workers have to make difficult decisions that impact people’s lives based on the best interests of children and adults.

    Social workers also help people to overcome significant difficulties, such as substance addictions, domestic abuse, mental health challenges, and homelessness and poverty, supporting them to be empowered and live independently, develop positive relationships and access education, training and employment.

    Salford City Council provides:

    • 13 types of social care services to vulnerable adults and children across the city
    • an average of 129,545 hours of care to adults/children each month
    • social care to 5,446 adults and children

    Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services at Salford City Council said: “We are proud of the work we do to improve the lives of our children, young people and families in Salford, and our social workers are absolutely key to that. I want to recognise the dedication and valuable work that our social workers do, and also the teams who support them, to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.”

    “Through this national recognition, we can help to inform and educate the public on what social work is and work collaboratively with other local authorities and government bodies to share valuable knowledge that can help to address the challenges and create positive solutions. This week is an important part of recognising and celebrating social workers’ commitment and dedication, and to thank them for the incredible work they do every day.”

    Councillor John Merry, Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health at Salford City Council said: “Social care is a very important part of our work with our communities and partners to help everyone lead fulfilling, healthy, and independent lives in Salford. This week is a great way of highlighting all the unseen but vital support that social work provides for residents to care for their strengths, connections, and families, in their own homes and communities.”

    Councillor Mishal Saeed, Executive Support Social Care and Mental Health at Salford City Council said: “Our social workers play a vital role in supporting residents in the community, helping their wellbeing in order to live longer and better lives and feel connected to others in their area. This week is an important part of recognising and celebrating social workers commitment and dedication.” 

    Share this

    Date published
    Tuesday 18 March 2025

    Press and media enquiries

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 03.14.2025 Sens. Cruz, Risch Introduce Bill to Curb Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in U.S. Foreign Assistance Programs

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the United States African Development Foundation Dissolution Act. The bill would eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in foreign assistance programs by abolishing the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).Sen. Cruz said, “The Biden administration recklessly spent and abused American taxpayer dollars at the U.S. African Development Foundation. I’m proud to work alongside Senator Risch to address those abuses and continue rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse across government agencies.”
    Sen. Risch Said, “Following a nearly two-year investigation into serious allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse at the USADF, I’m proud to introduce this bill to ensure American taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on this program that has been mismanaged for far too long. I’ll continue to work alongside President Trump and his administration to reduce the bloated federal bureaucracy and root out waste in our government.”
    Read the full text of the bill here.
    BACKGROUND
    The United States African Development Foundation Dissolution Act will:
    Abolish the United States African Development Foundation and transfer its functions and resources to the U.S. Department of State, better aligning U.S. small grants programs in Africa with the American national security interests Promote more effective use of American taxpayer dollars by reining in spending and holding accountable those who actively sought to shield USADF from Congressional scrutiny.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aid should never be used as a political tool: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Aid should never be used as a political tool: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

    Thank you President and thank you to USG Fletcher for his sobering briefing. 

    I also want to thank Algeria and Somalia for calling this meeting – an initiative which the UK fully supports considering the alarming humanitarian situation.

    President, this meeting comes at a critical moment. 

    As my Foreign Secretary has said, the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are appalling.

    I want to be clear, a return to fighting will only result in the deaths of further Palestinian civilians, Israeli hostages and IDF soldiers. 

    This conflict cannot be resolved through military means.

    We want to see the ceasefire re-established as soon as possible.

    The humanitarian situation in Gaza was already catastrophic. 

    After 17 days, Israel continues to block all aid entering Gaza. Crossing points have been shut off. Bakeries are closing. Hospitals and desalination plants are running on generators that could stop at any moment.

    This is horrifying and unacceptable.

    Humanitarian aid should never be used as a political tool. 

    We are calling for the following urgent steps to bring this terrifying situation back from the brink.

    First, we call for the protection of civilians, and for safe, rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access. 

    We call on Israel to fulfil its international obligations and allow for a rapid and unhindered resurgence in the flow of aid. 

    This includes the supply of items such as medical equipment, shelter items, and water and sanitation equipment, essential to meet humanitarian and early recovery needs in Gaza, but which remain restricted. 

    Failure to deliver this not only risks undoing the vital humanitarian progress made during phase one of the ceasefire agreement; it also risks violating international humanitarian law.

    Second, we urge all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to implement the ceasefire agreement in full, including scaling up aid and releasing the 59 hostages who have been cruelly held by Hamas for over 500 days and have endured unimaginable suffering. 

    For Israel to be secure, these terrorists can have no role in Gaza’s future. But cutting off aid and resuming the fighting is not a means to this end.

    Finally, we reiterate that civilians of Gaza who have suffered so much must be allowed to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.

    Colleagues, we urge all parties to return to the ceasefire deal and get back to the path of peace. 

    A negotiated two-state solution is the best way to ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ARU to host Plant Empowerment’s first UK workshop

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is to host an exclusive workshop aimed at anyone involved in indoor crop production, focusing on increasing yields while cutting resource use.

    Taking place at ARU’s Chelmsford campus on 6-7 May, it will be the first time that Netherlands-based Plant Empowerment – global leaders in sustainable crop production – have run a workshop in the UK.

    Plant Empowerment are renowned for their data-driven approach to optimising plant growth by maintaining natural balances, and their philosophy focuses on enhancing crop resilience, increasing yields, and ensuring efficient use of water, energy, and nutrients.

    The two-day event will feature practical demonstrations and expert insights aimed at growers, industry leaders, innovators, and academics.

    Anglia Ruskin University’s Writtle campus, located just outside Chelmsford, is a leading centre for agricultural and horticultural courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Established as a specialist land-based institution in 1893, Writtle merged with Anglia Ruskin University last year to become ARU Writtle.

    “Plant Empowerment view a greenhouse as a connected ecosystem, where light, water, climate, and nutrients must work in harmony to maximise plant health and productivity. Their innovative approach is transforming indoor crop production, and we’re excited to host their first UK workshop here at ARU.

    “Attendees will benefit from interactive sessions, live demonstrations of technology applications – including greenhouse management and environmental control – and networking opportunities focused on tackling food security and sustainability challenges.”

    Dr Kami Baghalian, Senior Lecturer in Crop Production at ARU Writtle

    Topics that will be covered during the workshop include Exploring the Rootzone: Understanding its critical role in crop health; Light and Irrigation: Managing resources for maximum growth efficiency; A Fresh Approach to Pest and Disease Management: Reducing crop risks through innovation; and Optimal Pollination Strategies: Tailored techniques for both summer and winter conditions.

    The workshop is free for academics and places cost £150 for industry participants. To book, visit https://store.anglia.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/conferences-events/fse-conferences-courses-and-events/fse-conference-courses-events/2-day-plant-empowerment-workshop

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern District of Texas Charges Nearly 250 People in Second Week of March in Relation to Border Enforcement Efforts

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    HOUSTON – A total of 245 new cases have been filed in the last week related to immigration and border security, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. 

    Of those, 115 are charged with illegally re-entering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent and/or sexual crimes and prior immigration offenses. A total 118 face charges of illegally entering the country, 10 cases involve various instances of human smuggling, and the remainder relate to firearms and assault of federal officers. 

    Of those facing allegations of illegally re-entering the country is Santos Demetrio Marquez-Hernandez from El Salvador. The criminal complaint indicates he has a felony conviction of contact with a minor with sexual intent and was removed just over two months ago on Jan. 8. He could receive up to 20 years in U.S. prison.

    Juan Daniel Pena and Jose Cristian Cantu Jr. were also arrested this week for attempting to smuggle 15 aliens through the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita. The charges allege the aliens, who were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Vietnam, were hidden inside two trucks being hauled on a flatbed trailer. Five of the illegal aliens were allegedly previously ordered removed from the United States and are now facing their own charges of illegal reentry into the United States.

    Relevant cases also featured this week include an Arkansas man who was found guilty of transporting illegal aliens in a truck’s wheel well and fuel tank. The jury deliberated for under 30 minutes following a less than two-day trial before finding Noel Mercado guilty on two counts of alien smuggling. An x-ray scan revealed at least two individuals in the truck’s wheel wells – found bolted inside modified wheel well compartments. Law enforcement also discovered two more individuals in the auxiliary fuel tank below the truck bed. All four were illegal aliens from the countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala with no authority to be in the United States. 

    Among those charged this week also includes Gerardo Hervey Rodriguez-Toscano, a Mexican citizen who allegedly ran up the Mexican side of the Hidalgo port of entry and attempted to evade U.S. law enforcement at the midpoint. Authorities were able to detain him, but after a struggle, according to the allegations. One officer allegedly suffered injuries to his wrist, knee and elbow. If convicted, Rodriguez-Toscano faces up to eight years in prison.

    In addition, a Honduran man attempted to enter the country illegally by pretending to be a minor. Elger Fabricio Cotto-Navarro claimed he was born in May 2007, when he was actually born the previous year. He initially denied the allegations and made a written statement as such, but ultimately acknowledged he was an adult and that he provided an incorrect date of birth and made false statements.   

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.  

    The SDTX remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes. 

    An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: GlobalData highlights disease prevention with World Oral Health Day

    Source: GlobalData

    GlobalData highlights disease prevention with World Oral Health Day

    Posted in Medical Devices

    March 20 marks World Oral Health Day, an important global event aiming to raise awareness about the importance of oral health and its impact on overall well-being. Led by the FDI World Dental Federation, the annual observance encourages individuals, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to act towards improving oral hygiene. Better oral hygiene can help reduce the burden of dental diseases worldwide, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Oral health plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health, yet it is often overlooked. Poor oral hygiene can lead to various dental issues, such as cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss. However, the consequences extend beyond the mouth. Research has established strong links between oral health and systemic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory infections, and even adverse pregnancy outcomes.

    Alexandra Murdoch, Senior Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The theme for World Oral Health Day 2024, ‘A Happy Mouth, A Happy Body,’ underscores the connection between a healthy smile and overall well-being. Through global campaigns, educational initiatives, and community outreach, the day emphasizes the need for proper oral care, access to dental services, and policies that support good oral health habits.”

    Neglecting oral health can have serious implications, not only for the teeth and gums but also for overall health. Some of the diseases and conditions linked to poor oral hygiene include oral cancer, which affects the lips, tongue, cheeks, and throat, often linked to risk factors like tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, and HPV infection. Poor oral hygiene can also be linked to diabetes complications, as those with diabetes are more prone to gum disease due to weakened immunity and poor blood sugar control.

    One of the most common diseases associated with poor oral health is periodontal disease or gum disease. Gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults, beginning with gingivitis and potentially progressing to periodontitis, leading to bone and tissue damage.

    According to GlobalData, over 280,000 people in the US were diagnosed with periodontitis in 2024. Of these cases, 27.9% of patients needed dental implants.

    Murdoch continues: “World Oral Health Day serves as a reminder of the essential steps everyone should take to maintain a healthy mouth and prevent disease, including brushing teeth, flossing, going to the dentist, limiting sugary foods and tobacco, and staying hydrated.”

    Poor oral hygiene can have significant implications for the dental devices market, as it can increase the need for dental implants, bridges, dentures and crowns.

    GlobalData forecasts the dental implants & abutments market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% in the next 10 years, while the prefabricated crowns & bridges market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% in the next 10 years.

    Murdoch concludes: “World Oral Health Day brings attention to an often-overlooked issue, even though poor oral hygiene can lead to severe consequences. Oral hygiene is driving demand for restorative and preventative solutions in the dental market, and even outside of dental devices in more severe cases.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on Pathways to Work reform

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    Speech

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions speech to the House of Commons on Pathways to Work reform

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP delivered the below speech to the House of Commons on the 18 March 2025.

    INTRODUCTION

    Mr Speaker

    This Government is ambitious for our people and our country.

    And we believe that unleashing the talents of the British people is the key to our future success.

    But the social security system we inherited from [political content removed] is failing the very people it is supposed to help, and holding our country back.

    The facts speak for themselves.

    1 in 10 people of working age now claiming a sickness or disability benefit.

    Almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training – that’s 1 in 8 of all our young people.

    2.8 million out of work due to long term sickness. 

    And the number of people claiming Personal Independence Payments set to double this decade, from 2 to 4.3 million…

    … with the growth in claims rising faster among young people and mental health conditions. 

    … and with claims up to 4 times higher in parts of the Midlands, Wales and the North where economic demand is weakest. Places that were decimated in the 80s and 90s, written off for years by successive Tory governments, and never given the chances they deserve. 

    And the consequences of this failure are there for all to see. 

    Millions of people who could work trapped on benefits… denied the income, hope, dignity and self-respect that we know good work brings.

    And taxpayers paying millions more on the costs of failure, with spending on working age sickness and disability benefits up £20 billion since the pandemic, set to rise by a further £18 billion by the end of this Parliament to £70 billion a year. 

    And it is not like this in most other comparable countries where spending on these benefits since the pandemic is either stable or falling – whilst ours continues to inexorably rise. 

    [political content removed]

    And today, Mr Speaker, we say – no more.

    Since we were elected, we have hit the ground running to get more people into good work through our Plan for Change. 

    We’re investing an extra £26 billion into the NHS to drive down waiting lists and get people back to health and back to work.

    We’re improving the quality of work and making work pay with our landmark Employment Rights legislation and increases in the national living wage.

    We’re creating more good jobs in every part of the country in clean energy and through our modern industrial strategy.

    And we are introducing the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, with our £240 million Get Britain Working plan.

    Today, our Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out decisive action to fix the broken benefits system.

    Creating a more pro-active, pro-work system for those who can work. 

    And so we protect it for those who cannot work; now and for the long-term.

    Mr Speaker, I know as a constituency MP for 14 years, that there will always be people who can never work, because of the severity of their disability or illness. 

    Under this Government, the social security system will always be there for people in genuine need. That is a principle we will never compromise on.

    But disabled people and people with health conditions who can work should have the same rights, choices and chances to work as everybody else. That principle of equality is vital too.

    Because –  [political content removed] – many sick and disabled people want to work, with the right help and support.

    [political content removed]. 

    Mr Speaker, our first aim is to secure a decisive shift towards prevention and early intervention.

    Almost 4 million people are in work with a work limiting health condition, and around 300,000 fall out of work every year.

    So we’ve got to do far more to help people stay in work, and get back to work quickly – because your chances of returning are 5 times higher in the first year. 

    Our plans to give statutory sick pay for 1 million of the lowest paid workers and more rights to flexible working will help keep more people in work.

    The Work Well programme is trialling new approaches like GPs referring people to employment advisors, instead of signing them off sick.

    And our Keep Britain Working review, led by former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield, will set out what government and employers can do together, to create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. 

    So we help more employers offer opportunities for disabled people, including through measures like reasonable readjustments, alongside our Green Paper consultation on reforming Access to Work so it is fit for the future. 

    And today I can announce another step. 

    Our Green Paper will consult on a major reform of contributory benefits …

    … merging contributions-based Jobseekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance into a new time limited Unemployment Insurance, paid at a higher rate, without having to prove you cannot work in order to get it 

    … so if you have paid into the system you’ll get stronger income protection, while we help you get back on track.  

    Our second objective is to restore trust and fairness in the benefits system … 

    …. by fixing the broken assessment process and tackling the perverse incentives that drive people into welfare dependency.

    Now Members  [political content removed]  have long argued that the Work Capability Assessment is not fit for purpose.

    Going through the WCA is complex, time consuming and often stressful for claimants, especially if they also have to go through the PIP assessment.

    And more fundamentally, it’s based on a binary can / can’t work divide, when we know the truth is that many people’s physical and mental health conditions fluctuate.

    The consultation on  [political content removed] WCA proposals was ruled unlawful by the courts.

    So today I can announce we will not go ahead with their proposals.

    Instead we will scrap the WCA in 2028.

    In future, extra financial support for health conditions in Universal Credit will be available solely through the PIP assessment…

    .. so extra income is based on the impact of someone’s health condition or disability, not on their capacity to work.

    … reducing the number of assessments that people have to go through

    … and a vital step towards de-risking work.

    And, Mr Speaker, we will do more …

    by legislating for a ‘right to try’, guaranteeing that work in and of itself will never lead to a benefit reassessment. 

    Giving people the confidence to take the plunge and try work – without the fear this will put their benefits at risk.

    Mr Speaker, we will also tackle the perverse financial incentives –[political content removed] – which actively encourage people into welfare dependency.

    [political content removed]

    As a result, the health top up is now worth double the Standard Allowance, at more than £400 a month.

    And in 2017, they took away extra financial help for the group of people who could prepare for work. 

    So we’re left with a binary assessment of can or can’t work and a clear financial incentive to define yourself as incapable of work….

    …something the OBR, IFS and others say is a likely factor driving people onto incapacity benefits. 

    Today, we tackle this problem head on. 

    We will legislate to rebalance the payments in Universal Credit from April next year …

    … holding the value of the health top up fixed in cash terms for existing claimants and reducing it for new claimants

    … with an additional premium for people with severe, lifelong conditions that mean that they will never work – to give them the financial security they deserve. 

    And alongside this, Mr Speaker, we will bring in a permanent, above inflation rise to the standard allowance in Universal Credit… for the first time EVER, a £775 annual increase in cash terms by 2029/30. 

    And a decisive step to tackle the perverse incentives in the system.

    We will also fix the failing system of reassessments.

    [political content removed]  failed to switch reassessments back on after the pandemic, so they’re down by more than two thirds, with face to face assessments going from 7 in 10 to only 1 in 10.

    We will turn these reassessments back on at scale, and shift the focus back to doing more face to face, and we will ensure they are recorded as standard – to give confidence to claimants and taxpayers that they’re being done properly.

    And Mr Speaker I can also announce …

    … for people on Universal Credit with the most severe disabilities, and health conditions that will never improve, we want to ensure that they are never reassessed, to give them the confidence and dignity they deserve. 

    And we will fundamentally overhaul the DWP’s safeguarding approach to make sure all our processes and training are of the highest quality so we protect and support the most vulnerable people. 

    Mr Speaker, alongside these changes we will also reform disability benefits, so they focus support on those in greatest need and to ensure the social security system lasts for the long-term, into the future.

    Social and demographic change means more people are now living with a disability.

    But the increase in disability benefits is double the rate of increasing prevalence of working age disability in the country.

    With claims amongst young people up 150%.  For mental health conditions, up 190%. And claims for learning difficulties up over 400%, according to the IFS. 

    Every day, there are more than 1,000 new PIP awards. 

    That’s the equivalent of adding a population the size of Leicester every single year. 

    Mr Speaker, that is not sustainable long-term, above all, for the people who depend on this support. [political content removed]

    So today I can announce this Government will NOT bring in  [political content removed]  proposals for vouchers – because disabled people should have choice and control over their lives.

    We will not means-test PIP. Because disabled people deserve extra support, whatever their incomes.

    And Mr Speaker I can confirm we will not freeze PIP either.

    Instead, our reforms will focus support on those with the greatest needs.

    We will legislate for a change in PIP so people will need to score a minimum of 4 points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP from November 2026. 

    This will not affect the mobility component of PIP and only relates to the daily living element.  

    And alongside this, we will launch a review of the PIP assessment … 

    … led by my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, in close consultation with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts

    … so we make sure PIP and the assessment process is fit for purpose, now and into the future. 

    And Mr Speaker, this is a significant reform package that is expected to save over £5 billion in 2029/30. And the OBR will set out their final assessment of the costings next week.

    Our third and final objective is to deliver personalised support to sick and disabled people who CAN work to get the jobs they need and deserve.

    We know  [political content removed] young people and the long-term unemployed – the difference that proper employment support can make.

    And more recent evidence – from the Work Choice programme and Additional Work Coach time – shows support can make a significant difference in the number of people getting work, keeping work, and improving their mental health and wellbeing too.

    This   [political content removed] Government believes that an active state can transform people’s lives. We know this because we have done it before.

    So today I can announce we will invest an additional £1 billion a year for employment support with the aim of guaranteeing high-quality, tailored and personalised support to help people on a Pathway to Work. 

    The largest ever investment in opportunities to work for sick and disabled people. 

    And alongside this – for those on the UC Health top up – we will bring in an expectation to engage and a new Support Conversation to talk about people’s goals and aspirations, combined with an offer of personalised health, skills and employment support. 

    And because being out of work or training when you’re young is so damaging for your future prospects, we will go further.

    In addition to funding our Youth Guarantee through the £240 million Get Britain Working plan…

    … we will consult on delaying access to the health top up in Universal Credit until someone is aged 22, with the savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.  

    So every young person is earning or learning, and on a pathway to success. 

    CONCLUSION

    Mr Speaker  [political content removed]  … a broken benefit system that’s failing the people who depend on it, and our country as a whole.

    The status quo is unacceptable. 

    But it is not inevitable.

    We were elected on a mandate for change. 

    To end the sticking plaster approach… and tackle the root causes of problems in this country that have been ignored for too long. 

    Because we believe in the value and potential of every single person. 

    That we all have something positive to contribute and can make a difference. 

    Whether that’s in paid work, in our families or communities alongside our neighbours and friends. 

    We will unleash this potential in every corner of the land. 

    Because we are as ambitious for the British people as they are for themselves. 

    Today, we take decisive action. And I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 18 March 2025 Departmental update New Health Investment Platform to improve primary health care convenes its first Steering Committee

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Yesterday the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP) held its inaugural Steering Committee meeting, marking a significant milestone in advancing innovative financing for global health. As the Platform’s highest decision-making body, the Committee – consisting of representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Investment Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank – reviewed progress, endorsed key governance and operational priorities, and provided strategic guidance on HIIP’s efforts to expand primary health care (PHC) services in low- and middle-income countries. The meeting represents a significant step forward in advancing sustainable financing solutions for global health.

    The HIIP was unveiled during the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris in 2023, and is a landmark partnership between WHO, multilateral development banks and beneficiary countries. Amid a US$ 371 billion annual health financing gap for health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a US$ 31.1 billion annual funding requirement for pandemic preparedness, the Platform innovates multilateral solutions to increase the share of development funding going to the health sector. Integrating technical expertise, financial resources and local knowledge into impactful, country-driven investments in vulnerable communities, the Platform has mobilized over US$ 30 million of investment for WHO to support countries in developing prioritized investment plans for potential support from MDBs and donors.

    The Platform aims to use these plans to generate over US$1.5 billion funding for low- and middle-income country governments to build resilience against pandemic threats and the climate crisis.

    “Primary health care is the cornerstone of equitable, cost-effective, and inclusive health systems,” said Catharina Boehme, Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization. “The Health Impact Investment Platform is a transformative initiative to mobilize financing for climate-adaptive and crisis-resilient primary health care in the countries that need it most. WHO is proud to partner with multilateral development banks and countries to ensure these funds deliver tangible impact for the communities we serve.”

    The First Steering Committee builds on months of progress since the Platform’s official launch in September 2024, with early-stage engagements in more than 10 countries. During the meeting, Committee members approved key operational documents for the platform, reviewed Concept Notes developed to operationalize primary health care investments in Burundi, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Morocco and Zambia and formally approved the Proposal for Action in Ethiopia, unlocking funding to support the finalization of its national PHC investment plan. Members reinforced the platform’s core focus on scaling primary health care investments, accelerating progress toward universal health coverage, and strengthening health system resilience in low- and middle-income countries.

    Issa Faye, Director General of Global Practice and Partnerships at the Islamic Development Bank noted, “We are committed to catalyzing impactful, sustainable investments that strengthen health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Today’s discussions reaffirmed our shared vision and commitment to scaling up investment in primary health care, ensuring that no country is left behind in achieving universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness.”

    The next Steering Committee meeting will convene on the margins of the Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly (19–27 May 2025), where progress on Ethiopia’s investment plan and new country engagements will be reviewed.

    Thomas Östros, Vice President at the European Investment Bank and the newly appointed Chair of the Steering Committee emphasized, “The Health Impact Investment Platform is a unique opportunity to bridge the health financing gap and drive sustainable investments where they are most needed. As we look ahead to the next Steering Committee, our focus remains on turning commitments into action. We call on all stakeholders to join us in expanding access to quality primary health care, ensuring that investments today translate into stronger, more resilient health systems for the future.”

    Going forward, the HIIP will deepen engagements with the first wave of applicants and expand support to other interested countries. Eligible countries for the HIIP include low- and middle-income countries which are a country of operation for at least one of the partner Multilateral Development Banks. Governments seeking to strengthen PHC through tailored technical assistance and investment support are invited to express their interest via an email addressed to hiip_secretariat@who.int.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Names 10 National Finalists in Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition

    Source: Samsung

    Demonstrating that Gen Z and Gen Alpha students embody “STEMpathy”—the fusion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills and a compassionate drive to solve community challenges—Samsung Electronics America has announced the 10 National Finalist schools advancing in the 15th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. Selected based on the project pitch videos submitted by this year’s 50 State Winners, each Finalist team will be awarded a prize package of $50,000 in Samsung technology and classroom supplies, and will advance to the final competition round.
    Samsung Solve for Tomorrow challenges public school students in grades 6-12 to drive positive change in their communities by applying STEM know-how to address real-world, pressing local issues. Celebrating its 15th year, the award-winning education-based citizenship program launched in 2010 with a mission to boost interest, proficiency, and equity in STEM. Over the years, it has become a force for reshaping the perception of STEM as a vital field for fostering a skilled workforce and informed citizens of tomorrow. To date, Samsung has awarded more than $27 million in resources to nearly 4,000 public schools across the U.S.
    This year, with guidance from their teachers, schools, Samsung employee mentors, and local businesses and public officials, the Finalist teams—half of which are from Title 1 schools—will complete their STEM solution prototypes and present them to a panel of judges at a live pitch event on April 28, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The impressive array of bright ideas utilize cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine leaning (60%), 3D modeling and printing (60%), Internet of Things (40%) and robotics (20%) to address key challenges in accessibility, public health, public safety, sustainability, and mental health.

    Three schools will ultimately be named National Winners, selected by a distinguished judging panel that includes Charlotte Dungan, Chief Learning Officer at the Mark Cuban Foundation, Rameen Rana, Investor, at Samsung NEXT, and other esteemed judges. Notable guests attending the event include Yoonie Joung, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, and Allison Stransky, CMO of Samsung Electronics America.
    “Watching Year 15 of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow unfold, it’s clear that care, compassion and creative genius are alive and well among America’s 6-12 grade students,” said Stransky. “It’s inspiring to see Gen Z and Gen Alpha, as digital natives, embracing emerging tech like AI and harnessing it to improve lives and communities. We are proud to recognize not only the National Finalists but also the many students from schools across the country who participated this year, contributing their innovative ideas and showcasing the incredible promise of the next generations.”
    Salman Taufiq, Head of Brand Marketing, Samsung Electronics America, added, “Solve for Tomorrow highlights the incredible potential of young minds. We are proud to see so many bright and passionate students are ready contribute to the growth and progress of our communities and country. As they embrace the power of STEM, they’re not just learning—they’re actively shaping a future where innovation and technology create real, positive impact.”
    Introducing the 10 National Finalists

    SchoolCity/StateCommunity Issue, STEM Solution & Video
    Lathrop High SchoolFairbanks, AKPublic Safety – Winter Driving: Snow-covered roads obscure lane markings, causing dangerous driving conditions that contribute to nearly 300,000 crashes per year on the 70% of U.S. roads that experience snow-related reduced winter safety. Students developed Laser Lane Lines – a solution that uses AI, robotics, and GPS tech to project laser lane markings onto snow-covered roads. Their application of STEM makes driving on snowy roads much safer for residents of Alaska and winter drivers across the country. https://youtu.be/UHzK9OWp0r8
    Bentonville West High SchoolCenterton, ARPublic Health – Cancer: Oral cancer causes 170,000 deaths annually, with early detection critical to saving lives. In Arkansas, limited access to affordable specialists and diagnostics makes detection especially challenging, particularly in rural and low-income areas. In 2024, 90% of residents didn’t visit a dentist. To address this, students developed an AI-powered mobile cancer screening app, allowing users to take images of their mouths and self-screen for oral cancer—offering an affordable, accessible early detection solution. https://youtu.be/f0uTMiuasF8
    Aurora Highlands P-8Aurora, COAccessibility – Gaming: Gaming isn’t just about high scores—it’s a way to connect, compete, and build friendships. But many games come with controllers that aren’t built for players with physical disabilities or who lack fine motor precision, leading to a risk of social isolation. Using 3D modeling, printing, and coding to design a customizable, affordable controller, middle schoolers developed an adaptive video game controller for gamers with diverse abilities, make gaming more inclusive. https://youtu.be/b_-mV_ld8uo
    Academy of Aerospace and EngineeringWindsor, CTClimate Action – Heat Disparities: In approximately 65 U.S. cities, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect causes temperatures to rise by 8°F for 34 million people, a significant temperature increase that impacts public health and sustainable city development. To identify locations with heat-absorptive surfaces (e.g., dark pavement, roofs) or areas lacking cooling vegetation, high school students created H.E.A.T.M.A.P., an AI-powered app using 3D-printed, solar-powered IoT sensors with thermal imaging to track, predict, and mitigate UHI locations in real-time, combatting climate-driven heat disparities. https://youtu.be/MZ2a3BZEHzI
    Charter School of WilmingtonWilmington, DEPublic Health – Physician Shortage: Delaware’s physician shortage has left several counties without adequate access to healthcare, causing primary care wait times to soar by nearly 200%. High school students developed the AKQUA-Gel hydrogel bandage—a smart, AI-powered smart bandage with IoT sensors and 3D-printed components that monitors wound healing in real-time. Linked to a mobile app, it tracks biomarkers like moisture, pH, and oxygen, providing data to patients and doctors, advancing treatment, and reducing hospital congestion by enabling remote wound monitoring. https://youtu.be/Vs-Ou3CnCZg
    Bloomington High School SouthBloomington, INAccessibility – Sports: Nearly 20% of Americans experience hearing loss, and with 8 million high school athletes participating in sports, many are at risk of damaging their hearing aids during physical activities. Current solutions are bulky and non-compliant. Storm Shield, a lightweight, eco-friendly headband, protects hearing aids from wind, rain, and impact using hydrophobic mesh and a wireless motion sensor for safety. Combining material science, programming, IoT, machine learning, and 3D printing, this all-girl student-led project offers an affordable, sustainable, and innovative solution for athletes’ hearing aid protection. https://youtu.be/PlQEmMA2O9w
    Denham Springs High SchoolDenham Springs, LASustainability – Water Quality: To address community concerns about the potential risks of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Lake Maurepas in Southeastern Louisiana, students developed the Safety C Sensor and app. Using AI and IoT, the system monitors carbon levels and alerts users to potential dangers like leaks. This initiative combines engineering, data science, and community education to ensure safety and raise awareness. https://youtu.be/-ZXrb92NUvw
    Edgerton Elementary SchoolMaplewood, MNPublic Safety – Ice Hazard: Minnesota’s frozen lakes pose a serious safety risk, with numerous fatalities each winter from falling through ice. To address this, middle school students developed Ice Savers, a sensor system that measures ice thickness and shares real-time data through a mobile app. Using ultrasonic sensors, buoys, and AI-driven analysis, their solution helps prevent accidents by informing users when lake ice is safe to walk on. https://youtu.be/LzUOlEAJ-0w
    Doral Academy of Northern NevadaReno, NVAccessibility – Modular Prosthetic: At Doral Academy, a student with a partial arm amputation couldn’t play the violin, a passion of theirs. To help, classmates came together to create a cost-effective, 3D-printed modular prosthetic. By using CAD software and recyclable PLA, the middle schoolers crafted a solution that’s not only functional but adaptable. The innovation enhances accessibility, underscoring how STEM can foster inclusivity. https://youtu.be/5-ufOdRPMn0
    CY Middle SchoolCasper, WYMental Health – Youth Well-being: In response to rising youth mental health challenges, students created SEL-bot, a roaming robot that delivers positive messages throughout the school to promote mental wellness and self-esteem. Using mechanical engineering, robotics, and coding, they are applying STEM principles to build a functional robot that fosters a supportive, connected school environment, helping reduce anxiety and improve social interactions. https://youtu.be/n41Jq_mcoVE
    Your Vote Matters: Help Choose the Community Choice Winner
    The 10 Solve for Tomorrow National Finalists have showcased their groundbreaking STEM solutions in three-minute pitch videos, and now it’s your turn to weigh in! Cast your vote to help select one Community Choice Winner, who will receive an additional $10,000 prize package on top of their $50,000 National Finalist earnings. Watch the videos here, vote for your favorite, and make your voice count. You can vote once per day until 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 20, 2025.

    New This Year: An Interactive, AI-Powered Prize to Empower U.S. Classrooms
    In celebration of Year 15 of Solve for Tomorrow, in addition to the $2 million-plus total prizes, all 10 National Finalist teams will receive a Samsung WAF Interactive Display, which delivers a dynamic, engaging experience designed for the classroom of the future. Its intuitive interface and wide compatibility make it easier for teachers to leverage education apps and features that optimize lessons to help students discover the joy of learning. Each teacher will also receive specialized training from the Samsung Education Solutions team on effective uses of both interactive display technology and AI technology in the classroom.

    What’s Next: Live Student Pitches & Game-Changing Prizes Await

    The 10 National Finalists will head to a live Pitch Event on April 28 in Washington, D.C. Based on the live pitch presentations, judges will name three schools National Winners, each of which will receive a $100,000 prize of Samsung technology and classroom supplies. The remaining seven National Finalist schools will have been awarded $50,000 prize packages. All 10 National Finalist teams will receive a Samsung WAF Interactive Display and Samsung Education Solutions team training.
    From among the 50 State Winners, one school will be selected for the Rising Entrepreneurship Award, receiving an added $25,000 prize package to nurture and develop their STEM solution into a venture extending beyond the competition.
    One of the 50 State Winner schools will be recognized with a Sustainability Innovation Award for driving sustainable change through STEM innovation, and an additional $25,000 prize package, including Samsung ENERGY STAR® technology.
    From the National Finalists, one Community Choice Winner, selected through online voting by the general public, will receive an additional $10,000 in prizes on top of their National Finalist winnings.
    One Employee Choice Winner will be chosen by Samsung employees from among the National Finalists to receive $10,000 in prizes in addition to their National Finalist winnings.
    To learn more about Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, please visit www.samsung.com/solve and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

    MIL OSI Economics –