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Editorials Respond To Selection Of Sotomayor As Supreme Court Nominee
Several newspapers recently published editorials on President Obama"s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Summaries appear below.~ Boston Globe: "Some liberal activists hoped that Obama would seek a firebrand to counter [Supreme Court Justice] Antonin Scalia, the darling of the right," but "Sotomayor has made her reputation not on hot-button social issues but on matters ranging from environmental regulation to the baseball business," a Globe editorial states. It adds that while Sotomayor "presumably shares Obama"s support for abortion rights, she upheld the Bush administration"s restrictions on family-planning activities" by international groups that received U.S. funding. Now, "conservative groups have seized upon an offhand remark in 2005" when she described the "federal appeals courts as the place "where policy is made" ... as evidence that Sotomayor would legislate from the bench," the editorial states, adding. "The attack is disingenuous." The editorial concludes, "Short of any unexpected revelations about her record or her philosophy, though, the Senate should confirm Sonia Sotomayor," adding that in addition to her "intriguing" personal background she "also has the experience to make an excellent Supreme Court Justice" (Boston Globe, 5/27).~ Chicago Tribune: Sotomayor "has to bring more than diversity to the court," a Tribune editorial states, adding that the "evidence so far suggests that she is up to the job." One "would expect a nominee chosen by Obama to be on the liberal side of the judicial spectrum," but some of her rulings "suggest otherwise," according to the editorial. While Sotomayor "has stressed that the "duty of a judge is to follow the law, not to question its plain terms,"" on the bench, "she ruled against an abortion-rights group challenging" the Bush administration"s "global gag rule," the editorial notes, among other rulings that "could be characterized as "conservative decisions"." However, "the point is not that she"s a closet conservative -- it"s that ideology didn"t seem to determine her decisions," according to the editorial. The "Senate has a responsibility to undertake a thorough examination of her record and her thinking," the editorial states, concluding, "But for now, it looks as though her critics have a tough task ahead of them" (Chicago Tribune, 5/27).~ Los Angeles Times: "Sotomayor doesn"t possess the political experience that would be brought to the court"s cloistered chambers by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano," but "she satisfies Obama"s other criteria: experience, erudition and, as he put it, "a common touch and a sense of compassion, an understanding of how the world works and how ordinary people live,"" a Times editorial states. Sotomayor"s "experiences as a Latina raised in a housing project who went on to excel at Princeton and Yale don"t in themselves qualify her for the court," but these facts do "complement her sterling credentials and equip her with perspectives that could illuminate legal issues that come before her," the editorial continues. Senate Republicans "should accord her the same respect [they] demanded for Bush"s nominees and end the tiresome tit-for-tat that has cheapened the confirmation of federal judges and deprived the bench of some of the nation"s most capable legal minds," the editorial concludes (Los Angeles Times, 5/27).~ Philadelphia Inquirer: "Sotomayor would bring to the court a diversity it has lacked for most of its history," an Inquirer editorial states. Although "[c]onservatives want to make an issue out of President Obama"s search for "empathy" in a nominee" and "criticize Sotomayor for a speech in 2001 in which she said that being a woman of color affects her decisions," neither comment "is sinister nor shocking," according to the editorial. It concludes, "The Senate has a duty to examine Sotomayor"s qualifications rigorously and fairly. But she appears to have the experience and the

National Pharmacy Association Project To Improve NHS Commissioning, UK
The NPA is working with LPCs and PCTs to develop a process for assuring the quality of commissioning of community pharmacy services. The aim of the project is to increase constructive dialogue between contractors and commissioners, increase the level of local investment in pharmacy services and improve PCT performance right the way around the commissioning cycle.
News of the day
New Treatments Should Be Introduced Gradually To Avoid Later Problems, Says Expert
Concerns over whether the tests a treatment undergoes before release onto the market are enough to ensure its long-term safety are raised in an editorial published by BMJ Clinical Evidence today.
Oncology

Many U.S. Children Have Inadequate Access To Pediatric Trauma Care

Approximately 30 percent U.S. children live more than one hour away from a pediatric trauma center by ground or by air transportation, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. More children between ages 1 and 14 die of injuries than of all other causes combined, according to background information in the article. Trauma centers have been shown to provide a survival benefit to severely injured adult and pediatric patients. Although a comprehensive inventory of adult trauma centers is regularly updated, no similar listing of pediatric trauma centers currently exists. Michael L. Nance, M.D., of the Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues used information from national, state and local trauma systems authorities to create a catalog of verified pediatric trauma centers along with self-identified trauma centers. Using U.S. Census and Postal Service data, along with information about air medical services, the authors calculated access to age-specific trauma care services for American children younger than 15. A total of 170 verified pediatric trauma centers were identified, located in 41 states (including the District of Columbia). An estimated 71.5 percent of children younger than 15 were within 60 minutes of one of the centers by ground or by air transportation, whereas 43 percent were within 60 minutes if only ground transportation was considered. The authors estimate that 17.4 million U.S. children would not have access to a pediatric trauma center within 60 minutes. "Access ranged from 22.9 percent of the population in the most rural areas of the United States to 93.5 percent in the most urban," the authors write. Access also varied by state, ranging from more than 90 percent of children having access in 11 states to less than 25 percent having access in 12 states. "The addition of 24 candidate centers [not verified] increased coverage to 77.4 percent of the pediatric population being within 60 minutes of a pediatric trauma center." "While this study does not directly address outcome from injury as it relates to pediatric trauma care access, it stands to reason that limited access may equate to suboptimal trauma care and a lower likelihood of survival," the authors write. "Several authors have demonstrated superior outcomes for children treated in designated pediatric trauma centers." Adult-focused trauma centers may lack pediatric-specific personnel and equipment; however, most injured children are still treated at these facilities. "Understanding the distribution of existing pediatric trauma centers and gaps in access will allow for more thoughtful trauma systems planning," they conclude. "The creation of an inventory of pediatric trauma care centers allowed us to perform these access calculations. A hospital"s capacity to provide optimal care for injured children, however, is dynamic, and our inventory captures only a fixed moment in time. To optimize pediatric trauma care planning, the development of a thorough, standardized and continuously updated catalog of pediatric trauma care res is necessary." Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163[6]:512-518. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine


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