The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns consumers on the Texas Gulf Coast to protect themselves against dangers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Portable gasoline generators can quickly produce high levels of poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) and should never be used indoors, including inside a home, basement, shed…
GALVESTON, Texas — Massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday September 13, 2008, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts. When daylight had arrived, damage was already considered extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings had flooded, roads were washed out, 2.9 million people lost power…
Texas Medical Board After facing a statewide doctor shortage for years, the Texas Medical Board said it issued a record number of medical licenses this past fiscal year. The 3,621 doctors licensed in fiscal 2008 beat last year’s record-setting 3,324. The number of licenses issued in the state has jumped…
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, as many as 450,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Every year, an estimated 11,000 SCIs occur in the United States. Most of these are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, thereby affecting the…
At its August 27-29 meeting, the Texas Medical Board took disciplinary action against 48 licensed physicians. The actions included 12 violations based on quality of care; six actions based on unprofessional conduct; three actions based on violation of probation or prior board order; nine actions based on inadequate medical records…
DART trains were back on schedule after a Trinity Railway Express train crashed with a car and killed a Fort Worth woman. DART officials noted that the westbound commuter train crashed into the passenger side of a car at a rail crossing just before 5 p.m. Tuesday near the Richland…
NHTSA are warning owners of 5 million recalled Ford Motor Co. vehicles to go to dealerships to repair a cruise-control switch system that has been linked to engine fires. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued a second consumer advisory to owners of certain unrepaired Ford, Lincoln and Mercury…
Texas Legislature passed major medical liability tort reform in 2003, and a new study released by the Texas Hospital Association shows the state’s hospitals continue to see their liability costs drop. According to the study, 85 percent of hospitals are finding it easier to recruit specialists and subspecialists because of…
Austin, Texas:The Board of Nursing (BON) will discontinue issuing wallet-sized paper licenses for nurses renewing their licenses beginning September 1, 2008. The BON will continue to issue paper license certificates for: * Graduate nurses who pass the NCLEX® exam and obtain their initial nurse license in Texas; * Nurses who…
The FDA in an effort to improve communication with doctors and patients on prescription drug safety, began posting a list of medications under investigation for potential problems. The list is a compilation naming 20 medications and the potential safety issue for each drug. The listings will be updated for each…