Outbreak of COVID-19 and interventions in a large jail - Cook County, IL, United States, 2020.

Background: Correctional and detention facilities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to shared space, contact between staff and detained persons, and movement within facilities. On March 18, 2020, Cook County Jail, one of the United States' largest, identified its first suspected case of COVID-19 in a detained person.

Methods: This analysis includes SARS-CoV-2 cases confirmed by molecular detection among detained persons and Cook County Sheriff's Office staff.

Network Characteristics and Visualization of COVID-19 Outbreak in a Large Detention Facility in the United States - Cook County, Illinois, 2020.

Correctional and detention facilities have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) because of shared space and movement of staff members and detained persons within facilities (1,2). During March 1-April 30, 2020, at Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois, >900 COVID-19 cases were diagnosed across all 10 housing divisions, representing 13 unique buildings. Movement within the jail was examined through network analyses and visualization, a field that examines elements within a network and the connections between them.

The Introduction to the 1965 Cuban Government's Occupational Health and Safety Manual, With a Statement From Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara.

We are presenting here a translation of the introduction to a Cuban government Manual of Safety and Hygiene for Work that was prepared for Cuban workers in 1965. The manual was written by Lic. Hugo Murua Chevesich and Dr.

Green Commuting in the Health Care Sector: Obstacles and Best Practices.

Objective: Fossil fuel transportation by health care providers contributes to the prevalence of diseases they treat. We conducted an exploratory study to understand obstacles to, and best practices for, greener commuting among health care providers.

Methods: We surveyed staff of three hospital clinics as to how they commute and why, and interviewed key staff of five hospital leaders in green commuting about their programs.

From Extraction to Renewal: A Global Campaign for Healthy Energy.

A global movement is emerging in the health sector to engage in discourse and advocacy on the health impacts and health costs of energy choices--specifically the health harms of extractive, climate-disrupting energy sources such as coal and gas. Individuals and organizations in the health sector have begun to address climate and energy issues at multiple levels of engagement, including with others in the health sector, with pollution-affected communities, with policy makers, and with the media. We present recent examples of health sector advocacy and leadership on the health impacts of energy choices and opportunities for broadening and deepening the movement.

Integrating environmental and human health databases in the great lakes basin: themes, challenges and future directions.

Many government, academic and research institutions collect environmental data that are relevant to understanding the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. Integrating these data with health outcome data presents new challenges that are important to consider to improve our effective use of environmental health information. Our objective was to identify the common themes related to the integration of environmental and health data, and suggest ways to address the challenges and make progress toward more effective use of data already collected, to further our understanding of environmental health associations in the Great Lakes region.

Beyond black lung: scientific evidence of health effects from coal use in electricity generation.

While access to electricity affects health positively, combustion of coal in power plants causes well-documented adverse health effects. We review respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive, and neurologic health outcomes associated with exposure to coal-fired power plant emissions. We also discuss population-level health effects of coal combustion and its role in climate change.

Can sustainable hospitals help bend the health care cost curve?

As policymakers seek to rein in the nation's escalating health care costs, one area deserving attention is the health system's costly environmental footprint. This study examines data from selected hospitals that have implemented programs to reduce energy use and waste and achieve operating room supply efficiencies. After standardizing metrics across the hospitals studied and generalizing results to hospitals nationwide, the analysis finds that savings achievable through these interventions could exceed $5.

Alternatives to the mercury sphygmomanometer.

The mercury sphygmomanometer was introduced over 100 years ago. Mercury, however, is a potent human neurotoxin. An international effort has developed to eliminate health-care sources of mercury--the thermometer and sphygmomanometer--and replace them with less toxic alternatives.

Occupational injury disparities in the US hotel industry.

Background: Hotel employees have higher rates of occupational injury and sustain more severe injuries than most other service workers.

Method: OSHA log incidents from five unionized hotel companies for a three-year period were analyzed to estimate injury rates by job, company, and demographic characteristics. Room cleaning work, known to be physically hazardous, was of particular concern.

Providing employer-arranged occupational medical care: conflicting interests.

It is said that ethics comprise principles of good conduct or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession. These standards are unbending and strict, yet the reality is that occupational health professionals are subject to many conflicting pressures. Most of these stresses arise from the fact that employers and insurance companies, not worker-patients, fund OH services, and these two entities have overlapping, yet distinct, interests.