From service provision to function based performance - perspectives on public health systems from the USA and Israel.

If public health agencies are to fulfill their overall mission, they need to have defined measurable targets and should structure services to reach these targets, rather than offer a combination of ill-targeted programs. In order to do this, it is essential that there be a clear definition of what public health should do- a definition that does not ebb and flow based upon the prevailing political winds, but rather is based upon professional standards and measurements.The establishment of the Essential Public Health Services framework in the U.

Here and now: Yoga in Israeli schools.

Context: In the aftermath of the Second Lebanon War, a project was initiated and designed to reduce tension in the children living in the area under bombardment.

Aims: To assess the impact of yoga intervention in a group of Israeli school children residing in the region affected by the Second Lebanon War.

Settings And Design: The study population included 122 school children aged 8-12 years in two elementary schools in Safed (n=55 and n=67, respectively) and their teachers (n=6).

Factors affecting Varicella vaccine uptake among children 1-17 years old in the Haifa District in 2007.

The Israeli National Vaccination Program (INVP) is aimed mainly at the pediatric age group. Till 2008 the program did not include routine administration of vaccine against Varicella (chickenpox). For the past 7 years, however, vaccine against Varicella has been available to the public and subsidized through the health maintenance organizations (HMOs).

Describing the social environment of elderly persons at the time of death.

Objectives: To describe the social environment of elderly persons at the time of their death and its correlates.

Design: Telephone interviews with the next-of-kin of deceased elderly persons.

Participants: Potential participants were the next-of-kin of all Jewish elderly individuals who died during the course of one year in a major city in the northern part of Israel.

Oral anticoagulants in the elderly.

Over a 1-year period, 34,998 prothrombin time tests were performed on 2,379 patients aged 40-89 years with a recommended target International Normalized Ratio (INR) value of 2.5. At least one INR value of >/= 5 was found in 507/2,379 patients (21.